“The one who teaches piano improvisation to babies and children is more renowned as a teacher and trainer at present than on stage and in the studio. Yet Robert Kaddouch has worked with no less than with Martial Solal, JF Jenny-Clark, and Chuck lsraels, before offering this diptych with the great Gary.
‘High Line’ includes three compositions by the pianist that complete a series of collective improvisation. The atmosphere is concentrated, in every sense. The sound is full, the touch precise, and the crossing of lines and sounds fills the space of a beautiful shared presence. But if the desired rejection of stereotypes often means adopting a kind of relaxed atonality, sometimes flirting with serialism, it all tends to produce an overall expression that to me seems sometimes overly neutral, together with a certain rhythmic abstraction (Skyline). More fleshy and playful, the album ‘53rd Street’ is an anthology of traditional melodies, standards or children’s songs, chosen to be reinvented in the here and now of the meeting – not to mention the sometimes unexpected and tasty connections between these songs (Jingle Bells – A Foggy Day). The taste for subtle reharmonisations of Kaddouch are generously expressed here, but the voice of Peacock unfortunately rarely a raises itself as soloist.”