CALGARÉAL

VANISHING POINTS

Independent label

Sebastien Leblanc, guitars/cobza/choir/composer; Robin Tufts, drums/bodhran/darbuka/cajon/ percussion/ composer; Aurélien Tomasi, clarinets/soprano & tenor saxophone/percussion/ choir/composer; Jeremy Gignoux, violin/viola/Wurlitzer/choir/composer; FOONYAP, violin/voice; Jiajia Li, flute/piccolo/ dizi/choir; Hugo Blouin, upright bass/percussion/choir/composer; Mathieu Langlois, alto & tenor saxophones/flamenco guitar/choir/composer.

Calgaréal is a group of eight Canadian musicians who have assembled to represent the Calgary music scene, located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and the bustling city of Montreal on the St. Laurence River.  This group was spearheaded by violinist, Jeremy Gignoux, formerly based in Montreal, now relocated to Calgary.  Their first song is composed by Gignoux and sounds quite Scottish.  It’s far more folksy than jazz.  Then comes a brief, less than a minute composition by the violinist that is more an interlude than a tune.

The bassist in the group, Huge Blouin, has composed “La Soupe.”  The bass player has a unique technique to composing this music.  He has transcribed the rhythm and inner melody of the spoken speech of the forty-fifth president of the United States, converting the spoken word pitch points into a song melody.  FOONYAP, the group’s vocalist, who also plays violin, sings this unusual tune during a very ‘rock’ based production. The drummer, Robin Tufts, adds a driving percussive heartbeat beneath the violin solo by Gignoux.  If the explanation for the melody had not been in the publicity notes, I never would have understood the premise of this song.  It’s not a song I would enjoy listening to for a second time.

However, one of my favorite tunes was Mathieu Langlois’ composition called “Danza.” It was jazzy and melodic, with traces of Spain mixed into the flamenco guitar arrangement. “Points de Fuite,” written by Sebastien Leblanc, is other-worldly and shuffles through my listening room with strings and guitars brushing past, like long satin skirts waltzing across the floor. Hugo Blouin takes a creative upright bass solo.  On tunes like “Mood Music” they venture into experimental jazz.

Each composition, by various members of Calgaréal, is a unique musical journey.   This eight-piece band reflects their individual cultures from France to China. Spain to the Balkans, and Quebec in Canada. This is an unusual musical gumbo, featuring spicy with unexpected genres and world cultures blended together. The result is a completely unique musical dish for the investigational palate.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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