Jean Cohen-Solal - Flûtes libres (1971/2018)

Jean Cohen-Solal studied flute from all angles, and became one of the great French virtuosi, along with Michel Edelin who at the time was with Triode. This was a period (1972) when flutists were very popular with the public, most of whom had been influenced by Roland Kirk, including Ian Anderson in Jethro Tull. Jean Cohen-Solal tells a different story, richer and centred on the instrument itself, using the magic (yes, that again) of overdubs.

“In a dreamlike fictive and windswept Brittany, hippy pirates and wild women more or less inspired by Gérard de Nerval fight it out in a theatre, the magic of which brings to mind Cocteau, and where musical improvisation has an important role: this is Noroît, a cursed film which was never released in cinemas at the time (1976), directed by the great Jacques Rivette, where Jean-Cohen-Solal, his brother Robert and Daniel Ponsard can be seen and heard playing. The scene is every bit as inventive as that featuring the Art Ensemble Of Chicago in Les Stances à Sophie!

The same magic and invention can be found on this first album by Jean Cohen-Solal: Flûtes libres. A magic which can be keenly felt on "Quelqu'un", a long contemplative mantra which takes up the whole of the B side and which anticipates the future collaboration in the mysterious universe of Jacques Rivette.

Perhaps Paul Horn rather than Roland Kirk could be an influence, but stripped of a classical background which was too audible and a tendency for easy listening. In fact, in terms of comparison, "open music" by Bob Downes would be the closest to the electroacoustic experiments of Jean Cohen-Solal, who, by the way, was also close to the GRM and Bernard Parmegiani for whom he occasionally provided sound sources.”

Tracklist:
1/4. Jean Cohen-Solal - Flûtes libres - Concerto cyclique (feat. Serge Franklin & Marc Chantereau)
2/4. Jean Cohen-Solal - Flûtes libres - Raga du matin (feat. Serge Franklin & Marc Chantereau)
3/4. Jean Cohen-Solal - Flûtes libres - Matière (feat. Serge Franklin & Marc Chantereau)
4/4. Jean Cohen-Solal - Quelqu'un (feat. Serge Franklin & Marc Chantereau)