Provost/LaChapelle/Brochu: Live Au Va-Et-Vient

Canadian guitarist Sylvain Provost appears alongside electric bassist Norman Lachapelle and drummer Paul Brochu on this April 2004 live recording from Montreal's Le Va-Et-Vient club. Provost's previous album from 2001, also in a trio setting, included Lachapelle.

Provost's style is essentially mainstream and his largest influence appears to be Pat Metheny, with the same clear but slightly blurred notes on both the ballads and up-tempo tunes. However, you need to be prepared for the lengthy fusion track, "Short Life." The ironically titled piece is just shy of nine minutes and conjures up images of John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu period, plus the use of guitar electronics that McLaughlin may not have had access to then, but certainly Metheny has had the opportunity to utilize since.

Live gets off to a nice start with the up-tempo Lachapelle original "Repli Stategique" and continues with Provost's "Urban Blues." "Parfum D'Automne" features a lengthy electric bass solo from Lachapelle, as does the bassist's "L'Irlandaise." Then he is joined by Provost, tres Metheny, done effectively. The more fragmentary "Taramacouta" is is played aggressively by the group. Provost returns to mainstream territory with cleanly articulated work on "Le Foetus," and Brochu, who remains tasteful throughout, has his moments on "Short Life" and "Taramacouta."