L’ORCHESTRE PARFUM
ROSE TROMBONE

2017

PERFUMER
Amelie Bourgeois
Anne-Sophie Behaghel

Rose

Pear
Vanilla

Rum
White Musk
Sandalwood

‘Harlem. Jazz Club. Exchange of magnetic glances during ‘a torrid solo trombone. An insolent rose. Sensual, clean and aldehydic.’ – L’Orchestre Parfum

Are you in tune with L’Orchestre yet? L’Orchestre Parfum has an amazing ensemble of styles. Flamenco Néroli might still be the magnum opus for me, but Thé Darbouka and Piano Santal also strike a chord. Rose Trombone is a melody that you’ve heard before, but it’s one that will get stuck in your head nonetheless.

I say that because this is a sweet rose with musk and when I tried this for the first time, I was in the midst of sampling several other rose fragrances and at one point they started to blend together. I had to let Rose Trombone sit for a while, to give it a proper second chance.

The rose is sweet, but also a bit tangy in the opening, it’s almost sticky. It’s definitely not subtle, it feels like a much better, less harsh version of a Montale-style rose. It’s also very fruity (pear is the only fruit listed in the notes) and jammy. It’s not as soapy as Oud Satin Mood, but it almost goes in that direction. The most interesting note would be the rum, but I don’t really get a boozy vibe in this scent, which is a shame, because I think it would work well if it was a stronger part of the composition. The pear and musk make it lean quite far feminine, although men can definitely pull this off (if you like the aforementioned comparisons, you will probably like this one).

The quality is great. That’s one aspect that stands-out for me with L’Orchestre Parfum. There’s an uplifting, crisp quality to their DNA’s that make for a pleasant wear with above average performance. Rose Trombone is not a seductive whisper, rather a louder attention grabber, that happens to still smell great. I wouldn’t mind smelling this, especially on women, but it’s not my favorite style of rose and it won’t dethrone the other fragrance from L’Orchestre for me.