Les Yeux Fermes (Happy Ending)

AMG Review of Les Yeux Fermes (Happy Ending)

Richard Foss
All Music Guide

The first half of this obscure soundtrack from a French short film is one of the best recordings of Terry Riley's work for soprano sax. Happy Ending begins with subtle, shifting organ work that slowly develops a counterpoint of echoing, hypnotic saxophone lines. The piece shifts and evolves slowly for over ten minutes, becoming more urgent and focused with the introduction of a solo piano playing an almost jaunty air. The sax work does not change character at all, but the same notes that seemed languid when set against the organ are purposeful when contrasted with the piano. The piece starts as ambient, moves to minimalist, and ends as jazz, and the exact moment when one style moves to the other can never be pinpointed. The other piece on this album, Journey From the Death of a Friend, is a more conventional minimalist keyboard piece, pleasant but not involving. If both halves of this disc were as good as the first, then Les Yeux Fermes would rank with the best of Terry Riley's recordings, and as it is, it's still noteworthy. Note: So you won't have to look it up, Les Yeux Fermes means "The Closed Eyes" in French.