With Les Dangereux Zhoms (The Dangerous Guyz), Jean Derome had found the perfect outfit for his jazzier music. This is no bebop though: Derome's music is here rooted in jazz, but also draws from calypso, rock, folklore, and comedy music. It's musique actuelle, Ambiances Magnétiques' own brand of Zorn-like experimentations. Here it is inhabited by good fun and at times strong emotions (the trombone solo on "Sans Fin" (Without End), the haunting "Blues du Loup" (Wolf's Blues). In this sextet, Derome (saxophones, flutes) is surrounded by Pierre Cartier (electric bass), Guillaume Dostaler (keyboards), René Lussier (electric guitar, daxophone), Pierre Tanguay (drums), and Tom Walsh (trombone). The unison between trombone and guitar on the opening number "En Culottes Courtes, On Gèle" (In Short Pants, One Freezes) recalls Lussier's own music on Le Corps de l'Ouvrage. The band is tight, executing every little musical and non-musical detail (parts call for occasional talking, acting, noise-making) and inhabits Derome's lively compositions. Highlights abound, like the aforementioned opener and "Blues du Loup," but also the electric guitar-driven "Rock (Infernal)" and the angularly orgiastic "Zuripari." Strange, often deranged ("Last Call") detuned avant-jazz-rock-whatever fusion, Carnets de Voyage is highly recommended to those interested in the Montreal avant-garde scene and remains one of Derome's most convincing CDs. It was reissued in 1998 as part of the three-CD box set 1994-1996. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide
