Plinc! Plonc!

Saxophonist Jean Derome and percussionist Pierre Tanguay have been collaborating since the early '80s in various projects, including Les Patenteux du Québec (where all musicians play on invented instruments), Jean Derome et les Dangereux Zhoms, and the Thelonious Monk tribute trio Évidence. Plinc! Plonc! is their first recording as a duo and finally offers audible proof of their special affinities. It is taken from a concert given in Québec City on January 18, 1997. The set opens with a 17-minute free improvisation that takes Derome from flute to saxophone to his usual bird calls and small instruments. Tanguay works behind his drum set at first, but eventually moves to small percussion. Both musicians share an intuitive link and the fun they have crosses to the audience (we can hear them laugh when Derome takes out his bird calls). Another free improv, "Gueding! Guedong!," closes the set, this one entirely performed on Jew's Harps. Between the two are one composition by Tanguay and two by Derome, including "Zuripari," a favorite of the Dangereux Zhoms' repertoire, here given a punchy stripped-down treatment. The set is completed by Thelonious Monk's "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are." Throughout Plinc! Plonc! the music is light, funny, and effortlessly played, while remaining very much involved and challenging. This album reminds us that avant-garde music need not always be self-centered and serious. This night in Québec City must have been magical. Strongly recommended. ~ François Couture, Rovi