Marc Ducret: L'ombra Di Verdi

This is music for those whose avenue to Jazz passed through punk rock. Don't get me wrong; Ducret doesn't play tuneless music that relies on speed provided by a drummer and bassist pounding out relentless, unvarying rhythm, or whatever your stereotype of punk rock is. His guitar playing is remarkably varied, as is the rhythmic drive. But whether he's playing loudly or softly, chords or single note runs, Ducret evokes the hard edge of punk rock, a rough edge that shows that he's more comfortable with noise than most Jazz musicians. That's a good thing. There are too many extremely proficient guitar clones. What we really need are guitarists who bring something original to their music. Ducret is certainly that. The music on this disc doesn't swing, it doesn't feature melody statements followed by improvisations on the melodies, the bass doesn't walk a steady line, the drums don't politely tap out the rhythm. Instead these three musicians are committed to creating something new and challenging. The music moves from soft to loud in a moment; from gentle to in your face without warning; sometimes it's driven by the guitar, sometimes by the bass, sometimes by the drums. There's no easy description of the music. The only characterization that is constant throughout is that Ducret, Chevillon, and Echampard pour a lot of energy into the music, a lot of presence into what they're playing, whether it be a quieter passage or a noisier passage. What comes across is their determination to make excellent creative music. They succeed admirably.

Visit Screwgun on the web at www.screwgunrecords.com.

Personnel: Marc Ducret: electric guitar; Bruno Chevillon: bass; Eric Echampard: drums.

Track Listing: Dialectes, Lust, Description du Tunnel, Une Scene Surtout Se Renouvelait Chaque Jour, Tarot, Un Certain Malaise.