La Lumiere De Pierres

La Lumiere de Pierres ("The Light of Stones") documents the first meeting between legendary British free improvisation figurehead Evan Parker and the French/Canadian (not French-Canadian!) Houle/Delbecq duo. Vancouver clarinetist Francois Houle and French pianist Benoit Delbecq (of the Recyclers) had been working together for a while, with two duo albums for the Songlines label to their credit. On the other hand, Houle had already met Parker in 1991, then taken lessons from him, included him in a couple of his structured improvisation ensemble pieces (one of them also featuring Delbecq), and crossed paths with the saxophonist on a few occasions. In other words, all parties were well acquainted with one another. This first trio meeting took place in Montreal (Quebec), as part of the 2005 Innovations en Concert series. La Lumiere de Pierres is a short (45 minutes) yet very strong set. Houle and Parker have complementary instrumental voices; they know it and they make good use of that fact. For instance, Houle takes a relative lead in "Stone Through Sunlight," his crystalline tone imposing a somewhat higher register and a softer demeanor, while Parker contributes tenor sax textures and delves into close interaction with Delbecq's prepared piano. Then, roles are reversed in most of "Moonlight Through Stone," the grittier tenor sax becoming the soloist, while the clarinet (and later bass clarinet) takes a step back, settling in textural mode, punctuating Parker's circular breathing romps with quiet feedback-like wails. A high level of chemistry reigns over this trio, a trio that sounds a bit more lyrical than Parker's regular trios, although that remains very relative, as illustrated by the closer "Stone on Stone," a joyfully cacophonous improvisation. The sound quality on this recording (owing a lot to the church where the concert took place) is a plus. ~ Francois Couture|