Brûlez les Meubles: Folio #5

Brûlez les Meubles (burn the furniture), a Québec-based avant-jazz duo, consists of guitarist Louis Beaudoin-de la Sablonnière from Montreal and electric bassist Eric Normand from Rimouski. Formed out of a shared passion for experimental improvisation and contemporary jazz, the pair has cultivated a distinctive sound over the years. Since their debut in 2016, they have released a series of albums that blend abstract meditation, and gradual ascension with modern simplicity, often collaborating with notable improvisers.

Folio #5, released on December 6, 2024, via Tour de Bras and Circum-Disc, marks a bold evolution, featuring acclaimed New York City-based saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, Montreal pianist Marianne Trudel and Rimouski vibraphonist Jonathan Huard. This drum-less quintet—its first without percussion—ushers in a spacious, nocturnal soundscape.

The album comprises six tracks, each demonstrating the ensemble's cohesive synergy and its commitment to exploring innovative soundscapes. The opener, "Argentique," establishes a haunting mood with Beaudoin-de la Sablonnière's guitar lines weaving through Normand's resonant bass pulses, while Trudel's piano seeps with a contrapuntal theme and Huard's vibraphone shimmers like moonlight on water. Laubrock's tenor sax lines add a subtle melodic hook towards the finale. Yet, she opens "Conscience du Tragique" with a raw, commanding statement before yielding to Trudel's delicate piano, which softens the track into a reflective dialogue. This interplay—between structure and freedom, tension and release—defines the album's core. "Vagues / Spider Song" stands out for its eerie, undulating textures, evoking a restless sea, with each musician contributing to a collective improvisation that feels both disciplined, textured and unbound.

The absence of drums amplifies the group's focus on melody and space, a choice that recalls iconic drum-less jazz groups like Jimmy Giuffre's 3. Yet, Brûlez les Meubles avoids nostalgia, infusing the sound with a contemporary edge—think atonal splashes, shifting harmonies and subtle nods to chamber music. The closing track "Folio #5" captures a live, unpolished energy, mixed masterfully by Bernard Falaise, where Beaudoin-de la Sablonnière's nimble lines segue into Laubrock's gentle articulations. Hence, they close the album with a serene outlook. For fans of adventurous jazz, this album offers a patient, rewarding journey—one that burns convention to build something essential anew.