Ork! Update # 12
February 1993
CONCERT NEWS
LES VOIX DE MAGMA - Special concerts
29-04-93 Palais des Congrès, Le Mans (Europa Jazz Festival du Mans)
??-10-93 Bordeaux (Postponed, hopefully re-scheduled for October)
LES VOIX DE MAGMA
The concert in Le Mans is at the Palais des Congrès, Le Mans. It forms part of
the Europa Jazz Festival du Mans. The support act will be the Claude Barthélémy
Octet.
SIMON GOUBERT
Simon Goubert has a new album due out on the HOPI-MESA label? This was mentioned
in a Japanese magazine recently but is unconfirmed by French sources
NËHÈH
The
new AKT release "Nëhèh" goes far beyond strange and is, for many readers, a
bitter disappointment. Please just bear in mind that the band were shall we
say "enlightened" when they recorded it. It is a VANDER, TOP, BLASQUIZ & GARBER
release. - It also has the subtitle "SONS". One of the most perverse features
of this recording is that Jannick does not play bass. I doubt if any Magma /
Top fan in the world would have expected that to happen, but "c'est la vie".
This is an historical document more than a musical one, which is not to say
that the music is bad (unsatisfactory perhaps, but not awful), it is just totally
different to any other Magma recording (official or otherwise). I expect we
had all been hoping for a mind-blowing opus similar to 'Wurdah Ïtah' or 'Mekanïk
Destruktïw Kommandöh' or at least something similar to the crazier moments of
the 'Inedits' album. But when you listen to this work it is easy to understand
the affinity between Henry Cow and Magma that existed at that period.
Some of you have written to mime expressing a feeling of despair that Vander
could have issued such an odd record, I find that gradually this improvisation
eats into your soul - it's not pleasant, comfortable or relaxing music, and
no one really expected that. It is just Vander and Blasquiz at the extreme outer
limits with Garber floating right off the edge. But Jannick; Oh why couldn't
he have played some bass on this!
ARTE TV
The ARTE TV broadcast of the Didier Lockwood - Twenty years special, went ahead as planned on the 19th of December. The show featured a small clip of Magma from the mid 1970s then
about six minutes from the recording of 'Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh' that
the line-up with Lockwood, Gauthier and Blasquiz made in September 1992. The
sound mixer had presumably not heard Magma before, because the audio mix was
diabolical, but at least it was a reunion of sorts and let's hope there will
be more to come. One small gripe was that the credits at the end listed the
piece as "Mechanic Destructive Commando"... (No comment). Didier is planning
many concerts in the spring to celebrate his twenty years in live music.
Finally, for tape collectors: there are private videos circulating of Magma in Reims
30-03-91 and the Offering concert in Soissons 06-04-91. Maybe this will be enough
to convince Seventh Records that there is a healthy market for official CONCERT
Videos (in both Pal and Secam). It would not need an expensive production to
satisfy us.... just a complete mid 1970's concert or two!
CRO MAGNON
CRO MAGNON now there's a name from the past, eh? O.K. you have never heard
of them. Well they are an interesting new Electric and Wind Rock-Chamber music
ensemble from Belgium, working along vaguely similar lines to early ART ZOYD,
UNIVERS ZERO and JULVERNE. Their first CD is out now called 'Zapp!' (HVB 9201).
The sound patterns produced by this line-up of Violins, Bass, Keyboards, Saxes,
Electric guitar and sampling are an acquired taste but surely an intriguing
one worth investigating.
'MEKANÏK' AT THE MANOR
The story of the recording of 'Mekanïk' at the Manor, Oxfordshire is apparently
an intriguing one, does anyone have Simon Heyworth's address? If so, please
pass it on; I would like to ask him about it. Chris Cutler informs me that when
HENRY COW recorded their first LP for Virgin, they did not know at the time,
but they were recording it on top of the 16-track masters for 'Mekanïk'. They
found out years later when they played the tapes again and found two or three
minutes of a Christian and Jannick backing track at the start of the tape. Ork
Alarm! #13 will feature a fascinating appraisal of Magma's music (from the 70's)
by Chris.
DOMINIQUE BERTRAM
Dominique Bertram (ex-Magma / Alien bassist) has a new jazz-rock / Fusion CD
called 'Bass Now'. Bertram also has a bass guitar tutor cassette / book called
"Methode up Bass" that he produced in 1990.
SYLVAIN MARC
Another ex-Magma / Offering bassist - Sylvain Marc has an even better new CD
of instrumental jazz-rock / Fusion (cleverly titled 'Sylvain Marc') Andy Garibaldi
tells me that compared to his funky 'Nite Life' album this one is really very
good indeed - pure and unadulterated.
CLAUDE SALMIERI
Claude Salmieri (ex-Offering / Paga Group drummer) has a new CD entitled 'Self
Portrait' which Andy Garibaldi tells me is superb (yes it's jazz-rock / Fusion
again). The guest list on this one includes Klaus Blasquiz, Yvon Guillard, Gerard
Bikialo and Maria Popkiewicz. Apparently Andy is overwhelmed by this stunning
work.
JEAN-PHILIPPE GOUDE
JEAN-PHILIPPE GOUDE (ex-Weidorje keyboardist) has a new CD called 'De Anima'
on the Hopi-Mesa label (CD 006). I hope it is as good as Goude's 'Drones' album
that he made soon after Weidorje split up.
CHRISTIAN VANDER
Christian Vander is still keen to record another album with his jazz trio (Emmanuel
Borghi and Philippe Dardelle) and has not dropped his plans for an electronic
incarnation of Magma. In the meantime album release plans keep changing. In
December I heard that the AKT III release would not be "Toulouse 76" after all,
but the September 1992 recording of the piano music that Christian played in
the Christopher Columbus "Son et lumière" Concert in Reims. Georges Besnier
also said that Christian was not happy with the original recordings of 'Cosmos'
and 'A Fiïèh' and therefore started recording them again in the week ending
12th December 1992 with Patrick Gauthier. Most of the band are constantly gigging
in various combos and this was a rare time when they could all get together
to record the long awaited new album.
LYDIA DOMANCICH
Lydia Domancich CD 'Au dela des limites' and also a new CD - Lydia was the Offering
pianist in the first half of 1992. Her first album features the participation
of Pip Pyle on drums, Bernard Paganotti on Bass and Pierre Marcault (percussion).
The new album includes the same percussionists and the horns are by the Guillard
brothers. I have not heard the new one, but the bold cover design of 'Au dela
des limites' caught my eye at the Cyborg stand in Paris in October and I have
since come to quite enjoy the unusual, sometimes dreamy, quality of the music.
It is a clever blend of modern technology (computers / synths), traditional jazzy
piano, Amazonian percussions similar to the 'Rhythmes du Diable' solo spot that
Pierre Marcault often played when he was in Offering. Not Zeuhl music, but occasionally
close to Offering in style. I usually avoid albums with English vocals (except
when Zappa writes the lyrics) but there are some very convoluted arrangements
here that override my usual prejudices to an extent. Pip Pyle's lyrics only feature
on a couple of tracks, the majority of the CD is instrumental with a fast moving
percussive slant. Every now and then the creepy electronics mingle with the moody
grand piano producing a strange fusion indeed. I cannot recollect anything like
it Oh, and I forgot to mention the pygmies ... Well, try it anyway, it is definitely
engrossing.
TATSUYA YOSHIDA
Tatsuya Yoshida CD 'Magaibutsu' (Review records rere 163cd). This is by the
drummer from the Japanese Zeuhl group RUINS and most of this high-energy album
has a Zeuhl sound. The RUINS 'Stonehenge' album is certainly intriguing and
unmistakeably Zeuhl music in the same vein as 'MDK'. The second album by this
incredibly odd duo (bass/drums/vocals/electronic triggered items) 'Burning Stone'
is also apparently very similar to Classic Magma in style.
NYL
NYL - this strange album of neo-Californian rock has also been re-released
on CD and features Jannick Top on some tracks with the quintessential Magma
Bass sound... Shame about the vocals and lyrics on this album though. However
it does feature some unreleased material and the original vinyl version on the
Urus label is extremely hard to find.
CYRILLE VERDEAUX
Didier Lockwood continues to release more conventional jazz such as his latest
album with Caron and Ecay, but something much more appetising to most readers
will be the re-release of the fourth (1978) album by Cyrille Verdeaux's CLEARLIGHT.
The, hard to track down classic 'Visions'. As well as Didier Lockwood, another
guest on this is Didier "Bloomdido" Malherbe, again there is some extra unreleased
work on this reissue.
ARTE TV
The ARTE TV broadcast of the Didier Lockwood - Twenty years special, went ahead as planned on the 19th of December. The show featured a small clip of Magma from the mid 1970s then
about six minutes from the recording of 'Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh' that
the line-up with Lockwood, Gauthier and Blasquiz made in September 1992. The
sound mixer had presumably not heard Magma before, because the audio mix was
diabolical, but at least it was a reunion of sorts and let's hope there will
be more to come. One small gripe was that the credits at the end listed the
piece as "Mechanic Destructive Commando"... (No comment). Didier is planning
many concerts in the spring to celebrate his twenty years in live music.
Finally, for tape collectors: there are private videos circulating of Magma in Reims
30-03-91 and the Offering concert in Soissons 06-04-91. Maybe this will be enough
to convince Seventh Records that there is a healthy market for official CONCERT
Videos (in both Pal and Secam). It would not need an expensive production to
satisfy us.... just a complete mid 1970's concert or two!
Back to Issue # 12 Contents
Back to Home Page