Julverne - A Neuf

Great Belgian Chamber Avant Prog, their debut…1st pressing …Julverne were based out of Brussels in Belgium in the late 70's. The lineup: Pierre Coulon (flute, alto sax), Philippe Duret (clarinettes), Michel Berckmans (bassoon, oboe) [from Univers Zero], Jean Paul Laurent (piano, flute), Charles Loos (piano), Baudouin Dehaye (vibraphone), Jose Bedeur (acoustic bass), Denis Van Hecke (cello, vocals) [from Aqsak Maboul], Jean-Francois Lacroix (alto), and Jeannot Gillis (violin, tuba). Here’s what Mike McLatchey said of their A Neuf LP, writing for Gnosis website: “A Neuf was an even more mature effort, starting with an ambitious three-piece suite. While Julverne's chamber music approach implies a sort of serious study, musically there were bits of humor sneaking into the compositions nonetheless, such as the second part of the suite, "Un Peu Pretentieux" (“A Bit Pretentious”). Musically this is also true, with the ensemble's occasional tangents into sly, goofy, or zany territory. One may be listening to some beautiful arranged chamber piece before the whole group speeds off in another direction, as if Bugs Bunny was yet again leading Elmer Fudd off on another wild goose chase. In fact, if anything sets apart Julverne from cousins Univers Zero, it's this omnipresent playfulness. Only a group of skilled musicians and composers could pull off such a thing in such complex and involved compositions. Not a piece of music is anything but entertaining here, rich in ideas, spontaneity, dynamic diversity and mood. Perhaps it's more a tribute to such classy music that Julverne finds itself in such company with bands like Univers Zero in Belgium's most interesting lineage of experimental chamber music ensembles.”