Souvenir pairs Los Angeles-born, Netherlands-based musician Maston with Swiss group L’éclair. In hindsight the pairing seems inevitable given both Maston and L’éclair’s affinity for the lush, groove-heavy world of library and soundtrack music from the 1970s.
For background, Maston’s previous solo work has been compared to the great composer Ennio Morricone and he’s also collaborated with bands such as Altin Gün and Allah Las, while L’éclair have carved out a niche for themselves in the prog jazz world, garnering praise for their tight sound and epic compositions.
Recorded over the span of 48 hours, Souvenir is ambitious in scope and flawlessly executed. Somehow managing to come off as both improvisational and polished, it’s a smooth collection of cinematic prog funk that’s a delightful listen throughout.
