Copie Zéro

• Artist: Claude St-Jean/Les Projectionnistes
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1999
• Type: Instrumental
• Genre: Jazz

Review

Trombonist, composer, and bandleader Claude St-Jean has had some of his greatest success with L'Orkestre des Pas Perdus, his high-spirited alternative brass band that layers horn riffs inspired by Frank Zappa and Carla Bley over funky drum-and-sousaphone grooves. With his latest band Les Projectionnistes, St-Jean continues further down the path toward bone-crunching funk jazz and rock. T'auras Pas Ta Pomme is positively pastoral compared with Copie Zéro, the first CD by Les Projectionnistes. St-Jean's quintet seems inspired by such blistering avant funk and metal units as Belgium's X-Legged Sally and New York composer/guitarist Nick Didkovsky's Doctor Nerve, groups that kick in with massive energy bursts from the first bar and rarely ease up on the throttle during any of their tunes. There are strong parallels in St-Jean's writing for both L'Orkestre des Pas Perdus and Les Projectionnistes, including punchy unison lines from the horns, constant propulsive forward momentum from the rhythm section, and many opportunities for hot soloing. The principal difference is the presence of Bernard Falaise, who on Copie Zéro is given free rein to exercise his hard rock and even blues-inflected chops on electric guitar. Falaise wails away whenever an opportunity arises, often pushing the band to incendiary heights, and St-Jean matches the guitarist's energy with his own burning, distorted trombone. Tracks like CD openers "Hiboux" and "Laïc Laiton" rock out at a pulse-quickening pace; the third tune "Jeu de Bloc" effectively demonstrates the group's mastery of subtler dynamics, with Bill Frisell-styled chord washes from Falaise providing atmosphere during a beautifully executed trombone break. Like L'Orkestre des Pas Perdus, Les Projectionnistes plays tunes that are all rather brief. The exception is "Ballet Mécanique," an 11-minute collective improvisation performed live in October 1997 (with Nicolas Masino on bass and piano) as accompaniment to a 1924 surrealist film by Fernand Léger. This episodic piece begins diffusely but gathers a fearsome energy, thanks in large part to Leclerc's alternating cacophonous and driving percussion, before dissipating into space as the CD draws to a close. Copie Zéro presents an ensemble that loves to burn through fast-moving charts, but "Ballet Mécanique" proves that Claude St-John and Les Projectionnistes are quite capable musical explorers in unconventional surroundings without written scores to guide them. ~ Dave Lynch, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Hiboux	Claude St-Jean	Les Projectionnistes	(5:10)
Laïc Laiton	Claude St-Jean	Les Projectionnistes	(5:49)
Jeu de Bloc	Claude St-Jean	Les Projectionnistes	(6:48)
Circulez!	Claude St-Jean	Les Projectionnistes	(4:06)
Pour Toi Ma Chérie...	Claude St-Jean	Les Projectionnistes	(4:55)
Cacao Chaos	Bernard Falaise	Les Projectionnistes	(5:15)
7e Balcon	Claude St-Jean	Les Projectionnistes	(4:24)
Vacances	Claude St-Jean	Les Projectionnistes	(6:16)
Les Petits Matins	Claude St-Jean	Les Projectionnistes	(5:57)
Nuit Blanche	Claude St-Jean	Les Projectionnistes	(5:30)
Ballet Mécanique	Nicolas Masino, Claude St-Jean, Bernard Falaise	Les Projectionnistes	(11:31)

Credits

Bernard Falaise (Editing), Pierre Girard (Engineer), Claude St-Jean (Sampling), Rémi Leclerc (Percussion), Luc Beauchemin (Design), Claude St-Jean (Photography), Jean-Francois Denis (Design), Pierre Labbé (Flute), Claude St-Jean (Trombone), Nicolas Masino (Bass), Tommy Babin (Double Bass), Pierre Girard (Mastering), Joane Hétu (Executive Producer), Claude St-Jean (Fender Rhodes), Tommy Babin (Bass (Upright)), Bernard Falaise (Guitar), Les Projectionnistes (Performer), Rémi Leclerc (Photography), Pierre Girard (Mixing), Nicolas Masino (Piano), Claude St-Jean (Percussion), Pierre Labbé (Sax (Tenor)), Les Projectionnistes (Group), Claude St-Jean (Piano (Electric)), Claude St-Jean (Producer), Claude St-Jean (Realization), Pierre Girard (Photography), Bernard Falaise (Whistle (Human)), Rémi Leclerc (Drums)