Issu d’un libre regroupement de joyeux lurons qui paradaient déjà dans les rues de Montréal dans les années 70, et qui porta successivement les noms évocateurs de «Pouet Pouet Band» ou du «Montréal transport limité», c’est en 1995 que naît vraiment cette fanfare réunie uniquement pour le plaisir de rejouer ensemble. Ce deuxième CD, sorti en mars 2004 après cinq ans de leur première galette intitulée Tout le monde, est un vrai régal dans le genre… Les quinze musiciens, âgés entre 21 et 68 ans, au départ comédiens, graphistes, animateur radio, informaticien et retraités nous emportent au fur et à mesure de ce «bal imaginaire» dans leur univers «triste gai» des films de Fellini, Kurt Weill, Tati, Renoir ambiance de Caf’conc’ et de Band New Orleans, avec leurs compositions, mais aussi une reprise traditionnelle Cajun La valse du dimanche après-midi comme vous ne l’avez encore jamais entendue… Assez bavardé, vous l’aurez compris, je suis sous le charme de ce bal de la Fanfare Pourpour, et espère juste que vous le serez aussi comme moi, dès la première écoute. Alors! Prêt pour 67 minutes de grandes émotions?

Here’s the family tree Ambiances Magnétiques is an avant-garde musicians’ collective-cum-record label. Productions SuperMusique is a production company set up by Joane Hétu, Diane Labrosse and Danielle Palardy Roger, all members of Ambiances Magnétiques. The Ensemble SuperMusique is a shapeshifting supergroup bringing together Montréal-based improvisers closely or loosely associated with Ambiances Magnétiques and/or the Montréal improv scene. And Canevas «+» is the group’s first CD, culling various excerpts from concerts recorded between 1998 and 2004. Despite its collective nature, the AM crew has rarely released live collective material, the only previous occurrence being the 1992 CD Une Théorie des Ensembles (which, except for two group pieces, presentedseparate projects from group members). Canevas «+» is much more gregarious. We are presented with a true free improv ensemble (not unlike the London Improvisers Orchestra, although on a smaller scale), performing structured improvisations, conductions, and a few loose compositions. But the ensemble shapeshifts from track to track, from year to year. The core remains relatively the same: Hétu, Labrosse and Roger, plus Jean Derome and Martin Tétreault. Around them revolve familiar Ambiances Magnétiques names, such as Pierre Tanguay and Pierre Cartier, but also relatively newcomers like Sam Shalabi, Nicolas Caloia, Gabrielle Bouthillier and Morceaux de machines’ Aimé Dontigny. No matter what shape the group takes, the result is sharp, deep-running, consensual improvising. And thanks to Joane Hétu’senlightened editing, the tracklist unfolds seamlessly, with much more cohesion than expected. Highlights include the three composed revisitations of folk songs by La Bolduc (aka Mary Travers, a Quebec cultural icon of the Great Depression era), Hétu’s improv game Le Discours, Labrosse’s two pieces (La Tulipe and Les Mouches, somewhere between her projects Parasites and (Petit Traité de Sagesse Pratique), and Tétreault’s contributions, all very playful and quote-heavy. Canevas «+» requires some getting used to, if only because of the number of people involved and the shortness of the tracks (it’s hard to keep up!), but its rewards are aplenty and the album gives proof that the Ambiances Magnétiques/SuperMusique crew has renewed both its roster and its approaches, while remaining true to its multi-faceted identity. Recommended.

Jardin d’Exil is a double first: l’Ensemble en Pièces first album and the first installment in the label Ambiances Magnétiques “Jazz” series. Yes, Montréal’s avant-garde mainstay goes jazz, but judging from this first offering, it is not aiming for the mainstream. While being softer and easier to listen to than most of AM’s previous releases, especially from a jazzpoint of view, Jardin d’Exil never falls down to the lowest common denominator, on the contrary. Led by pianist Alexandre Grogg and sax player Philippe Lauzier, this quintet delivers some gracefully complex tunes, balancing swing and melody with harmonic audacities and intricate structures. One hears hints of Dave Holland, Dave Douglas, and the Vancouver jazz scene. The rhythm section of Christophe Papadimitriou and Thom Gossage makes a strong bopping unit, while feeling comfortable in post-post-bop stretch-outs. Andy King’s trumpet is a balm in most of thequieter pieces, his velvety tone contributing generously to the group’s identity. Lauzier and Grogg share writing credits. The pianist’s pieces arethe most complex in the band’s repertoire and show influences fromcontemporary classical, the softer side of avant-jazz, and maybe even a touch of Rock-in-Opposition, while Lauzier’s tunes stick closer to the bop ethos, with many quirks to boot. Highlights include the exquisite Ouverture, the cinematic Plaines, the foggy Short Story, and Arrière-Pays but there is hardly a throwaway track (although the kalimba-led Lointain feels slightly out of place). This album requires a listener in a introspective mood, and its heavy melancholia might bring you down a bit, but some jazz fans will tell you these are the signs of great music.

Together on stage for the first time, improvisers Jean Derome (saxophones, flute, small objects, voice), Joane Hétu (alto saxophone, voice) and Lee Pui Ming (piano, voice) will roar on November 18, 2004, at La Sala Rossa (Montréal).

Paul Grégoire will launch his first album, Douleur sourde, with a “happy hour” concert on November 17, 2004, at Montréal’s L’Inspecteur Épingle.