| François Houle & Benoît Delbecq, Nancali “One of the most fascinating pianists of the new generation” (Michel Contat, Télérama), French pianist/prepared pianist Delbecq (Paintings, Kartet, The Recyclers) meets Canadian clarinet virtuoso Houle; their program of improvisations and compositions draws on contemporary classical, jazz, African and southeast Asian traditions. Probing and highly empathetic. Mark Miller's top 10 jazz for 1997, The Globe & Mail.
“Houle and Delbecq apply their awesome scholarship of 20th century classical theory and forward-thinking jazz to Nancali....Delbecq teases fascinating timbral qualities out of the keyboard, making it sound variously like a music box, a log drum, or a gamelan orchestra. Houle executes original, well-defined melodic lines with stunning clarity and rich tonal resonance. Together, the players create eloquent, thoroughly synchronized, harmonic expressions of one spirit.” Sam Prestianni, Jazziz
“Houle and Delbecq improvise in the modern classical vein, with a feel of exquisite distance....The music is by turns quiet and crystalline, dramatic and vigorous, suggesting alternate landscapes, from childhood dreams to unspeakable tragedies.” Paul de Barros, Down Beat “A beautiful piece of work. The music is sensual and delicate but not easy....With Nancali, Delbecq and Houle broach the magical and indecipherable, creating a rhythmically complex soundscape that strains the boundaries of contemporary music.” Laurence Svirchev, 5/4 Magazine |