Sporadic sonic exchanges exploring guidelines, graphic scores, or completely improvised with an expansive instrumentation, La Règle was recorded between two residential basements on Berri Street, and live on a campus community radio station from 2011 to 2014 in various formations. None of the pieces feature all six members of Fünf simultaneously. What’s interesting about this Quebecois sextet is that they are all women and the liner notes doesn’t quite list their instrumentation other than amps, objects, homemade synths and oscillators, all DIY analog stuff. The sounds are carefully created, tapping on mics, humming, soft drones, static, German spoken word samples, test patterns, a busy signal, sniffles, quiet feedback, etc. The music unfolds organically and has a John Cage like vibe. The sounds do a good job of evoking a mood, like slowly changing scenery in a European art house film.

This trio has been together for twenty years and this is their sixth disc. Although each member has come from much different backgrounds, (Côté from Bruire with 2 dozen discs/projects, Falaise from Miriodor/2 dozen other discs & St-Onge from assorted Québécois units & a solo effort), they definitely have a group sound. Without knowing the instrumentation in advance, it would be difficult to tell who is playing what on this fine disc. There are several layers of odd metallic, electronic, mysterious, spinning lines going on at the same time. This music has a somewhat disorienting yet magical quality which creates series of mind-altering moodscapes. Quietly fascinating.

This is only the third disc from Evidence who formed in 1985, one per decade. This disc was recorded the same week that Evidence played the entire Thelonious Monk catalogue at a three-day festival in Montreal in the Spring of 2014, no easy feat. This trio has a joyous, jubilant quality that I dig. They sound as if they are having fun, swaggering slyly all the way. It is rare to hear Monk’s music played by an electric bassist but Mr. Cartier’s playing is central to the way this trio sounds. There are a number of highlights here like hearing “Jackie-ing” played on bari sax with such exuberance or the occasional solos from the bass or drums which have that effervescent quality and are an extension of the melody/theme. If you have ever seen a film of Thelonious Monk playing in concert, you know that liked to dance around the bandstand at times, his movements reflecting the structure and energy of the song being played. Hearing this music played by Evidence made me want to dance around as well. It just feels right or righteous.

Le saxophoniste Jean Derome, le bassiste Pierre Cartier et le batteur Pierre Tanguay sont des gens très malins, dans le sens le plus intelligent du terme. À l’instar de ce qu’a fait Ben Riley, ex-batteur de Thelonious Monk, ils arrangent et réinterprètent les chefs-d’œuvre de ce dernier sans piano. Ils évitent ainsi les écueils de la comparaison stylistique et nous obligent, dans le sens le plus noble du terme, à goûter autrement toutes les subtilités sonores et sentimentales du capitaine Monk. Baptisé Évidence, du nom d’une composition du grand sachem du jazz, ce trio, il faut souligner mille fois plutôt qu’une, ausculte et contemple le grand livre des originalités monkiennes depuis… 1985! Les musiciens reprennent des thèmes connus, il va sans dire, auxquels ils ont greffé des pièces obscures, comme Work, Two Timer et Dreamland. Bon. Cet album est tout simplement époustouflant. Car à l’intelligence du jeu ils ont collé le sens aigu des nuances et la joie. Oui, ce Work est aussi joyeux. Bref, un régal.