Volume
Cellar, 2026
9/10
An assembly of some significant talent, Ensemble Infini blend free jazz, psychedelic and experimental ideas into 14 unclassifiable tracks.
“Free Parking Transcendantal” starts with the layered winds and ambience making for a very unpredictable climate, and “Jhaptala/Milford Spirit” follows with a shroud of mystery and droning via Marilou Lyonnais Archambault’s strategic harp.
Later on, “Black Hole” buzzes amid the dense sax prowess before Guy “Yug” Thouin’s acrobatic drumming enters, while “Cartoon” gets a bit spacey in its complex texturing and atmospheric gestures.
“Dream Story” and “Le sous-sol libre” exit the listen. The former makes great use of Belinda Campbell’s firm keys in a rhythmic landscape, and the latter carries a distinct dreaminess that’s atypical and intriguing.
The octet turn improvisation into a refined science, where electronic stabs and a collage approach to avant-garde music keeps us guessing and enthralled throughout.
Travels well with: Robert Humber- Into Air; Meredith Bates- The Observer Effect