Isabelle Olivier
Impressions
Rewound Echoes
Isabelle Olivier is one of the rare jazz harpists working today. Born in France and now residing in Chicago, her style is rooted in her nomadic lifestyle. She is very familiar with classical music as well as jazz, and her music works at the intersection of these influences. Impressions also takes inspiration from the visual arts, particularly the impressionist painters and John Coltrane.
To realize her vision, Olivier assembled an eclectic group of musicians for her chamber jazz orchestra. The group features the harpist’s sons: pianist and accordionist Tom Olivier-Beuf and electronic musician Raphael Olivier. Rounding out the ensemble is drummer, Baptiste Thiebault, and a string quartet made up of violinists Mathias Naon and Anne Le Pape, violist Cyprien Busolini, and cellist Jean-Philippe Feiss.
The composed pieces feel at home in the minimalist school of contemporary composition or film scores. When the accordion swells on “Éclats,” I am reminded of the film, Amélie (2001, Jean-Pierre Jeunet). The composed pieces have orchestral structures that are interpreted with short group improvisations, which opens the sound to a more abstract feel. The set ends with an interpretation of John Coltrane’s “Impressions.” In Isabelle’s hands, the song gives the impression of light reflecting off water on a breezy day.
