Anne Paceo - S.H.A.M.A.N.E.S (2022) [Hi-Res]

Shamanism, definition : Ancestral spiritual practice present in all cultures of the world, since the dawn of time, by which a human being (using their drum and their voice) endorses the role of intermediary between the human world and the invisible by undertaking a mental journey, an odyssey through a space at once dreamed / virtual / invisible to the eyes of ordinary people.

“I knew exactly what I wanted,” she said. The idea was to dive headlong into the vocal and percussive possibilities of her music. Create sounds that would resonate to the ear while encouraging the listener to explore the depths of their inner self. With S.H.A.M.A.N.E.S, Anne Paceo takes you on a journey, but not just any journey she said: that of a “deeply human”, ageless shamanism. For this new creation, she drew her inspiration from shamanic musical and vocal practices. Inspired as much by the energy of trance drums as by sacred songs, raw and textured musics, the percussionist and singer – songwriter delivers here a seventh album that is both introspective and open to the world.

In 2020, for the Jazz sous les Pommiers festival, where Anne Paceo was by now an associate artist, she was asked to work on a new composition. After Fables of Shwedagon (2017) and Bright Shadows (2018), in September 2020 S.H.A.M.A.N.E.S was born over a weekend under the shade of the apple trees. It just had to be recorded. Anne then immersed herself in shamanic music from around the world, exorcism rituals from Bali, voodoo ceremonies from Haiti, divination songs from Siberia or even the rituals of possession of the Brazilian Candombe. “It’s not about reproducing them,” she said, “but rather letting them infuse my imagination, and inspire me to offer music without borders. ” Quite an appropriate undertaking during such pandemic times! Since childhood, Anne has been fascinated by shaman rituals, sensing that their therapeutic properties were greatly enhanced by the combined power of voice and percussion. S.H.A.M.A.N.E.S. definitely confirms this.

From Reste un oiseau to Marcher jusqu’à la nuit, in From the Stars and Dive Into the Unknown, from Healing to Travelers, Anne Paceo speaks of a new world, nourished by witchcraft—that of Mona Chollet rather than that of the old hag with the hooked nose—as illustrated in Piel: a little mirth and facetiousness to help face the gloom and anxiety of current times. In Wishes, she admits her fragility and shares her dearest wishes. In Wide Awake, she evokes her duality, in L’Aube she summons her ghosts, while Here and Everywhere recounts the dissolution of the soul. The totem animal of the record, the bird, is a bohemian child, a source of spirituality…

S.H.A.M.A.N.E.S. consists of several histories which in the end construct our History, a blend of real worlds and parallel worlds, with which shamans engage. “It’s a way of returning to a profoundly organic, essential sound,” emphasizes Anne, “of cultivating the autonomy offered by drums and song, as such ancestral instruments are both free-spirited and portable.” Although she writes, composes and produces her music on her own, Anne likes to surround herself with high-fidelity accomplices. Here, she calls on Isabel Sörling and Marion Rampal, polyglot singers who carry Anne’s melodies with their hearts slung over their shoulders. This time, “to enrich the rhythmic spectrum”, Anne Paceo chose to invite a second drummer to her unusual mystical party: Benjamin Flament, the inventor of a unique instrument, made up of drum elements and several metallophones. And of course, her trusted friends, Tony Paeleman, on piano and Fender Rhodes, and Christophe Panzani on saxophones and clarinets—both have been following Anne since the Circles album, in 2016. “We have performed so many concerts together something quite special transpires when we play, a particular sound, a unique chemistry”, comments Anne.

At once intimate and universal, this acoustic album also bears the mark of a powerful woman in a world of often hidden possibilities; S.H.A.M.A.N.E.S. redefines Anne Paceo’s vocabulary. Indeed, she connects with nature, animals and the stars to connect with us.

Isabel Sorling : voix
Marion Rampal : voix
Christophe Panzani : saxophones, clarinette basse
Tony Paeleman : piano, fender rhodes, bass station
Benjamin Flament : métallophone, batterie
Anne Paceo : batterie, voix, kamele n’goni