The next Mercredimusics will host Gordon M Allen, Michel F Côté, Lori Freedman, and Diane Labrosse on April 16, 2008 at Casa Obscura in Montréal.

Productions SuperMusique, as part of the Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques, will take part in the “Série Hommage” Claude Vivier and will celebrate the creator… premiering new pieces! On programme, works by Michel F Côté, Diane Labrosse, Giorgio Magnanensi, and Danielle Palardy Roger; on scene a 12-musician Ensemble SuperMusique! Une constellation de mutants will be presented on Wednesday April 2, 2008 at the Espace Dell’Arte. Don’t miss it.

Le GGRIL is that most cumbersome of all musical monsters, the avant-garde big band. The nature of the big jazz band is to allow improvisation over tightly structured arrangements. The big band is practically the opposite of avant-garde jazz which often respect freedom of sound over tonality, structure, or even rhythm.

Le GGRIL is centered in Québec, Canada and walks a tightrope between the improvised and the structured. The band’s arsenal of imaginative players borrow as much from post-classical as from free jazz. Their personnel is changeable but the unusual assortment of saxes, clarinet, accordions, violins, guitar and percussion seems to be the norm. The free self titled album has four tracks. Tracks 1, 2, 4 are directed by alto saxophonist Jean Derome with Fire + Bebelle most closely related to jazz. Tracks 2 and 4 are quieter and makes good use of long tones and well placed silence. Derome’s direction and playing is center toward exploring sounds and environment more so than totally free improvisation.

The same can be said for track 3 which is an extended 11 minute work featuring the improvisatory trio of Les Poules. Alto saxist Joane Hétu, percussionist Danielle Palardy Roger, and samplist Diane Labrosse tends to prefer long drones with free improvisation as accent. They mix well with the larger ensemble creating a well thought out atmospheric work.

The album is available from the excellent Insubordinations netlabel in 320kbps MP3.

For another year, the Festival Voix d’Amériques collaborates with many musicians of whom Guido Del Fabbro, Bernard Falaise, Michel F Côté, Malcolm Goldstein, Diane Labrosse, Geneviève Letarte, Alexandre St-Onge… The festival begins next Friday, February 1-8, 2008, at Galerie Espace, Casa del Popolo, and La Sala Rossa in Montréal.

Next Tuesday January 8, 2008, Diane Labrosse will launch — with {nbio:belanger_ma}, {nbio:derome_je}, {nbio:falaise_be}, {nbio:freedman_lo}, {nbio:rene_je}, and {nbio:tanguay_pi} — her latest album, 170th release of Ambiances Magnétiques! This event will take place from “5 to 7” at Oboro gallery in Montréal. Musique pour objets en voie de disparition, eight pieces like eight flashbacks to a bygone daily sonic life. A nostalgia-prone stroll down obsolescence lane.

The next Mercredimusics of Casa Obscura will take place on December 12, 2007. Listen to Lori Freedman (clarinet), Jean-Marc Hébert (guitar), Diane Labrosse (sampler), Alejandro Rodriguez (electric bass), Damián Nisenson (saxophone), Ziya Tabassian (percussion) in an improvisation inspired by the images of Nosferatu, silent movie realised in 1922 by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau.