The art of making rhythms sing…

By: Joe Farmer Follow

In 1973, the famous drummer of Count Basie, Jo Jones, agreed to record an album which could have frightened ... It was a very complete demonstrative drum lesson that the label Frémeaux & Associés published in 2017 in double CD. The French drummer, Erick Borelva, goes even further by offering Joyful Noise, a melodically rhythmic disc which echoes the mastery of his heroes.

Publicity

The two approaches may seem similar, but the intention is different ... Jo Jones' proposal had an educational dimension. Erick Borelva seeks more to tell his story through a rich and eclectic album. His convictions, his musical encounters, his artistic choices punctuate his drum solos like the scenes of a hectic life. Each episode of this exciting journey sets the pace for this audacious disc. Alone, in front of his snare drum, his toms and his cymbals, Erick Borelva reveals a part of himself. No words, no notes, just the rhythmic narration of an epic.

We are surprised to stamp our feet by guessing the story that each title suggests. Admittedly, a novice listener will not necessarily be able to decipher the technical mastery of the drummer, but let's ask ourselves ... Is it really useful? The emotions we feel are often more explicit than academic teaching. Sometimes allusions are enough to make us vibrate. Erick Borelva also had fun punctuating his album with little clues that enlighten and delight us. Hearing Elvin Jones, former drummer of John Coltrane, describe the specificity of his game suddenly gives us the keys to free listening, without constraints or limits. Joyful Noise is therefore an invitation to enter the world of a drummer steeped in very diverse influences (jazz, funk, soul, rock) who does not forbid any experience.

Erick Borelva in studio at RFI. RFI / Joe Farmer

It must be said that Erick Borelva's appetite for various collaborations allowed him to assert his rhythmic versatility and his know-how. In the company of Archie Shepp, Keziah Jones or Larry Crockett, his touch was refined. The decade he shared with Jalal Mansur Nuriddin, the late leader of The Last Poets, a pioneer of rap culture in the heart of the 1960s, opened his mind singularly. It is therefore natural that he chose to pay homage to him on the title Mr. Jalal .

A drummer can only transmit his message on the skin of a drum. Finding the harmonious strike that will reveal an identity is a perilous exercise. It takes consistency and sensitivity to achieve this goal and give it a special resonance. Erick Borelva has tastefully appropriated this "joyful noise" that distinguishes the simple rhythmician from the seasoned musician.

While waiting to enter the studio, Erick Borelva keeps the rhythm. RFI / Joe Farmer

Newsletter With the Daily Newsletter, find the headlines directly in your mailbox

Download the app

• Culture
• Music