Rémy Labbé Quintet - Straight Down the Middle (2026) [Hi-Res]

Three years ago, Careless Territories was an invitation to travel. It reflected a musical curiosity that willingly wandered across styles, moods and influences, allowing each composition to find its own destination. Looking back, I realize that album was less about defining a musical identity than about embracing the freedom of discovering one. Straight Down the Middle was born from an almost opposite intention. Rather than broadening the horizon, I felt the desire to narrow the focus. This record is the result of a conscious decision to immerse myself in one musical language that has fascinated me for years: the modern post-bop tradition. It is a repertoire, an aesthetic and a way of thinking that continue to inspire me, yet one that remains relatively uncommon on the European jazz scene. Instead of searching for variety, I wanted to explore the richness that comes from commitment to write music that lives unapologetically within this tradition while allowing my own voice to emerge naturally. With the exception of Every Single Time, which briefly steps outside the frame, every composition on this album embraces that artistic trajectory. Hence the title: Straight Down the Middle. More than anything, this album is a tribute to the composers, improvisers and recordings that have shaped my musical imagination over the years, but also to Phil Abraham, Amaury Faye, Clment Daldosso and Raphal Pannier, whose generosity, trust and musicality brought these compositions vividly to life. If this record conveys anything, I hope it is the simple pleasure of five musicians sharing a language they deeply love, while adding, with humility, one more conversation to a tradition that continues to evolve.