| Jazz |
Paul Morvan’s Dedicated: A Jazz Debut Rooted in Experience, Honesty, and Swing.
After spending more than a decade immersed in the American jazz scene, drummer and composer Paul Morvan has returned to Europe, bringing with him a depth of experience shaped by collaborations with some of the most respected voices in modern jazz. From working alongside Jim Rotondi, Dmitry Baevsky, Peter Bernstein, Logan Richardson, and Frank Basile to holding down the rhythm section for Joe Magnarelli, David Wong, Saul Rubin, Fabien Mary, David Sauzay, and the iconic Alain Jean-Marie, Morvan’s journey has been a steady apprenticeship in the school of swing, groove, and musical integrity.
Now stepping into the spotlight as a bandleader for the first time, Morvan introduces Dedicated, a debut trio album featuring alto saxophonist Dmitry Baevsky and bassist David Wong, two artists whose résumés are as formidable as they are deeply rooted in the tradition. Wong, a regular fixture alongside legends like Hank Jones, Roy Haynes, and Jimmy Heath, and Baevsky, who has graced the bands of Cedar Walton and Peter Bernstein, bring not only technical precision but also a profound understanding of jazz’s core values: communication, authenticity, and collective storytelling.
This album, then, is not merely a milestone in Morvan’s personal journey, it is a compelling distillation of years spent listening, learning, and contributing to a living art form. Far from being a drummer’s showcase, Dedicated is a work of architectural subtlety and ensemble nuance. Morvan doesn’t use his compositions to foreground the drums; instead, he places the music itself at the center, allowing each instrument to assume the role of protagonist, narrator, or set designer as the moment demands. The result is a deeply integrated musical conversation, full of texture, dynamics, and emotional clarity.
Over the course of ten tracks, Dedicated strikes a rare balance between reverence and originality. Morvan and his trio breathe fresh life into classics by Thad Jones, Duke Pearson, and Kenny Dorham, while also presenting a set of original compositions that reveal a composer with a finely tuned ear for structure and mood. But to frame this album as a “bridge” between European and American jazz would be a mischaracterization. Morvan doesn’t approach jazz as a cultural hybrid. Rather, he plays it as American musicians do—through immersion, through lineage, through swing. What he builds is not a transatlantic compromise but a personal narrative that runs parallel to jazz history itself.
It is this unselfconscious fluency in the language of American jazz that has garnered Morvan praise from audiences and peers alike. Few European musicians manage to inhabit this tradition so thoroughly that national identity becomes irrelevant. Listening to Dedicated, one doesn’t ask whether Morvan is French or American, one hears, simply and unmistakably, that he is jazz.
The trio’s synergy is palpable throughout. This is not a session driven by virtuosic posturing, but by a shared sense of direction and a commitment to collective groove. Each track, whether tender or explosive, swinging or contemplative, unfolds with elegance, shaped by Morvan’s precise, melodic drumming and his unwavering respect for the ensemble sound. Every beat is deliberate, every silence earned. In an age of digital gloss and technical overkill, Dedicated is a study in restraint, taste, and musical storytelling.
Drummer Joe Farnsworth, in his liner notes for the album, perhaps says it best: “Just by the way he looked, I could tell he was serious about the music. I watched him set up the cymbals, and I knew he was going to be soulful and swing around the drums. Through his playing, Paul Morvan showcases his love for this music and the masters who shaped it. That’s the only true way of dedicating a record. It’s not playing like them, but it’s being inspired by them and playing in your very own unique way. When Art Taylor talked about what it takes to be a great musician and a great bandleader, and a great messenger of music, he said “you must work hard, be true to yourself, mind your own business, and surround yourself with good people.” That’s what Paul Morvan’s soul and music embodies. That’s what he represents.”
Dedicated may very well come to be regarded as a modern classic, not because it seeks to impress, but because it seeks to express. With each listen, the album reveals new layers of thought, feeling, and musicianship. And in doing so, Paul Morvan establishes himself not just as a formidable drummer, but as a thoughtful composer, a generous bandleader, and a voice to watch in the evolving story of jazz.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, June 3rd 2025
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Musicians:
Paul Morvan (drums), Dmitry Baevsky (alto sax on #1-5, 7-10), Hugo Lippi (guitar on #3, 4, 6, 9), David Wong (bass), Christelle Raquillet (flute on #3 & 7).
Tracklist :
Yeah
Clockwise
Say You’re Mine
One for Kochte
Koko
Kneelin’ in the Yard
Let’s
Passport
Old Folks
A Sleepin’ Bee
Recorded at Studio Sextan in Malakoff, France, April 21, 2024
Sound engineer: Erwan Boulay
Cover photo by Shimon Gambourg
Other photos by JR Sprich