In keeping with tradition, the market is currently flooded with Christmas music. Pop icons, schlager stars, classical bards, jazz performers – everywhere you look, people are eager to get a slice of the holiday pie. Everyone? A small group from France is successfully resisting and simply breaking away: on Pacifiques Biches, the Florian Pellissier Quintet prefers to devote itself to the freedoms of jazz.

The Florian Pellissier Quintet consists of its namesake on piano, David Georgelet on drums, Yoni Zelnik on double bass, Christophe Panzani on saxophone and Yoann Loustalot on trumpet and flugelhorn. That fits jazz quite well. And the title of their album? Translated, it means ‘peaceful deer’. Seriously? Deer in jazz?

The title track Pacifiques Biches – number 7 of a total of 11 pieces – answers the question convincingly with broken piano chords, plucked double bass and restrained trumpet tones. The peaceful aspect is clearly recognisable, the deer not so much. And while the composition oscillates between tradition and its expansion, one impression remains: the composition is beautiful nonetheless.

This concept of broken tradition characterises the album. Archie et John is a monologue accompanied by music. In The Movie Critic, trumpet, saxophone and a squeaky electronic sound wonder solo over a varied rhythmic ostinato of drums and bass with occasional piano interjections. La naissance de la comédie complements the music with the sounds of a lively baby, then with the chatter of a toddler who makes a group of adults laugh, thus shifting the focus from the instruments to the people themselves, underlining the title.

And the recording itself? Its open and well-balanced sound with finely tuned dynamics makes the instruments tangible and brings them directly into the listening room. Many subtleties of the playing are present and provide some icing on the cake as an added bonus – something that more albums would do well to offer.

There's no question about it: Pacifiques Biches is a varied album that is also imbued with a wonderful sense of calm. It's very beautiful – and not just at Christmas time. (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)

Florian Pellissier Quintet:
Florian Pellissier, piano
David Georgelet, drums
Yoni Zelnik, double bass
Christophe Panzani, saxophone
Yoann Loustalot, trumpet & flugelhorn