#jeff sicard

[merzbow-derek]

POST-SCRIPTUM 888

DHARMA QUINTET, End Starting, SouffleContinu Records

Pour Gérard Marais, guitariste du Dharma (version quintette) à partir de ce troisième disque (en fait, il remplace Gérard Coppéré, l'un des deux saxophonistes présent sur le premier), l’injonction d’un Albert Ayler à faire sa propre musique constitua le détonateur. Elle ne pouvait pas mieux tomber, en tous cas pas dans l’oreille d’un sourd, puisque malgré une certaine attirance pour le free jazz en tant que musicien, il lui paraissait difficile, sinon impossible, de faire siennes les visées esthético-politiques des Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp ou Sun Ra. Différences ethniques résumera-t-on. Quête d'une musique à soi, aussi, et quelles qu'en fussent les racines plus ou moins évidentes.

Car au début des années 1970, Gérard Marais et ses camarades du Dharma Quintet sont obnubilés par le Miles Davis de la période électrique. Pas celui avec Pete Cosey, encore dans l’œuf. Mais celui fasciné par les claviers électriques et ce fameux Fender Rhodes ayant beaucoup fait pour l’ambiance de In A Silent Way.

Depuis les débuts du Dharma, mais sans pour autant copier qui que ce soit, Patricio Villaroel joue ainsi le rôle de Chick Corea chez Miles Davis. Tandis qu'en dynamisant le groupe de ses fulgurantes, Gérard Marais se montre à la hauteur de John McLaughlin, voire Sonny Sharrock au même moment. Autre soliste d'envergure, le saxophoniste alto Jeff Sicard rivalise d'inventivité avec Byard Lancaster, Noah Howard, Gary Bartz, Marion Brown et Sonny Simmons. Difficile de faire mieux !

Interrogé par un critique bien des années après l'éclatement du groupe, Gérard Marais insistait sur l’idée de chantier inhérente aux seventies, alors envisagée comme seule à-même de faire coexister de manière créative écriture et improvisation. Philosophie qu'il continuera de questionner dans l'ensemble de Michel Portal sur Splendid Yzlment, mais aussi le temps d’un beau duo avec son confrère Joseph Desjean (du Full Moon Ensemble), ou bien encore dans le trio du batteur Stu Martin, à deux guitares cette fois, en compagnie de Claude Barthélemy.

Reste aussi la trace du Dharma Quintet, à la lettre D, entre Dedalus et Dies Irae, sur la liste d’influences majeures échafaudée en 1979 par Nurse With Wound.

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For Gérard Marais, guitarist with Dharma (the quintet), from this third album (in fact he replaced Gérard Coppéré, one of the two saxophonists present on the first album), Albert Ayler’s instruction to play your own music was the detonator. This did not fall on deaf ears, and was particularly appropriate as it would have been difficult, even for a musician attracted to free jazz, to make something of his own from the esthetic and political direction taken by Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp or Sun Ra. What could be summarised as ethnic differences. The quest was to find one’s own music, whatever the more or less apparent roots.

For, at the beginning of the 1970s, Gérard Marais and his comrades in the Dharma Quintet were overwhelmed by electric period Miles Davis. Not the band with Pete Cosey, which was still gestating, but the one fascinated by electronic keyboards and the famous Fender Rhodes which added so much to the atmosphere of In A Silent Way.

From the beginning of Dharma, but without ever copying anyone, Patricio Villarroel played the role of Chick Corea with Miles Davis. While Gérard Marais whose fulgurant playing dynamised the group, was at the level of John McLaughlin, or Sonny Sharrock at the same period. Another important soloist, alto saxophonist Jeff Sicard was as inventive as Byard Lancaster, Noah Howard, Gary Bartz, Marion Brown or Sonny Simmons. It’s difficult to do any better!

Questioned by a critic, years after the group split, Gérard Marais insisted on it being an idea born of the seventies, which seemed the only creative way to enable written music and improvisation to co-exist. This was a philosophy that he would continue to develop within Michel Portal’s group, on Splendid Yzlment, but also in a great duo with Joseph Dejean (of Full Moon Ensemble), and yet again in a trio led by drummer Stu Martin, with two guitars the other being Claude Barthélemy.

The Dharma Quintet, made their mark, appearing under the letter D, between Dedalus and Dies Irae, on the list of major influences created in 1979 by Nurse With Wound.

[thejazzspot]

Full Moon Ensemble - Crowded With Loneliness (1970, AKT-CBS S64267, Fra / re.2014, Superfly Records SRLP010, Fra)

The resurgence of vinyl and the growing demand for this format has been contributing to a number of re-editions allowing the (re)discovery of several music pearls from the 60s and 70s that would otherwise have very limited access by the rarity and prohibitive prices of its original copies.

SuperFly Records has been one of the labels that bets on the recovery of some "lost in time" records, through beautiful re-issues that certainly not leave indifferent the resistant followers of the ancient black format. With a limited pressing of 1,000 copies, one of the last titles launched by this small label based in Paris, aimed a classic of modern French Jazz of the 70s.

Formed in the late 60s under the leadership of Claude Delcloo, the Full Moon Ensemble recorded their debut album through AKT, a label founded by Delcloo on a partnership with CBS.

Besides being a prominent percussionist, Delcloo had an equally important role as a producer and founder of "Actuel", the magazine which would lead to the mythical series of recordings with the same name released by label BYG. In addition to Delcloo's several participations as producer and guest drummer, the number 6 in this series of 52 records includes a partnership with saxophonist Arthur Jones in a session titled "Africanasia" which also has the participation of Clifford Thornton and some of the members of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. The Full Moon Ensemble, through the participation of some of its members, are credited in two of Archie Shepp's live recordings for the same series (Volumes 38 and 39).

As the 70s progressed, the less conventional jazz artists start to find their place between the more mainstream side and the esoteric world of free-jazz. This trend resulted in an increasing diversity of styles ranging from african/funk explorations, meditation music, the proto-world journeys by Don Cherry or the futuristic travels by Sun Ra. The association between poetry and jazz that started in the 60's, found new directions on the music of The Last Poets, Haki Madhubuti and Gil Scott-Heron, among others.

It was in this extremely prolific period that "Crowed With Loneliness" was recorded, revealing an innovative concept that cleverly combines the influence of styles like spiritual and free jazz, protest music and poetry.

Dedicated to American poet Bob Kaufman, whose inspiration was crucial, the side A divides into three parts which include the recitation of literary extracts from this surrealist author of the beat generation. With forms somewhat psychedelic peppered by the esoterism of the electric piano, the first theme (written by Delcloo) is introduced with the bass clarinet by Jeff Sicard and the recitation of Sarah Touati, a young lady aged 22 with a background in poetic expression and occasional participations in theater and cinema.

The popular "Samba Miaou" written by the influential guitarist Joseph Dejean, is developed through the flute, keyboards and electric guitar surrounding the enigmatic vocals of Sarah Touati, in a cry of revolt of socio-political nature. The allusions to capitalism and war through cross-references like "les enfants de Hiroshima ...", "Je vous pardonne Amérique", "voiture, televison, maladise" are framed in a liberating soul-jazz with various saxophone solos. Through its inclusion in various compilations, "Samba Miaou" is the main business card and clearly the most popular of the all album tracks.

In one of the most intense moments of this work, the Side B starts with the drums and the characteristic Fender Rhodes by Martine Tourreil for over 10 minutes marked by an abstract improvisation. In another Delcloo contribution as composer, the electric guitar and saxophone join the party in a stunning moment culminating in the performances by Delcloo and the American bassist Ron Miller. Showing a variety of styles that makes difficult the cataloging of this album in a single genre and style, the ultimate track exposes us to the most progressive influences of rock. Accentuated by the snaking of the electric piano and by the fantastic rifs of the electric guitar by Joseph Dejean, "King Kong" written by Ron Miller and Gérard Coppéré, takes place in a rich organic percussion which also features the bold attacks of the horn players Jeff Sicard and Gerard Coppéré.

This nice testimony of the French music, here recovered thanks to the re-edition by SuperFly Records, is entirely worthy of a place among the most important pieces of the French jazz of the 70s by artists such as Michel Portal, Jef Gilson or François Tusques.

Despite its undeniable value, the limited commercial viability of this ongoing project dictated this as the only album by the Full Moon Ensemble and their members followed separate ways that can be found in projects like the Ensemble Cohelmec, Dharma Quintet or the Septet Matchi-Oul.

Mister W

Total or partial reproduction of the contents of this site is strictly prohibited. It can only occur with prior permission of the author. To that end, please contact [email protected]

(Portuguese version)

O ressurgimento do vinil e a crescente demanda por este formato tem contribuído para uma série de re-edições que permitem a (re)descoberta de várias pérolas da música dos anos 60 e 70, que de outra forma teriam um acesso bastante limitado pela raridade e preço proibitivo das suas cópias originais.

A SuperFly Records tem sido uma das editoras a apostar na recuperação desses trabalhos perdidos no tempo, através de belas re-edições que decerto não deixarão indiferentes os fiéis resistentes ao formato dos velhos discos negros. Numa edição limitada a 1.000 cópias, um dos últimos títulos lançados por esta pequena editora sediada em Paris, teve como alvo um clássico da música moderna francesa dos anos 70.

Formados no final da década de 60 sob a liderança de Claude Delcloo, os Full Moon Ensemble gravaram o seu álbum de estreia através da AKT, uma editora constituída por Delcloo numa parceria com a CBS.

Além de um prominente percussionista, Delcloo teve um papel igualmente relevante como produtor e fundador da revista Actuel, que daria lugar à mítica série de gravações com o mesmo nome, lançada pela editora BYG. Para além das várias participações de Delcloo como produtor e baterista convidado, o número 6 desta série de 52 discos, inclui uma parceria com o saxofonista Arthur Jones, numa sessão com o título “Africanasia” que conta também com a participação de Clifford Thornton e vários membros dos Art Ensemble of Chicago. Os Full Moon Ensemble, através da participação de alguns dos seus membros, aparecem igualmente referenciados em duas das gravações ao vivo de Archie Shepp para a mesma série (Volumes 38 e 39).

Á medida que a década de 70 avançava, os artistas de jazz menos convencionais começaram a encontrar o seu espaço entre a música mainstream e o universo esotérico do free-jazz. Esta tendência resultou numa cada vez maior diversidade de estilos que vão desde as explorações afro/funk, à música de meditação, às jornadas proto da world-music de Don Cherry ou às viagens futuristas de Sun Ra. A associação entre a poesia e o jazz iniciada na década de 60, encontrou novas formas na música dos The Last Poets, Haki Madhubuti e Gil Scott-Heron, entre outros.

Foi neste período extremamente prolífico que surgiu “Crowed With Loneliness”, num conceito inovador que combina habilmente a influência de estilos como o jazz espiritual e free, a música de intervenção e a poesia.

Dedicado ao poeta americano Bob Kaufman, cuja inspiração foi determinante para a abordagem a este trabalho, o Lado A divide-se em três partes que incluem a declamação de excertos da obra literária deste autor surrealista da geração Beat. Num registo algo psicadélico, apimentado pelo exoterismo do piano eléctrico, o primeiro tema (da autoria de Delcloo) é introduzido pelo clarinete baixo de Jeff Sicard e pela declamação de Sarah Touati, uma jóvem de 22 anos com formação em expressão poética e participações pontuais no teatro e cinema.

“Samba Miaou” o clássico da autoria do influente guitarrista Joseph Déjean, desenvolve-se com a flauta, as teclas e a guitarra eléctrica que ambientam o enigmatismo vocal de Sarah Touati, num grito de protesto de cariz socio-político. As alusões ao capitalismo e à guerra através de chavões como “les enfants de Hiroshima...”, “Amérique Je vous pardonne”, “voiture, televison, maladise” são enquadradas num soul-jazz libertador com vários solos de saxofone. Graças à sua inclusão em várias compilações, “Samba Miau” constitui o único cartão de visita e é claramente o mais popular dos temas deste àlbum.

Num dos momentos mais intensos deste trabalho, o Lado B tem início no desempenho de bateria e do característico Fender Rhodes de Martine Tourreil ao longo de mais de 10 minutos marcados por um improviso abstracto. Em mais uma contribuição de Delcloo como compositor, a guitarra e o saxofone juntam-se á festa numa tirada estonteante que culmina nas intervenções de Delcloo e do baixista americano Ron Miller. Dando mostras de uma diversidade de estilos que dificulta o catalogamento deste álbum num único género e estilo, o derradeiro tema expõe-nos perante as influências mais progressivas do rock. Acentuadas pelo serpentear do Fender Rhodes e pelos fantásticos rifs da guitarra eléctrica de Joseph Déjean , “King Kong” da autoria de Ron Miller e Gérard Coppéré, desenrola-se numa orgânica rica em percussão que conta também com os ataques arrojados da secção de metais a cargo de Sicard e Coppéré.

Este belo testemunho da música francesa, aqui recuperado graças à re-edição da SuperFly Records, é inteiramente merecedor de um lugar de destaque entre os mais relevantes trabalhos do Jazz Francês dos anos 70 de nomes consagrados como Michel Portal, Jef Gilson ou François Tusques.

Apesar do seu inegável valor, a limitada viabilidade comercial deste projecto embrionário ditou que este fosse o único álbum dos Full Moon Ensemble, acabando os seus membros por seguir caminhos separados que podem ser seguidos em projectos como os Cohelmec Ensemble, Dharma Quintet ou Septet Matchi-Oul.

Mister W

A reprodução dos conteúdos deste espaço é expressamente proibida. A mesma só poderá ocorrer com a autorização prévia do autor. Para tal, favor contactar [email protected]