A two-man work which stayed unissued 27 years ... Some of the tunes (the first and last ones, as far I remember) were played in public for the first time during the comeback concert of March 4th 2009 in Paris. All the songs are in English, but the French accent is audible ;-). Alain Mion plays the Fender Rhodes, CP 70 Yamaha, acoustic piano, Wurlitzer, Hammond organ, Solina String ensemble, Micro Moog, Prophet, Moog Prodigy, Korg 700 S, D6 Hohner clavinet and Elka Rhapsody, so this album is a keyboards lover smorgasbord.
The legendary status attained by Cortex’s legendary 1975 debut Troupeau Bleu has overshadowed the fact that the two Alains (Mion and Gandolfi) recorded three more albums over the next few years. Mion’s wife Mireille Dalbray, whose incredible ghostly vocals were a key factor in making that first album the cult classic it is, sadly passed away not very long after its release and her absence is immediately noticeable on the followups.
1977’s Vol. 2, while not quite scaling the distinctive and unique heights of its predecessor, is still well worth looking into as a really cool fusion record. But it’s the third album, 1978’s Pourquoi, that turns out to be a real revelation and a must for lovers of Rhodes-and-synth-drenched funky grooves. Behind the cover portrait of two balding Frenchmen lurks a scorching slab of jazz-funk that also veers into boogie and disco on a few tracks. Kicking off with “Sans Toi,” one of the boogie cuts in question that’s also a heartfelt tribute to the late Dalbray, this is an album that just gives and keeps on giving, even with Mion’s everyman-style lead vocals now front and center.
There’s a definite Stevie Wonder/Lonnie Liston Smith/Roy Ayers vibe running throughout the entire album, including on the two English-language cuts “Runnin’ From You” and “Make Me Love You.” Overall this album, at its best, often approaches Troupeau Bleu in overall appeal even if it lacks the uniquely haunted and haunting atmosphere of the latter. A subsequent album, recorded the following year but not released until decades later, contains more of the same but would sadly prove to be the swan song of the Mion/Gandolfi partnership and of the original Cortex itself
Fabulous Fender Rhodes and Clavinet-driven jazz-funk album, which can compete with Stevie Wonder or Herbie Hancock 70s productions. Recorded at Jean-Pierre Massiera's studios. Most lyrics are in French, and you can dance on some of these tunes. Cortex leader Alain Mion still uses the Fender Rhodes you hear on this album .
Electric Piano, Clavinet, Synthesizer, Organ, Piano – Alain Mion
Lead Guitar – Philippe Vautrin
Soprano Saxophone – François De Bricon , Nicolas Mirkov
Vocals – Alice Prévost , Pascale Richard
Considering the popularity of Vol. 2's older sibling, Troupeau bleu. I'm surprised at how overlooked this project is. While the noticeable lack of a certain Mireille Dalbray is disappointing on the vocals front, I must say that this record is every bit as tight as its predecessor.
Sure, some of the more standard tracks like "Mister J." and "Soul" detract slightly from the excitement here, but c'mon - don't tell me "Datura" isn't the perfect laidback funk track. And wow, is it just me or do "Efficace Swing" and "Poxa" sound like an old-school version of Men I Trust? Crazy stuff.
This record seems to draw more heavily on Cortex's funk and disco influences, and delivers a solid collection of instrumental tracks. My main disappointment here is that there weren't more vocals present! Regardless, it's tons of fun, and arguably outshines Troupeau bleu at points. Gotta say, Cortex is a powerhouse.
On the surface, "Volume 2" could easily be considered disco. But on close inspection there is so much more happening here, it would be a tragedy for fans of the French fusion sound to ignore. Sure there are the fat beats, especially on the opening track, and the requisite white-boy funk track to follow. But as the album continues, the beats become more subtle, with plenty of jazz fills, while the bass player introduces some Top/Paganotti moves. Horn charts, tortured electric guitar solos and piano/Rhodes leads began to dominate. And when the flute takes over... oh, those melodies will be forever etched. This is a really good one and you can boogie on down with it too. I can go for another helping of this.
Enregistré les 15 et 16 Juillet 1975 au Studio Damiens.
Troupeau Bleu is the debut album by the French jazz band Cortex. This album features very different instrumentations, most of the time very funky and uplifting, mixing all that with the sound of jazz and a huge number of influences, like bossa nova and samba (which is very clear on l'enfant samba). The instrumentation on here is absolutely amazing, drums, bass, keyboards, and everything else. Of course, what draws the most attention in here is Mireille's vocals, that feels like cold water on a cold day, if that even makes any sense. This whole record is just so playful that it turns into one of the best experiences with an album I ever had. The lyrics are so simple, but they turn into poetry by Mireille. Even in tracks with no lyrics, on the B side of this record, her vocals build such a great mood that it's impossible to not notice (most notably on huit octobre 1971). I think every single track is perfect and definetively worth listening
Where do I even begin? This album has been incredibly influential to not only the jazz genre but hip-hop as well with the album spawning multiple samplings in the hip-hop industry, most notably MF DOOM's "One Beer" an incredible song in its own right. But even if this album had no influence whatsoever it would still be one of the greatest albums of all time.
This album features funky tracks that have a grove to them that just makes you smile and want to dance such as the opener "La Rue" and "Automne - Colchiques" which feature technical brilliance from all band members. There are also more beautiful songs that are smooth and wonderful to listen to such as "Prelude a Go Round" and "Huit Octobre 1971".
Here you have expertly played drums, intricate and groovy baselines again played expertly, and a one-of-a-kind beautiful vocalist Mirielle Balbray at her peak performance. all parts are brought together to make what I would consider: peak music. There are many times that I listen to this album and think to myself, this is what music was meant to be.
This is what "standing the test of time" sounds like. An obscure French jazz-funk album catapulted it's way into classic status by making a good group of hip-hop producers go "damn, crazy this hasn't been sampled more" which made enough listeners go "damn, what is this from?"
Between effortless shifts from haunting to breezy (Chanson d'un jour d'hiver), kickback anthems (Prelude a "Go Round"), and of course almost being built to sample (October 8, 1971), Cortex in the mid-70s manage to reach both backwards and forwards while still sounding entirely in context. Dalbray's abstract vocals steal the show, but Mion's keys are the real driver, and Grevet is consistently laying down strong bass lines even when subtle, with Gandolfi holding down the anchor with just enough flair and Labib's sax showing up and showing off only when the song asks for it. Odds are this one is never gonna get old.
Few artists in Europe have generated as much excitement with the new generation. For his fourth unreleased album, recorded in 1979, Alain Mion, his piano, and his Fender Rhodes send you on a journey with I Heard a Sigh. The grooves are, as usual, unstoppable -- take "A Winning Team" or "High on the Funk," for example. Nine songs with the best instruments of the time in the best hands
Recorded in 1979, I Heard A Sigh is the 4th unreleased album by Cortex star Alain Mion, as usual featuring amazing piano and Fender Rhodes chords and melodies, creating a dancefloor mix of funk, soul and disco grooves.
A two-man work which stayed unissued 27 years ... Some of the tunes (the first and last ones, as far I remember) were played in public for the first time during the comeback concert of March 4th 2009 in Paris. All the songs are in English, but the French accent is audible ;-). Alain Mion plays the Fender Rhodes, CP 70 Yamaha, acoustic piano, Wurlitzer, Hammond organ, Solina String ensemble, Micro Moog, Prophet, Moog Prodigy, Korg 700 S, D6 Hohner clavinet and Elka Rhapsody, so this album is a keyboards lover smörgåsbord ...
Vocals, Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer – Alain Mion
Recorded at Studio Antibes, April 1978.
Pourquoi is the third and the rarest album recorded by the French legends of jazz funk, Cortex. Trad Vibe Records presents a new edition, using the original master tapes. Pourquoi was initially recorded in 1978. It sounds like a new side of Cortex: songs are mainly composed around the voice and keyboards of band leader Alain Mion, who also played bass lines on synthesizer. Also, the band gave up live recording to use the beloved Stevie Wonder/Quincy Jones technique of "re-recording." But, in spite of these changes, their groove remains as spontaneous and powerful. The band collaborated with great backing vocalists and other session musicians, such as the great Italian trumpet player Giulio Didio, who performed the funky horn arrangements. There is plenty to enjoy on every track: the ending chorus of "Sans Toi" (which was written by Alain Mion for his wife, Mireille, and is probably the flagship track of the album) comes with a brilliant Rhodes solo that is one of the most emotion-loaded moments of the recording. Meanwhile, "Le Visionnaire" resounds with disco echoes and "Pourquoi" dips into melancholy. "Pauvre Star" rides high with its clavinet bass and drum rhythms, recalling George Benson. A favorite of funk collectors and French jazz lovers for years.
Electric Piano, Clavinet, Synthesizer, Organ – Alain Mion
Lead Guitar – Philippe Vautrin
Soprano Saxophone – François De Bricon, Nicolas Mirkov
Vocals – Alice Prévost, Pascale Richard
Originally released in 1977 on Sonodisc.
Vol. 2 is the second and rarest album recorded by the legendary Cortex, the obscure French jazz and funk group that's been a favorite of collectors for years. Originally released in 1977 and reissued last in 2002 by Follow Me Records, it's now back in stock in a final limited repressing of 500 copies, reissued by Trad Vibe Records under official license from band leader Alain Mion. It really is an absolutely killer album, filled with dope jazz-funk tracks. Unlike their first album, it's all instrumental (save for a few chants on "Poxa"), and it leans even more heavily on the groove side, in a funky Blaxploitation kind of way. The group's got a strong fusion-driven groove on this set -- with plenty of tight drumming, hard riffing, and spacey keyboards that give the tunes a nicely soulful finish. The best tracks are actually the mellower ones, which have a nice use of space and sound -- creating strong little patterns of groove that stand out from the rest of the tracks. Lots of work on Fender Rhodes, mini Korg, Hammond, and clavinet
On the surface, "Volume 2" could easily be considered disco. But on close inspection there is so much more happening here, it would be a tragedy for fans of the French fusion sound to ignore. Sure there are the fat beats, especially on the opening track, and the requisite white-boy funk track to follow. But as the album continues, the beats become more subtle, with plenty of jazz fills, while the bass player introduces some Top/Paganotti moves. Horn charts, tortured electric guitar solos and piano/Rhodes leads began to dominate. And when the flute takes over... oh, those melodies will be forever etched. This is a really good one and you can boogie on down with it too. I can go for another helping of this.
Enregistré les 15 et 16 Juillet 1975 au Studio Damiens.
I'm honestly so shocked that this album is not more recognized. These grooves are so ridiculously infectious. The vocalists soft voice fits so well with the rest of the bands calm yet frivolous playing style. Definitely reminds me of a French version of Return to Forever. Special shout out to the bass and drums here: completely in sync with each other and funky as HELL. Jam to this on a lazy afternoon with a special gal, it's the perfect mood setter.
Electric piano orgy, Brazilian influences, sax, bass, drums, high-pitched female vocal: France answer to Return to Forever (first period) and Weather Report. An underground classic. "Automne (Colchiques") is a jazzed-up version of the traditional song "Colchiques dans les prés": the result is brilliant.
This CD version has been transfered from the original tapes, by Cortex drummer, Alain Gandolfi, without compression or correction.
