echoesofhenrycow

This album should in no way be mistaken for a "tribute" to Henry Cow, let alone a faithful recreation, in spirit and/or letter, of their music, rather – and this is how the title chose by Michel Édelin should be understood - its echoes (much transformed during its long journey through time, space, memory and the mysterious twists and turns of the creative process) in his own musical inner world. Aymeric Leroy,

Excerpts from the liner notes Aymeric Leroy,

Henry cow was an iconic English band labelled (spuriously perhaps) “progressive” or as belonging to the “Canterbury Scene”. In the same period, I was flautist with Triode, whose music was considered by certain critics to be part of the same Socio-musical movement. I wanted to establish a link between what was then and what is now - as interpreted by us. To do so: I asked John Greaves, a fundamental element in the Henry Cow story, to join us as “Special guest”. Re-arranged certain H.C. compositions. Composed additional material. Left ample opportunity and creative scope for these exceptional musicians to freely improvise.

AWARD: Selection of the 5 best records in 2019.
Michel Edelin ”Echoes of Henry Cow” (Rogueart label) in 2nd position after “ballades” by Ahmad Jamal (Jazz Village / PIAS)
"(...) Michel Edelin, intrepid flautist, daring as well as discreet". Le Monde. Francis Marmande.

Oh, the wonderful concert of Michel Edelin's quintet and his Echoes of Henry Cow! Free and alive music served by Sophia Domancich, Stéphane Kerecki, Simon Goubert and Sylvain Kassap. And a luxury reciter, Mr. John Greaves!

"Michel Edelin, gigantic flutist of the size of his innovations (he literally reinvented the instrument) ... The line-up was perfect and exquisite. Exquisite defines this disc which is not a collection of studious re-readings but a total commitment in the spirit of Henry Cow, a standard ideal of non-standardized music.." (GUY DAROL).

"A real great moment of music. To accede to the request of the enthusiastic public, Michel Edelin returns, as an encore, for what he calls 'a little song', played in duet with Simon Goubert's drums, played with bare hands: extra happiness" (Xavier Prévost)

Surely, one of the great jazz moments of the 2019 edition of the festival.
(...) Last night, all life, the real life of jazz was concentrated in 90 minutes of free music and unhindered, beautifully served by a seasoned team.
(...) What seduces in this concert, beyond the cohesion of the group that can raise the music to a very high level of density ("Ruins" or "Beautiful As The Moon", for example), beyond the individual commitment of each musician, beyond the rigorous writing of the source compositions, it is this feeling of being embarked on a path whose destination we do not necessarily know.
(...) I evoked in my previous column NJP the "jazz lesson" given to the Chapiteau de la Pépinière by Marc Copland, the Echoes Of Henry Cow are another one ..
Denis Desassis (Citizen Jazz)Nancy Jazz Pulsation Festival 2019

“(…) Michel Edelin is surrounded by the best line up ever. (…) Michel Edelin's flute highlights moments of beauty emanating from themes that are close to 40 years old and that give a shudder. Disc smartly led. Successful bet. Philippe Renaud Improjazz Translation

**** “The musical themes of the famous British band (...) are the starting point of very sensual, intimate and lyrical improvisations. (...) The fire and the unquestionably innovative invention of Edelin make the borders disappear, stylistic, temporal, cultural, linguistic or geographical.
"Echoes of Henry Cow" is a festival of collective intelligence and artistic daring, which combines beauty and precision with the vibrant emotions of a powerful jazz. That's how contemporary and free jazz can sound!” Witek Leśniak Multikulti Project (Poland, translation)

“(…) This is a mustfor Henry Cow fans and curiosity seekers. An interesting new grooveon an old yet ageless band, where jazz meets rock.
Steve Dalachinsky Brooklin Rail NYC

Including musicians involved with the Canterbury scene (Sophia Domancich), Magma (Simon Goubert) and Henry Cow's own John Greaves narrating, French flutist Michel Edelin's Quintet takes on the music of Rock in Opposition legendary band Henry Cow, ten inventive "echoes" of their music as it has transformed performers and listeners over time; exceptional. (SquidCo - USA) Helen Stapinski

Echoes of Henry Cow – but very jazzy ones, too – as this combo uses songs of the famous British group as a launching point for more lyrical improvisation, topped nicely with a range of work on flutes from group leader Michel Edelin! John Greaves is a guest on a few tracks, and delivers spoken passages originally penned by Chris Cutler – but the strongest appeal of the set is the way that Edelin reworks the spirit of the songs, and shakes off some of their more outdated modes – really creating a sense of surprising freshness throughout.(…) Dusty Groove NYC

"(…) Finally, with" Echoes of Henry "(Rogueart 2019), we find this trend of French jazz to be inspired by the progressive rock, often English, of the seventies, a progressive jazz. Flautist Michel Edelin offers us this title word of words in memory and echo of the group Henry Cow, which he once met on stage and highly appreciated. He is accompanied to perfection by Sophia Domancich on piano, Sylvain Kassap on clarinets, Stéphane Kerecki on double bass, Simon Goubert on drums, and on some John Greaves titles as a harsh and murmured voice narrator, who was bassist and singer of the mythical group. From this meeting in time and musical space is born today a jazz very written and able to escape at the slightest detour. An important album of this progressive jazz current. Alain Lambert (Musicology) Translation

"What a pleasure to know that musicians on the jazz scene are celebrating without paraphrasing the music of this great band, Henry Cow!" (...) If we can guess the admiration that the quintet brings to unclassifiable music that the exegetes will identify in a sometimes fugitive way (and this is where we must hear the idea of an echo: so on the taken from "Beautiful As The Moon", probably the top of the album), we understand very quickly that it is here to go beyond the inspiration and anchor the subject in an idiom that bears the colors of a contemporary jazz.
(...) 40 years after the end of this English story, Michel Edelin's quintet brings back the music of Henry Cow through his own language, imbued with a true love for the imagination that it continues to convey. "
Denis Desassis Citizen Jazz

“ (…) Rich music, contemporary jazz, virtuosity of every moment, rare formation, addition of talents which multiplies the possibilities, sharp sense of the changes of rhythms and sound atmospheres, poetic texts rich of sense, english words, french words, intertwined solos, duets, trios, quartets, quintets, sextets: what a gift for the ears music lovers who had made the good choice.(…) » Jacques Boyer Jazz Rhône Alpes L’Info du Jazz Vivant (Translation)

"(...) The flutist whose name has been associated with so many other names in jazz (and here I am thinking in particular of Jean Jacques Avenel who was his bassist) has managed a master stroke. Indeed, he improvised and composed around parts of a progressive seventies British rock band, Henry Cow, founded by Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. (...). Brilliant concert of collective intelligence and daring, ended by a “one more !” demanded by a conquered public! (Florence Ducommun Jazz Culture) »Translation

"Your concert was wonderfuland both spectators and professionals were very excited about the discovery.
The music was more than our welcome, it was a pleasure and an honor to welcome you to our festival.
Patricia Jochheim "Festival Like a Jazz Machine". Luxembourg) Translation

"(...) The energy of this distant time was there, translated into the commitment of the collective (Michel Edelin, Sophia Domancich, Sylvain Kassap, Stéphane Kerecki and Simon Goubert) at the service of their creation. Pertinent by impertinence, innovators by essence, they made intelligence speak rather than science (...)
Yves DORISON Culture Jazz

(…)is a relaxed yet technical challenging exercise in modern creative jazz.
realize and fully appreciate the beauty and appropriateness of Edelin’s approach.
(…) after enough listens you’ll find that it is named in a fitting manner. Not to mention offering a compelling set of tunes that are suitably angular and unpredictable. AMN Reviews