François Jeanneau Une Bien Curieuse Planète

Paris, 1965. Pianist François Tusqueslaid the foundation stone of French-style free jazz with his first, soberly titled, album “Free Jazz”. Also in the team were several future key names of the French scene, (Michel Portal, Bernard Vitet, Beb Guérin, Charles SaudraisandFrançoisJeanneau) all of whom honed their skills at the beginning of the decade in JefGilson’s groups, althoughhe was none too fond of the turbulent new face of jazz at the time.Ten years later, Jef Gilsonhad obviously changed his tune, as the label Palmthat he had created in 1973 was now the launch pad for what would become the cream of French and international avant-garde jazz. This would notably be the case for François Jeanneauand “Une Bien Curieuse Planète”. His first album as leader (after brieflyerring into pop with Triangle) was recorded in 1975, a few months after “Watch Devil Go” by his old friend Jacques Thollot, and with more or less the same casting: Jeanneau on sax of course, Jenny-Clarkon bass and percussions, Lubatreplacing Tholloton drums and Michel Grailler(plucked out of Magma) was called in as a reinforcement for his completely ‘out of space*’ synthetiser sounds. Thus began a strange trip to a very strange planet, at the border of experimental jazz and swinging avant-garde.From 1960 to nowadays, from Georges Arvanitasto Laetitia Shériff, from Manu Dibangoto “Mama” Béa Tékielski, everyone has wanted to play with François Jeanneauat some point. There is a good reason for this. The saxophonist is a formidable improviser, but alsoa solid composer, as he demonstrates on this record with, for example, the monumental “Droit d’Asile”, the spooky “Theme For An Unknown Island” or the Coltranesque “Mr J.C. For Ever”. Over half a century later, the planet seems far more familiar to us. And François Jeanneau is always on the front line for a guided tour. Jérôme « Kalcha » Simonneau.