Très bonne nouvelle! Cinq disques Ambiances Magnétiques figurent parmi les meilleurs albums de l’année 2008!

• Top 5: Le Phénix de trio Les Poules (Délire Actuel, CFLX-FM, Sherbrooke, Québec)
• Top 10: Clic de Bernard Falaise (CIBL-FM, Montréal, Québec)
• Top 15: Y’a du bruit dans ma cabane de l’Ensemble Supermusique (Delire Actuel, CFLX-FM, Sherbrooke, Québec)
• Top 20: Pas de deux de Danielle Palardy Roger et Fred Frith (Squidco, USA)
• Top 100: Visions Fugitives Op.22 de Quartetski Does Prokofiev (CKUT-FM, Montréal, QC)

Les Poules is a trio made up of Joane Hétu saxophone, voice, Diane Labrosse (sampler), and Danielle Palardy Roger (percussion). Their collaboration as Les Poules has a history going back to 1986 when they released their first record Les contes de l’amère loi, to be followed by Prairie Orange in 2002. But under the names of Justine and Wondeur Brass their history goes back even further. All three of these women are very experienced improvisors and composers. All three of them have their own projects going on, and also they participate in even more projects and groups. From time to time they decide to write another chapter in the Les Poules-book. Phénix, their third project, is comprised of 24 tracks divided in six sections. All tracks are under 3 minutes and the tracks within each section make up one continuous whole. The recordings took place on two days in january 2008. Hétu contributes most (and best) of the time with her voice, making all kinds of noises that go well with the disciplined use of the sampler by Labrosse and the percussion work by Roger. They create moods and textures through improvisations that concentrate on the qualities of sound.

All three take also part in the Ensemble Supermusique that is completed by Jean Derome (sax, objects, voice), Pierre Tanguay (drums) and Martin Tétreault (turntables). Recorded live in September 2007, the CD offers four improvisations for which respectively Hétu, Roger, Labrosse and Derome delivered the leading ideas. Canot-camping is a conducted improvisation by Derome. Y’a du bruit dans ma cabane originated from a improvisation concept designed by Danielle Palardy Roger. 8 moments brefs is also a conducted game-improvisation by Hétu. In this improvisation “Each sequence lasts exactly one minute. Every minute, all musicians switch material at random.” Also for this ensemble this is a third effort. The improvisations on both records have a similar outlook. Non-rhythmic percussion, vocal sounds by Hétu and others. Detailed pictures full of small and delicate sounds and noises. At times the music becomes loud and cacophonic, but most of the time, the improvisations pass by in a steady stream full of little and small sounds and noises. The longer you look in this river, the more fish you discover. Of both records I like the one by Ensemble Supermusique the most. Improvisations on this one have many exciting moments and dynamics, and personally I’m always having a good time by the turntable contributions by Tétreault in line ups as these.

Quintetto di nuove uscite per la Ambiances Magnétiques. Nel secondo CD a nome personale il chitarrista dei Klaxon Gueule e dei Foodsoon Bernard Falaise chiama a raccolta una band voluminosa e di tutto rispetto (Gordon Allen alla tromba, Jean Derome al sax e al flauto, Lori Freedman al clarinetto e al clarone, Julien Grégoire alla marimba, Jean Martin alla batteria e Tom Walsh al trombone), dichiarandosi polistrumentista duttile ed accorto (chitarra, basso, banjo, mandolino, giradischi ecc.) per dar vita a una serie di quadri in cui rielabora i propri amori legati al passato: rock d’impianto ‘prog’, jazzetto informale, folk barocco, art-rock post canterburiano e persino fumi di centramerica come li amerebbe Tom Waits.

Da parte loro Joane Hétu (sax e voce), Diane Labrosse (sampler) e Danielle Palardy Roger (percussioni) riportano in vita il vecchio progetto Les Poules, con cui elaborano una serie di stralunati schizzi in cui un’improvvisazione liberissima incontra la surrealtà del caso, la costruzione dada e le sfasature del jazz con molto, forse troppo, senso del gioco (la Hétu come Phil Minton, ecc.): gioverebbe parecchio la visione delle tre all’opera piuttosto che il solo ascolto.

La stessa Palardy Roger rende molto meglio duettando con la chitarra di Fred Frith in Pas de deux, disco d’improvvisata che coagula elementi avant rock, jazz ed elettronici in un mix esuberante e una volta tanto veramente indefinibile, alieno da facili catalogazioni quanto prodigo di idee e input sorprendentemente freschi: dietro l’angolo sbucano un assolo di chitarra slide-hawaiiana, minacciose escrescenze elettroniche (i ‘treatments’ di Frith) o voci in format-strumento. Uno dei migliori Frith ascoltati negli ultimi anni.

Profondamente diverse ma di tutto rispetto anche le chitarre di Antoine Berthiaume ed Elliott Sharp, che in Base celebrano un onirico viaggio impro-noise a base di feedback e drones trattati in modo tale da costitire un corpo compatto ma non monocromatico, anzi decisamente eccentrico nella scelta dei timbri, secchi e risonanti, metallici, a tratti quasi plastici: c’è qualcosa di spaziale e cosmico in questi suoni che sapere esclusivamente chitarristici stupisce non poco; anche in questo caso si tratta di uno dei migliori Sharp degli ultimi anni.

Infine il CD accreditato al contrabbassista John Geggie, le cui composizioni, qui suonate assieme a Marilyn Crispell (piano) e Nick Fraser (batteria), ispirano uno struggente sentimento jazz old fashioned senza però mai restare impantanate nella semplice nostalgia ma viceversa ammiccando spesso verso l’avant; alla consumata abilità strumentale dei musicisti fare il resto.

It’s hard to think of a better source of inspiration for the longstanding Montréal trio Les Poules than that of the phoenix. The trio — saxophonist Joane Hétu, electronicist Diane Labrosse and percussionist Danielle Palardy Roger — has been playing together for more than a decade, which in the experimental music world mirrors the 500-year lifespan of the mythical bird. And birds are not only an interest for the group (their name translates as “the hens”), but can at times make for a nice metaphor for their sound: small and delicate yet, like a tree full of sparrows, able to kick up a good bit of cacophony.

Phenix is comprised of five parts and a total of 24 tracks, all of which are under three minutes. But they seem to go by without break or pause, a series of innovative miniatures which never sound simply like a trio playing. As a sort of rhythm section, Labrosse and Roger are endlessly creative: the sampler is used to create low, resonating tones, static and white noise, and the percussion more often plays atop than pushes from behind. Which could leave Hetu’s sax and voice out front if she, too, weren’t so committed to the group process. Long exhalations, upper-register squeals and syllables sung slowly or whispered circle like little eddies throughout the mix.

There’s something to be said in the improv world for the excitement of first-time meetings, but there’s also much to be said for years of working together in a small, tightly knit community. As central figures in the Ambiances Magnetiques collective, Les Poules have the knowledge of shared experience that allows them to flesh out ideas with their own soundworlds.

Du 7 au 9 novembre 2008, Les Poules (Joane Hétu, Diane Labrosse, Danielle Palardy Roger) seront à Toronto dans le cadre de la série Interface de AIM Toronto. Vous aurez la chance d’entendre ces trois improvisatrices, complices de longue date, jouer en trio ainsi qu’avec de nombreux musiciens torontois.