MAY & JUNE ...

For his sixth album, Murat Öztürk embraces minimalism and emphasizes the need to return to “simple things,” far removed from the pressures of our hyperconnected worlds and their ceaseless demands. A brief album (just under half an hour) of disarming beauty, Simple Things is a gift from the pianist, presented as a hymn to song—whose origins likely lie with an Italian mother who infected him with a virus whose strain is that of Neapolitan songs. We were already familiar with his love for melodies with a sometimes cinematic quality, as demonstrated once again on the album *Aïna*, recorded as a trio with Thomas Bramerie (double bass) and Franck Agulhon (drums). This time, we discover him as a singer, fulfilling a long-held dream. But because the artist is as humble as he is talented, he shares the vocal spotlight with two voices whose reputations are well-established and whose inner strength rivals his own: those of Sascha Ley and David Linx, invited to join the celebration. Their presence is commanding, it’s true, but it never feels overwhelming: it would be more accurate to say that it illuminates the path taken by Murat Öztürk, whose playing gets to the heart of the matter, with a deliberate focus on conciseness. True to form at this new gathering, the rhythm section seems to move with a lightness of touch: Bramerie and Agulhon display a well-honed, collaborative fluidity forged over many years (recall, for example, their collaboration with Pierrick Pédron during the days of Kubic’s Monk and Kubic’s Cure). Other voices are occasionally heard, those of Patrice Lerech on trumpet and Franck Leroy on French horn. We find ourselves in excellent company here, guided by a shared desire: to make life more beautiful than it is in everyday life. They achieve this with great elegance.

Denis Dessasis Citizen Jazz 02/26

Murat Öztürk (p, Rhodes, voc), Thomas Bramerie (b), Franck Agulhon (d), Sascha Ley (voc), David Linx (voc), Patrice Lerech (tp), Franck Leroy (cor).

Label / Distribution : Mözarts