ANYTHING AROUND

In most of French multi-instrumentalist Sébastien Gramond's latest work, I have heard leaps and bounds of improvement over some of the stuff he had come up with even less than a decade before. Even earlier on however, Sébastien Gramond had proved himself to be a very proficient jazzman, being able to hold the reins tightly of virtually all instruments he tried his hand at. 2008's 'Anything Around' really shows that Sébastien Gramond has developed greatly as an artist. A jazz fusion record, the album can feel quite long at times, but there is a charming sound and variety here that makes the piece well worth a listen for someone into the style.

The first track 'Slight Evilution' instantly shows how much better the album is than many of the earlier jam records. Instead of being an endless cycling of soloing and improvisations, 'Slight Evilution' shows that Gramond can play some great fusion but also tie it in with composition, much in the way Pat Metheny does it. While there are certainly the more drawn out sections of soloing which can get a bit thin, Gramond throws great slower moments and unexpected sounds (even a sitar tone) in for good measure. 'The Melody Castor' is another highlight here. Despite being an incredibly short track by contrast, it is a great piece which shows Gramond going into French traditional music. A really nice respite from the jazzier work on the album.

Throughout much of the album, it does feel as if Sébastien Gramond is trying to be Pat Metheny, but in this case it works quite well. Great musicianship, some very cool moments and strong dynamic help to ease out the length of the album. 'Anything Around' is one of the better Gramond works out there.