DERNIER CRI

Six Cylindres En V was a short-lived combo from Reims, France, found in 1980.After some live performances they recorded an album for the RIO-oriented Ayaa label at the Bresse-sur-Gosne Studio in November 84' with Jacky Barbier as a producer.The line-up at the time was Yves Colombain on trombone, Patrick Cuisance on saxophone/flute, Marin Favre on vocals and multiple instruments, Yves Menut on vocals/trumpet/flugelhorn, Antoine Prawerman on clarinet/bass/vocals, Jean-Marc Sohier on tuba and Benoit Proust on drums.

A weird band indeed, in ''Dernier cri'' Six Cylindres En V produced out of fashion RIO music in commercial running times regarding the tracks' duration, influenced mainly by Jazz and even Classical Music, with their style being dominated by unusual rhythms and twisting lines.With a huge section of wind instruments their sound was basically driven by the trombone, sax, clarinet and tuba, offered in a classic 70's RIO style with some light atmospheres throw in for good measure.The music is quirky and usually dense with multiple wind-instrumental operations and little vocals, passing through melodic lines ala MIRIODOR and frenetic patterns with a sharp sax, a tricky trombone and a crying clarinet.There are some discreet Latin and Funk influences to be found, but the bulk of the album follows the marching sections and naughty exercises of the RIO movement.The one and only track flirting with the 10-min. mark, ''Midi a 14 heures'', is quite an epitome of the RIO fundamentals and propably very hard to be swallowed by the public at the time, full of inventive breaks and solos on wind instruments and some strong Jazz Rock tendencies due to a pronounced rhythm section.

Little info can be found around the band members after Six Cylindres En V disbanded in mid-80's.Menut propably remained within the jazz circles due to some youtube videos, Favre pursued a personal music career, while Prawerman played with the Jazz groups ''H'' Septet and La Grande Formation and worked as a producer.

Well-played RIO, more surprising is the fact that the band sounded totally uncommercial in a hard period.Nice little gem for fans of the style and lovers of wind instruments.Recommended.