NI VENT... NI NOUVELLE

Steering a little closer to more traditional jazz fusion waters (with the barest hint of Canterbury here and there), Ni Vent Ni Nouvelle offers a somewhat more accessible variant of Maneige which will appeal to many fusion listeners but rather obscures their finer qualities and will certainly disappoint those hoping they would build on the magnificent foundation of Les Porches. Despite the switch to focusing on shorter tracks, the band still manage to work in some symphonic prog stylings here and there - sufficient to justify the Yes/Roger Dean influenced cover art, at any rate. Alain Bergeron's flute playing is particularly touching this time around, and the band adeptly incorporate a string section into their sound. Not groundbreaking like its predecessors, but good fusion nonetheless.