23 April 2011

LE QUATUOR DE JAZZ LIBRE DU QUÉBEC (LONDON, 1969)




Here we have the first Free Jazz recording made in Québec (or in Canada?) - it was provided by the same generous contributor who also shared Don Cherry's " Movement Incorporated".

There is almost no information about this group available - but it seems to be clear that
they changed the line-up and name of the band very often throughout the years.

I have found the back cover at the www, but it is insecure wether it belongs to the same recording. Also the titles of the short tracks are unknown.


The following was the answer from the contributor (thank you again D.) to my inquiry:

"I think it's the same album, but there may have been two different versions of it. Mine had these miniature pieces, of 8, 12 seconds long. I really don't remember the titles of the tracks. The back cover that I had was with a text in both French and English written by Jean Préfontaine, the leader, with july 1969 and his signature."


This I have found at the webside of the "thecanadianencyclopedia.com":

"Quatuor de jazz libre du Québec (originally, Quatuor du nouveau jazz libre du Québec; familiarly, Jazz libre). Montreal-based ensemble active 1967-74 in the then avant-garde style of jazz known as 'free music' and also, in the late 1960s, in pop music contexts. It numbered among its original members Jean Préfontaine (tenor saxophone), Yves Charbonneau (trumpet), Maurice C. Richard (bass), and Guy Thouin (percussion). Richard was spelled briefly (1972-3) by Yves Bouliane; Thouin was replaced ca 1973 by Jean-Guy Poirier, and Poirier soon after by Mathieu Léger. The pianist Pierre Nadeau joined the quartet for its sole recording, Le Quatuor de jazz libre du Québec (1968, RCI 271/Lon NAS-131515).

Jazz libre worked in Montreal bars (the Casa Espagnol, the Barrel, etc) and Quebec colleges and universities, assisted Robert Charlebois, Yvon Deschamps, and Mouffe in the revues Peuple à genoux (1968), L'Osstidcho (1968), and L'Osstidchomeurt (1969), and took part 1968-70 in Walter Boudreau's Infonie. It toured in France with Charlebois and Louise Forestier in 1969, and appeared on recordings by Charlebois (including 'Lindberg') and Infonie.

After operating an artistic and political commune, le Petit Québec libre, 1970-2 at Ste-Anne-de-la-Rochelle in the Eastern Townships, the quartet moved in 1973 to the Amorce, a coffeehouse in Old Montreal, performing there until the club's destruction 25 Jun 1974 at an arsonist's hand.Jazz libre also performed in 1973 at the Autunno musicale di Como, a festival in Italy. The quartet was not active after 1974, but the tradition of free improvisation that it established in Montreal was sustained in turn by the Atelier de musique expérimentale and EMIM. A Jazz libre reunion was attempted at the 1989 FIJM in conjunction with a performance by Guy Thouin's recently-formed Heart Ensemble but was cancelled due to lack of public interest."

Recommended!




LE QUATUOR DE JAZZ LIBRE DU QUÉBEC


Jean Préfontaine, tenor saxophone
Yves Charbonneau, trumpet
Guy Thouin, drums
Maurice Richard, bass
Pierre Nadeau, pianist (guest)


1. Stalisme Dodecacophonique (Préfontaine) (06:10)
2. [...] (00:06)
3. Fuseau (Richard) (10:19)
4. Opus 2 (Thouin) (08:02)
5. [...] (00:06)
6. [...] (00:08)
7. Valse A Grand'Mere (Préfontaine) (08:33)
8. Il Navait Jamais Fait Si Beau Si Longtemps (Thouin) (12:44)


Recorded around summer 1969 in Montreal
the group

LONDON NAS 13515
(mp3 - 320 > converted to wave > flac for [with caution] declicking)

.

20 comments:

Ernst Grgo Nebhuth said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
wightdj said...

New to me, thanks.

alcofribas said...

Holy Moly!

I've never seen that Lp before!

In Jan-April 1974 I had a short-term job in Montreal and hung out at l'Amorce. If my memory serves me the lineup then was exactly the first four names on this Lp. L'Amorce was located in what is now---but emphatically wasn't then---prime real estate on rue St Paul, in a turn-of-the-century commercial building, which is still there. Their sound at the time was much closer to Chicago than NYC. They were or had been involved in the radical "liberation" politics of the time (once I was talking to some of those quys and their reaction to something I said convinced me that they were involved in a weapons cache... those were the days).

There were some great shows there, and I could hear most of the local avant-garde of the time.

Now can someone on this list post the first Infonie Lp? Naturally, it's called Volume 3.

alcofribas said...

On second thoughts the drummer was Mathieu Léger.

Wallofsound said...

Many thanks.

tenzier said...

I thought I would let you know that a new Le quatuor de jazz libre du Québec record will be coming out in November.

Unreleased material from 1973.

More details here: http://tenzier.org/tnzr051-le-quatuor-de-jazz-libre-du-quebec-1973

Quality Radio Productions said...

Hello.

Could you please re-upload the 1969 LP from Les Quatuor Jazz Libre du Quebec? The link for multiupload is long dead. Not sure if this LP has been re-issued, so if it has, please excuse my ignorance. Sounds like some great free Jazz from Canada. Sorry I missed the chance to grab it when it was up. I hope it can be re-posted. Many thanks.

Ernst Grgo Nebhuth said...

Re-up will come - alas maybe not before next week or so.

Ernst Grgo Nebhuth said...

I still had the files on my pc - so here is it:

RS

PE_35 said...

hi from Canada !

is it possible to reload ?


thanks

PE_35 said...

thanks very much for the new link Nick !

Simon M. Leclerc said...

Gee, that looks a lot like my copy I posted on my Blog in 2007: http://lajazzthequequebecoise.blogspot.ca/2007/11/le-quatuor-de-jazz-libre-du-quebec-1968.html

Ernst Grgo Nebhuth said...

Hi Simon - I don't think it's from your blog.
I've got it from D. (who shall remain hidden).
He offered me Don Cherry's "Movement Incorporated" and this LP as mp3.
At least the LP from "Le Quatuor De Jazz Libre Du Québec" was a rip from his own LP which he had sold later.
BTW - interesting stuff you're offering at your blog!

Nick said...

Here's a link to the Nouveau NJLQ - https://njlq.bandcamp.com/releases

correct silence said...

Hi Ernst
Could you re-post this lp? Thanks in advance.

Ernst Grgo Nebhuth said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
francisco santos said...

BIG THX!...

Félix-Antoine Hamel said...

This was just reissued!!!! Buy the LP!

https://returntoanalogrecords.com/products/le-quatuor-de-jazz-libre-du-quebec-le-quatuor-de-jazz-libre-du-quebec

Ernst Grgo Nebhuth said...

Thank you Félix-Antoine Hamel - deleted the link.
Glad to see it reissued. Surely I shall buy a copy of the re-released LP.

Dominic said...

Yes, I made the initial rip for this blog. Interestingly at the time, I sold my copy to Félix Hamel, whom plays nowadays in a duo with the original drummer of that quartet, Guy Thouin.

Félix just informed me today that a 4 Cd boxset of unreleased materail with be coming out very soon.

Check it out.

https://tourdebras.bandcamp.com/music?fbclid=IwAR0qvyjNLAWCdofchn-hAGDTf1_ThehyO_SHv78nxFqHz2cyBXSihyW0hns