| Jazz |
Vincent Peirani’s Living Being IV (Time Reflections): The Accordionist as Architect of the Intimate and the Expansive.
Though I personally tend to gravitate toward accordionists and composers like Maxime Perrin, whose ease with melody rivals his explorations of more abstract artistic forms, or the ever-surprising Frédéric Viale, who, album after album, opens a new window onto his inner world with universally admired elegance, I had, until now, mostly appreciated Vincent Peirani in a supporting role, most notably as an accompanist to Youn Sun Nah. His previous outings as a bandleader struck me as too raw, too abrupt, too unrefined in their emotional delivery.
But with Living Being IV (Time Reflections), something has changed, radically and for the better. It is time to acknowledge what this latest effort accomplishes: a synthesis of vision and maturity, brought vividly to life not only by Peirani himself but also by the impeccable contributions of Julien Hern, Tony Paelman, and Yoann Serra. There is a sense of balance here that has eluded Peirani until now, a clarity of direction that elevates this album well beyond his previous work.
For artists of Peirani’s caliber, transformation often requires both time and the right alchemy of collaborators. That alchemy is finally achieved here. This record doesn’t merely present music, it presents a worldview, a sonic architecture made up of nine deeply expressive tableaux that range across world jazz, jazz fusion, pop, rock, and a rich poetic dimension. It’s a body of work that feels less like a stylistic exercise and more like an intimate confession. And in that sense, this is Peirani as we have never seen or heard him before: disarmingly honest, breathtakingly refined, and seemingly at peace with himself. Living Being IV is arguably the most personal and self-assured album of his career.
At the heart of this record lies the sweeping suite Time Reflections, composed of three major movements: Clessidra, Better Days, and Inner Pulse, each of which is itself subdivided (into three, three, and four parts, respectively). This nested construction is no mere compositional gimmick, it mirrors Peirani’s nature as an artist who is also, at his core, an architect. Every element is crafted with painstaking attention to structure and detail. The result is a layered listening experience that reveals more with each repetition.
Take Phantom Resonanz, for example: a time-warped reverie that bridges the choral polyphony of 16th-century Franco-Flemish composer Cipriano de Rore with the forward-leaning sensibilities of contemporary German pianist Michael Wollny. It’s an improbable meeting of eras that somehow feels inevitable, and it works. The accordion, so often relegated to nostalgic or folkloric terrain, takes center stage here, guiding us with deceptive simplicity through a landscape that feels both ancient and modern.
Elsewhere, tempo becomes narrative. In L.L. and Bremain Suite, rhythm is as much a storytelling device as melody. L.L., a tribute to guitarist Lionel Loueke, offers something akin to a cubist portrait of the Beninese virtuoso: fragmented, multidimensional, and brilliantly cohesive. It’s this ability to move fluently between homage and invention that sets Peirani apart on this record.
There’s something undeniably international about this album, cosmopolitan, even cinematic. It took me a solid ten listens before I could begin to absorb all it had to offer. The production is of such high caliber, the arrangements so meticulously constructed, that each new pass reveals another layer of emotional and musical nuance. This is music made for deep listening, and it rewards that commitment handsomely.
And then there’s Émile Parisien, Peirani’s long-time collaborator, whose contributions here are particularly noteworthy. Known for his sharp precision and performance efficiency, Parisien demonstrates a newfound musicality that opens up fresh dimensions in his playing. His presence is not only complementary but transformative, his musical dialogue with Peirani is both intimate and expansive.
In the end, Living Being IV (Time Reflections) is an album that defies easy categorization. It will find eager audiences among jazz fusion fans, accordion aficionados, and even film score enthusiasts, thanks to several tracks that unfold like soundtracks to imaginary epics. It is a work in which one can lose oneself, and perhaps that is precisely its greatest gift: it invites us not only to listen, but to wander, to wonder, and to hope for the chance to experience this ensemble live, where their magic might become something even greater.
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, August 1st 2025
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Musicians :
Vincent Peirani: accordion, accordina
Emile Parisien: soprano saxophone
Julien Herne: bass
Tony Paeleman: piano, keyboards, Fender Rhodes
Yoann Serra: drums
Trackinglist :
01 Le Cabinet des Énigmes 05:49
02 L.L 07:10
03 Physical Attraction 06:20
Time Reflections
04 Clessidra 08:02
05 Better Days 05:05
06 Inner Pulse 09:26
07 Nach E Vlado 03:53
08 Bremain Suite 08:45
(Under Pressure – Glory Box – I Want You)
09 Phantom Resonanz 05:25
All tracks composed by Vincent Peirani except #8 – medley from Under Pressure, Glory Box & I Want You
Under Pressure composed by Freddie Mercury, David Bowie
Glory Box composed by Isaac Lee Hayes, Geoff Barrow, Adrian Utley, Beth Gibbons
I Want You composed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney
L.L. is dedicated to Lionel Loueke
Phantom Resonanz is dedicated to Céline Foucaut
Recorded by Boris Darley at Studio des Bruères, France
Produced by Amélie Salembier & Vincent Peirani / Yes les Guy’zz
Mixed by Nic Hard
Mastered by Dave McNair
Artwork by Jérôme Witz
Band photo by Elisa Ramirez
Cover photo by Frank Siemers
With the support of SCPP, CNM