I first encountered French saxophonist Émile Parisien on an album titled XXXX (ACT), released last year. (I’m a little late to the party—OK, very late, since Parisien has recordings going back as far as 2014 at least.) XXXX is an impressive live recording—five stars in Downbeat—from the quartet of Michael Wollney, Parisien, Tim Lefebre, and Christian Lillinger, but the high level of anxiety it induced in me might keep it out of my CD player for a while. I did, however, take note of Parisien, whose musicality and humanity stood out across every track, whatever the mood or tempo. A name to remember, I thought, and then his latest recording, Louise, appeared in my post box. It confirmed my first impression—in spades.
