The Squid's Ear Magazine


Charles, Xavier / Eric Normand: Balises [VINYL] (Tour de Bras / Ramble)

Seven forays into dark experimental electroacoustic improvisation from electric bassist and Tour de Bras label-leader Éric Normand and French clarinetist Xavier Charles, leveraging unlikely techniques on both instruments, eight dialogs both assertive and cautiously mysterious, employing harmonic overtones, remarkable reed techniques, and rich electronic foundations.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Xavier Charles-clarinet

Eric Normand-electric bass


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Label: Tour de Bras / Ramble
Catalog ID: TDB900009LP / RAM-107
Squidco Product Code: 33277

Format: LP
Condition: New
Released: 2023
Country: Canada
Packaging: LP
Recorded in Rimouski, Quebec, Canada, in February, 2022.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Free as the air, but lost at sea.

Balises is the meeting, offshore, of two musicians who have taken the stand of improvisation: the French Xavier Charles, clarinetist with a thousand sound researches, sounding partner of the greatest improvisers, and Éric Normand, jazz punk bassist from Quebec and noise agitator.

The result is music that aims to be free, peaceful, permissive, all mixed up and gratifying. Music that has nothing to prove."-Ramble Records


Artist Biographies

"The work of clarinetist Xavier Charles ranges from noise to electro-acoustic via sound poetry. He has played in numerous new music festivals in France and abroad. In his work with groups and collectives, he has also collaborated with Martin Tetrault, The Ex, Ingar Zach, Pierre Berthet, Axel Dörner, Ivar Grideland, John Butcher, Jacques Di Donato, Frédéric Le Junter, Otomo Yoshihide, Getachew Mekuria, Christian Wallumrod, Emmanuelle Pellegrini, Lionel Marchetti, Jean-Philippe Gross, Michel Doneda and Frédéric Blondy. Different collectifs (Dans Les Arbres, Ouie-Dire, ONCEIM, No Spaguettitti Edition, Chris Burn Ensemble, Atmosphérique). Currently his musical research ranges from performance on the clarinet to the installation of vibrating speakers, at the edge of improvised music, noisy rock and electro-acoustic sound. He's deeply involved in the music world as an organizer of the festival "Densités". "

-Xavier Charles Website (http://www.xaviercharles.com/index.php/presentation/)
10/2/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Eric Normand is an improviser, bassist, instrument designer, composer, songwriter, singer and record and concert producer. He defines himself as an epidisciplinary musician, a free electron driven by its yearning for meetings. As an improviser, he develop a personal and radical playing on a homemade electric bass equipped with mics and objects feedbacking and vibrating in small electronic devices, creating electric flux interrupted by the instrumental gesture. With this set, he prefer to play duets, with Jim Denley (flute and sax), Philippe Lauzier (bass clarinet and sax), Sébastien Cirotteau (trumpet), Pierre-Yves Martel (viola de gamba and electronic), Jean-Luc Guionnet (saxophone), in addition of several spontaneous encounters.

He also play in bands involved in a more specific musical genre as danced poetry with BABABA, instrumental theatre with Le Veau/ The Veal, songs with Les Pitounes and Éric Normand Chante and folk music with The Surruralits and RRRRoyal Canadian Free Form Folk Experience. Interested in collective creation and orchestral improvisation, he lead for seven years the GGRIL, a 15 pieces band that have worked with composers such as Evan Parker, Jean Derome, Robert Marcel Lepage and Michael Fischer. His music has been programmed by or performed in several festivals in Canada , Australia and Europe. It have also been broadcasted by Radio-Canada, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC, Radio-Grenouille, and several college radio stations."

-Eric Normand 10/2/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



SIDE A



1. Points vernaux 08:11

2. Magnitudes 04:10

3. Les amers 04:46

SIDE B



1. Rayons 02:34

2. Les accores 05:36

3. Corps simples 05:24

4. Sondes 04:30

Related Categories of Interest:


Vinyl Recordings
Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Electro-Acoustic Improv
Canadian Composition & Improvisation
European Improvisation, Composition and Experimental Forms
Recordings by or featuring Reed & Wind Players
Guitarists, &c.
Duo Recordings
New in Improvised Music

Search for other titles on the label:
Tour de Bras / Ramble.


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