This Canadian trio’s offering is an intensely interesting jazz exploration of clarinetist Jimmie Giuffre’s catalog. Giuffre made his name in the sixties with “chamber jazz”, a style of highly improvisational jazz that draws heavily from neo-classical traditions in both instrumentation and tonality. The trio consists of Bernard Falaise (electric guitar), Normand Guilbeault (contrabass) and Robert Marcel Lepage (clarinet), and the six pieces included here find all three musicians providing pensive explorations of their instruments. Joue Free may be disturbing to some listeners — not so much due to the wild tempos and dissonant clashes of free jazz, as the bone-chilling clarinet runs provided by Lepage, and the shivering chords the members create together. The effect is much like staring into the depths of a placid lake and having a vague notion of the beasts populating its murky depths; there’s the sudden flash when you realize that one of them could rear out of the water and grab you at any moment, but you can’t help watching for a little bit longer. This may not be some people’s cup of tea, but I find it fascinating.
blogue@press-2010
press@2010
“Lee Pui Ming moulds piano and vocal into a gleeful avant-garde concoction that is all her own.” (Eye, Canada) Toronto resident Lee Pui Ming’s new CD, Who’s Playing, is a series of strong and invigorating piano, saxophone and voice improvisations recorded with musician and producer Joane Hétu. The album was launched at Toronto’s Music Gallery on February 23, 2002 with a concert the two performers and drummer Danielle Palardy Roger.
“Is it the best of all possible worlds…?” (Vital, The Netherlands) It is a surprise to notice after more than fifteen albums that Le magasin de tissu (The Fabric Shop) is Jean Derome first solo album! But it is true, and fans as much as novices will find something rewarding in this intimate and innovative album. An adventure composed of improvisation and surprising juxtapositions. Plunging into his suitcase full of game calls, flutes, toys and found instruments, Jean Derome draws short improvisations from them, captures them on CD and then associates them randomly with a simultaneous playback by three CD players. A remarkable work in which a brilliant composer works with himself in a simple and efficient manner.
“… an interesting context for him, as the music is all about modern chamber music and improvisation.” (Vital, The Netherlands) André Duchesne, Pierre Tanguay and Jean René are three gifted musicians who don’t have to give proof of their talents anymore. Three musicians concerned with details, attentive to the subtle variations and back on Polaroïde with beautiful jazz improvisations, calm and refined. Tenth album by André Duchesne, Polaroïde is in constant equilibrum between chamber jazz and classic improvisation. A warm coloured album, precious snapshots made with pleasant memories.
Lee Pui Ming moulds piano and vocal into a gleeful avant-garde concoction that is all her own. She playfully dances upon her keys, strings, framework and octaves with the bombastic grace of a slam-dancer in a rodeo. Sometimes perplexing and always intriguing, her style exudes an exhilarated and innocent freedom that makes it unique, an elegant simplicity hidden within complex expressive release that isn’t oblivious but natural. Ming’s energetic spontaneity (surely a sight when she’s performing live) is Who’s Playing?’s forte, though it often threatens to drown the end results in exuberance. What might benefit Ming is a little more restraint to emphasize her mastery and control of the boxed cables.
blogue@press-2000
press@2000
Two new cds from two reputated canadian musicians. Both are successfull in adding new aspects to their already considerable volume of work. André Duchesne surprises with a trio with Pierre Tanguay on drums and Jean René on alto violin. Duchesne plays classical guitar as he did on his solo effort Réflexions releasesed in 1999. Like Duchesne (Conventum, Les 4 gutiaristes de l’Apocalypso Bar, Locomotive) Pierre Tanguay is known from many other Ambiances Magnétiques releases. In 2000 Tanguay delivered his first and very tasteful La Musique de mon Disque. For Jean René it is his first appearance on this label. He studied composition and conducting and became solo violist for the Orchestre Métropolitain in 1991. He is active in a number of chamber music groups and is interested in the new music, both written and improvised. So this trio must be an interesting context for him, as the music is all about modern chamber music and improvisation. In the older work of Duchesne rock was never far away. In this new work on the other hand he moves away from music that is in one way or the other related to rock. With Polaroïde we enter into the world of modern chamber music. Concentrated and complex music. Igor Stravinsky is somewhere in the neighboorhood. René is very prominent on this cd. He is a very sensible violist and it is a joy to listen to him.
Jean Derome tells us that he “always has been fascinated by catalogues, lists and dictionaries. They are our somewhat naive attempts to conquer the diversity and complexity of the world around us.” How shall I order my collection of stamps? Land by land, birds by birds, etc.? This are superficial but maybe relevant criteria to bring order into a diversity. From this fascination originated his new cd Le magasin de tissu (The Fabric Shop). He recorded 69 short improvised pieces. Each piece has one instrument. He uses reeds, flutes and all kinds of percussive instruments and objects. It is a catalogue - not exhaustive - of the instruments and sounds Derome makes use of in his music. All pieces last about 69 seconds. In between the pieces they are 13 seconds of silence. After compiling this catalogue of 69 soundpieces he put them in some order in the following way. The pieces were distributed on three different cds. So each one has 23 tracks. Derome played these three cds simultaneously in shuffle mode and re-recorded the result. That is what we have in our hands. So it is one of many possible worlds. Is it the best of all possible worlds…? Composed as it is in a very extrinsic way. A naive attempt to compose music…? “This project was designed to allow chance to show its beauty” Derome concludes…
blogue@press-1996
press@1996