The new band of French jazz master Vincent
Courtois brings together three generations,
musicians from three nationalities and three
different musical approaches. Twigs, the
supergroup’s debut album, reveals an irresistibly
intimate and hauntingly poetic musical world: as
if the sacrificial ritual of a never-existed ancient
people was brought to life through the medium of
contemporary jazz.
Vincent Courtois has also recorded three other albums
with similar top musicians on BMC Records: in 2019,
The Demons of Tosca with Sebastien Brun and Robin
Fincker, in early 2023, Carmen Rhapsody with Aki
Takase, and in the summer of 2023, Nothing Else with
Daniel Erdmann and Robin Fincker. To form Twigs, he
chose rising star Sanne Rambags. The Dutch singer
is already one of the great hopes of jazz, not only
in her home country but internationally, leading
several of her own bands – including Under the
Surface and Mudita, and two Dutch female trios –,
to great critical success around the world, both for
her professionalism and her captivating, heartfelt
performances. The third member of the trio, Swiss
drummer and media artist Julian Sartorius, has been
one of Europe’s most sought-after performers for
a decade, with 12 albums including solo, duo and
trio productions (for example as a member of the
Colin Vallon Trio and with Matthew Herbert). He has
a unique approach to drums and percussion in the
broader sense, pushing their believed boundaries with
electronics and various experiments.
The songs on the album are based on Sanne Rambags’
own lyrics, and selected poems by Emily Brontë, Emily
Dickinson, Federico García Lorca, and Pablo Neruda,
which are highlighted by the unique vocal-cello-drum
instrumentation. The music of Twigs is improvisational,
song-centred chamber jazz with an undefinable
style that fuses three musical approaches: Sanne
Rambags displays the power of her shamanistic folk,
Vincent Courtois shows his classical and contemporary
musical orientation, and Julian Sartorius lives out his
experimental vein, all contributing to a musical magic
that will resonate in the listener’s mind for a long time.