Interview with Ken Pickering on the topic of my duo collaboration and twenty-five plus years musical partnership with French pianist Benoît Delbecq. Recorded in October 2011 at his home on West 17th Avenue in Vancouver.
FRANÇOIS HOULE
“…highly polished improvisers, responding to the unexpected as the vital current in their playing, yet maintaining extraordinary poise.”
“une aventure audacieuse, qui consiste à se jeter dans le geste musical avec les boussoles de l’instrument, de la culture, de l’histoire personnelle, et d’une déjà longue expérience commune (quatrième disque en duo en l’espace de 26 ans) ; avec le radar de la musicalité en horizon privilégié. ”
As the music unfolds, composition and improvisation seem to flow together into a dream-like continuum where jazz and new music meet. To reach this place, Delbecq and Houle have worked for years extending the techniques of their instruments and creating their own language of musical gestures for purposes of spontaneous musical composition. Delbecq's contemplative piano “fabrics” draw on Cage, Ligeti, and African timbres and polyrhythms, and are characterized by unexpected juxtapositions and patternings. Houle's approach has been inspired by Evan Parker and clarinetist William O. Smith’s multi-layered sonic explorations, and combines a thoroughgoing reinvention of the clarinet's expressive possibilities with an exceptional melodic lyricism. The duo’s rapport results in a highly ordered yet intuitive discourse, echoes and undercurrents of other music continually opening up new directions.
“…a study in refined chamber improvisation.”
“This was a completely magical and engaging set…”
“This most beautiful suite proves that there are still so many poetic mysteries that these gifted improvisers can explore, even after thirty years of working closely together.”