Monsieur Fauteux is a sublabel of Ambiances Magnétiques. It is specialised in more accessible music then normally released on Ambiances Magnétiques. Martel began as a poet and published two collections of his poetry. Later he learned playing the guitar and developped himself into a singer/songwriter. He wrote all the songs and lyrics for his third solo-album Sautons ce repas de midi. Also he plays little guitar, ukelélé, theremin and harmonica.. He is accompanied by Bernard Falaise (guitar, mandolin, keyboards, voice), Éloi Deit (basses) and Michel F Coté (drums and percussion). Martel is not a great singer. I suppose the lyrics are very important — Martel is a poet. But alas I do not speak french, so I can’t say anything about it. Happily the arrangments and playing are very funny and full of ideas. Each song has it’s own atmosphere. This make this album enjoyable and worthwhile also for those who don’t understand french. It’s especially the guitar playing of Bernard Falaise that catches the attention.

Fanfare Pourpour reminded me of the Willem Breuker Kollektief or the belgian “ballroom” ensemble Julverne. This Fanfare has 15 members and is assisted by 5 other musicians in some of the tracks. We hear saxes, trumpette, clarinette, flutes, but also accordeon, guitar, violin, banjo, etc. On a reunion in 1995 several veteran musicians decided to play again together and Fanfare Pourpour was born. Nowadays veterans and young talents are united in this great ensemble.As the title indicates the ensemble plays a very danceable music, albeit often plunged in a melancholic atmosphere. Music from and for people. No self-indulgent art, or music for the sake of experiment, but music that wants to serve an audience, to make a party. The 16 compostions come from members Suzanne Babin, Luc Proulx, Jean Derome and others. The opening track opens very promising in a gypsy style, but halfway the piece takes another direction. We hear many waltzes, swing and more uptempo pieces, like the excellent La noce du brigand by member Guido del Fabbro. Although I’m open for this kind of music, my attention faded away from time to time. Some of the compositions are a little unsignificant, plus arrangements and playing do not sparkle throughout the ride. But surely an album of honest and pleasant music that will please many.

À La Sala Rossa (Montréal) le 1^er septembre 2004, le trio Klaxon Gueule (Michel F Côté, Alexandre St-Onge, Bernard Falaise) et le duo morceaux_de_machines (Érick Dorion, A_dontigny) unissent leur force pour créer un imbattable quintette d’improvisation électronique. Un affrontement sonore aux proportions gargantuesques!

Du 8 au 12 septembre 2004, le Festival de jazz de Guelph (ON) présentra plusieurs concerts et ateliers. Plusieurs artistes DAME seront présent pour cette édition. Le ,9 septembre, Joane Hétu sera l’une des participantes à l’atelier «Improvising Women Singing» (Chanteuses improvisatrices), aux côtés de Christine Duncan, Sainkho Namtchylak et Kate Hammett-Vaughan. Le même jour, Kate Hammett-Vaughan jouera avec Ron Samworth et Bernard Falaise jouera avec le duo Barnyard Drama. La soirée se termine avec un concert de Noma. Le ,10 septembre,, Jean Derome, Joëlle Léandre et Anne Bourne participeront à l’atelier «Instruments, Voices, Narratives» (Intruments, voix, narrations). Dans l’après-midi, {nbio:derome_je} et {nbio:hetu_jo} donneront un concert Nous perçons les oreilles. Finalement, le ,11 septembre,, Joëlle Léandre et Les Projectionnistes donneront chacun un concert.

Frottements, une exposition consacrée aux objets et surfaces sonores, est présenté au Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (Québec) du 1^er septembre au 28 novembre 2004. La commissaire de l’exposition, Nicole Gingras — qui a également dirigé la publication du livre S:on, le son dans l’art contemporain canadien, a réuni quelques artistes dont Jean-Pierre Gauthier, Raymond Gervais, Jocelyn Robert, le duo Skoltz_Kolgen ainsi que Martin Tétreault. Tétreault présentera sa performance Passages sur illustration sur vinyle le soir du vernissage le 1 septembre 2004 à 19h, à l’auditorium du Musée. Le 17 septembre, Skoltz_Kolgen présentera également une performance en direct à 21h.

The Fanfare Pourpour’s second album is not as much a leap forward from the first, but an overall solidification of the group’s assets. While remaining true to the debut CD Tout le Monde, Le Bal is more cohesive, entertaining, daring, and better recorded. Sax player Jean Derome, one of the most important artists on the Montréal avant-garde scene, produced the album and contributed five new pieces, including the brilliant title track, a painstakingly slow waltz with a Nino Rota-like melody. The line-up of the ever-changing group still features a healthy blend of amateur, semi-professional and established musicians. The core of the group is back: accordionist Lou Babin, guitarist Luc Proulx, violinist Guido del Fabbro, trumpeter Nemo Venba, valve bass player per Christine Lajeunesse, and the one-of-a-kind rhythm section of Jaco Duguay (marching bass drum and cymbal) and Jonas Slowanski (snare drum), a.o. In addition to Derome, Normand Guilbeault (the hardest-working jazz bassist in Montréal) and Claude Vendette (ex-4 Guitaristes de l’Apocalypso-Bar and other André Duchesne projects) round up the ranks. Special guests include violinist Mara Tremblay and drummer Pierre Tanguay, along with singer Tomás Jensen (of the group Les Faux-Monnayeurs) who delivers the dark “Monsieur.” Whether it is a fast-paced street fanfare number or a nostalgia-tinged waltz, every song is heartwarming, entertaining, and highly creative. The group draws inspiration from musette, avant-garde jazz, Quebec and Cajun folk, and dixie, adding its own brand of street-bound big band music with a communal spirit. Certain pieces are simple to the bone, fueled only by the joy of playing together and the craft of its arrangements, while other tunes (namely Derome’s and Del Fabbro’s) push back the bounderies, toying with unusual chord changes and melodies that hide their originality in a second or third listen. Favorable comparisons to Pascal Comelade and the Japanese group Pascals are absolutely in order, as the music finds a striking balance between naive and soulful. Le Bal is highly refreshing, imaginative and creative — and despite the above mentions, one of a kind. Highly recommended.

Le seul fait qu’elle ait frotté les cordes de son violoncelle dans des projets avec Lhasa de Sela, Martin Léon ou Mario Pelchat et que ses cordes vocales aient secondé la voix de Steve Hill prouve déjà que Mélanie Auclair a une palette stylistique assez éclectique. Son prernier effort solo creuse cette veine en proposant six improvisations en duo (et un trio) qui sont autant de «rencontres» avec différents musiciens: claviériste, percussionniste chanteur, etc. Les rencontres semblent souvent rester au niveau du premier contact, chacun demeurant assez réservé, mais certains moments valent le détour: entre autres, le duo avec le guitariste Bernard Falaise ressort vraiment du lot. Le sax baryton Charles Papasoff et le contrebassiste Éric Auclair offrent également de grandes collaborations.