POT POURRI

Chansons de la belle esperance Pierre Cartier ambiences magnétiques AM 153 CD

“Now that was good!” These are my first thoughts after listening to Pierre Cartier’s release of self-described “French love songs”.  Cartier’s compositions set to Quebec poetry, his bass playing, his own lyrics, and his singing (especially the endearing way he struggles to capture some of the high notes) combine to make this musically intriguing disc fun to behold. The excellent band is comprised of some of Montreal’s finest jazz performers - Jean Derome on alto sax and flutes, Jean René on viola, Tom Walsh on trombone, Bernard Falaise on guitar and Pierre Tanguay on drums.
 
The seven selections have elements of both jazz and musique actuelle but also encompass a variety of musical styles.  An almost Las Vegas style sentiment surfaces in Il nous aurait fallu while La chanson de Marie is almost simultaneously an Irish jig and an Eastern European dance. My favourite, Mirabeau, using a text of Guillaume Apollinaire, begins in a fugal manner, then moves more upbeat, and closer to the end almost becomes a 1970s rock anthem with its screeching guitar solo. Cartier’s vocals are the glue that holds the works together throughout.
 
The bilingual French and English liner notes describe Cartier’s ideas behind each piece, though my high school French leads me to wish the lyrics also had an English translation. This is a moot point however - the music would be a welcome backdrop to any drive in the country or dinner affair. I’ll leave the final words to Pierre Cartier – “And if we may say that sometimes love is blind, how could we ever imagine love being deaf?” Touché!
 
Tiina Kiik

---

Idiolalla DB Boyko; Christine Duncan; Jean Martin ambiences magnétiques AM 147 CD

 
While I couldn’t find the intriguing sounding title word Idiolalla anywhere, I did however uncover the neologism “idiolalia”, which arose recently from “idio”: personal, distinct, private, peculiar, and “lalia”: speech; therefore “idiolalia”, meaning a private or unique form of speech.
 
On this CD, the two singers, DB Boyko and Christine Duncan, no strangers to the exploration and extension of vocal limitations, certainly make good use of idiolalia. Jean Martin, the polished jazz percussionist impresses us with his free improv chops and fine musicianship.
 
On first listening, the sheer range of vocal utterance astonishes, what with lightening quick switching between vocables and effective presentation of many extended vocal techniques. On the other hand, it did take me a while to relax with this mix of Dadaist-inflected aesthetics (which was originally designed to poke fun and agitate) and (much) nonsense language. Except when used in touches of irony, don’t expect to hear belle canto singing here!
 
There is more to this music than virtuoso exploitation of avant-garde vocalism. The lack of intelligible lyrics (much of the time) doesn’t impede the singers’ ability to sound in turn lyrical, childlike, declamatory, menacingly silly, hysterically scary or amazingly like Inuit throat singers. Just when one imagines they have run the gamut of emotional set-pieces, they pull out a comically operatic bit, including wicked Pagliacci laughter.
 
 Stay with it. This CD rewards repeated listening and reveals initially hidden structural elements and an adventurous and playful soul.
 
Andrew Timar

---

In Concert El Viento Flamenco Independent EVFCD-002 (www.elvientoflamenco.com)

 
It never ceases to amaze me how flamenco has infiltrated cultures far from its original Spanish roots. El Viento Flamenco is a dance/music troupe from Halifax via Newfoundland. Yes Newfoundland. And this is the real deal. The members who comprise the troupe, founders Evelyne Benais (dance), and Bob Sutherby (guitar), singers Sean Harris and Maral Perk and percussionists Tony Tucker and Megan Matheson, come from a variety of musical backgrounds - rock, blues, folk - but they have all been infected by the flamenco virus and have come together to bring us authentic gypsy soul.
 
This is a CBC recording of a live performance and while listening to an audio recording of a dance performance may seem odd, it works well due to the percussive nature of flamenco dancing. Especially when it is performed with the rhythmic precision that Benais has. Add to that Sutherby’s lyrical playing and the solid percussion accompaniment and you have a fine performance. However, what lifts this recording and group into stellar territory is Sean Harris. The man sings like an angel. For diehard flamenco traditionalists this may be a bit of a problem. Flamenco singers aren’t supposed to sing like angels. They’re supposed to sound tortured; like they’ve been to hell and back and chain-smoked the whole way. But Harris delivers all the rest of the requisite flamenco attributes in spades: passion, power and the vocal gymnastics that flamenco’s modal and rhythmic quirks demand. El Viento Flamenco “In Concert” delivers a gorgeous and accessible flamenco that is made in Canada.
 
Cathy Riches
 
Concert Note: El Viento Flamenco performs in Fraser Auditorium at Laurentian University in Sudbury on October 14.

---

Kiro Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble Independent KNE004 (www.kiyoshinagata.com)

 
Japanese taiko drumming is known not only for its powerful sonic energy, but also for the stylized, almost choreographed movements of the performers when striking a collection of large, barrel-like drums. Obviously, the visual element is missing on an audio recording, but a good set of stereo speakers and a reasonably generous volume will help give the effect of an exciting live performance, bringing out the full nuance and timbre of the various instruments on this Toronto-based ensemble’s fourth CD release.
 
This recording is not all thunderous percussion however. While rooted in tradition, the Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble has expanded upon this ancient art form. Most of the numbers, all composed by members of the ensemble in the last three years or so, incorporate various other traditional Japanese instruments alongside taiko drums. These include the shinobue and shakuhachi (transverse and end blown bamboo flutes), shamisen (three-stringed lute), and an array of gongs, bells, shakers and wooden percussion, for an extremely varied and nuanced spectrum of sound and rhythm.
 
Vocals also figure on this recording, with Hon-Chōshi, featuring the powerful and expressive singing of Aki Takahashi who also composed this piece. One of the purely taiko drum pieces Tentetsu No Kase, composed by the group’s founder Kiyoshi Nagata, features energetic and complex driving interlocking rhythms, conveying a spectrum of different timbres. And Khanda Taiko (composed by Heidi Chan) is a foray into the structure of South-Indian rhythm, specifically the 5-beat Khanda tala.
 
Karen Ages
 
Performance note: Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble will be premiering new works at the Al Green Theatre (Miles Nadal JCC), October 13 and 14.

---

Le Son de Soie/Silk Sound Liu Fang Accords Croises AC 116

 
Here we have yet another superb CD (her seventh in as many years) from Chinese-Canadian pipa (lute) and guzheng (zither) player, Liu Fang. One difference is that this recording is her first produced in France, and it has already garnered that country’s prestigious L’Académie Charles Cros Award. Clearly Liu Fang is well on her way to replicating her North American success over in Europe.
 
The care and detail lavished on all aspects of this production are outstanding, from the exquisite accompanying booklet replete with stunning photos and an informative text in French and English, to the high quality of the recorded sound and musical performances. My only quibble is that sometimes the text is overly romantic and effusive.
 
Of the eleven tracks, three are for solo pipa, Liu Fang’s first instrument. In particular, the eleven-minute piece, The King of Chu doffs his Armour, is impressive, with its traditional military and percussive style. On three other tracks we hear solo guzheng with its softer, undulating melodies. However, it is the cross-cultural improvisations which are the most innovative aspect of the recording — Liu Fang is joined in turn by Alla on oud (North African lute), Henri Tournier on bansuri, and Ballaké Sissoku on kora (West African harp-lute). The interplay between Liu Fang and these three musicians is eloquent and seemingly effortless — an altogether very convincing and beautiful musical fusion.
 
Annette Sanger