 CVQ for the third time! The Cécile Verny Quartet is presenting its third album with Kekeli on Double Moon Records. Following Got A Ticket and Métisse, the band has matured even further with its own musical language. Its development, which began with the previous albums, has now been completed for the time being. And it does this with an amazing result: Kekeli documents the virtuosity of the complete band as musicians and composers. Beautiful pieces and witty texts sung in French and English guarantee almost 60 minutes of top rate, high quality entertainment. The ten pieces, all original compositions except for one, demonstrate the high degree of artistic quality of the quartet, which blends in all its different influences, feelings, roots and tastes. The Cécile Verny Quartet doesn’t have a leader. A diva is not singing here, one who ‘allows“ a trio to accompany her, but instead this is a band that is playing, a unity. Despite this, the woman whose name is featured plays a special role. Cécile Verny, born in the Ivory Coast, demonstrates her complete repertoire as singer. Regardless of whether scatting, free improvisation, Latin, influences from the difference branches of world music, blues, soul or chanson, she is master of all trades. The lyrical-swinging pianist Andreas Erchinger and the bassist moving between calm ballad-like grooves and rhythmical funky ones Bernd Heitzler are responsible for the compositions and arrangements. And the versatile drummer, Torsten Krill, who has been well known in the German jazz scene for quite some time, contributes his rhythmically swinging statement to the ten compositions. The title song “Kekeli“ initiates the entertaining hour with a hopping Afro-Brazilian groove with a lot of sun and feeling, which fits well to the title from the West African language Ewe (translation: “light“). In addition to the nimble composition, the pleasant, swinging interplay of the band and an excellent bass solo are captivating. With just as much rhythm but with a more exacting character, “Drums Call For The Dance“ invites us to get up and dance with a first-class scatterer Cécile Verny. “On Another’s Sorrow“ presents the first ballad on Kekeli and the first guest: Frank Kuruc proves to be a real blues genius on the acoustic guitar, while Bernd Heitzler gives free reign to his musical imagination in the introduction. “À Gainsbourg“ is a personal homage of Cécile Verny to the French artist Serge Gainsbourg, with whom she would have liked to work. The next ballad is the expressive “It Could Have Been A Lonely Night“, a poem of the Nigerian writer Minji Karibo. “Silent Invisibly“ provides a dramatically bubbling composition of Andreas Erchinger with a text by the English poet William Blake from the 19th century, sung in the English of that time with a cheerful Ekkehard Roessle on the soprano sax. The following pieces, the fantastic Latin-leaning “Harvest“, the exciting “Move!!“, the magical “Arlequin“ and the crowning finale “The Nearness Of You“, an enchanting duet of voice and bass, round out the pleasurable listening experience. Following the first two albums, which received rave reviews from critics, the Cécile Verny Quartet demonstrates once again its finesse in composing and interpreting with its new album Kekeli. The joy and warmth, which the band feels during its numerous concerts from the audience, have strengthened the band’s resolve to continue going its own way. And this can be heard loud and clear on Kekeli!
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