ArtistInfo

Claude Lassonde
Silène-Décade

Compil. CA 2009 on XXI-21 Productions Inc. label
Jazz (Avant-garde Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Free Jazz, Fusion)

Silène is a Montreal avant-garde jazz improvisation ensemble formed now more then 20 years ago around the trio of Giles Douaire on bass, Claude Lassonde on guitar-synth, compositions and mixing, Alain Robert on drums : Claude Lassonde, composer, guitarist and musical leader of Silène. Claude Lassonde received his masters degree from the Faculty of Music of l’Université de Montréal. Among his teachers in composition: Serge Garant, Michel Longtin, André Prévost. He studied electroacoustics under Marcelle Deschênes and Francis Dhomont, and founded a young composers group named La Société des Concerts Alternatifs du Québec, known today as Code d’Accès, and was their president for several years. He was director of l’Association pour la Recherche Électroacoustique du Québec (ACREQ). He is an associate composer with the Canadian Music Centre. His compositions include works for orchestra, for various chamber music ensembles, computerized music and electroacoustics. Several renowned artists were associated with the creation of his works (in particular: Rina Lasnier of the French Canadian Academy, Jean-Jacques Nattiez, Lorraine Vaillancourt and Pauline Vaillancourt). Among several of his granted compositions, "Sentes aux abîmes des sens" was commissioned by the ACREQ and created at the opening of the electroacoustic series "Acousmonium" at the "New Music America" Festival. His musical compositions and interpretations have been recorded by the Société Radio-Canada (French CBC) and broadcast in Canada, the United States, Germany, Belgium and France. He has received awards and grants from the Canada Arts Council and Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. As a conductor, he has directed many ensembles, and as a guitarist, has played in several concerts on radio and television, including during the Montreal Olympic Games, for a concert rebroadcast live on ABC. Today, he prefers modern art and nurtures his musical spirit in diverse settings. Silène renders his musical passion in a song at times anarchistic where tenderness, love, aggression, violence and extravagance with the guitar synthesizer meet, and find themselves expressed in movements that are colorful, improvised and free. "Fascinated by contemporary “lutherie”, in love with free jazz and improvisation sessions, I remain nevertheless a purist, quite meticulous when it comes to composition. I compel myself with a discipline aimed at extracting the most intense musical elements from long sound research. Collector of sounds and sequences of improvisation, I then entrust those to data processing in order to reveal their explosive potential. The final phase of my work is always aimed at finding the simplest standardization key and the best notation of all. This allows for human interpretation, while making computerized musical structures of great complexity accessible. The resulting stylistic freedom provides the space for deliberately trying to escape from trends or well-established currents. Listeners seeking a moment out of time will find in this offering an intimate musical relationship where personal expression is revealed through the musical product of lengthy pondering.” Gilles Douaire, bass player of Silène. His style, clarity and great culture make Gilles the ideological leader of Silène. He was the lead guitarist for the Montreal band “Freakency”. He has developed a style both extravagant and contrary to all expectations. He discretely introduces intentional key changes inspired by his exceptional ear that listens like no other, and presents destabilizing counterpoints propelling the other musicians in new directions. He adores bizarre harmonic progressions and takes exception to stereotyped patterns. In addition to his musical career, Gilles has studied philosophy and electrical and computer engineering. “The musical play in Silène can be described as trialogue, quadralogue, quintalogue... However, that would be saying both too much and too little. On the one hand, the overall play stems from very little deliberate planning, being that it is improvised, transforming so-called “logos” into as many logorrheas; on the other hand, any collaboration among several musicians is influenced by yet another musical soul that, more often than not, becomes the more assertive one in the group. This other can be felt when, in the midst of a moment of clarity when we’re trying to build a well-defined structure as part of the improvisation, this obscure musician subverts the collective will, destabilizes us, surprises us... and will surprise potential listeners of these tracks. All things considered, this obscure musical visitor is the disincarnated and visceral expression of a shared and permanent will to surrender to momentary distraction. It is the guide that bravely leads us, from form to no form, and from no form back to form, along paths leading nowhere…” Musicians: Matthieu Bélanger, this Montreal clarinetist, appears on seven tracks of Silène - Décade (CD-2_1,2,3,5,6,7,8). Matthieu Bélanger, here with the bass clarinet, counts among the most talented clarinetists in Quebec as its discography testifies. He studied clarinet and piano at the Academy of Hull and at McGill University. He attended many master classes in New York with the saxophonist Patrick Brennan and with the pianist Kenny Werner, also in Banff with Dave Holland, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas and Kenny Werner. He obtained many grants in particular for Musicaction for its “Insomnia” CD. Several grants from the Canada Arts Council and from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. He won the price for best musician and the price for best group “Ann Victor” in the Empire des futures stars event. In Geneva, at the Communauté des radios publiques de langue française (CRPLF): 1st Price, jazz category as conductor for the “Quatuor Jazz de Montréal”. In 1994, with the International Jazz Festival of Montreal: 1st Price of the contest of jazz Du Maurier, with the Normand Guilbeault Ensemble. Pierre Guillemette, saxophonist, Montreal, master degree in interpretation, saxophone, at the faculty of music of the University of Montreal. He appears on one track of Silène - Décade (CD-2_4). He took part in the Montreal Jazz Festival with his group of fusion jazz “Urbia”. He is also member of the fusion jazz group “Idem”. Multi instrumentalist, he plays just as easily, the saxophones, the flutes, the clarinets and the guitar. He teaches music, he directs choral societies, mainly as chief of choir for “La Clé des Champs”. He is also active as musician in studio recording sessions. He makes accompaniment and musical arrangement for several artists of reputation. Louis-Antoine Lassonde, Montreal double bass player, plays double bass with bow on Silène – Décade on one track (CD-2_1). Despite his youth, Louis-Antoine has already acquired a significant experience in the musical world. He has a master degree in interpretation, double bass, from the faculty of music of the University of Montreal. He was first desk for many classical and contemporary orchestras, under such conductors as Lorraine Vaillancourt, Jean-François Rivest, Agnes Grossman of the Orford Art Centre Orchestra. He has taken part in several tours in France, Greece, and locally. He was invited to join the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal for two of its Youth Concerts at the Place des Arts, Maisonneuve Hall. He was invited as a soloist for the Société Radio-Canada’s televised program "Faites vos gammes". He was also finalist in the Canadian Music Competition in 2001. Stephan Quednau, Montreal keyboard player, is Silène’s guest on three tracks (CD-1_7,10 and 11). Stephan studied piano at Laval University with Michele Royer before studying electric and computer engineering and working in that field for ten years. For a few years now, he has been working as an engineer repairing synthesizers and others printed circuits. His love of music includes Hard Bop, modern guitarists (Abercrombie, Holdsworth, Frisell) and funk. Invited by Claude on these recordings, Stephan also appears on CD in the electronic music album "Heptane Sun Quad" released by “Electron Music”. Alain Robert, Montreal drummer, percussionist, plays on all tracks of Silène – Décade. A true virtuoso, he has played drums since his early childhood. In Silène, he patiently follows the other musicians in their extravagant flourishes, and then generates cohesion. He floats in his own world of balance and rhythm, giving the group an exceptional, imaginative support. He excels in the play of sound colors and is a master of the cymbals. He has a sure, natural instinct that can anticipate the changes in the meandering improvisations. His play reveals a quasi scientific approach to the rhythmics of improvisation.

Musicians

	Claude Lassonde g, gsyn, CA guitar, composed by, leader, album by
	Gilles Douaire b, bass
	Matthieu Bélanger , bass clarinet
	Louis-Antoine Lassonde cb, double bass
	Alain Robert dr, drums, percussion
	Stephn Quednau keyboards
	Pierre Guillemette sax, saxophone

Composers

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