These two CDs, recently released on Éric Normand’s Tour de Bras imprint, have in common the trumpet of Elwood Epps and the drums of Michel F Côté, both players dynamic forces on Montréal’s improvised and musique actuelle scenes. Côté’s work, both as a composer and drummer, is always playful—he never saw a groove he didn’t want to mess with. Epps has been ubiquitous on the Montréal scene since arriving from Guelph about six or seven years back, and his playing, emphasizing breath control and dynamic subtleties, becomes stronger all the time.

[…] The current iteration of Mecha Fixes Clocks, one of Côté’s many ongoing projects, consists of Philippe Lauzier (alto sax, bass clarinet), Epps (trumpet), Jean René (alto violin), Pierre-Yves Martel (viola da gamba, feedback), Bernard Falaise (guitar), Guillaume Dostaler (piano), and Côté (drums, feedback, and microphones).

Recorded at Côté’s preferred studio, Montréal’s Studio 270, Beau comme un aéroport is a suite of songs, the titles of which allude to air travel (se maintenir en l’air coûte que coûte, turbulence du dimanche, au terme de l’ascension, petite perte d’altitude). We do not normally think of airports as beautiful, however, and the music does not seem strictly programmatic, but one can find musical analogues with air travel if one chooses to do so. The middle section of Turbulence du dimanche, a rather tranquil piece, is dominated by a line of long notes from Epps, and Côté clattering on toms. (Perhaps Sundays are known for having very little turbulence.) Atlas des brumes has an African feel to the beat, bass droning underneath, trumpet line of long, purely played notes, Dostaler vamping sparely. Tour des anges begins with Epps and Dostaler playing solo lines before Côté enters with a splash of cymbal followed by a rising burst of feedback, which, with Dostaler’s offbeat phrasing, creates a sense of impending doom. Egalité de la résistance des ailes has a gamelan-feel built around Martel’s viola da gamba and Lauzier’s alto, a polyrhythmic play. Sur le siège d’a côté 22F has Epps blowing air through his trumpet to simulate snoring. Ostinato aierienne is a gentle, peaceful ending, which one wishes all flights to have.

The merry bunch from Rimouski have released an LP that turns out to be their strongest album to date. No guests this time — the GGRIL is recording on his own, like the big boy it has become. Combines, released on flashy red vinyl, features to realizations of an improvisation game (Jeu de cartes), a collective improvisation, and an improvisation with two conductors. Very good sound, and demanding yet playful performances. Situation à deux chefs (the two-conductor piece) is especially rewarding: tension, conflict, resolution, a fine balance between individual techniques and collective expression. Recommended. The LP comes with a download card that lets you download the album plus a bonus live track (interesting, but the sound quality is inferior).

Plus qu’une trame de fond, la musique de Bach se fera entendre au-delà des enregistrements sur lesquels on pèse sur play. Érick d’Orion, figure de proue de l’art audio à Québec, y signe pour une première fois des compositions dédiées à un spectacle de danse contemporaine. Loin de se contenter d’un simple remixage, d’Orion s’est approprié Bach et l’a façonné comme on concasse la pierre sortie d’une carrière. Des créations originales au-dessus desquelles flotte le fantôme de Johann Sebastian.

I haven’t travelled enough in my life to know what makes an airport beautiful (the album’s title translates to “Beautiful like an airport”), but I have listened to enough demanding music to say that Beau comme un aéroport is a beautiful record. Percussionist Michel F Côté is back with his most “musique actuelle”-like project Mecha Fixes Clock, which consists this time around of Philippe Lauzier, Pierre-Yves Martel, Elwood Epps, Jean René, Guillaume Dostaler, and Bernard Falaise — a nice blend of household names and young go-getters. The album consists in a suite of short pieces offering an excellent example of what Québécois “musique actuelle” has matured into: shapeshifting, finely-crafted and subtle music with a buoyant, playful side. Refined compositions blurring the lines between fixed notation and improvisation. Music that will keep you asking for more.

«Music of a different Mode», voilà de quoi relève la série Avant du label Mode. A son catalogue, déjà, deux conversations du percussionniste John Heward: Recessional (for Oliver Johnson) avec Steve Lacy (2003) et Voices: 10 Improvisations avec Joe McPhee (2006). Cette fois (septembre 2009), son partenaire n’aura pas eu à faire des kilomètres pour improviser avec lui. Habitant elle aussi Montréal, voici la clarinettiste Lori Freedman approchant Heward en voisine et même en «habituée».

C’est que les nombreux concerts donnés par Heward et Freedman (en compagnie de Barre Phillips, Joe McPhee, Sam Shalabi ou encore au sein du Ratchet Orchestra de Nicolas Caloia) ont encore rapproché les deux improvisateurs. Dressant un épatant état des lieux de leur relation, sept pièces montrent les deux musiciens en duo souvent remonté, et cherchant toujours.

De nouvelles sonorités à faire naître sur cymbales, caisses ou toms, par exemple: rumeurs nées de rapides coups de baguette, étouffements des retentissements, minutie d’une pratique qu’Heward semble parfois vouloir même «sommaire». D’airs attrapés à la volée par les clarinettes, aussi: versatile parce qu’inspirée, Freedman multiplie les propositions sensibles et perspicaces. Nées d’affinités évidentes et même concluantes, On No On est ainsi donc bien plus qu’un rapport de bon voisinage.