DAME is proud to invite you to the To Continue CD launch — Jean Derome et les Dangereux Zhoms’s 4th release. After almost 10 years of silence, the members of the group will get and play together during the «Hommage à Jean Derome» presented by Traquen’Art. This event will take place on Thursday December 13, 2007 at La Sala Rossa in Montréal.

Es muss immer weitergehen/Musik als Träger von Ideen. Sample, Zitat, Cut-up, Collage, Verfremdung, Dekonstruktion. Der kanadische Komponist Aimé Dontigny hat einst das Free-Noise-Kollektiv Napalm Jazz mitgegründet. Seither widmet er sich der Improvisation, der Musiktheorie und dem freimütigen Herumfuhrwerken mit elektronischen Tonfetzen. Und so zur Gänze verstrahlt ist auch, was er auf seinem Solodebut produziert: eine Geräuschorgie sondergleichen. In Nordkorea etwa würde dergleichen sofort verboten werden. Geht es Dontigny doch hörbar darum, althergebrachte musikalische Schemata bedingungslos kaputtzuhauen, bis kaum mehr etwas übrig ist. Heraus kommt eine ganz prima und ratzeradikale Totaldekonstruktions-, Kunstkrach- und Hardcore-Kopfmusik, in der nicht nur ziemlich viel aus der Musikgeschichte (Klassik, Jazz, HipHop, Noise, Industrial, moderne E- und U-Musik etc.) zusammengeworfen wird, sondern in die auch Partikel aus Mathematik, Kunst, Literatur und Philosophie (Heidegger, Koons, Nietzsche, Debord usw.) hineingemengt werden. So heißen die Titel etwa Holzwege, Begriffsschrift oder Wirkungsgeschichtesbewusstsein.

Bis zum Gehtnichtmehr wird alles verfremdet, durch einen großen Häcksler gejagt, zerschreddert und neu zusammengesetzt. Ein gewöhnungsbedürftiger Sound, der nach aufgeschlossenen Hörern verlangt. Eine jede Grenze kühn überschreitende und deshalb großartige Seltsamkeitsmusik, von der man bei längerem Hören gewaltige Kopfschmerzen bekommt, und so muss das auch sein. Der Titel des Albums ist Programm.

The 5th Rencontres de musiques spontanées presented by Tour de bras will take place from December 6 - 8, 2007 at Paradis in Rimouski. Amongst other guests: Mario Gauthier (Rencontres électroacoustiques concert + L’archive comme labyrinthe) lecture, Danielle Palardy Roger (Invitation du GGRIL concert + De Rilke à Guatanamera poetry-performance).

Nous perçons les oreilles and Isaiah Ceccarelli will perform on Friday November 29, 2007 as part of the “Solo, duo, trio” series that takes place at Fonderie Darling in Montréal.

This trio is around for more then a decade now, and two CDs preceded this dvd. The first dvd-release by Ambiances Mangétiques if I’m not mistaken. The three musicians need no further introduction. All three of them are veterans of the Montréal jazz and impro scene. Most of the time they play their own work or any other modern music. But from time to time all three of them show their love for the tradition of jazz. Guilbeault did a project on Charles Mingus. With his quintet Réunion Tanguay played work from Duke Ellington and Ben Webster. And also in this trio-format they concentrate on the history of jazz, although on their first CD 10 compositions, they did only pieces by Derome that he composed during different stages of his career. On this dvd they play compositions by Eric Dolphy, Duke Ellington, Lennie Tristano, Misha Mengelberg, a.o. Plus 2 compositions by Derome. One of them is Etymologie, a piece dedicated to and composed in the style of Ornette Coleman. Tanguay plays drums, Guilbeault doublebass and Derome plays saxes, flute and voice. In their interpretations they show their deep affinity with the material. They stay close to the original pieces, but not in a nostalgic way. In their reworking labour they try to proof the relevance and beauty if these pieces for the present time. From what I read, they are successful in reaching a younger public and younger jazz musicians. I don’t know why they chose the dvd-format for this particular release. But it opens the opportunity not only to hear but also to see the interplay between these three gifted musicians during a concert at the L’Off Festival de Jazz de Montréal in 2006.

This has been put for a month or so, but the promo just arrived this week and listening to it, I am glad that it did. This was recorded at the 2005 Victo Festival, which I did attend as I do every year and I did witness this show. Considering that this was three Victo Fests ago, I do remember enjoying it, but not exactly what went down. Both turntablists are Canadian and at least a generation apart. I’ve heard/see Martin Tétreault on a number of occasions, but had only heard of that young whippersnapper, Kid Koala. Martin is known to play his turntable itself and often without using records. For this set, both DJ’s decided to use records and selected certain albums since they were playing on stage in a cinema. Tétreault decided on records by artists that had played at Victo previously like Anthony Braxton, Yamatsuka Eye, Univers Zero, Otomo Yoshihide and Fred Frith. The results are most surprising, often quite fascinating. Each piece is a spicy blend diverse samples. A jazz drum solo, a spoken word demonstration record, static sounds sped up and slowed down, layers of crackling record sounds, odd electronic snippets and assorted sections of music. Themes rarely last very long and both DJ’s work quite well together twisting their sounds into a strong mix. Both are restless improvisers who match wits with striking results. My favorite section is when they work with some old blues records and get into a great earthy groove and still turn things inside out. Word is that some Canadian distributor has already sold some 500 copies, which is even more surprising for a CD of so-called “new music.” Much better that anyone could have anticipated.