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Derome e Tanguay sono anche presenti nella versione discografica di Tremblement de fer del compositore Pierre Labbé. Commissionata dall’Off Jazz Festival di Montréal per un organico di cinquanta elementi, la suite è qui eseguita da un ensemble che abbina un quartetto d’archi a una sezione ritmica ad alto tasso di elettricità [Bernard Falaise è alla chitarra] e a quattro strumenti a fiato. Massiccia e coinvolgente. (7)
blogue@press-4538
press@4538
These four new releases from Ambiances Magnetiques and the Malasartes sub label introduce works from relatively new as well as well-known musicians. The CDs of Vertical Squirrels and Irem Bekter satisfied me most. But not only because their names are new to me. Vertical Squirrels is a quartet consisting of Ajay Heble (piano, melodica, percussion), Daniel Fischlin (guitars, effects, percussion, flute, provencale), Lewis Melville (bass, baritone, banjo bass, percussion, radio frequencies, grand organ) and Rob Wallace (drums, percussion, vocals). They are on the road since 2008. All four gathered lots of experience in all corners. Combined in this line up this proves to be a fruitful combination. Very diverse, and fresh music is the result. All pieces originate from collective improvisations but are very diverse, with a fine sense of humor. The cd opens with a grooving piece Spunk in your Funk which is great fun. In contrast the next piece is a very open improvisation abstracting from beat, rhythm, etc. Also the pieces that follow are free exercises of somehow rock-based improvisations. Danse des araignées mécaniques opens with a fine solo by Heble on what seems a self-prepared piano. La mnémologie / Amnesiaville is a delicious free rock jam. Pierre Labbé also incorporates many influences in his new work. He tries the bigband-format for his new cd. For this ambitious project Labbé composed a suite of contemporary music and avant-jazz and rock, performed by a 13-piece big band, in a way that reminds me sometimes of the belgian Flat Earth Society. Labbé is known for his work with Les Projectionnistes, L’Orkestre des pas perdus and Papa Boa, a band who sadly made only one cd. Also under his own name you can find some releases. The opening track plays with bluesy and funky motives. Further on Labbé touches on many other styles and idioms. Although I often enjoy a playful style of composing and arranging as Labbé is practicing here, this time it failed to impress me. That brings us to another one from the trio Derome-Guilbeault-Tanguay. Their first release contained music composed by Derome only. The second one contained old standards for the most part. On their new one we have a balance between standards and compositions by Derome. Besides five compositions from Derome, they interpret compositions by jazz giants as Ellington, Kirk, Dolphy, Strayhorn and Mengelberg. So it’s an exercise as we have heard earlier form this trio. Another celebration of their love for jazz. It will surely appeal to those we are into jazz. Ah yes, it has Derome singing in one track, I’m Checking Ou’t, good bye. Singing in all tracks, is what Irem Bekter is doing on her Primero by the Irem Bekter Quintet. Singer, dancer and actress Bekter was born in Istanbul and grew up in England. She feels very attracted to Argentine folklore, especially the “zapateo” (Argentinian podorythmy) and folk dances. Since 2003, Montréal is the place to be for her. With Montréal-based musicians she started to explore traditional Argentine folklore fruitfully combined with classical and jazzy influences. First results are reflected on this CD. Just beautiful.
blogue@press-4530
press@4530

blogue@press-4536
press@4536
More than 60 years after the big band era, improvising musicians still organize large ensembles to take advantage of its wider scope and range of colors. Such is the versatility of the arrangements possible with large bands as these sessions demonstrate, that each sounds completely unique while maintaining the same excellence. […] With rock-influenced electric piano and guitar prominent, Pierre Labbé’s 12-piece big band takes a different approach on Tremblement de fer, performing a seven-part suite the saxophonist composed for a Montréal festival. A POMO sound essay, the composition is animated by contrapuntal clashes between sections which include four bowed strings, two brass, two reeds, plus guitar, piano, bass and percussion. Although linked, each track can be appreciated on its own. Despite its Arabic title, Le 2e Souk is actually a showcase for Jean Derome’s improvisations on successively, alto saxophone, flute and bass clarinet. Throughout his staccato peeps, sibilant slurs and flutter tonguing are matched by tremolo slides, sawing and scratches from the violinists, violist and cellist. Lavra, on the other hand masses Balkan-sounding string discord with irregular pulses from guitarist Bernard Falaise and drummer Pierre Tanguay as soprano saxophonist André Leroux carries the melody. Resolution comes when trombonist Jean-Nicolas Trottier abandons plunger tones to slurp his way up the scale, accompanied by the strings and pianist Guillaume Dostaler’s steady comping. Tanguay, whose hand taps are suitably exotic when playing darbuka, contributes muscular ruffs throughout. His steadying backbeat is particularly necessary on the final La Fille et la grenouille. Sounding like what would happen if a street-corner Sally Ann band wandered into a country music session, the tune mixes up the bugling from the brass players, rooster crows and spits from the reeds, a bow-legged rhythm with cow-bell pings from Tanguay, and Falaise contrasting his best pseudo-steel-guitar C&W twangs with the somewhat schmaltzy tutti horn lines.
blogue@press-4486
press@4486
Kudos to the L’Off Festival de Jazz de Montréal for commissioning Tremblement de fer in celebration of their tenth anniversary. Composed by Pierre Labbé, Tremblement de fer is a suite in seven parts, with each part a microcosm of classical and jazz styles. It rides a few lines that look sketchy on paper some that might not work if heard in isolated chunks but, as the cliché goes, the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts. Arranged for a 13-piece band, including woodwind and brass sections, a string quartet and a plugged-in rhythm section, the sound of Tremblement de fer never rests. It’s like Charles Mingus and Ennio Morricone wrote a film score together and had it performed by the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra. Autochtone is as epic as Zeppelin’s Kashmir, yet bursting with more sophisticated orchestration, while La Fille et la grenouille sounds like Baby Elephant Walk stumbling into a sketchy area of New Orleans at the tail end of Mardi Gras. This is intriguing stuff from an obviously talented composer.
blogue@press-4470
press@4470
Pierre Labbé compose et dirige un ensemble de douze musiciens (Jean Derome, Aaron Doyle, André Leroux, Jean-Nicolas Trottier, Josiane Laberge, Mélanie de Bonville, Jean René, Emilie Girard-Charest, Bernard Falaise, Guillaume Dostaler, Clinton Ryder, Pierre Tanguay). Pierre Labbé aime la clarté et ne s’en cache pas. Voici donc, en sept compositions, des cadences familières, des improvisations soignées (Jean Derome et son alto dolphyen) et des superpositions qui intriguent. Ainsi, tel accent ternaire se désagrégeant au fil des secondes pour finir cisaillé par un quatuor à cordes vindicatif. Ailleurs, c’est un jazz vif qui pulvérise des violons aux aromes orientaux. Admirables moments que ces antinomies joliment animées et parfaitement assumées. Le reste, sans surprise (s) certes, est d’un intérêt tout autant soutenu.
blogue@press-4465
press@4465
Also available in digital format (MP3, etc.) at your favourite online store.