In the early '70s, L'Infonie was the leader of the countercultural movement in Montreal. The band's complex compositions and propensity for free improvisation, coupled with its stage antics and pop-spiritual philosophy, make it the cult band in the history of the Montreal avant-garde music. Its four long-deleted LPs remained items much sought after by collectors all over the world.
L'Infonie was born out of the meeting of two very strange men in 1967. Raôul Duguay (born February 13, 1939, in Val d'Or, Quebec), a trumpeter and poet already with two books published, met saxophonist Walter Boudreau at a poetry-music happening in Montreal. They began to improvise and an eternal friendship was born. They quickly put together L'Infonie, a contemporary jazz-rock orchestra workshop usually involving a dozen musicians (there might be as many as 24 at times) that quickly became part of every artistic happening in Montreal. Duguay and Boudreau developed a whole concept around L'Infonie, mostly drawn from oriental philosophy and all the ideologies that would later crystallize in the new age movement (of which Duguay would later become one of the strongest representatives in Quebec).
For it's second album, L'Infonie recorded Walter Boudreau's arrangement of Terry Riley's landmark piece for wind ensemble "In C," here re-titled "Mantra." Boudreau modified it in order to fit L'Infonie's possibilities, but he also added a rhythm section. Therefore, this is the grooviest version of "In C" ever recorded. The bass (electric) and drums support the piano's pulsation, while an assortment of percussion instruments are used to punctuate events as they happen in order to give the piece relief. Riley's score is made of 53 short events placed on a pulsation. Each player has to move from the first to the second to the third, etc., until he reaches number 53, but he can repeat each of them as many times as he wants. Therefore, the piece evolves through some kind of osmosis. This impression is very palpable in L'Infonie's interpretation. The studio they recorded in was using 30-minute tape reels, so the album fades out around number 48. In the liner notes, Boudreau announced the remaining part would be released on a future L'Infonie record, but that promise was never fulfilled.
Credits
Bass Guitar – Seuqcaj "Aleip" Siolav*
Composed By – Terry Riley
Guitar – Novy "Gnasbol" Uaedurt*
Liner Notes – Walter Boudreau
Narrator – Edualk Ts-Naimreg*
Percussion – Yug Ellepahcal*, Yug Niouth*, Erreip Esuleb*, Druognesy Rhonk*
Piano – Erdna Luap*
Producer – L'infonie, Tony Roman
Saxophone – Kcaj Redir*, Naej Dramig*, Naej "Cod" Eniatnoferp*, Erriep Tluaengiad*, Retlaw Uaerduob*
Trombone – Yug Rehcir*, Naej-Erreip Reitneprac*, Nylecoj Cnalbel*
Trumpet – Noel Htied*, Luoar Yaugud*, Sexy Xuopmahc*, Sevy Uaennobrahc*
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/linfonie-mn0001364142/biography
