The poem Prose du Transsibérien et la Petite Jehanne de France written in 1913 by Blaise Cendrars inspired Cartier for this double cd. The poem evocates a journey by a teenager across Russia and Siberia during the 1905 war between Russia and Japan. Cartier sings the poem entirely. “Sings” is not the right word. What Cartier does is somewhere between singing and recitiating. It is obvious that Cartier is impressed by this poem from the swiss writer Cendrars. So in order to enjoy this cd fully it is needed that you have no difficulties with the french language. Because I don’t, I’m not wild about this one. As the music is in function of the text. The composition to this poem is played by Jean Derome (sax, flute), Jean René (viola), Tom wlash (trombone), Bernard Falaise (guitar) and Pierre Tanguay (drums). Plus Cartier himself on doublebass. He also composed the music. Cartier studied doublebass on the conservatory in Montréal and chose a career as a classical musician. He specialized himself in medieval music and gregorian chant. But that’s not all. Cartier met Pierre St-Jak and Jean Derome in 1973 and plays jazz, improvised music and forms of new music that are typical for the Ambiances Magnétiques scene. He guests on many cds by his mate Jean Derome. His own releases reflect a post-bop kind of jazz. With Chansons de Douve (1996) Cartier presents something new, a song cycle for two opera singers and eight musicians. Many influences are melted together in an impressive whole. Dis Blaise… continues more or less in the same vein. It is also a cycle of songs. Not a kind of jazz that is to identify as bop or whatever. Compostions are much more personal here, moving towards modern chamber music.