Jazz Rock supergroup from Belgium, including members from the veteran league of Prog and Jazz Rock music.The founding members appear to be keyboardist Charles Loos, who had parted ways with Cos a few years back, flutist Dirk Bogaert and drummer Jack Mauer, who previously played with Waterloo and Pazop, bassist Jean-Paul Musette (ex-Waterloo) and guitarist Paul Elias.Sometime during the recording sessions Esperanto's drummer Tony Malisan had joined the band, but it is unknown if he was a sixth member or simply replaced Mauer, as both appear in the ''Abraxis'' LP, released in early 77' on IBC.Centerpiece of this work is the 20-min. grand Prog/Jazz opus ''Valse de la mort'', which features plenty of Classical, Jazz and Folk influences, passing from sharp guitar solos to piano isolations and from mellow flute themes to extreme jazzy interplays in the vein of Gilgamesh and Hatfield and the North.Lots of synth moves, electric piano and smooth interplays between acoustic guitar, electric guitar and some Camel-esque flute lines.A great jazzy suite with multiple musical colors and impressive instrumental ideas.The rest of the album follows more or less the same vein, it's very Canterbury-styled with a dash of Supersister during the beautiful guitar, keyboard and flute interactions, featuring tempo changes and intense guitar solos by Elias, the Classical influences are reduced to almost zero and the bass lines even flirt with funky vibes, but the music is still very entertaining and top-notch with some neurotic synths next to the piano lines and some confident drumming by the Mauer/Malisan duo.Some parts with acoustic piano in evidence retain the Classical and orchestral attitude of the long suite, but overall the music is along the lines of proggy Jazz Rock, avoiding the traps of improvisation for some well-executed and tight instrumental material.Abraxis were short-lived and Loos later became involved in Nuit câline à la villa mon rêve and Julverne.Mauer found the production studio Shiva and switched to Dance Music, while Bogaert found a place in the Cos line-up over the next years.Very good Belgian Jazz Rock with an omnipresent Canterbury feeling.
Abraxis has a direct lineage to Cos (in addition to other Belgian legends such as Placebo, Pazop, and Waterloo). Formed by members from the band Cos, this album is a cross between flute jazz, Canterbury inspired fusion, and 70s funk. Somewhere between Chris Hinze, Cos, Cortex, and Herbie Hancock is where you'll find the sound of Abraxis. Flute drives the melody and solo lines, but there's plenty of introspective piano sections as well. Which play nicely against some of the ferocious electric guitar. A nice discovery on the always surprising IBC label.
01. You Always Like An Entree? (2:13) 02. Try (7:44) - a. Hopeful Strive - b. Step By Step - c. Find The Way 03. Obelisk (11:06) - a. Like A Stalagmite - b. Hora Nata - c. Stalagtites In My Jam - d. Wet The Ropes 04. Hattrick (7:32) - a. My First Hot-pants - b. Kick And Rush - c. The Final And The Third Game 05. Three Magicians (part 1) (12:13) - a. Once - b. Theme Of The Rainbow - c. Bermst - d. We´ll Bring You The Sun
Singles Bonus tracks on 1995 CD reissue: 06. Hora Nata (2:58) 07. Good Morning Life (3:44) 08. We're So Sorry (3:06) 09. Be Careful Now (3:26) 10. Talking About My Love (3:07) 11. On The Rocks (3:01)
John McO / acoustic & electric guitars, vocals Peter Torfs / organ, piano, e-piano, Moog, String Ensemble, vocals Evert Verhees / bass, bass pedals, acoustic guitar, piano, vocals Erry Fox / drums, percussion Ludwig Kemat / congas, metallophone, marimba, vibes, percussion, alto sax
With: Frans Maes / tenor sax C. Focant / horn J. Lasselin / horn
Although the opening number (instrumental) is fully jazz-oriented, the remaining songs will be in the synth style for which they were famous (in Belgium). The musical introduction of "Try" is rather complex, the complete opposite of the vocal part which is rather simple and a carbon-copy of a tranquil YesSong. Jon's voice being nicely rendered.
If Yes is one source of inspiration while vocals are concerned, Camel is the other one for most of the instrumental parts. "Obelisk" is probably the closest Camel-like song here. Beautiful symphonic music almost all the way through (there will be a minute of improv though). A sweet moment, except during the finale which is quite hard actually. Solid guitar solo and great rhythmic section to back it up. My favourite song of this album.
"Hat Trick" is jazzier. Sax and drumming remind more KC than anything else but great guitar breaks, and soft keyboards will revert the mood to a less aggressive style. Very nice and fully Camel although the keys during the finale seriously remind me of the ones from Jon Lord...
The longest song features great melodies (guitar and keys) and is truely grandiose. Very intense piece of music. Symph prog fans will be transported to heaven while listening to it. The second half offers more diversity (violins, percussions) and more personal vocals. I just wonder why it is called "Three Magicians, Part I"...
As for the bonus tracks, they are the singles the band released in those years, the first being the title track of the album redone with a string section. Most of the singles are of good quality but they are somewhat different than the album itself. On those singles Banzai manages to sound more like Caravan (circa New Symphonia era) and is rather pleasant.
If the mix of Camel music and some jazzy flavour is of interest to you, this album might be a good surprise. If you must have only one symphonic rock album from Belgium , make it this one.
The gradual demise of Placebo was a slow process, the group playing its last concerts during 76, but by that time, their leader Marc Moulin was already working on different project, often messing about with Cos, but also released his first solo album in early 75, which would, like Placebo's albums, become highly influential, especially in acid jazz and trip hop circles around the millennium change. Strangely enough, Moulin returned to CBS to release Sam Suffy (a pun on the expression "Ca me suffit" >> It suits me fine) with an artwork depicting the justice's highest court on a sandy beach of the North Sea, making it a semi-legend in its own country. With an un-credited bass player, wind player Rousselet (ex Placebo), the drum stool shared by Morales (ex-Placebo) or Castellucci, Marc Moulin handles all of the keyboards himself, except on a short track.
Musically, Sam Suffy is not far away from Placebo albums, but if anything the album is more even, because unlike the group efforts, Sam Suffy had few covers (just one, a short Monk composition), which was always the weaker side of Placebo. So Marc Moulin develops a superb melodic funky jazz-rock that will work wonders in samplings three decades later. Some will say that SS owes much debt to Hancock's Headhunter, but these typical Placebo grooves existed since their earliest albums, so it's not like the similarity is inspired or influence by Herbie.
The opening Le Saure is an enthralling funky piece with a cool groove, where Moulin switches from one keyboard to another, a bit like Herbie does. The short Thelonius Monk-penned Misterioso is probably the more experimental album with Rousselet's flugelhorn drawing monster sounds. The short From track is keyboard bonanza with Jasper helping out on electric piano. An interesting exercise, where Moulin toys with a Moog. La Blouse is another smooth-gliding funky groove, so typically early 70's. The short Bougie is a duo between Rousselet and Moulin's bluesy piano, probably the weaker track around. The closing playful jumpy Beau Galop has Marc tripping on his keys happily, without a sole care in the world.
The flipside is made from the sidelong five-movement suite, lasting (17 minutes) with Castellucci on drums (as opposed to Morales on the other side). The moods range from happy to sinister, from the sublime to the orgasmic, from dissonance and animal noises (the third movement) to pure heavenly grooves, with Rousselet blowing from a Miles Coltrane to a Ornette Sanders, the bassist pulling from you some spine shivers with his delightful touch.
Reissued in the late 90's on the Counterpoint Records label (also doing the Placebo compilation), the Cd came in handy for those looking to investigate Moulin's early 70's music, because the vinyl was fetching a small fortune, because eagerly searched for in the acid jazz and trip hop circles. Marc Moulin's Sam' Suffy album is probably Marc' best works of the 70's, and this Cd is warmly recommended to everyone into Jazz Rock / Fusion.
The third album is rather disappointing in its goal to achieve what the previous album had promised, even if it came out on the "progressive" label Harvest, was probably the album showing that Marc Moulin was getting too restricted in the formula he had set himself.
The lenghty Stomp is a little too repetitive, but still a great moment, but it does have an end-of-era feel, while N W, also rather lenghty is a real reflective moment, the brassy funky Dag Madam is great change of pace, the closing S U S is again delving in Moulin's search for new electronic sounds (here almost a sonar), Plotselling being the main attraction the first side of the vinyl with its lenghty Rhodes lines (a little Ratledge- sounding here) while the winds induce a great added tension even if a drum solo comes in to ruin it a bit. Bosso is a Novo (I know;-) so typical of years to come.
Although Placebo will only disband at the end of 76, this will be their last album, and by giving an attentive ear to it (they do seem a little short of ideas), it seems that they stopped before making one more album, that would've been "l'album de trop". Luckily they did not!! However , before their eventual demise , Marc Moulin had put out a "solo group" effort called SAM SUFFY which is quite astounding, adventurous, eclectic and the perfect expression of what he wanted to do: expand from an octet to a trio: Grandiose!!!
He then will go on for an extensive and then extended career including a political and very satirical press-writing twist, an acid-jazz career, production of Cos and Philip Catherine albums and fronting electro-pop outfit Telex (ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons's preferred band) etc..
Placebo's eponymous third album is glossy, elaborate Benelux Jazz-Rock which could be labelled Library music as well - having themes that could easily accompany a cult 70's detective series. Its seductive rhythms, combined with tasteful arrangements, make this LP difficult to walk away from. The grooves go deeper compared to their earlier works and the solos are intense and unique.
As you might guess, this album is named after the year it came out (this does not mean that all tracks taken after Orwell's theme of 1984 were recorded that year;-), Placebo is taking the beat were it left it at the end of their debut album. With a relatively unchanged line-up but with a few guests that appear also in the next album, Moulin is going a step further with his research into electronic sounds induced by KB, although leaving all the room for the horn section to move. Unlike the debut, on this album, Moulin is definitely taking the forefront and really shines all the way through, while still providing a great backtrack for the horn section.
Balek starts out with a then-revolutionary loop dominating the background and the group just surfs throughout the track's 4 min while Moulin switches from Moogs to Rhodes and back, great stuff. Only Nineteen is another track where Moulin shows us his savoir-faire and here the horn section plays the faire-valoir. Phalene (recorded live) is a rather lenghty piece (a relative 8 min) that takes great pride in being slowly developing itself, content on following Rottier's great drumming and the brass clearly influenced by Nucleus's Ian Carr. Temse is also the occasion for Moulin to extend his electronic KBs to the max, while remaining at the service of the song - un très grand monsieur - meanwhile the funky horns and no less enthralling rhythm section just take you to hell and back. Polk is another sizzling funky jazz-rock track induced by a great guitar, which makes you love every second of its short life.
Maybe their better albums and certainly the most even, this gatefold album (the debut was too) is one of those seminal albums for the Belgian jazz scene, and it is rather hard to understand how and why it never got a Cd release (outside the compilation) because this album was much sampled for acid-jazz and techno.
Hot on the heels of Miles Davis and Nucleus, PLACEBO was the first Belgian group to advance in jazz-rock territories. Leader Marc Moulin (already a veteran by the early 70's since he started in 63 with saxman Scorier) was the main composer of this rather large group (they had a four-man brass section) somewhere between Nucleus and a funky Chicago Transit Authority but with that bizarre and sometimes weird/silly Belgian spirit/absurdism.
Their three albums (from 71 to 74) were widely played on the alternative scene in the early 70's, so much so, that they appeared in concert on National TV (still to be released commercially but aired two years ago). Their debut "Balls Of Eyes" is maybe their better one (it won a prize at 1972's Montreux Jazz Festival), but the 1973 album is not far behind. After a rather disappointing eponymous album (on the Harvest label), they slowly disbanded, giving their last concert in 76. Marc Moulin will then have a long solo career (his best album being Sam Suffy in 75), diddle in Eurovision spoof-group Telex, work with great Belgian group Cos (see their entry), produced many artist (Philip Catherine a.o.), host his own radio show, had his own record label and for the last 15 years has been a precursor in acid-jazz.
Actually their records gained back some interest since they were sampled a few times for Trip-hop records. Marc Moulin left us on Sept 26, 2008 at the age of 66
The first album of Placebo was a real shock in Belgium, and nobody was really prepared for it. All that had come about before was a few proto-prog groups such as Waterloo, Wallace Collection (actually a pop outfit) and a few others. So 71 saw Arkham (who never released an album per se) and Placebo (Lagger Blues Machine was to follow the year after). Leader Marc Moulin was already a veteran by the time of this album, but this was his first project.
The sound on this album oscillates between Bitches Brew and Nucleus's debut on one side and Chicago Transit Authority on the other. If there are some really superb tracks on this album, it is also somewhat uneven with some rather surprising (and clumsy) covers of Marvin Gaye and Isaac Hayes, but clearly the highlights are the self-penned tracks. From the superb Aria with an infectious groove greatly underlined by Moulin's electric piano, to Planes with its superb semi-free jazz intro and impeccable crescendo, and Humpty Dumpty's haunting slow pace, this album is a slap in the face to most historians not knowing of this group. Showbiz Suite being another highlight, it is clear that Moulin was a bandleader in the jazz style, providing a great platform for the other musicians - the four-man horn section is plenty of frontman - so he stays content of providing the solid base (rarely taking the spotlight to himself at this point), but he is the chief composer and pulls of some real stunts in making his role quite interesting.
One of the rarest (and most expensive) vinyl albums of Belgium, First Battle is also Waterloo's only battle, but they won it brilliantly. This quintet was made from the remains of two established groups, Adam's Recital and Today's Version (the former even managing a spot in the Windsor Festival) and soon enough Waterloo was born in October 69. After a few months composing and touring, their album was recorded in Soho during the Christmas break and released early the next year with a Napoleon-ian artwork on the French label Vogue, where the group would tour extensively along with Belgium.
Sonically Waterloo is a mix of short (under 4-mins) psych rock and jazzy proto-prog tracks (except for the 11-mins finale), often reminiscent of jazzier early Tull albums (especially This Was). Opening on the single Meet Again (which through an amazing succession of feats got some major French airplay under the Waterloo moniker from an unknown group), but it is hardly the album's best piece with its 60's aura, even if you can hear Malyster's Emerson influence on organ. Much stronger are the superb Why May I Not Know with some heavy Anderson-ian flute, which coupled with Malyster's organ could lead to think of Aqualung tracks and the frantic Black-Born Children with its constant breaks. Further down the album (past the bluesy Problems), the dramatic Wrong Neighbourhood and the hard- rocking Heep-ian Lonesome Road are also much worthy of the proghead's attention. Of course the alnum's cornerstone is the lengthy Diary Of An Old Man, which an awesome progressive jazzy blues rock track with plenty of excellent solos and interplay between all concerned, but particularly Roan's guitar, but Bogaert's flute has its Tull-ian say as well.
Some bonus tracks are tagged on the original album, and they consist of the non-album singles that were following or preceding the First Battle release, but most feature a changed line-up as Malyster and Janssens leaving and being replaced by Wuyts (ex- Wallace Collection) and Musette respectively, and the addition of saxman and bookstore owner Van Rymenant, thus creating a slight jazzier shift in the group's sound. If Plastic Man and Smile are very 60's bubblegum, Nobody But You gives a slight brassy ELP feel, at least in its first part, before very Colosseum-like. Clearly the major gift in these bonus tracks is the 7-mins+ Youngest Day, an outstanding prog track that shows that the group was sliding towards their future Pazop-style of fusion. The Heep-ian Bobo's Dream (reminiscent of Gypsy and Hensley in some ways) and Bad Time show that the band was ready to move further into uncharted territories.
Long available on the great Musea label (and maybe long OOP), Waterloo's only album now receives a Guerssen label release with the same bonus tracks as before and the same group's history texts, courtesy of Musea's Francis Grosse. Singer Bogaert, drummer Mauser and keyboardist Wuyts would surface two years later in Pazop and record another superb album (but apparently never-released), this one still available on the Musea label. Much worth it, if you're into late-60's & early-70's proto-prog.
Dirk Descheemaeker / clarinet Jan Kuijken / cello Jean-Luc Manderlier / keyboards Pierre Narcise / tabla drums Daniel Schell / Chapman stick
Last album to date, Gira Girasole is yet another good album, but the tendency is to give the synths more and to reach ever wider in the cultural roots of European music, but the artistic approach is sometimes a bit hollow because it sounds rather forced. I must say that I would much rather like those ever-present synths to be replaced by acoustic instruments, mostly because that by 94, the sounds used were dating clearly from 80's synth sounds, which any progheads will agree was not the best generation. While there are some interesting tracks, such as the Spanish-sounding Francesca and the Eastern-inspired are more than interesting, but the whole thing seems to reach a certain level, but always content avoiding to surpass itself. And Schell's Chapman stick is hardly noticeable anymore.
If I can advise to start with any of the other two albums and delve into this one only if you are fully convinced by the others.
This second album is well in the musical alignment of its predecessor (that means pompously that it sounds a bit like the one before it;-) although with a slight Tango twist (this means that you could dance with your grandma to this album) with some flabbergasting meanders towards more modern classics (this meaning that your jaw drops to the floor and your ears melt and your mind orgasms)
The album's centrepiece is clearly written for century to come is the 8 min+ Soit Ilot with Haut-Voltige choirs. Of course in such an Oeuvre (yessssss!!!!! With a capital if you please ;-), we are not listening to rock anymore, but never mind those details, every symphonic rock will simply love this stuff. A little weirder are the next two tracks with their Asian feels not successfully translated to synthesisers, but Le Voyageur clearly brings back the splendid atmospheres to fall on the other major work: the BLWCH mini-suite cut into four distinct movements - these guys take Univers Zero's music yet another step towards perfection. The last two tracks being strictly classical and rather downplaying the excitement built-up just before.
Relatively uneven, this is one of those albums that could give your musical adventures a real twist and not necessarily the way you would expect it.
After the demise of Belgian fusion/Canterbury group Cos, its leader Daniel Schell took a couple years to reform a new group but he changed direction wanted a more acoustic and third world sound. From his love of the early 80's KING CRIMSON 5this was quite obvious in the later Cos album such as Pasiones) he had learned to play the Chapman stick (which bassist Tony Levin was the first one to play to a wider audience). He had recorded a duo album with Brussels-based Dutch singer (but French-singing Dick Annegarn), but was determined to do something quite different than previously.
In 86, his album If Window They Have moved somewhere between JULVERNE's classical "prog" music and UNIVERS ZERO's more acoustic music and OREGON's unique folk-jazz fusion - although one can still detect a few Fripp-Levin influence, the music has nothing to do with KING CRIMSON anymore.
By 90 his second album The Secret Of Blwch, had been recorded - including a more permanent line-up (including buddy of mine Pierre Narcisse on tabla drums UNIVERS Zero's Dirk Descheemaeker on winds and ex-Magma Manderlier on keys) - and is one of the best example of the Belgian chamber prog scene. The third Gira Girasole is still in the same mode, but the mood is even more jumpy/happy but the synths are more present. Since the mid-90's no new recording from this line-up , but the first two albums are certainly the best kept musical secret from Belgium.
This debut album really sets the tone for the rest of the albums to come. Somehow picking up on the mode of music Oregon and Julverne, this amazing record was quite unique back then (even if by today's standards they sound somehow a bit common) and they were at the forefront of Continental Europe's experimental music (all acoustic except for Manderlier's synths) - listen to the weird Bijna Zomer En Ik Loop mixing continuous loop with classical music (layered by Chapman stick arpeggios) or the succeeding Listen To The Short Waves where didgeridoos accompany cellos and the clarinet. But to me, on this album, nothing surpasses 3 Moustiquaires (a pun on the Three Musqueteers) with Narcisse's superb percussions leading the way to repetitititititive heaven. The "Clou Du Spectacle" is definitely the 14 min+ Tapi La Nuit which take its time to develop and meander through your ears filling them with haunting melodies. The whole thing being ended with the superb final number Logs with some astounding cellos - synth drones underlined by some out of this world wooden blocks percussions, grandiose.
All the tracks being composed by leader Daniel Schell (except one co-written by Cos vocalist Pascale Son), this album is a thousand miles away from any Cos album, but somehow it is very much exactly what you would expect from him. Much more than a curiosity, this album is simply a delightful discovery of what Belgian prog chamber can bring you.
This is a record I recently rediscovered, hiding in a stack of records I haven't played in ten years. This is timeless! Very clean recording - could be used for soundtrack applications or just for great listening. Kind of a cross between Brian Eno and The Blackearth Percussion Ensemble. There are some snappy numbers as well. Highly reccomended!
Along with Marc Hollander and Daniel Denis, Daniel Schell belongs to the most talented Belgian musicians of the generation that arrived in 1970s, but managed to outgrow the stylistic constraints of that era. He debuted in band Classroom, which subsequently transmuted into Cos. This highly revered Belgian band commingled European fusion and Zeuhl influences, which were often saved by Pascale Son’s airy, sensually modulated yet permanently girlish vocalizes. In later years, the band retained its name but slid towards perilous eclecticism, desperately seeking new audience.
Schell later dabbled in several idiosyncratic projects before discovering the charms of Chapman Stick, which underpinned the rhythmic pointillism of his band Karo. His cheery, exhilarating bacchanals engendered an early form of arithmetic chamber rock, delivered with freshness and disciplined fragility of a musical origami. The result was often comparable with the then flourishing Swiss ‘Alpine’ avant-rock.
Schell has since focused on film music and little of his compositional talent has been documented in a form available internationally. His overall output, considered allopatric and uneven, reflects an extraordinary range of moods and styles – from deeply reflective to almost buffoonish, from confidently pragmatic to nervously frequentist. In one case, described below, he realized a minor gem of conceptual folk-rock drama. In this venture, Schell was supported by Dick Annegarn, a popular Dutch singer who returned in recent years with a tribute to Jacques Brel.
UD
If romantic Greeks looked up to Theodoros Kolokotronis and the Poles dreamed of Konrad Wallenrod, then the Flemish reminisced about Egmont. This 16th century prince was a vassal of Carlos V and Felipe II, but opposed Spanish invasion of the Low Countries. The story was immortalized by Johann Wolfgang Goethe two centuries later. In Goethe’s play, the tragically beheaded hero leaves behind a mourning mistress, who eventually takes her life. Dick Annegarn and Daniel Schell built their homage to this romantic edifice through a deft juxtaposition of ancient and modern, acoustic and fusion ingredients. The record opens with short, crisp notes polished delicately by Schell on oud. Soon enough, an image of a village party emerges, as if transposed directly from Bruegel’s folkloric scene. A Breton circle dancing could be the closest comparison, with its light stomping time, purely acoustic setting and simple accents on shakers.
Piume al vento
Dirk Bogart, formerly of Pazop, presents this traditional song in Italian with a light, raspy vibrato. The verse repetitions increase in velocity, maintaining all the proportions and a steady pitch. The main theme is reciprocated with acoustic guitar and alternating male and female vocals, but these quasi-instinctive reactions become patchier when the thematic repetitions plunge with an intemperate pace. This estampie closes with a savage howl and metallic clutter. And we learn that the hero “sa che vincera – pui non tornera”.
Nelle
Dick Annegarn sings this hesitant ballad in French to a homely accompaniment on acoustic guitar. Then a flaming guitar transition imports an unassertively pastoral fragment. But the melodic lead vacillates and soon defaults to the stammering intro. A dustier, chewier secondary theme is brought up by Schell’s 12-string guitar, hummed along satirically. The lyrics mock foolhardy patriotism, the pace is slow and consensual, the articulation affiliative and supple.
Sabina and First Variation
“Sabina” is the first act of the trilingual, polyphonic Souterlied performed by Dirk Bogart (tenor and bass) and Pascale Son (soprano and alto). The medievalism of this metric psalm – composed by Egmont’s contemporary Clemens Non Papa – is subverted by Son’s quartzite, pre-puberty chorus. Sabina sobs over her imprisoned husband. A short solo on acoustic guitar adds some alteration to the basic cantus firmus.
La ballade du Zwin
This is a more archetypal singer-songwriter ballad, cushioned by the chamber-like purity of a duo of Daniel Schell on 13-string guitar and Michel Berckmans of Univers Zéro on oboe. The slight echo added to Berckmans’ double-reed distracts it from Pascale Son’s parallel vocalize. The translucent airiness of the passage evokes Kay Hoffmann’s unforgettable “Floret Silva”, which bathed in similarly medieval moats around the same time. Here, Pavel Haza’s cello adds a disciplined improvisation with an appropriately solemn, pining intonation.
Geuzenlied
Dick Annegarn sings here a 16th century Flemish poem. The elegiac theme, proclaiming that “Egmont is dood”, is allocated with the elegance of a spangling acoustic guitar and vernally wooden sticks. It is this pliant, lissome percussion that recalls Schell’s compatriots Aksak Maboul. Félix Simtaine’s constantly shifting percussive toolkit switches gear between the stanzas. Half way through the song, a Nordic solo on sinewy electric guitar materializes, packaged by a suddenly menacing bass (Jean-Louis Baudoin). The boreal guitar, commonly associated with Terje Rypdal’s groundbreaking recordings earlier in the decade, adds unexpected suspense to the narrative. Félix Simtaine’s adroitly impressionistic hi-hat work sets the stage for a seductively symmetrical flow. “Godt zal die wrake verhalen van die grave van Egmont – God will remember the count of Egmont”.
Un instant sous la hache
The scene of decapitation is laid out by Dirk Bogart on flute and Daniel Schell on 12-string guitar. It is a classic chamber folk duo with predetermined roles; the volant flute exploits its structural freedom with ascending breathiness. Flickering hand drum dives into the guitar’s soaring arpeggios, but the resulting tension is quickly released by a sharpened, mid-flight flute section.
Granvelle
Dick Annegarn adopts here the half-spoken mannerism of Serge Gainsbourg, stressing his syllables with bored insolence – “I rebel against your second hand deaths”. The narrator eschews direct irony, even though Schell and Annegarn share their own vision of Egmont as a reluctant hero, an antithesis of Goethean creation. “Granvelle” is essentially a rock song with a slinky fusion backing, stenciled with a jazzy guitar and suppliant drumming. Pascale Son makes some harmonically consonant bypasses on oboe, leaving behind a somewhat hapless guitar solo. Her instrument is highly pitched and lyrical, but limited in energy and almost breathless in legatos. The long awaited Ilona Chale squeezes little more than a desperate proclamation of a life terminated.
Sabina and Second Variation
The second act of the “Sabina” triplet. We revisit here the polyphonic singing in French, Italian and Flemish with an ecclesiastical touch. Pascale Son’s innocuous voice has been deservedly likened to Haco’s. The theme closes with a solo guitar side-track.
Ein kleiner Mann
Parading her infantile innocence, Pascale Son declaims a nursery rhyme about a little man. This piece, a variation on a march from Wortel, collects pleasant verse suspensions and proceeds unassumingly aboard whistles and an electric guitar in its Nordic, nostalgic mantle. While the rhythm section syncopates, a jangly acoustic guitar wobbles drunken, as if parachuted from an ESP anti-folk recording. After this variegated interlude, Pascale Son returns, hushing out again the verses about the little Man who sacrificed his life.
Sabina
Back to the polyphonic voices, huddled somewhere under the architrave. Unfortunately, the somewhat strangled tenors marginalize the female counterparts into mere Nebenstimme role.
The ff BOOM
The tragic story is memorably rounded off by these 12 minutes of quintessentially European cosmic jazz. It is as if the final, Aristotelian catharsis provided a necessary closure for the tragic story of human misfortune. Jean-Louis Baudoin clutches his acoustic bass with deft fingering, in expression ranging from dry and pungent to semi sweet and voluble. Félix Simtaine opts for Jon Christensen-like cymbal ubiquity. Schell’s elaborations on electric guitar appear topologically simple yet highly fluid. Windy effects haunt us from the back until a synthesizer glissando interrupts this flow. Underpopulated by skin’n’cymbal rattle and distant groans, the trio audibly searches for clues. When Baudoin eventually re-establishes the ostinato, we face not one, but two guitar tracks – a funky quack, and a gnarly amp-distorted rock solo. Drumming has now become segmented and metronomically basic. Taking advantage of this hysteresis, the grimy guitar hashes up the remaining material until the gusty effects cleave the rhythmic procession.
The target of the new Lowlands label Musique Belgique Archive is to dig up forgotten treasures from the Belgian musical history. The first idea is to re-release the old vinyl from the 70's on CD. At that time, the major labels only released these albums (pressed in a maximum 500 copies) to prevent the musicians to go to other labels. Often there wasn't even a promo budget and the albums were thus soon forgotten. In the meantime these albums are very hard to find and have become 'collector's items' abroad, thanks to their originality. We think it's our duty to give these records the attention they deserve and to prevent that they are forgotten forever. Especially because they still sound fresh and timeless and represent a part of the rich Belgian musical tradition. The CD 'Egmont and the ff Boom' tells the history of the traditional polyphonic music from the Low Countries, using the personage of Egmont, Count of Gaasbeek (1522-1568) as a theme. All music was recorded in the 70's, all based around the unique and traditional polyphonic music of the 16th century, featuring, next to the two mentioned artists, an impressive range of guest musicians/artists. This CD contains the original Freebird production plus new pieces, based on the old ones. The digipack CD contains a booklet in which Daniel Schell tells about his search for the real traditional music from the low countries and about Egmont, who died on a scaffold on the Grande Place in Brussels.
02. L'ongle casse contre un nounours au bras tordu
03. La fascination de l'ordre
04. Sombre
05. Hit
06. Tosca
07. La seduction de la facilite
08. Ode primitive
09. Le rose aux joues
10. Chant pietre
11. La soif du pouvoir
12. Wien, Wien nur du allein
Pierre Coulon / flute
Dirk Descheemaker / clarinet
Michel Berckmans / bassoon
Laurence Cornez / piano, percussions
Jeannot Gillis / violin, trombone
Edith Heudens / viola
dine Steenackers / cello
Andre Klenes / double bass
After more than a decade silence , this seminal and centrepiece of Belgian Chamber Progrssive Music came back to life and dedicated this album to an early 20th-century building a bit forgotten (and slightly abandonned) devoted to Human Passions (of which if you look at the artwork is a bas-relief , lust and lush abandon are definitely among the passions described). Unfortunately , this building is to remain closed for sometime more as it stands next to Brussels Grand Mosque and you guessed it , this might create some controversy, that no one wants.
However , even after a ten years hiatus, nothing new under the Julverne sun: still the same chamber prog music , hovering around classical quintets and slighly more modern contemporary music. Entirely acoustic , and driven by Jeannot Gillis and other original members Claudine Steenackers , and Pierre Coulon (the historical leader) but joined by UNIVERS ZERO members Michel Berckmans and Dirk Descheemaker, this is typical Julverne record that will fit quite nicely alongside their previous works. Among the few surprises are a Michel Jonasz song adatation , the famopus Puccini Tosca theme and a moody Sieczinski 1939-written Vienna waltz composed on the somber mood from Andreas Schönberg as the city was under the Anschluss. I am not saying it , Jeannot Gillis is in the booklet.
This album is a compilation of tracks taken from three of their four albums, excluding Emballade (which had created controversy amongst their fans) but incuding the following album 86's Ne Parlons Pas De Malheur
If you are not familiar with Julvene (taking their name from Sci-Fi father Jules Vernes) , this CD is ideal for an introduction to the band's unique chamber music. I am a afraid the Chamber Rock term would be misused here as there is no rock elements in Julverne but if they are associated in the Archives , it would be because of the many links to other Belgian prog bands most notably Cos and Univers Zero. Michel Berckmans (U Z and Von Zamla ) Deschemaeker (future UZ) and Loos (Cos and Belgian Jazz rock scene ) are among the local stars in the line-up of all four albums. The music developped here is also very much comparable to Univers Zero (especially Ceux Du Dehors) and the more recent Present albums. Please note that two of the tracks from Les Coulonneux have been re-recorded for this occasion. The track selection is relatively well spread out over the three albums featured and can be considered as faithful as possible to represent all aspect of the group bar the afore-mentioned Emballade album.
Having played enough in retro, Julverne returned to the roots. The disc "Ne Parlons Pas De Mahleur" is an exemplary example of contemporary chamber music. This time, the "big three" (Gilles, Coulomb, Laurent) worked without regard to someone else's heritage. No variations on a theme, only my own compositions. And who, if not them, knows the recipes for creating new classics. With regard to the instrumental composition, there were no surprises. Old acquaintances Michel Berkman (bassoon, oboe) and Charles Luz (piano) not only sparkled with their performing skills, but also noted for their participation as authors. Other vacant places in the ranks were taken by Claudine Stinake (cello), Jacqueline Rosenfeld (violin, viola) and Andre Klenet (double bass), who worked on the record "Emballade ..." (1983), as well as clarinetist Dirk Deshimaker, gained invaluable experience of cooperation with Univers Zero. At the right moment, Julverne gathered under the roof of the legendary Brussels studio Daylight, where their fourth LP was eventually immortalized...
Written by Jeannot Gilles (violin), the title piece is a key episode of the programme. The polyphonic scope alternates with touching string solos, the gloominess, unusual for the previous creative excursions, is balanced by the nostalgically colored sound of the wind instruments. The dichotomy of light and darkness, the spiritual struggles of the artist find adequate expression in the complex sonic collisions of the 11-minute canvas. A brilliantly embodied construction of a three-dimensional philharmonic plan. The avant-garde opus "Theobald Bœhm" is a figment of the imagination of Pierre Coulomb (flute). In this piece, dedicated to the German composer and innovator in the field of brass, the super-complex vocal parts of Lucy Gramont draw attention to themselves. The synthesis of traditional operatic singing with theatrical modernist recitative technique and solemn chorales makes an indelible impression. Maestro Coulomb's inventiveness is worthy of individual applause. "Catherine En Campine" by Charles Luz is an extremely romanticized study, immersing the listener in a portrait gallery of the nineteenth century with its refined aristocracy and sentimentality. In defiance of the aforementioned fresco, another work by Luz, "Clementine", is turned to face the present. Accentuated piano chords, background "illumination" of strings and extremely curious maneuvers of Deshimaker, in whose amazing possession of the clarinet one can guess admiration for the improvisational art of jazz saxophonists. The unusual textural sketch of "Danse Syldave" gives us a chance to enjoy the magnificent playing of the violist Vita Von De Liszt, who was specially invited to the company by Jeannot Gilles. "Soupe Au Crapaud" Michel Berkman is impregnated with equanimity (with elements of self-irony) and polished elegance of each overtone. Indistinct sadness comes from the laconic number "Le Rose Aux Joues" - fragile and elegant, like Cinderella's crystal slipper. And it must be said that it perfectly sets off the artistic escapades of the final movement called "La Fille Aux Cheveux Gras", in which the gray-bearded classicism is seduced by the charm of minimalist tendencies; very interesting and ambiguous ending of the action. in which gray-bearded classicism is seduced by the charm of minimalist tendencies; very interesting and ambiguous ending of the action. in which gray-bearded classicism is seduced by the charm of minimalist tendencies; very interesting and ambiguous ending of the action.
To summarize: a wonderful release without the slightest bias towards "fatalism", which has exceptional value for a music lover-intellectual. Recommend.
The third work of Julverne is a kind of compromise. Significant tilt aside: from chamber classics to song classics. Frankly, resurrecting retro trends amid the rise of electronics is a bold undertaking. But who does not risk, he does not drink champagne. So, "Emballade ..." can be considered as an original tribute to the stage of the 1900-1930s. Putting aside their own compositional ideas for later, Jean-Paul Laurent (piano), Pierre Coulomb (flute, alto saxophone) and Jeannot Gilles (violin) set about arranging the standards they had selected. In parallel, the process of searching for accompanists was going on. If everything was more or less clear with the string-wind sector, then obvious difficulties were outlined in terms of vocals (I remind you that Julverne is a purely instrumental formation). However, they were also managed to be resolved thanks to the singer Ilona Shale, reciter/choirmaster Michel Moer and backing vocalist Eric Chalet. The other alignment is as follows: Michel Berkman - oboe, bassoon; Claudine Stinake - cello; Luke Bodiuva - clarinet; Jeanine Lontremonge - viola; André Klenet - double bass.
The café-shame program "Emballade ..." opens with Ted Snyder's "Le Sheik". Julverne's unique stylists immerse us in the black and white atmosphere of the early 20th century from the very first bars. With chronicle accuracy, they revive the sound of gramophone records, without betraying themselves in any way. Graceful orchestral filling, Mademoiselle Chalet's high and clear voice, vintage postcards with views of Montmartre... The musical time machine functions without errors and failures, giving the listener a feeling of maximum authenticity of what is happening. Without going too far with the artificial aging of the texture, the Belgian magicians in some completely miraculous way achieve one hundred percent truthfulness in the transfer of nuances. And now the gray-haired good-looking etude "Solace" by Scott Joplin is poured with ripe vital juices, and Arthur Johnston's Broadway melody "Moon Song" finds a second birth in a masterful reading of the newly-minted big band. The salon mazurka "Le Bonheur Des Dames" is perceived as a kind of collective exercise in beauty, while in "Tu Me Plais" by Raoul Moretti, the participants of the action indulge in nostalgia under the shadow of imaginary Parisian boulevards. The sketch of "Long Lost Mamma" by Gerry Woods is imbued with the spirit of natural American Dixieland, and the canonical work "Caravan" by Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington is presented by big-headed artists in a very special way, through an archaic, but absolutely clear prism. Extremely far from avant-garde digressions, cute eccentricities like "Mama Loves Papa ..." make you smile involuntarily; after all, from the refined aesthetes of Julverne it is difficult to expect flirting with pop music, even if it is a century ago. However, you cannot refuse the sincerity of their performance; just look at the sensual fresco "Mejico Tango" to be convinced of this. Joplin's ragtime "Original Rag" is a reference example of a top-notch sonic restoration. And the lyrical finale of "When Lights Are Low" is exquisite as a feast for the eyes.
I summarize: not progressive, and not even rock, but a subtle highly artistic penetration into the era of Chaplin, Gershwin and Francis Scott Fitzgerald.
You had to have a lot of balls to release an album like this in 1983 :-) Delicious little pastiches of the Belle Epoque treated in a jazz swing mode, the 11 tracks on this disc are the soundtrack of a film that exists only in your imagination but which guarantees to make you travel in another time. We are never very far from the complex and avant-garde chamber music of the first two albums but always on a light, spring-like tone. Like a divertimento... Very highly recommended.
Julverne recorded soon a second album, ''A neuf'' at Studio Caramelle with an expanded 10-piece line-up.No Jean Coulon, Richard Rousselet, Anne Denis or Michel Dayez around, instead Pierre Coulon would welcome Michel Berckmans of Univers zéro and Art Zoyd fame on bassoon, Cos' pianist Charles Loos, bassist Jose Bedeur, Baudouin Dehaye on vocals, Philippe Duret on clarinet and Jean-Francois Lacroix on sax.A change of label also occured with Julverne producing their second album on the newly established Crammed label of Cos and Aksak Maboul's composer and leader Marc Hollander.This work came out in 1980.
Again the style of Julverne was an eerie and ethereal Chamber Rock with dominant wind instruments and lots of Classical piano lines, offering music that can be dramatic and positive at the same time.The absence of rock instruments may cause some confusion to the average fan of Progressive Rock or even R.I.O., but the impressive level of individual performances and the intricate compositions are rewarding for fans of Classical and even Fusion music.Julverne's new album has tons of haunting moments with clarinets and saxes in evidence next to melancholic violins and cellos.However there are also plenty of dreamy instrumental parts like performed by a small orchestra, mainly led by elegant flutes and smooth piano.At times the atonal music flirts even with the Avant-Garde fields, but on the whole the pieces performed have a strong 19th century vibe akin to UNIVERS ZERO and ART ZOYD's works.The musicianship is rich and fairly complex as expected, but again some more depth into a slighty rockier approach possibly would have made ''A neuf'' a bit better.
A pure highlight for lovers of Classical Music and Chamber Rock in the vein of UNIVERS ZERO and AFTER CRYING as well as R.I.O. fanatics.But this should be given also a small chance by some more people due to the excellence and professionalism of this ensemble.Warmly recommended.
Ensembles performing a chamber music variation of progressive rock often get compared to Univers Zero and Art Zoyd, but if the list is stretched, Belgians Julverne are likely to find themselves in the number three slot. Taking their name from one of the earliest speculative fiction writers, Julverne peform a classically inspired music, whose (very) occasional tangents into darker territory within this chamber sort of format undoubtedly draw comparisons to their more well known Belgian contemporaries. They included a revolving line up led by flute and sax player Pierre Coulon and violin and trombone player Jeannot Gillis.
In fact, Julverne has shared musicians with Univers Zero, including Dirk Descheemaker and Michel Berckmans. So there is really no surprise that there are similarities in style to both bands. However, Julverne is more like Univers Zero's happier, more cosmopolitan younger brother. The ensemble's first album was released in 1979, and unlike their more aggressive musical brethren, Julverne don't have any drums. In fact, they only seem to be a rock band by comparison, as this truly seems to be a chamber group performing original music with influences of Satie, Bartok, Debussy, and the less dissonant measures of Stravinksy. The instrumentation is typical of chamber music with piano, strings, horns and winds, and these are arranged in many lovely ways over Coulonneux's ten-track duration. In fact, the similarities to Univers Zero and Art Zoyd are largely the musical format, as this is never angry or strident in the least. However, Julverne was certainly considered an experimental band by the musical collective that made it up, and the compositions reflect an exploratory ethic in their use of keys, modes and arrangements. Without getting into music theory, it can still be said that most of the compositions often start out in a fresh and accessible mode before veering off into a tangent belying the 20th Century influences of the band. It's a gorgeous album and rather idiosyncratic, even in comparison to the ensemble's RIO-drafted contemporaries.
A Neuf was an even more mature effort, starting with an ambitious three-piece suite. While Julverne's chamber music approach implies a sort of serious study, musically there were bits of humor sneaking into the compositions nonetheless, such as the second part of the suite, "Un Peu Pretentieux" (A Bit Pretentious). Musically this is also true, with the ensemble's occasional tangents into sly, goofy, or zany territory. One may be listening to some beautiful arranged chamber piece before the whole group speeds off in another direction, as if Bugs Bunny was yet again leading Elmer Fudd off on another wild goose chase. In fact, if anything sets apart Julverne from cousins Univers Zero, it's this omnipresent playfulness. Only a group of skilled musicians and composers could pull off such a thing in such complex and involved compositions. Not a piece of music is anything but entertaining here, rich in ideas, spontaneity, dynamic diversity and mood. Perhaps it's more a tribute to such classy music that Julverne finds itself in such company with bands like Univers Zero in Belgium's most interesting lineage of experimental chamber music ensembles.
While the first two albums by Julverne might be considered the formative work of the ensemble, the band would release two more albums, 1983's Emballade and 1986's Ne Parlons Pas de Mahleur, before dissolving. In 1992, the Igloo label would release a retrospective of these albums (Le Retour du Captain Nemo) including a great deal of music from the early albums.
If one was to draw a map of the Belgium prog scene (outside of the symphonic current) , all period considered and all currents considered (Zeuhl, Canterbury , RIO , Avant-prog , jazz-rock all fitting into what is called CHAMBER ROCK – but I choose to call it Chamber prog , because some of those bands are not really rock anymore) , then JULVERNE would likely be right in the centre of the story. All musicians have a link with all major bands from that small surrealist country where culture is the main gathering force but also the main dividing rift between the two major communities of the land. Members of JULVERNE have played or will play in UNIVERS ZERO , PRESENT , AKSAK MABOUL , X-LEGGED SALLY , COS , CRO-MAGNON , etc.. The group started as a bunch of music classical students wanting to reinvent the classical chamber orchestra by adding a bit of a rock twist although this will remain very discreet. But on the mood spectrum I would place them on the opposite scale of Univers Zero, the first being the extra joyful joie de vivre as opposed to the dark and lugubrious underworld of UZ. The first album actually was the oeuvre of Pierre Coulon , but the next two albums were also quite interesting as En Ballade stands a bit apart from the rest of their discography often digressing into jazzier terrain and some vocals. They recorded a last album in 86, and nothing (apart from a compilation album in 92) was heard of them until the turn of the century when they reconvened for another album celebrating the renovation of a spectacular building in Brussels that has remained open to public for exactly four hours before being closed for obscene bas-relief. Did you say Belgian surrealism?
"Coulonneux" the debut album of JULVERNE it's one of the lost jewels of the 70's, a very soft RIO, very different to Samla Mammas Manna, Henry Cow or Art Zoyd, a little bit of Opus Avantra maybe. 10 instrumental songs, none of them hard or speed, only quiet and soft songs. the RIO scene in Europe in the last years of the 70's decade, it's very wide, and we can find a lot of albums very similar or very differents for each other. if you're a hugh fan of the classic bands of RIO, you can't miss the oportunity to listen this wonderful album. it's brilliant, one of the better works in the genre. i'm listening to ths album (for the first time in my life) right now, and i had to say, that i already love it.
A refreshing take on the then-nascent chamber-prog scene. Instead of sounding dark and oppressive like Univers Zero, Julverne sound light and free. Unfortunately, since we tend to associate "angst ridden" with "cool," I suspect that Julverne's approach will not be immediately appreciated by most "hipsters" in their never-ending search for new music that will impress their friends (To be fair, I also found Julverne too cheerful at first). However, for those willing to give this disc the repeated listens that it requires, a surprising amount of depth is revealed, and the "cheerful" exterior begins to show clear moments of tension, longing, and even fear. As well as beauty.
