actuellecd

Blog

Critique

Philippe Renaud, Le Devoir, February 3, 2023
Sunday, February 5, 2023 Press

Le projet est, à notre connaissance, unique au monde: Growlers Choir, un chœur québécois formé de chanteurs et de chanteuses issus de la grande famille du métal extrême — black métal pour Yves Godbout de Within Anguish, métal viking et symphonique pour Corinne Cardinal et Maude Théberge de Valfreya, etc. Sous la direction du compositeur et artiste sonore Pierre-Luc Senécal, les Growlers ont hurlé, grogné, toussé même, sur une scène du FIMAV en 2021, qui en édite aujourd’hui la fascinante captation. Les deux longues œuvres phares, The Dayking (sur le thème de la lutte des classes, version fantastique, narrée par le poète Fortner Anderson) et Hate Machine, lient la démarche du groupe à ses origines métal, les décharges de batterie et les motifs de guitares présentés dans leur plus simple expression pour laisser toute la place aux voix. Plus captivants encore sont les trois mouvements de l’avant-gardiste Hydra, qui permettent à Senécal d’exploiter toute la richesse texturale, bruitiste et rythmique de ces voix athlétiques et hors du commun.

… toute la richesse texturale, bruitiste et rythmique de ces voix athlétiques et hors du commun.

Critique

Gérard Condé, Diapason, December 1, 2022
Wednesday, January 18, 2023 Press
Formation québécoise partiellement dédicataire de ces partitions, le Quatuor Bozzini en fait valoir l’objectivité par une intonation impeccable et une rythmique de bronze sans oublier qu’il n’est pas un synthétiseur mais la réunion de quatre musiciens.

Review

Raul da Gama, The WholeNote, no. 28:3, December 13, 2022
Friday, December 23, 2022 Press

Brûlez les meubles (a name that translates to Burn the Furniture) suggests a doffing of the proverbial hat more towards the kind of existentialism and Jean-Paul Sartre’s primary idea that people, as humans, are “condemned to be free.” This may seem to be at cross purposes with the kind of Impressionism that has come to be associated with — perhaps even the clarion call of — many contemporary musicians.

The consistent use of distortion — not simply harmonic dissonance — suggests that these two musicians are flying more than the flag of Impressionism that became associated with many who are influenced by Debussy.

The duo Brûlez les meubles — guitarist Louis Beaudoin-de la Sablonnière and bassist Éric Normand — claim that they owe as much to Jim Hall as they do Bill Frisell. But that tells only part of their story. The real proof of their musicianship lies in the effect that the repertoire […] under review has on the senses.

Listening to Tardif (which means Late) it would seem that songs such as Balade stoïque and Journée pédagogique are indicative that the musicians want us to listen for a deeper meaning in their music. The aforementioned distortion is not simply a musical gesture that frequently runs through this music, but a device to provoke putting a keener ear to work, to listening more deeply to this music.

The duo’s free association with noise together with saxophonist Jean Derome and the arrhythmia of principal guest John Hollenbeck’s drumming sends a powerful musical message. When we get through the repertoire of Tardif and come to the recording’s climactic conclusion J’en ai connu d’autres we find ourselves wondering if the sense of alienation — or otherness — is not what really propels the musical intention of Brûlez les meubles.

The duo’s free association with noise together with saxophonist Jean Derome and the arrhythmia of principal guest John Hollenbeck’s drumming sends a powerful musical message.

La ronde des disques 2022

Marc Chénard, La Scena Musicale, October 31, 2022
Wednesday, December 14, 2022 Press

Entrepreneur musical polyvalent, Éric Normand joue de la basse électrique et dirige le GGRILL, formation de musique improvisée de Rimouski. Identifié principalement aux courants expérimentaux, ce touche-à-tout s’adonne aussi au jazz. Son groupe au nom singulier réunit pour une première fois l’inénarrable Jean Derome et le batteur américain John Hollenbeck. Le guitariste Louis Beaudoin de la Sablonnière complète la formation. Tous sauf le batteur ont contribué au répertoire de neuf pièces, dont une (A Jazz Tune I Hope) provient du tromboniste Albert Mangelsdorff. Cet album de 47 minutes démontre l’une des multiples façons de faire du jazz à notre époque sans avoir à reprendre les formules convenues. On ne parlera pas d’un langage novateur, mais la signature lui est propre. Et c’est déjà ça.

Cet album de 47 minutes démontre l’une des multiples façons de faire du jazz à notre époque sans avoir à reprendre les formules convenues.

Review

Ken Waxman, Jazz Word, November 1, 2022
Tuesday, November 1, 2022 Press

Adaptation of two of John Cage’s later aleatoric compositions in their own fashion, members of Montréal’s Quartetski stay true to the composer’s instructions while creating completely original works. With Four6 designed for any way of producing sounds and One7 created for pitched instruments playing sustained notes, Pierre-Yves Martel on electric bass and sine waves and Bernard Falaise on electric guitar plus bass clarinetist Philippe Lauzier and percussionist Isaiah Ceccarelli, both of whom also play synthesizers, construct electro-acoustic tracks of kaleidoscopic textures.

Since One7 wants instruments acting as one, Quartetski’s layered interactions concentrate into a pointillist vibrating mass by mid-point and propelled by altissimo reed whistles and voltage drones, stay that way until the end. Before that, organ-like synthesizer swells, guitar string plinks, unvarying chalumeau-register clarinet buzzes and percussion rolls corkscrew multiple pitches into the exposition before coalescing.

More individualism characterizes Four6 since multiple sounds are expressed and emphasized. Lauzier at points projects both subterranean body tube growls and repeated staccato shrieks; Ceccarelli sounds doorbell-like peals or cymbal scratches as often as bass drums thumps; Falaise’s effects pedal moves intermittent guitar twangs upwards; and Martel’s thick bass strums propel regularized rhythmic vibrations as well as focusing timbral evolution. Crucially, however, at certain moments, reoccurring harsh reed flattement confirm linear evolution.

Transforming interpretation into originality, Quartetski realizes the essence of Cage’s conception in a novel and unique form.

Transforming interpretation into originality, Quartetski realizes the essence of Cage’s conception in a novel and unique form.

Review

Ken Waxman, Musicworks, no. 143, September 1, 2022
Wednesday, October 26, 2022 Press

Adaptation of two of John Cage’s later aleatoric compositions in their own fashion, members of Montréal’s Quartetski stay true to the composer’s instructions while creating completely original works. With Four6 designed for any way of producing sounds and One7 created for pitched instruments playing sustained notes, Pierre-Yves Martel on electric bass and sine waves and Bernard Falaise on electric guitar plus bass clarinetist Philippe Lauzier and percussionist Isaiah Ceccarelli, both of whom also play synthesizers, construct electro-acoustic tracks of kaleidoscopic textures.

Since One7 wants instruments acting as one, Quartetski’s layered interactions concentrate into a pointillist vibrating mass by mid-point and propelled by altissimo reed whistles and voltage drones, stay that way until the end. Before that, organ-like synthesizer swells, guitar string plinks, unvarying chalumeau-register clarinet buzzes and percussion rolls corkscrew multiple pitches into the exposition before coalescing.

More individualism characterizes Four6 since multiple sounds are expressed and emphasized. Lauzier at points projects both subterranean body tube growls and repeated staccato shrieks; Ceccarelli sounds doorbell-like peals or cymbal scratches as often as bass drums thumps; Falaise’s effects pedal moves intermittent guitar twangs upwards; and Martel’s thick bass strums propel regularized rhythmic vibrations as well as focusing timbral evolution. Crucially, however, at certain moments, reoccurring harsh reed flattement confirm linear evolution.

Transforming interpretation into originality, Quartetski realizes the essence of Cage’s conception in a novel and unique form.

Transforming interpretation into originality, Quartetski realizes the essence of Cage’s conception in a novel and unique form.