MANEIGE

MANEIGE without a doubt were one of the best 70's bands to come out of Quebec. Most put them in the OPUS- 5/SLOCHE camp but I personally prefer both of those bands to MANEIGE. It's that flute/piano led classical style from their first couple of albums that are just too good for this middle class average Joe. Fancy music, and while I don't drink I'm pretty sure champaigne or expensive wine is a must for the upper class to really enjoy this band. Honestly I'd rather roll one and listen to BUDGIE so what can I say? It's why the ECM label is so difficult for me.

When Jerome Langlois left after the second album "Les Porches" the band started to steer away from that classical direction they were on to more of a jazz style. It's interesting that Jerome's brother Vincent who basically added percussion on the first two records as a second drummer, played horns on "Ni Vent...Ni Nouvelle" their third record, then he's the keyboard guy on the fourth and fifth records.

"Montreal, 6am" is that fifth album and there's a noticeable drop in the quality of music. Released in 1980 this album has never been re-issued which says a lot considering that the first four have all been. Still, this album grew on me, to sounding very pedestrian at first to actually having an appreciation for the second half of the recording. My top three tracks are all on the second side of the album. I like the energy and and power on both "L'invitee De La Nuit" and "Echec Et Mat" but the closer Cerveau Lent" is my favourite and it's different with the synths, samples early on.

A tough one to get a hold of and really is it worth it anyways. Stick with the first four, but I would grab this if available, but not their final album where it all went to pot.

I have to confess that every time is see the title LES PORCHES (which is exactly what it looks like it means, French for "the porches") i want to add "Swing" to the title which naturally leads to that famous moment in the Wayne's World movie where Wayne and Garth get all nerdy and yell out "SCHWING!." However i digress before i even start but hey these are the things i think about! MANEIGE of course was one of Quebec's top dogs in the prog world for the 1970s and often considered the best of the best and it's no wonder why after hearing the first couple albums that these Montealeans (is that the right term?) cranked out just after the peak prog years were waning. Yeah, prog was alive and well, just not anywhere where Sid Viscous was spouting his venom.

Formed in 1972, MANEIGE took a few years to craft their vision of what real jazzy symphonic prog should sound like. The band was so prolific that it released two albums in the year 1975 and if that wasn't enough there was even more material than would fit on the two albums and had to wait to find a home on the "Live Monteal" albums that wouldn't see a release until the late 90s with tracks like "La Balloune" having to wait to see the light of day. What should've been part of the third album was instead scrapped due to the fact that MANEIGE's first two albums, "Maneige" and LES PORCHES were much to complex and avant-garde for the changing times and starting with the third album "Ni Vent? Ni Nouvelle" a much more accessible style of crossover prog was adopted which the band would stick to until its ultimate demise in 1983.

LES PORCHES is a completely different album than the self-titled debut. The main differences result from the fact that the debut was chiefly created by Jérôme Langlois (piano, organ, clarinet, guitar) whereas LES PORCHES found the less avant-garde and more symphonic touches of Alain Bergeron (flute, sax, piano) in the driver's seat. The second album of 1975 consisted of only four tracks but two of which "Les Porches De Notre Dame" and "Les Aventures De Saxineette Et Clarophone" both containing several suites and both clocking in over the 15 minute mark. That only leaves the tiny little track "La Grosse Torche" which doesn't even hit 2 minutes and the save-the-best-for-last musical powerhouse "Chromo" whose two parts just squeak over the 4 minute mark.

The opening "Les porches de Notre-Dame" with its six suites is the longest track on board. This is the track that truly puts the symphonic pomp in the prog world and showcase wickedly wild virtuosic piano performances inspired by Back, Haydn and other classical wizards of the past but as exciting as the debut album was in all its predictability, this one may bedazzle the listener with incessant breakneck finger workouts but fails to evoke the same sort of wow factor. While not exactly a bad track, it unfortunately sets a disappointing tone for the album as it feels more singular in its approach."La Grosse Torche" only adds to the ho hum factor and provides a nice little walk into the world of Baroque paradise with a string quartet and a clear nod to Bach but really lacking any sort of original stamp.

Luckily the album picks up with the second half of the album. The phenomenal "Les Aventures De Saxineette Et Clarophone" and its five segments deliver a stellar jazz-fusion workout that includes not only the symphonic touches that trade off with a seemingly infinite amount of variations, dynamic changes, tempo shifts and time signature workouts that are the wet dreams of progger's paradise, however it's the closing "Chromo" that gets my vote for best track on this sophomore release. Completely different than its predecessor's it mixes a beefy zeuhl-ish bass groove with a flurry of folky flute and clarinet with some jazzy sax attacks. Add to that some seriously challenging Henry Cow types of avant-prog harmonies and a wickedly wild ride of atonal turbulence that adds more excitement in this one track than much of the rest of the album combined.

LES PORCHES may be a step down in terms of creative free license but is nevertheless a beautiful album in its own right. While parts do tend to drag on a bit for the sake of symphonic excesses, the sheer skill of the five band members and seven additional guests ensure that this album will please the most hardened proggers who crave challenging workouts infused with creative harmonic approaches. At times this reminds me a lot of PFM's early years except the sugary sweet melodies are infused with more abstract jazz supplements with all the avant-prog rhythms and virtuosic outburst. MANEIGE dished out a worthy successor to the flawless debut but unfortunately this would end the prime years of this band. Soon after the release of LES PORCHES, Langois would leave the band while the rest of the members would carry on only in a slightly more commercial direction. While the following albums aren't bad at all, the first two are where all the major risk taking and flirting with ambitious complexities take place. All in all, 1975 was a great year for Quebecois prog and MANEIGE was one of the major reasons why that was so.

This mostly-instrumental, jazzy release from the Qu'b'cois group features some of their greatest moments - this album is the peak of their work. From the beginning, bells are established in the background of the title suite (a masterpiece in its own right); the instruments follow throughout the entire album, especially tubular bells. This sound helps contribute to the scenery of Notre Dame, much replicating the sound of church bells.

La Grosse Torche serves as a transitional track between the two suites which acts a short but enchanting bridge. The name of the third track certainly does not underestimate the role of the clarinet and the saxophone, two instruments that carry the melody of the two suites. A bit more unusual is Chromo, which I assume is about a camera, hence the name.

Overall, there is not a dull moment on the album, though I must say my favorite part of the album is the closing theme on the title track. Maneige masters the folksy, classical, symphonic sound that can be heard in Harmonium's "Les Cinqs Saisons."

Tr's beau.

Maneige is one of my absolute favourite band. They were definitely one of the best bands to emerge from the fertile in Quebec, Canada. Formed in 1972, MANEIGE took a few years to craft their vision of what real jazzy symphonic prog should sound like. "Baroque-fusion" would be something that could fit here. My favourite is the "Les Porches de Notre-Dame" is a 20-minute suite in six parts, all of them featuring virtuoso playing on piano, flutes, saxophone, percussion, guitar and other musical instruments. Is a beautiful piece that keeps the listener attuned with Maneige's gentle side. I really love the way this one sounds. The 3rd track is more in the jazz rock, the clarinet getting its rightful place. This album's sole flaw is the track order. 5 star along with high recommendations!

MANEIGE were one of the numerous progressive bands from Quebec province of Canada in the 70s but rose above the pack by having one of the longest runs and providing an astonishing consistency in quality from album to album. The band was formed in 1972 by keyboardist Jérôme Langlois and flautist / sax player Alain Bergeron after the dissolution of another band called Lasting Weep and started as a duo who immediately began working on the first track on this album called "Le Rafiot" which is a 21 minute 22 second prog behemoth with a ridiculous amount of developing styles and genre fusions. As experiment after experiment ensued the band grew to the six members that appear on their eponymous debut release, the first of the year 1975 with no less than two percussionists who dish out everything from the expected rock drum rolls to xylophone, vibraphone, glockenspiel, bongos and even Mike Oldfield's favorites, tubular bells! Like all their albums the debut is also entirely an instrumental experience.

The first you hear on the first MANEIGE album is something you wouldn't expect. No jazz-fusion at all, in fact "Le Rafiot" is the French word for a fishing vessel and this long lasting track is divided up into suites which depict in sonic form the tribulations of this small ship on the ocean. Overall the similarities is much like Camel's "Snowgoose" in not only classically inspired developments but in symphonic leanings which predominate over the jazzy touches at this point. As the track begins it sounds more like a bizarre impressionists world more akin to Stockhausen and lasts for a frightening four minutes before a classical piano breaks through the brume and adds a melodic path into a more recognizable form of symphonic prog that twists and turns through the many themes and dishing out some of the most pleasant flute led melodies accompanied by an army of instrumental accompaniments.

Throughout the album of four tracks which is really like an album of eight or more tracks due to the fact the first track is more akin to several tracks separately composed and stitched together, the moods shift dramatically from bleak and scary to ecstatically happy with bouncy keyboards and the ubiquitous Jethro Tull folk inspired flutes dominating the soundscapes. Some of the other claimed influences range from Zappa's "Hot Rats" era, The Nice, early Soft Machine and early Gentle Giant but more than any of those the classical composers rule the influence roost especially in the melodic piano department while the other instruments while not entire subordinate fall under the gravitational forces of the keyboards with flutes adding an extra force that tugs them back and forth between them.

MANEIGE managed to score a recording contract merely by the strength of their live performances of playing extremely strong and intricately complex symphonic prog with jazz and classical elements at every turn. Like most of the progressive releases from 70s Quebec this one as well as the rest of the MANEIGE canon have been remastered and released on CD by ProgQuebec with bonus tracks two of which are found tagged onto the end and are live tracks from their days before releasing albums. The track "Tèdetèdetèdet" is a catchy bouncy little number not found on any studio release and the name simulates the rhythm of the flute which is extra fiery on this particular track. MANEIGE would gradually simplify their music into more digestible chunks but personally i find their debut to the be most satisfying experience of their stamp on symphonic prog / jazz / classical fusion. A perfect album in every way.

Well, better late than never for Maneige, as far as I'm concerned. The great thing I like about Quebecois prog is many original LPs from many acts are not going for ridiculous prices the way Italian prog goes for. So I can get a nice little collection and not have it break my bank account, even if I do live in the States and usually have to pay extra for S&H to get them shipped from Canada. At least I got my first Maneige LP from a dealer in South Dakota (via Discogs), of all places. Maneige LPs, for the most part are pretty inexpensive (unless you want to seek out the "removed from the market as fast it was released" original cover of Libre Service, the one with the cartoonish gas pumps billowing smoke). Ni Vent... Ni Nouvelle was their first album on Polydor, after two albums from 1975 on Harvest. Apparently the group had a lineup change so it also affected the change in the band's sound. The group now focused on shorter songs, but a lot of them are segued anyways. Aeon Music (defunct prog rock mail order catalog, now an eBay seller) described it as "Good progressive fusion that reminds of Gentle Giant at times". Given the highly percussive nature of the music, I can see where that catalog was coming from (and it's not likely a coincidence given GG's popularity in Quebec). The band moved away from the chamber approach of their first two albums for a more jazz rock/prog approach, with more emphasis on drums and electric instruments, including electric piano. There is a bit of quirkiness where the Gentle Giant comparison comes in, and more melodic moments to gets one thinking of the Catalan band Gotic and their 1978 album Escenes (but it's unlikely Gotic heard of Maneige, given how Quebecois prog bands were usually not known outside of Quebec, even the rest of Canada, never mind in a place like Spain). There's perhaps a bit of a reminder of Sloche as well, that probably wasn't as much of a coincidence, as that band was also from Quebec, and already released both their albums before 1977. There's also a bit of a reminder of Zappa's instrumental stuff (when the xylophones dominate) or even Pierre Moerlen's Gong (because they too had a heavily percussive approach). I do believe the album is a bit overrated, as there's a few insipid moments I could do without. Still, it's worth having, but didn't quite set my world on fire.

This album is a complete gem. Most of it is recorded live at the club 'L'Eveche' in Montreal in November 1975, just a few months after "Les Porches" (their second album) was recorded, and before Jerome Langlois left. It contains a number of compositions never recorded in the studio. These include Langlois's very long epic "La Balloune", and Gilles Schetagne's "Bullfrog Dance", both of which were written for, but could not be included on, Les Porches. There is also the excellent "Les Epinettes", "Mambo Chant", and "1-2-3-4-5-6", wonderful music highly evocative of their first album. In many ways, this represents the missing Maneige album that should have followed Les Porches if only Jerome Langlois had not left. The sound quality is very good given the context (not excellent, but really good for a non-professional recording). Being a live recording, the performance is a bit more raw than in the studio, and there are a couple of wonky notes (in the guitar solos, an occasionally out of-tune-clarinet, couple of off-time drum fills, etc), but given this was never intended for release, it is actually quite remarkable, as the music is very complex. While all of the pieces here are great, the real treat is Langlois' 29-minute "La Balloune". This is similar in structure to "Le Rafiot" from the debut album, and "Les Porches de Notre-Dame" from their second album, largely based around themes played by piano and flute. Once again, a lot of emotive and playful themes, with some dark and dissonant passages, some light dances, some jazzy solos and improvs, even some "night in Berlin" la la vocals, and a lot of really amazing musical piano passages, all flowing together. Wonderful music! I think this may in fact be their best-ever composition. There are also two early pieces recorded and broadcast live at a Montreal radio station in January 1974, before their debut album. One is the long 'Le Rafiot' (which takes up the first side of their debut album) and the other is a short, but never-before released but really excellent (and a bit Canterbury-esque) "Manege" (not sure why the different spelling). While the sound quality is not as good on the live radio recording of "Le Rafiot" (cymbals are far too loud), these are still a very welcome bonus to a great live set. I actually find myself putting this album on more often than "Les Porches", which speaks to the very high quality of the music here. On the whole, I rate this 8.5 out of 10 on my 10-point scale (would have been even higher with better sound).

Maneige's second album is by many considered their best, largely on the strength of the first side-long composition ('Les porches de Notre-Dame') and the short piece that begins side 2 ('La grosse torche'). I also like this album, but I myself like their debut album better. The first half of the title track here is similar in some ways to Le Rafiot from their first album, with a number of great emotive and playful themes played on flute and piano (but without the dissonant noises that begin Le Rafiot). However, instead of segueing effortlessly between sections, each of these are presented as separate pieces, with short spaces in between them (so, the long title track is actually made up of a series of shorter pieces. It works OK, but I have to admit I would have preferred more flow and continuity). As the title track continues, it adds more instrumentation, until the final 7 minutes which largely involve a guitar solo played over a chord progression that is (as another reviewer noted) not dissimilar to the end of Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven'. I really like the music on the title track, but the Stairway to Heaven part to my mind takes away from piece, partly because the guitar player is no virtuoso and so this part is not sufficiently special (unlike their first album, where every composition is unique). It is on the second side of the album that the more jazz-influenced and Canterbury styles that would grace their subsequent albums first make their appearance. (the short "La grosse torche" is more like the title track though, and probably the most formal-sounding piece in Maneige's discography). I actually quite like "Les Adventures de Saxinette et Clarophone" and "Chromo" - very original pieces, again changing a lot, but with some highly musical sections. However, I am not sure the longer one ('Adventures') hangs together that well as a single piece. Not quite as memorable, although on the whole better than many of the pieces on their later albums. On the whole, this is also recommended - not quite as much as their debut - but nonetheless a classic Canadian album. I give it 8.3 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which translates to 4 PA stars.

Maneige are unique, and a difficult band to classify. While there are definitely tinges of jazz and progressive rock (with many odd time signatures and angular composing, improvising, and the occasional distorted guitars and fuzz bass), the predominant ethos is of modern classical music coupled with references to traditional French classical and folk music. While the music is very diverse - from sections that sound almost medieval, to beautiful emotive Rachmaninoff-like runs, to others that involve extreme dissonance and white noises, and everything in between - the music all flows together very well. While their later albums would become ever-more influenced by mainstream jazz fusion and Canterbury stylings, this album has fewer references to those. On these earlier albums, flutes, pianos and xylophones are the primary lead instruments. This is my favourite album of theirs. The compositions are completely original, always changing-never boring, and very musical (revealed only once you listen to them a number of times - the music is quite dense, making it absolutely necessary to give this multiple listens). One can tell a lot of effort went into composing the pieces on this.

The first four minutes of the album (of the first composition - the 21-minute Le Rafiot) contain probably most dissonant sounds in Maneige's discography. But once you get through that, the main themes of Le Rafiot emerge on piano, flute and marimba, and these are very beautiful and emotive, followed by some sections that are very playful and memorable (although completely different music, some remind me of Tchaikovsky's themes from the Nutcracker). The piece constantly shifts, moving between contemplative broodyness, jazzy improvisations, fast dramatic piano lines, and playful or dramatic themes. The second side (of the original vinyl album) contains three shorter pieces (between 4-8 mins), with sonic textures one might be more accustomed (with the drums, electric bass and guitar more prominent, for instance) but otherwise similar intricate arrangements and intense musicality. The CD re-issue by ProgQuebec contains two bonus live tracks, one of which is otherwise unreleased and really excellent. All in all, highly recommended, a true original of Canadian music. I give this 8.9 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which is just shy of the threshold for 5 stars, so 4 PA stars (really more like 4.5 stars).

Three years following the release of "Montreal6AM" somebody in the Maneige camp thought it was a good idea for a once groundbreaking band to realease their swan song, "Images". This 33 minute excursion in soulless drivel does not do justice to the great music the band laid down from '74 to '80, from avant-jazz symphonic to priggish jazz rock. No, this one ended up sounding like the soundtrack to a bad movie. The second side has a bit of life to it and they freely lift riffs from Led Zeppelin, ZZ top, and Tom Petty. The only way I'd recommend this is if you like " library music" like the Guitar of John Renbourn or Soft Machine's Rubber Riff. I like both of those, and this still sounds bad to me.