While not his first album, 2023's
Ritual Being
feels like the perfect introduction, as well as a crowning achievement following a decade-long rise for pianist/composer
Pascal Le Boeuf
. Hailing from the Bay Area,
Le Boeuf
first garnered acclaim alongside his brother, saxophonist
Remy Le Boeuf
, in their exploratory contemporary jazz group. It was with that ensemble that
Pascal
picked up a Grammy nomination for his song "Alkaline' off 2016's
Imaginist
, an orchestral production that featured the progressive
JACK string quartet
. Prior to that, he made his official solo debut with 2013's
Pascal's Triangle
, a sophisticated trio album with bassist
Linda May Han Oh
and drummer
Justin Brown
. Taken together, both
and
feel like key building blocks in
's sound, equal parts post-bop improvisation, classical orchestration, and nuanced trio interplay. He brings all of these elements together on
, an album of spine-tingling chamber pieces. Along with leading his trio with
Oh
Brown
,
is joined here by a handful of adept string players, including members of both San Francisco's
Friction Quartet
and New York's
Shattered Glass
. Also featured are
's brother on alto saxophone and fellow Bay Area native
Ben Wendel
on tenor saxophone.
was raised by biologist parents who studied marine mammals and their social behavior. Growing up, he began to see parallels in the way humans moved through their lives, making subconscious choices that affect their work, relationships, the environment, and even their art. This focus on our daily rituals is the conceptual focus of
. From the opening breathing diaphragm-like string and piano swell of "Ritual Awakening," it's clear that
has crafted something that feels more like a soundtrack album to a phantasmagoric sci-fi film than a jazz or classical album. What's particularly impressive is how the composed parts of the album feel just as alive and unpredictable as the more improvised moments. "Transition Behavior" starts with a ratatat speed-metal string and percussion intro that sounds like an orchestral version of a
Megadeth
song. Similarly, the off-kilter "Media Control," with its stabbing violin hits and lizard-like flute and sax chirps, seems to manifest the inflammatory paranoia of the 24-hour news cycle. The three-part "Rituals of Change" is more languid in feeling, featuring
's sultry piano lines framed against a burning sunset of string harmonies like the soundtrack to a '60s romantic thriller. Part three has a spiritual jazz quality like something
John Coltrane
might have recorded in the late '60s with saxophonists
moaning skyward over a golden shimmer of drums and bowed strings. Yet more artfully textural compositions follow, as on "Obliquely Wrecked," where
blends strummed piano strings, woody percussion knocks, and tinnitus-sounding violin squeals. There's also the
Rachmaninov
-esque piano cascade of "Ritual Being, Pt. 2" which reveals just how technically gifted a player he is, while the warm sunbath of orchestral chords in "Family of Others" brings the album to a hushed, deeply ruminative close. ~ Matt Collar