REVIEW : Greg Szlapczynski - La Part du Diable

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This review should have been written a long time ago : « La Part du Diable » 
was released in early 2002. However, I find myself glad I took so long to 
get down to it. « La Part du Diable » is an unusual record, especially on 
the harmonia scene, and lies outside my usual field of musical 
investigation. My appreciation of it has therefore evolved over time and 
repeated listening, and I?m not sure that my opinion upon first discovery 
would have been the same as today. 

Greg Szlapczynski has acquired a small notoriety on the French harmonica 
scene by taking over Jean-Jacques Milteau?s harmonica school in Paris. For 
those who don?t know him, he is a young diatonic player whose sound is sharp 
and precise, and whose musical aspirations are vast. His first release « 
Ternaire Madness » flirted with blues, jazz and country but stayed well 
within the realm of the acceptable for the often close minded blues 
afficionados. His second album, « Gregtime », was a live recording of a 
similar vein. On both these albums, the astute listener would distinguish, 
through certain of Greg?s compositions, a will to break down the 
?harmonica=blues? straightjacket, but neither went as far as Greg seemed to 
want to go, most likely for fear of alienating his usual public. 

With « La Part du Diable », Greg has crossed that particular threshold, and 
the record is all the better for it. Not only does it resolutely walk down 
the jazz road, it does so with a significant electro touch : samples, 
effects of other noises abound. Which is not to imply that there is no band 
: drums, bass, keyboards, guitar, vocals and harmonica flirt around the 
electronic samples, who end up being complementary rather than dominant. 

Stylewise, Greg?s jazz owes more to popular music than bop canon. « La Part 
du Diable » features a jazz waltz, (?Valse à 30 ans?), a spanish-y jazz 
tango (?La Boîte?), and several sweet melodies that are given the jazz 
treatment through arrangement rather than theme. The role of guitarist 
Pierre Durand is crucial here, through clever chord substitutions and a few 
improvisations that make him sound like a cross between BB King and John 
McLaughlin. 

If you?re like me, the word ?sample? probably gives you an itch, so I guess 
I should expand on that. This album is not a collage of samples like Us3, St 
Germain or Moby may have done (with uneven artistic success), but rather an 
interaction between the band playing and the samples. Several intros start 
as samples and seemlessly move into the band playing, a number of evocative 
solos are enhanced by background samples, etc. Much as it surprised me, I 
love it. 

 From a harmonica point of view, « La Part du Diable » is by far Greg?s best 
effort to date, a superb demonstration of his talent both as writer and 
player. His playing here is undoubtedly more mature than on his previous 
albums, and he shows his capacity both for fiery lyricism, like on the 
opener ?1962?, and this rare talent of integrating silence in the music, as 
on ?Serve you well?. 

The magical thing about Greg?s playing is that it all sounds so easy until 
you grab your own instrument and attempt to replicate it. Then you 
understand that his delicate phrases use all the resources of the diatonic, 
vibratos, bends, overblows, with such finesse and fluidity that it all 
sounds ?natural?. As an illustration, ?Rue des Lions? is a moving guitar / 
harmonica duet with a simple industrial rhythm in the backdrop. It?s 
beautiful, haunting, and an absolute bitch to play. 

As I grow older, I tend to favour records by talented artists who play what 
they want to play as opposed to those who don?t (even if they end up playing 
music that is more stylistically close to what I?m used to enjoying). It 
took me a while to fully appreciate « La Part du Diable », but it?s now my 
favourite of Greg?s albums. I listen to it often and every time, discover 
little things that I hadn?t noticed until then. That?s how rich it is? 

I realise also how much guts it must have required for Greg to risk 
confusing his usual public with no guarantee of finding another audience, 
and his merit is all the greater. Amidst a harmonica scene that remains very 
self centered and often rehashes the same references, it?s refreshing to 
hear a young artists taking these risks and go for something new. Thank you 
Greg, I can?t wait for the next release !