LOUIS SCLAVIS

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"L'imparfait des langues"

MARC BARON alto saxophone
PAUL BROUSSEAU keyboards, sampler, electronics, guitar
MAXIME DELPIERRE guitar
FRANCOIS MERVILLE drums
LOUIS SCLAVIS clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone

Recorded April 2005 at Studios La Buissonne, Perne-les-Fontaines ECM 1954 / 987 789 - 2

With the exception of Merville, nobody in Sclavis' quintet is past their early 30s. The group's collective background, while considerably distanced from conventional jazz, is an apt one for Sclavis, who is equally removed from—though by no means inconversant with—that tradition. Free improvisation, contemporary composition, rock beats, and ambient and noise soundscapes are all a part of L'imparfait des langues, but no single aspect dominates or defines.
Sclavis' writing traverses considerable ground. Brief melodic fragments set up open-ended improvisation ranging from the ethereal to the aggressive on "L'idée du dialecte." "Le verbe" revolves around a repetitive and metrically challenging construct. The only improviser on "Dialogue with a dream," Merville's focused rhythms divide Sclavis' detailed, through-composed passages.
Textural diversity also abounds as Sclavis continues to integrate technology into the mix. Keyboardist/ sampler Paul Brousseau's heavily processed and incomprehensible words on "Annonce" contrast with the distorted density of guitarist Maxime Delpierre's solo miniature "Convocation," seamlessly segueing into the propulsive and riff-based "Palabre," which features an exciting trade-off between Sclavis and altoist Marc Baron.
Whether the ambience is dark or bright, the approach abstruse or straightforward, or the timbres gentle or jarring, L'imparfait des langues speaks its own language. It won't be completely foreign to those familiar with earlier Sclavis works, but with a new and even more stylistically broad-minded ensemble it's an exciting expansion of the clarinetist's distinctive musical patois. - John Kelman