One of the most unique premises to an album that I’ve probably ever heard is the premise for Jacques Bailhé’s album titled “Shiva in Flagrante”…the album tells the story of the Hindu deity Shiva, but it’s a Harley-Davidson riding Shiva, falling in love and mating with the goddess Parvati and the final track of the album marks the birth of their child.
Jacques is based in LA…and has a very long and extremely established history as a well-known and as impressively talented artist…he’s an artists’ artist for sure…he’s someone who doesn’t shy away from the challenge, and he’s the first one to jump on the ship and go into uncharted territories…a pioneer by all means.
Jacques played bass, and drums, toured the world, recorded at the most prestigious places in the US, and became a monk…he’s done everything, he’s seen everything…and this album is the nectar of all of his life experiences so far…and it’s a sweet and unusual concoction.
With his latest album “Shiva in Flagrante”…he goes beyond the uncharted territories, far beyond that, exploring the intricacies of human emotions…something that is much harder than exploring even outer space…
“Shiva in Flagrante” is a 10-track avant-garde jazz album that tells an extremely unique, original, and unconventional tale.
The album can be listened to on Soundcloud…with thousands of listens for each track already achieved…
The 10 tracks explore many sides of the unique premise and also have emotional variety…
For example, the first track “In The Alley”… has a mythical feeling to its composition, also being avant-garde and experimental but melodic, and it doesn’t stop churning out melodic phrases every couple of seconds…it also has a big band kind of instrumentation and production…
…then you have something like the track after, “Smoke”…it’s a more active and energy-fueled jazz band rendition of a story with lots of quick successive actions…the piano takes the spotlight here…and it throws multiple elements in the mix like a few Latin influences…
You also have something that has a menacing mood to it like “Gimme That”…with unconventional drum patterns and beats, it’s a more technical track with a triumphant feeling to its elements.
…then as you go through this journey, you come across a track like “The 7th Sense”…a very melodic track, it’s spacey, it’s jazzy, it’s horror, it’s sad, it’s everything and it is its own creature…it’s an excellent track.
The album’s title track “Shiva in Flagrante” is the one before the last track, it has its own relatable influence to the actual album’s story…it has its Indian percussive influence very clearly, wears it on its melodic shoulders proudly…
The last track of the album tells the final chapter of the album’s story…it’s titled “The Facts Of Creation” and it tells the story of how Shiva and Parvati had a child by the end of their story.
The album “Shiva In Flagrante” by Jacques Bailhé is a must for anyone who wants a completely out-of-the-box sonic experience…we heard elements we’ve never heard in music before while experiencing this album…a highly artistic recommendation for lovers of jazz, cinematic storytelling, avant-garde music, and experimental melodic musical experiences.
Jacques, we wish you all the best in life, you deserve it…and a lot more.
We can’t wait to hear your next meticulously crafted experience for us…we’ll be on the lookout.
Cheers!