Gwiad

Jean-Luc Thomas and Gab Faure are a French duo who play flute and violin – helped by occasional hand percussion – to create a free-wheeling fusion of folk and global influences with unexpected bursts of improvisation that veer towards free-form jazz. Thomas is a flautist steeped in Celtic traditions who has played with musicians from Africa, India and South America, while Faure studied classical violin and played in an orchestra for ten years before also becoming interested in world music. Their album is titled Gwiad, they say, because it's a Breton word for weaving, and their music is a patchwork inspired by their travels and encounters. It's impressively varied, with lively jigs and reels interspersed with other instrumental pieces that are far more experimental. So the opening ‘An Disput / Gaspard / Melchior / Balthazar’ is a flute-led dance piece in which violin provides drone effects before weaving around the melody, ‘Vilius’ is a furious and passionate workout that suddenly changes direction and tempo, while ‘Air à Faire Revenir la Mariée’ introduces controlled discord and improvisation. And then, in contrast again, there's the finale, ‘Waltz for Ukraine’, a stately, solemn and gently melodic piece in which the flute soars over the violin. A classy and intriguing set.