Club d'Elf

To the naked eye, Club d’Elf looks exactly like a world-class instrumental band: five or six fierce players laying down heavy grooves and exploratory solos on distinctive original material, as audience members dance or listen in rapt attention. To its fans, however, and its large and colorful cast of musicians, D’Elf is all that and much, much more.

The paradox and the power of the unusually named Club d’Elf become increasingly clear through repeated encounters. Unlike almost any other band, D’Elf’s personnel changes radically from show to show. Fans have their favorite configurations and players, but unlike groups where musicians’ tenures are finite, D’Elf-ians revolve in and out, reappearing in endless combinations. Beyond the cavalcade of characters, the music itself is in constant flux. Individual songs can vary dramatically from performance to performance as new alignments of players make every moment fresh. No two sets are alike. Yet the feeling and philosophy that animate D’Elf remain consistent, the product of the vision and dedication of leader Mike Rivard (aka Micro Vard) and the ongoing contributions of his talented collaborators. Devoted fans have been setting their clocks by the group’s bimonthly appearances at their home base, the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for twenty years now, and the message has traveled around the world.

Club d’Elf began in 1998 at the Lizard as a kind of controlled jam session, featuring Rivard’s friends and associates from various bands. Mark Sandman, the leader of Morphine, was an important catalyst, suggesting that it was time for Rivard to form his own band. An in-demand sideman, the bassist had earned notice with Jonatha Brooke, the Walkers, the Either/Orchestra and a Sandman side project, Hypnosonics. He envisioned a band that wasn’t built around the specificity and spotlight that frontmen usually demand, but one that would follow spontaneous cinematic soundscapes created by each member of the collective. Out of the original D’Elf jam pool emerged a core group, usually augmented by one or two other players from a rotating cast. The core was eventually honed to its essentials: Rivard and drummer Erik Kerr, followed eight years later by drummer Dean Johnston.

“I didn’t want to feed the musicians with too many ideas of what the music SHOULD be,” says Rivard, “because what keeps it fresh and alive for me is me being astounded by what other people come up with. The thing that really excites me is somebody coming in and taking over, taking us down avenues we haven’t traveled before.”

After establishing a devoted local audience, D’Elf’s reputation began to spread via a series of CD releases, widely circulated “bootleg” recordings, and shows on the road. The first out of town forays began with NYC’s fabled Knitting Factory in 2000 and van tours around the Northeast. Japan has welcomed the band for five tours, including a memorable performance at Mt. Fuji. D’Elf has also gone north to the Festival du Monde Arabe in Montreal, and south to Ecuador Jazz. Over the years, critics have knocked themselves out looking for superlatives in reviewing D’Elf’s live performances and recordings.

A ring of startlingly diverse players surround Rivard and Johnston, musicians who have toured with the biggest names in the business (from David Bowie to Mary Chapin Carpenter to John Zorn to Paul Simon, for starters), or led their own successful bands. Regular collaborators include John Medeski, Duke Levine, Alain Mallet, Paul Schultheis, David Tronzo and Mat Maneri. For all contributors, D’Elf is a special place, where they are invited to transcend ordinary constraints. Beneath its luxe surface lies a multifaceted reality, anchored in the band’s unique organizational dynamic and unconventional mission. Non-musical influences such as sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick’s themes of parallel dimensions and alternate universes come into play through the medium of DJ Mister Rourke. He serves multiples roles, as jester; disrupter; house surrealist, bringing a psychedelic and Dadaist perspective with his ability to drop the perfect sample into the mix.

The D’Elf environment is fertile in many ways. At the bottom IS the bottom. On electric and acoustic basses and Moroccan three-string sintir, Rivard, a Minnesota native, lays down a rock solid foundation no matter how syncopated and complex the music becomes. His compositions are written from below and create spaces where the superb guitar, keyboard, percussion, string, turntable, and horn players feel empowered to carve their own paths. Ever-changing combinations of bandmates inspire these fiery and intuitive players to fearlessly explore new approaches.

Within deceptively simple structures, the rhythm duo creates a seamless flow from meter to meter, groove to groove, in a rhythmic sleight of hand that can leave the listener wondering, “How did we get from point A to point B?” At other moments, telepathically or through sound and sight cues, the ensemble magically changes directions with such precision that it sounds pre-planned. “Rather than for the music to be jarring,” explains Rivard, “it should be like a sand painting that’s continually transforming from one scene to another, disparate but connected.”

A surprising and profound aspect of the D’Elf experience emanates from Rivard’s passion for trance music. In many cultures – even Western cultures, on occasion – music and dance are recognized as paths to transcendence. “Trance music in all its aspects has always been the underlying aesthetic of the band, that sense of losing time.” As a player with wide-ranging tastes and abilities, and a thinker with interests ranging across the arts and ideas, Rivard understands both the power of the active mind and the challenge of releasing oneself from thought. At the very core of D’Elf’s mission is its leader’s desire to allow himself, his musicians and his audience, to enter a place where there is no time and space, no ego, no limits. “In these troubled times, the ability to enter into that timeless realm is about healing,” Rivard notes.

Trance elements manifest themselves most clearly in D’Elf’s incorporation of Moroccan music, in particular, the music of the Gnawa, a pre-Arabic culture in North Africa, which stands among the world’s great trance musics. Early in the history of D’Elf, the rotating cast began featuring Moroccan players, including percussion/oud player Brahim Fribgane and later, sintir master Hassan Hakmoun. Over time, the Moroccan elements have been woven deeply into the fabric of D’Elf, reinforced by key performances before Moroccan audiences, whose knowing reactions cemented this direction. The trance-inducing properties of D’Elf’s Moroccan music have even unleashed startling responses in non-Moroccans, accessing some hidden universal part of their psyches. On another continent, Rivard’s travels in the Amazon jungle in Peru have added further insights into the links between music and trance.

No less important are the influences of more familiar touchstones of musical transcendence, including James Brown, Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, John Coltrane, the Grateful Dead, Miles Davis, and Remain in Light period Talking Heads, all of whom conjure the power to transcend time and space. Rivard the bassist is a particular fan of the nexus between the physical and the emotional found in the butt-shaking grooves of James Jamerson, Bootsy Collins and Larry Graham.

“The music that I first was inspired by as a teenager was the Grateful Dead, and that was when I originally became aware of music as a means toward heightened consciousness. I felt how the audience and the band formed a symbiotic relationship with the energy flowing back and forth, and that was a powerful revelation. From there I got into Miles and Coltrane and then groups like the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Sun Ra where the performance is a ritual, not just entertainment. My intention is to affect people on a deeper level. I want it to be entertaining, but also for people to look back on it say – yeah, that was heavy.”

Club d’Elf’s desire to move beyond the world of appearances and venture into the realm of the eternal is at the center their music. This metaphysical quest is embodied – much to listeners’ benefit – within one of the best bands you will ever hear – and one that rewards repeated listening. You can enjoy D’Elf any old way you choose it, but make no mistake: D’Elf intends to move your booty, excite your intellect,and ultimately join you in transcendence itself. Show less

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Press quotes:

“The roaring avant-funk of electric-era Miles (and) the legato drift of the Grateful Dead...Manic Berber bop, hypnotic Moroccan gnawa and blissful electronica are usually present in the mix as well...at its peaks conjuring a Derek and the Dominoes floating on a cough-syrup current. Heady music that doesn't neglect the tail.” -Steve Smith, Time Out New York

Press quotes:

“One of the most inventive and ever-changing bands in all of new jazz…The songs are great, the playing superb, the variety obvious but the main thing is that the spirit of the music is so strong and unique. There is simply not another band like Club d’Elf on the planet.” – Russ Davis, Jazz America

“Crushed between the borders of Morocco, jam band land and the kingdom of avant- garde jazz lies Club d’Elf…James Brown-meets-Sun-Ra.” – Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald

“Sounds like the lovechild of Pink Floyd and George Clinton, dropped in Marrakesh… some deeply psychedelic music.” – Marlon Bishop, WNYC

“A suite with many colors and moods, grooves, and melodies changing at a moments notice… Something about the idea of so many minds and hearts involved here makes this one a winner…If techno has come full-circle, enveloping [its] creator even as it points to another world, this party of relative soloists and collaborators keeps me guessing and wanting to guess.” – John Ephland, Relix

“Their music touches the present moment, and (their) experimentation (has) produced some prime musical fruits…the band is defined by its ability to flow between and fuse genres…a good group to see live.” – Eli Rumpf, Afropop Worldwide

“‘Electric Moroccoland/So Below’…masterfully mines a potpourri of global sounds and styles spanning, among others, Moroccan trance, dub-dosed funk, jazz fusion, hill country blues, and psychedelic rock.” – Jonathan Perry, Boston Globe

“…an incredible series of jams…sustain(ing) an intense, mesmeric vibe throughout. Overall, this stuff is simply world-class fusion, with excellent production value to boot.” – Mitch Myers, JazzTimes

“Even in our far-reaching and cluttered modern musical culture, it seems safe to suggest that there is no other band quite like Club d’Elf…(Electric Moroccoland/So Below is) a double-decker sandwich of liberating chant and mesmerizing jam…(which) transports you into a scorching, sandy desert that bursts into vibrant music and sound.” – Chris M. Slawecki, AllAboutJazz.com

“… consistently transcendent…a cauldron of modern textures and groove with a continued Moroccan hint…(Electric Moroccoland/So Below) evokes Miles Davis’s fiery ‘70s jazz-funk workouts.” – Paul Robicheau, Improper Bostonian

“There is enough beautiful, soulful, fascinating, infectious material there to keep you listening for months, and then some. These two discs are simply two of the best it’s been my pleasure to review for years and won’t be popping out of my car CD player for a long time!” – Rob Nairn, Bass World Magazine

“Club d’Elf’s polyglot is never less than compelling…(recalling) the best of Miles Davis’s live avant-electric shitstorms of the early ’70s.” – Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix

“(Electric Moroccoland/So Below) is a trip through a few hundred years of Moroccan musical traditions as filtered through D’Elf’s lens of psychedelia, breakbeats, dub and more.. Hassan Hakmoun’s involvement, along with that of other Moroccan natives and master musicians such as (Brahim) Fribgane and Haj Belaid, lend a sense of authenticity… It’s a wild ride.” – Drew Stoga, State Of Mind

“…well worth the price of admission and as compelling as anything I’ve heard so far this year.” – Bill Lupoletti, Globalagogo.com

“Club D’Elf makes electro-acoustic trance music of the highest order…where rock and Morocco get genuinely symbiotic…(Electric Moroccoland/So Below) is out of this world intoxicating…it will reconfigure your synapses, in a good way, if you let it. Don’t miss out on this one.” – Chris May, AllAboutJazz.com

“Club d’Elf makes music that’s all kinds of “out there,” but is also extremely complex and attempts something I doubt has ever been imagined, much less achieved. Here it becomes fully realized, and with truly enchanting results.” – Shannon Holliday, GoodSound.com

“Electric Moroccoland/So Below (is a) stunning double-album where jazz, freeform improvisation, rock psychedelia, glitchy turntablism and North African trance melt in one single cauldron.” – Nicolas Ragonneau, Paris DJs

“(Electric Moroccoland/So Below) offers a psychedelic stew of music with ingredients from around the world…infusing touches of electric Miles Davis and the Grateful Dead… (the music) adheres to a sacred principle of trance in Morocco…intended to help listeners abandon their sense of self and surrender to the sound.” – Jon Nolan, The Wire NH

“This trance-tinged groove syndicate combines the outer reaches of the celestial ether with the most instinctual yearnings of the inner psyche for a sonic incarnation of the cosmic id every time it takes the stage…(Club d’Elf) is defined not so much by its “on- the-bus/off-the-bus” exclusivity as its commitment to creating an open-ended venue for experimentation.” – Matt Bartlett, MySecretBoston.com

“If you want to experience the trance, jazz, improvisational, and dreamy sounds of North Africa via Boston, then Club d’Elf is the place to be.” – Matthew Forss, Inside World Music

“…a burbling cauldron of sound that ranges from the deeply introspective to the dance floor-ready. Though it is infused with the borderless spirit of free jazz, the music is nearly always held together by an omnipresent beat…It’s the Moroccan influence that truly pushes the sound into new areas—beyond jazz, beyond jamband.” – Jeremy Goodwin, Berkshire Eagle

“Electric Moroccoland/So Below includes everything from deep, downtempo trance to danceable groove-laden funk…an original and signature voice.” – Marc Gabriel Amigone, The Afrobeat Blog

“(Electric Moroccoland/So Below) is a seriously accomplished fusion of jazz, electronics, funk and space-rock with Moroccan folk music, particularly gnawa…heavily informed by the electro-voodoo-funk of Miles Davis’ mid-’70s recordings…Cultures and centuries mix and match in a way that never comes off as academic” – Jeremy Goodwin, Metroland.net

“The music reaches the spacier heights of jazz and electronica from a sonic home base in Morocco…psychedelia for the 21st century.” – David Luhrssen, ExpressMilwaukee.com

“…as informed by Zappa as it is indigenous trance, it’s a wild ride for the young world beater that wants to be impressed with something cool and well outside the lines. Fun stuff that is well made but doesn’t take itself seriously.” – Chris Spector, Midwest Record

“All-stars they are: Club d’Elf have to be one of the most fluent polyglot musical aggregations on the planet: straight-ahead and avant- garde jazz, Indian, African, Moroccan, blues, funk (always funk), pop.” – Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix

“Downtown jazz meets trance, Moroccan music, dub, electronica and jamband…the music’s ambitious in its scope but navigated smoothly enough and with enough chops to cause musicians out there to take notes.” – Tad Hendrickson, JazzWeek

“Club d’Elf’s Mike Rivard can draw from an unbelievable talent pool [and] with the studio, Rivard can put together any band he wants, whether they could all be in the same room at the same time or not. Great performances litter Now I Understand, but John Medeski and Mat Maneri deserve special mention (just check the Mellotron/electric viola feature on “Bass Beat Box”) for their near ubiquity on the album. Now I Understand isn’t an improvement over the live d’Elf shows; it’s a different side of the same organism. Consider it the polished gemstone to the uncut diamonds of the live releases. Excellent.” – Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide

“I love this friggin CD but I took it out of my car so I would listen to all the other CDs I’m supposed to be checking out for the channel [XM radio]. It’s been a month [since I listened to it]. And then there is it, like a drug, so I pop it in and all over again – I am hooked! What have you done to me !!!!??? This is one of my all time desert island CDs. You can quote me on that too!” – Michelle Sammartino, XM Radio

“Club d’Elf’s debut studio CD is the sound of a Dali painting…beautiful, surrealistic… eclectic, funny, technically impressive and, well, just awesome.” – Jon Nolan, The Wire, New Hampshire

“This music takes its time, and only repeated exposure to its delights reveals the depth of its identity. There is an overriding sense of construction behind the entire programme of Now I Understand, [yet] this is music whose democracy is as profound as that of any piece of free improvisation.” – Nic Jones, AllAboutJazz.com

“Put it on and go for a ride.” – Miles Jordan, The Chico News & Review

“It took eight years…but Boston improvisational collective Club d’Elf has finally captured this city. Led by bassist Mike Rivard, Club d’Elf’s first studio album, Now I Understand, translates the feel of a cross-city commute into music: layers of sounds from hip-hop to trance and a half-dozen world-music genres create moments of beauty…” – Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald

“If you want to hear a band who does it right, may I suggest Club d’Elf, whose Now I Understand (Accurate/Hi-N-Dry) is an album where you do not know what’s coming next, even after three or four listens. [With] incredible down-tempo funk jams, tranquil jazz, African percussion [which will] take you to the motherland, these guys refuse to stay in one place at any given time and it’s a joy to hang on and see where they take you next. Even with all of the diversity of music and musicians, it’s not scatterbrained or disorganized at all….It’s about unity, it’s about community spirit, it’s about one world, one music. Club D’Elf must have discovered some good hash somewhere, because once they hit that high, they thrive on the buzz and allow themselves to weave through it. All on one puff”. – John Book, musicforamerica.org

“Club d’Elf is a fusion workshop, somewhat in the style of later Miles Davis or the Mahavishnu Orchestra, drawing together a range of players in a variety of genres to plumb jazz, dub, electronica, rock, trance, and the music of the Middle and Far East, with a heavy emphasis on Moroccan styles.” – Chad Berndtson, The Quincy (MA) Patriot Ledger

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