Valentin Ceccaldi – Ossos – CD

Cipsela Records

Don’t expect traditional virtuosity on “Ossos” (the title referring to a dish with a lot of bones in it). This Cipsela Records release is not that kind of record, even though his playing is obviously accomplished. As the titles of the three individual pieces already suggest (they are French for an anvil, a hammer and a stirrup), Ceccaldi is often dealing with raw material. You don’t get the dazzling speed and complexity, even though it has its moments of flash, but a descent into a highly personal world, in which long (over-)tones are allowed to breathe and stick around for a while before they dissolve. It’s as much about touching as it is about thinking, with the material at hand providing a gateway into drone-like ritualism or intricately layered storytelling.