Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Forgas Band Phenomena: Acte V

3

Forgas Band Phenomena: Acte V

By

Sign in to view read count
Forgas Band Phenomena: Acte V
Drawing comparisons to a pro football team, this band would most assuredly make the playoffs every year. Highly acclaimed, the French unit led by drummer Patrick Forgas looms as a proven commodity within the upper echelon of progressive rock. The album presents a potpourri of fusion and jazz-rock that translucently incorporates the blitzkrieg improvisational segments of familiar persuasions, yet the artists' bring much more to the table.

One of the trademark components of the septet's sound is attributed to an artsy melding of attractive melodies, somber interludes, and yearning choruses, often spiced with blaring horns and regimented arrangements. However, they often shift gears rather seamlessly, with all the complex parts liquefying into alternating cadences, marked by sonorous theme-building episodes. Here, the band does not disappoint, abetted by memorable compositions and subtly rendered paradigm shifts.

Electric guitarist Benjamin Violet's steamy wah-wah lines on "Loin d'Issy" establishes the undercurrent for the horn playerss' linear unison runs, segueing into a jazz fusion-on-steroids aura. The band infuses harmonically appealing lines via violinist Karolina Mlodecka's soaring staccato phrasings atop a frothy groove, and rebuilds the primary theme with lyrically resplendent dreamscapes over a thrashing impetus.

The multihued saga continues throughout the majority of the album as rhythms transform into regenerated motifs tinted with fragmented ostinatos, orbital passages, and energized improvisational forays. However, the septet often aims for the heart, where it triumphantly merges passion, power, nuance and classical inferences that are staples of its ongoing constitution. Also included is a DVD of the band performing live at the now defunct NEARfest prog-rock gala in Bethlehem, PA.

Track Listing

CD: Corps Et Ames; Loin d'Issy; George V; Ultraviolet; Feu Sacré; Midi-Minuit. DVD: Live at NEARFest 2010

Personnel

Forgas Band Phenomena
band / ensemble / orchestra

Patrick Forgas: drums; Sebastien Tregnon: tenor, alto and soprano saxophones, flute; Dimitri Alexaline: trumpet, flugelhorn; Benjamin Violet: guitar; Karolina Mlodecka: violin; Igor Brover: keyboards; Kengo Mochizuki: bass.

Album information

Title: Acte V | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: Cuneiform Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.