It's good to see Cuneiform Records releasing new music again, and L’Oreille Électrique (The Electric Ear) is their fourth release with Parisian composer and drummer Patrick Forgas and his jazz-rock group Forgas Band Phenomena, and their sixth album overall. Alongside Forgas, the rest of the band includes:
Karolina Mlodecka- violin
Pierre Schmidt- guitar
Sébastien Trognon - tenor, alto & soprano saxophones, flute
Dimitri Alexaline- trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone
Gérard Prévost- bass
Igor Brover - piano, electric piano
Often labeled as similar to the classic 'Canterbury' acts of the '70s, FBP certainly have that quirky & whimsical quality to their music, their mix of jazz and rock upbeat, with plenty of groove and fiery solos, which you can hear on the excellent opening track "Délice Karmâ / Karmic Delights", which contains a slew of sizzling sax, trumpet, and guitar solos. Bubbling bass and funky electric piano complement the busy horns and violin on "Crème Anglaise / Custard Sauce", but the real highlight track here is "Pierre Angulaire / Corner Stone", nearly 13-minutes of jazz-fusion bliss, sax and violin weaving around insistent electric piano, rock guitar riffs hanging in the background creating some menace but allowing the rest of the instruments to take solo spots, and the rhythms intricate yet holding everything together. Great stuff!
Any fan of jazz-rock will no doubt find lots to love here on L’Oreille Électrique (The Electric Ear). Hop on over to their Bandcamp page (link below) take a listen, and order yourself up a copy...you won't regret it!
Track Listing
1.
Délice Karmâ / Karmic Delights 10:00
2.
Septième Ciel / Seventh Heaven 10:04
3.
L’Oreille Électrique / The Electric Ear 12:01
4.
Crème Anglaise / Custard Sauce 09:37
5.
Pierre Angulaire / Corner Stone 12:33
6.
Délice Karmâ / Karmic Delights [sample / radio edit] 05:21