DERNIER CRI

SIX CYLINDRES EN V was a bizarre and utterly unique avant-prog band that was formed in Reims, France in 1980 and stuck around for four years before disbanding in 1984. Literally swimming upstream in the commercial 80s, this band featured the lineup of Yves Colombain (trombone), Patrick Cuisance (saxophone, flute), Marin Favre (vocals, saxophone, violin, percussion, baryton), Yves Menut (vocals, trumpet, flügelhorn), Antoine Prawerman (clarinet, bass, vocals), Jean-Marc Sohier (tuba) and Benoît Proust (drums, percussion) and that's right, there was no guitar, no bass and no keyboards. Just brass instruments, percussion, violin and the occasional vocals.

The band's sole album DERNIER CRI ("state of the art") has pretty much been designated to the obscurity bins with only hardcore collectors sniffing it out as the album was only pressed a single time in 1984 with no reissues to date. Due to the dominant wind section, this band sounds something like a high school marching band you would see in a parade except modeled after the angular avant-prog antics of Henry Cow's "Western Culture" along with a few more festive moments that evoke Caribbean calypso all coupled with chamber rock in the vein of Univers Zero or Present.

For those rockers who insist a guitar and bass must be part of the equation in order to qualify as rock then this one will not appeal to you in the least however despite the lack of true rock instrumentation, SIX CYLINDRES EN V did an excellent job of imitating an avant-prog rock band with the sounds of jazz. For example Yves Colombain (trombone), Jean-Marc Sohier (tuba) and Marin Favre (baritone) weave a tapestry of grooves to provide an ostinato bass line while saxophonists Antoine Prawerman, Patrick Cuisance and the trumpeter Yves Menut create the avant-prog Rock In Opposition hooks that clearly place this in the same camp as bands such as Aksak Maboul, Miriodor and Etron Fou Leloublan.

This is frenetic music for sure and qualifies for not only the avant-prog tag but also features plenty of spastic zolo moments as well as just good old-fashioned avant-garde jazz as the saxophone squawks are often out of the Ornette Coleman playbook. This is pretty much an all instrumental album with a few smatterings of vocal utterances scattered about with no meaning. Considering the tones and timbres are pretty much set in marching band mode, SIX CYLINDRES EN V were quite talented in diversifying the individual tracks so that the album keeps your attention. For example while "Mobile" comes off as a freeform jazz number, "Wao" on the other hand sounds like a Balkan gypsy polka on steroids.

Perhaps one of the most unique prog albums to emerge in 1980s France that wasn't lumped into the zeuhl category, DERNIER CRI features an interesting mix of zolo-infused avant-prog with chamber rock unlike anything i've ever heard with seven fiery musicians who are excellent in cranking out their idiosyncratic visions. Released only once by the Ayaa label in 1984, DERNIER CRI certainly deserves a proper second coming on CD as this is some dynamic jazzy avant-prog that fans of Henry Cow, Aksak Maboul and similarly minded avant-proggers will love the heck out of. Quirky and charming at the same time like a group of mutant high school marching band members that went rogue. Cool stuff.