French saxophonist Matthieu Bordenave’s first leader date for ECM introduces a new project with German pianist Florian Weber and Swiss bassist Patrice Moret. On La traversee - The Crossing - Bordenave explores musical ground between contemporary composition and jazz, subtly influenced by the innovations of the Jimmy Giuffre 3 with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow, who “opened new territory that remains relevant for improvisers today.” The recording of La traversee, he explains, was guided by an approach to trio playing, “in which melodic lines interweave and blossom in the nuances of tones, as each musician follows his intuition.” Bordenave leads the way with his highly distinctive saxophone sound, recently characterised by Down Beat as “light yet textured and authoritative”, establishing that this is music in which space will play an important role. La traversee was recorded at Studios La Buissonne in Pernes-les-Fontaines in the South of France last autumn, and produced by Manfred Eicher.