Travelling are a
French band playing in the trio format (keyboards, bass, drums).
Musically they have links to Soft Machine, Robert Wyatt and ELP.
Keyboard player Yves Hasslemann has a fairly varied playing style,
incorporating classical, blues and jazz elements. In contrast to Soft
Machine's Mike Ratledge, Hasselmann plays piano more frequently, but
occasionally fuzz organ can be heard as well. Nice album with some
excellent piano and organ playing. Sjef Oellers In the mid- to late 60s,
free jazz was a prominent feature in the Parisian nightclubs and
overall had a strong foothold throughout France. On the vanguard for
this movement of jazz was the Futura label. Today the label has attained
a mythical stature; 1) because of the consistent high quality music the
label produced and 2) the scarcity of the product. In the early 70s,
the Futura label expanded its scope to include new and exciting
experimental avant rock music which seemed to mesh well with the style
of jazz the label portrayed. These albums were designated as the RED
series and debuted, naturally enough, with a band called Red Noise.
Perhaps the most accessible of these RED bands was Travelling, a
keyboard-based trio that probably represented best what the label was
about: Jazz, rock and an experimental inquisitiveness. Their sole album
is a combination of the early Canterbury movement circa Soft Machine 2,
the continental equivalent in Supersister, piano jazz and avant-garde
classical/electronics. In fact, the 18-minute title track has all these
elements which include Wyatt-esque vocals (however, here in French),
fuzz bass, fuzz organ, piano jazz, complex meters and echoed early
synthesizers/machines; a contrast in tight ensemble playing combined
with loose free improvisation. The other five shorter tracks are really
just the same though more contained within the environment of a small
composition. The closer demonstrates a melancholic sadness not displayed
elsewhere.
Line-up / Musicians
Yves Hasselmann/piano,Hammond organ,vocals
Jacques Goure/bass
Roger Gremillot/drums
Discography
Voici La Nuit Tombée 1973
1.Voici La Nuit Tombee
2.Flamenco
3.Passo
4.Soleil
5.Tout Compte Fait
6.ShemaListen or download Travelling Voici la nuit tombee for free on Pleer
Labels: Canterbury Scene, France, T
