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| Vincent Peirani's 'Living Being IV: Time Reflections' is out September 26, 2025 via ACT Music Vincent Peirani, the acclaimed French accordionist and composer known for expanding the role of his instrument across jazz, classical, and global music traditions, announces Living Being IV: Time Reflections, his new album out September 26 on ACT Music. Featuring his longtime Living Being collaborators — saxophonist Émile Parisien, keyboardist Tony Paeleman, bassist Julien Herné, and drummer Yoann Serra — this suite-based meditation was shaped during the first wave of the pandemic. Peirani sets the scene: "I wanted to create a kind of musical architecture where each piece is its own space, but together they form a passage through time — memory, movement, reflection." With more than a decade of international acclaim, Peirani has earned France's multiple Victoires du Jazz (French Jazz Excellence Award): Revelation (2014), Artist of the Year (2015), Album of the Year for Living Being II (2019), Concert of the Year with Les Égarés (2024), multiple German ECHO Jazz Awards for Thrill Box (2014) and Tandem with Michael Wollny (2015), and the title Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2016). Critics concur: "Peirani is the latest virtuoso to turn the old squeeze-box into a thrill-box, " wrote The Guardian. PAN M 360 noted his "reputation that borders on the cult." "There is something of an X-factor about Vincent Peirani's playing, " Jazzwise observed. "He has such an individual conception that he manages to transcend his instrument." The Living Being series itself garners equal praise. London Jazz News hailed Living Being II: Night Walker "has the energy of rock allied to careful orchestration and jazz improvisation, " while Jazzwise called The Wondering "a distinctive and multi-layered album" with "subtle and dramatic" storytelling. Driven by this tightly knit quintet, Time Reflections centers on a three-part suite — "Clessidra, " "Better Days, " and "Inner Pulse" — each a layered exploration of time's linear flow, emotional suspension, and inner rhythms. Throughout the album, Peirani's architectonic touch, love of contrast and collage, and fearless genre-blurring shine — hallmarks of the Living Being series from the start. "Le Cabinet des Énigmes" opens with a deceptively simple, childlike melody over a hypnotic groove. Peirani calls it "a simple, almost naïve theme concealing elusive depth, " each variation adding spectral nuance. "L.L." salutes Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke — first a gentle waltz, then an electric burst of shifting meters and near-rock drive. "Physical Attraction", the first single, is inspired by voguing, a dance emblematic of self-affirmation and freedom. This piece also reflects social transformations around gender and mentalities. It opens with a striking, almost visceral beat that evokes movement and bodily expression. The melodic lines evolve between elegance and provocation, reflecting the tension between tradition and modernity. "Physical Attraction" explores time through cultural and identity shifts, while celebrating freedom of movement and the power of evolving ideas. "Clessidra" probes the duality of time — its relentless, linear current and its suspended, subjective pauses. Peirani describes it as "a quest for balance, blending organic textures with unexpected surprises, " capturing "a moment of reflection in the midst of the constant flow." "Better Days" emerged spontaneously during the early COVID lockdown, channeling raw emotion in a slow waltz — a silent wish for healing and hope. "Inner Pulse" traces the energy between calm and chaos, unfolding like a story — from tension through tranquillity to bursts of fierce velocity. "Nach e Vlado" is a vibrant fusion inspired by Balkan folk songs, particularly Macedonian rhythms; it mounts with a drum solo before leaping into odd-meter dances flavored by blues, Cajun, jungle, and drum-and-bass. "Bremain Suite" interlaces Queen & David Bowie's "Under Pressure, " Portishead's "Glory Box, " and The Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" into one seamless fabric. Peirani calls it "a gesture of openness, a crossing of collective memory to better invent new paths, " where decades and genres blur. "Phantom Resonanz" closes the album, pairing sixteenth-century polyphony by Cipriano de Rore with the modern introspection of Michael Wollny — the accordion breathing between organ-like grandeur and human intimacy. "All in all, Time Reflections is a journey through memory, movement, and hope, " Peirani writes — "an invitation to embrace time's complexity and find balance amid change." Track Listing: Le Cabinet des Énigmes L.L. Physical Attraction Clessidra Better Days Inner Pulse Nach e Vlado Bremain Suite a. "Under Pressure" (David Bowie & Queen) b. "Glory Box" (Portishead) c. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" (The Beatles) Phantom Resonanz write your comments about the article :: © 2025 Jazz News :: home page |