Les Porches - Maneige

Maneige are one of my most listened bands on last.fm. What I find really interesting about them is the fact that they effortlessly fuse jazz, folk and classical music together in a way that is so far unsurpassed in my discoveries. A Canadian band, active mainly in the 70s, they were part of the Quebec Prog boom, where other bands such as Harmonium and Sloche also gained popular appeal.
Originally under the direction of Alain Bergeron and Jerome Langlois, they released two albums before Langlois left, and then the remaining albums had a much more percussive and jazzy feel without his influence. Personally I love both, but their second album probably wins as my favourite.
Les Porches, released in 1975, is probably the best example of what one might asthetically call chamber music, but it has all the stylings of progressive rock. Nearly everything is instrumental, apart from the climax of Les Porches de Notre Dame, where Maneige brought in a guest vocalist to do the job.

1. Les Porches de Notre-Dame (19:06)
Translation: The Porches of Notre-Dame.
I adore every second of this song. It's just so perfectly classical, and holds my interest every time. A particular section that I love is from 9:42 til 12:18. During that time, it's purely a piano solo, and it's perfect. There are simply amazing technical chops showcased here, but it isn't to the detriment to the song at all.
Another highlight is the climax, where the guest vocalist, Raoul Duguay comes in, and lets loose. He then provides trombone accompaniment til the end of the song. My favourite song on the album.

2. La Grosse Torche (1:23)
Translation - The Large Torch.
This is a beautiful classical interlude. Very short, so don't have too much to say about it, but I definitely don't miss it when I listen to the album.

3. Les Aventure de Saxinette et Clarophone (15:38)
Translation - The Adventure of the Saxophone and Clarinet.
Maniege's jazzy side comes out in this song. The percussion in this is incredibly varied, and the chord progressions heavily lean towards the jazz spectrum. The piano and vibraphone are essential components of this song, and together give a very unique atmosphere. And of course, mustn't forget the obligatory solos from the sax and clarinet. Probably the second-most challenging song behind Chromo, but still a good listen.

4. Chromo (4:11)
One of their more avant garde pieces, Chromo is built upon an interesting bass riff. The flute is the key instrument here, as it is essentially the main melody. This is quite different from the other songs on the album, as the phrasing and ideas used are more experimental. An interesting listen, but usually I prefer the other songs.

If you are interested in giving this album a go, I would suggest listening to Les Porches de Notre-Dame - that link there brings you straight to the piano solo, just because I want you to start there. :P

Overall album score: 8.2/10

Personnel

- Alain Bergeron / keyboards, flute, saxophone
- Jérome Langlois / keyboards, guitar, clarinet
- Vincent Langlois / keyboards, percussion
- Denis Lapierre / acoustic & electric guitars
- Yves Léonard / acoustic & electric basses
- Paul Picard / percussion, bongos, xylophone
- Gilles Schetagne / drums, percussion
+ Raoul Duguay / vocals, trombone

Track Listing

1. "Les Porches de Notre-Dame" - 19:14
    a) "Ouverture" - 3:03
    b) "Suite I" - 2:34
    c) "Suite II" - 0:45
    d) "Suite III" - 3:25
    e) "Désouverture" - 9:38
2. "La Grosse Torche" - 1:24
3. "Les Aventures de Saxinette et Clarophone" - 15:41
    a) "Chapitre I, épisode 1" - 3:47
    b) "Chapitre I, épisode 2" - 5:16
    c) "Chapitre II, épisode 1" - 1:31
    d) "Chapitre II, épisode 2" - 2:34
    e) "Chapitre III" - 2:33
4. "Chromo" - 2:36