Frenchman Erik Truffaz has grown in his performance. On a new CD, which evokes a striking sonority, with his own compositions and a varying structure, he and his quartet explore drum 'n bass, trip hop and even rock fusions with jazz improvisations. The Walk of the Giant Turtle includes powerful postbop variations, dowsed with exciting soundscapes. As a teenager, Truffaz, who learned the tricks of the trade in his sax-playing father's band, was blown away by Miles Davis' music. At the Geneva conservatory he learned to fathom classical music as well. 2000 was the year of his great breakthrough, with the release of his straight ahead debut on Blue Note, The Mask. On the follow-ups Revisite and Mantis Truffaz integrates jazz with drum 'n bass and hip hop rhythms.
