Jean Derome is a prime mover on Montreal's new music scene, but despite all his free improv units and large-scale projects, the man is first and foremost known in his native city as a jazzman. And
the Trio Derome Guilbeault Tanguay he formed with his trusty sidemen Normand Guilbeault (bassist) and Pierre Tanguay (drums) is a regular fixture in the city's modern jazz clubs. Yet,
Derome's jazziest side has rarely been documented on record (his two albums with the Évidence trio aside). For its first CD,
the Trio DGT focuses on its leader's compositions -- the unit is also known for its sizzling tributes to many neglected jazz heroes.
Derome has selected ten pieces written between the mid-'70s and early 2000s. Those familiar with the saxophonist's work will not be surprised to find a strong
Thelonious Monk influence in many tracks (especially the opener, "Marcher sur des Braises"), but several other names could be mentioned, from
Lennie Tristano to
Ornette Coleman and
Joe McPhee. The melodies are developed in unpredictable ways ("Pangolin"); the musicians fool around with polyrhythmical layers ("Marcher sur des Braises" again, where Tanguay plays a game of hide and seek with the beat) and are given a lot of freedom to weave their own voices into the written material. Highlights also include the tender "Vérone," the spiky "Étymologie," Guilbeault's solo in "Quek'un!," and
Derome's limping baritone sax in "Pangolin," a track named after an anteater-like animal. There is only one complaint: a redoubtable flutist,
Derome picks up the flute only once, for the closing "Michka," which is a shame.
10 Compositions is by far
Derome's most accessible album to date. Fans of his more daring projects (his longstanding duo with Tanguay, for instance) may find this one a bit light in the offering, but
the Trio DGT's modern jazz still steers resolutely clear from the mainstream. ~ François Couture