Soel: Memento

Another artist combining jazz and electronic elements is trumpeter Pascal Ohse-whose pseudonym is Soel-who blends jazz, house, funk, gospel and world flavors to create cool, ’70s-inspired compositions on his first solo album, Memento (Warner Jazz). “Le Vicomte” mixes piping flute, jazz guitar, organ shadings, percussive rhythms, and yowling vocals, and “Shining Pains” features a snappy groove, a spirited sax melody and a lyrical trumpet solo from Soel. On “My Singing Soul,” a deep-voiced vocalist (think Barry White or Isaac Hayes) intones “My soul wants to sing” over a laid-back groove, and on “Black Woman”-which was inspired by the music of ’70s blaxploitation movies-the vocalist describes a beautiful world he wants to create over a rhythmic flute and string-accented music bed. “The Earth Mother” pays homage to a Native American poem and features soft “burbling water” effects and textured percussion, and the album closes with “We Have Died Already,” a searing spoken-word piece featuring solemn flute and an impassioned vocal performance.

Originally Published September 1, 2004