The six tracks on Yacine Malek Double Trio’s Live in Paris each span from 6-8 minutes in length. A masterful pianist with an ability to capture many moods, Yacine Malek knows how to draw transcendent beauty from each selection. The relaxed opening track, “Like Brazil” is an expressive statement for the pianist. As the set progresses, cuts like “Tallal” and “Kazil” show how cohesively well the trio functions with conversational musical interplay between the pianist, bassist Linley Marthe and drummer Karim Ziad. Some frenetic or repetitive phrasings occur, but the instrumentalist always land together with coherent focus.

Tracks 4-6 feature drummer Jeff Ludovicus. “Kheratta” seems an adventurous journey that balances self-indulgence with self-awareness. One of my favored tracks on Live in Paris, “Orientalina” presents a special sound quality that emphasizes considerable sensitivity, nuance and coloring. Closing with “Youmala,” the trio’s sonic journey stimulates all five of our senses with a touch as delicate as an eye surgeon’s. Fans of instrumental jazz will discover plenty of emotional content in Yacine Malek Double Trio’s Live in Paris. (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)