Jazz Archives

The second record by this theater troupe is a far more relaxed affair than the chaos of Aurora. Gone are the screams and howls to a free-form squall of noise. Instead, Nicole Aubiat's voice, mostly spoken, rides almost continuously over the steady ethno-percussion jazz-rock of the band. Since the lyrics are all in French, and there are no instrumental stretches until the final track, "Nil," some listeners without knowledge of the language might be put off, even more so without the visual aspects of the performance. Though at times her voice and the music are evocative enough, even when one doesn't know the meaning.
The opener, "Le Train," is propelled by African percussion and steady vibraphone riff, while Aubiat's voice, sexy and throaty, seems to climax with the rising horn session halfway through the song. Most of the emotion of the record is in her voice, as the band carries off a trance-like funk groove on "Hey," or an eerie ambience with bird noises in "Les Oiseaux." "Nil" sinks into a dirge, while her voice becomes forlorn. The record comes off maybe too well mannered, especially following in the shadow of Aurora.

:::Review by Rolf Semprebon:::

Chene Noir - Chant pour le Delta, la Lune et le Soleil (1976)

1. Le Train (4:35)
2. Les Oiseaux
3. Hey...! (11:32)
4. La 7 (5:30)
5. Le Nil (11:05)

Credits
- Nicole Aubiat / vocals
- Thierry Bergerot / synthesizers
- Jean-Loius Cannaud / Flute, tenor and alto sax, vocals, percussions
- Jean-Pierre Chalon / drums, percussions
- Daniel Dublet / piano, violincello, congas
- Monik Lamy / vocals, percussions
- Philippe Puech / vibraphone, vocals
- Christine Schaffter / soprano sax, vocals percussions
- Pierre Surtel / sporano sax, vibraphone, vocals
- Abel Valls / bass guitar, contrabass