Christian Pruvost: Ipteravox

Within the small cult of trumpeters who reinvent the sonic range of the trumpet-beginning with the late Bill Dixon, continuing with Americans Nate Wooley and Peter Evans, Europeans Franz Hautzinger and Birgit Uhler and Lebanese Mazen Kerbaj-underrated French trumpeter Christian Pruvost (a member of the Muzzix musicians collective based in Lille)) is still a rare bird. His commanding technique-of breaths, circular breaths, tongue-flutters and blows-enables him to deconstruct the basic blowing process into an orchestrated series of atomized acts, turning the trumpet into a two-way, in-out breathing apparatus, an extension of his own body. His sense of invention allows him to add rubber bands and tubes, and toys and ducts to the mouthpiece, and to the trumpet itself, expanding his habitat of sounds. These virtuoso techniques and gadgets are used in order to articulate a new sensual and poetic musical language.

These five improvisations feature Pruvost's different approaches. On the title track he demonstrate how the breathing-blowing process can be reconstructed as a rapid, percussive and talkative flow of sonic ideas. "Feedback Plate" is an adventurous research into the relationship between the trumpet bell and the microphone, turning the instrument into a device for controlling and modifying feedback, bringing to mind the similar work of British saxophonist John Butcher, but also employs the circular breathing needed by aboriginal Australian's playing the didgeridoo. "Fremestique" creates a serene storm out of long, low breaths, suctions and blows, while "Frax Bugle" extends the trumpet repertoire of sounds with a rubber tube. The closing "Toupie" is a mysterious, meditative tone poem where the trumpet becomes nothing but a metallic wind apparatus.

Challenging, imaginative and highly personal.