"Hélène Sage, an iconoclastic orchestral woman and violin maker, sings, plays the double bass, all the flutes, the saxophone, the bass clarinet, keyboards and a thousand other bizarre objects that she has invented like her reed kettle that she spins above her head, her bow stools, her water percussions, and many other instruments resembling sculptures by Marcel Duchamp. Still, it sounds good!

Hélène Sage has a taste for original timbres as well as the most shaggy playing styles, concentrating on acoustics more than electronics. She is an outstanding improviser and a composer who walks with her feet on the ceiling."-Jean-Jacques Birgé (Drame.org)

-Helene Sage Website (http://helene.sage.free.fr/)
1/6/2025

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"Bernard Vitet (26 May 1934 - 3 July 2013) was a French trumpeter, multi-instrumentist and composer, co-founder of the first free jazz band in France (1964) together with François Tusques, Michel Portal Unit (1972) and Un Drame Musical Instantané with Jean-Jacques Birgé and Francis Gorgé in 1976.

Born in Paris, France, Vitet was involved in the early fusion of jazz and contemporary music with Bernard Parmegiani and Jean-Louis Chautemps. In the 1960s, he accompanied singers such as Serge Gainsbourg, Barbara, Yves Montand, Claude François, Brigitte Bardot, Marianne Faithfull, Colette Magny, and Brigitte Fontaine. He played with jazz musicians such as Lester Young, Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, Don Cherry, Chet Baker, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Steve Lacy, Gato Barbieri, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Martial Solal. In his early years, he performed with Django Reinhardt, Gus Viseur, Eric Dolphy, and Albert Ayler.

Under his own name he recorded Surprise-partie avec Bernard Vitet (on trombone!), La Guêpe on texts by Francis Ponge, Mehr Licht!, and about 200 other records with the aforementioned, plus Jean-Claude Fohrenbach, Georges Arvanitas, Sunny Murray, Michel Pascal, Alan Silva, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Hubert Rostaing, Alix Combelle, Ivan Jullien, Christian Chevalier, Jef Gilson, Jack Diéval, Jac Berrocal, Hélène Sage and 17 albums with Un drame musical instantané. In 1995, he co-signs the songs of Carton with Birgé, with whom he collaborates on music for films, exhibitions, and CD-Roms.

Vitet invented instruments such as a reed trumpet, a multiphonic French horn, a variable tension double-bass, the dragoon which is a giant balafon with frying pans and flower pots keyboard, a clever system of modal clocks, and astonishing musical objects for Georges Aperghis, Tamia, and Françoise Achard. Besides trumpet, he sang and played flugelhorn, piano and violin.

He composed theatre music for Jean-Marie Serrault, and for the films (Les coeurs verts by Édouard Luntz, L'ombre de la pomme by Robert Lapoujade with Jean-Louis Chautemps, Bof by Claude Faraldo in collaboration with Jean Guérin, and La femme-bourreau by Jean-Denis Bonan.

From 1976 to 2008, he devoted himself primarily to Un Drame Musical Instantané with Jean-Jacques Birgé, improvising and composing hundreds of pieces together, experimental essays as well as symphonic pieces, songs as well as music for films. Un D.M.I., as a trio or with their 15-piece orchestra, presented multimedia shows involving cinema, video, literature, dance and new technologies."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Vitet)
1/6/2025

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"Mark Tompkins is an American-born dancer, choreographer, and teacher who has been a significant figure in the French contemporary dance scene since the 1970s. He is known for his improvisational work and collaborations with various artists. Tompkins has also been involved in integrating video into live performances, notably collaborating with video artist Luc Riolon in the 1980s to blend live and pre-recorded images on stage."-Numéridanse-Numéridanse 1/6/2025

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"Michele Buirette is a French accordionist, singer, and composer known for her contributions to French chanson and world music. She has collaborated with various artists and has been involved in theater productions, providing musical accompaniment and compositions."-Squidco 1/6/2025

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Daniel Laloux is a French actor, musician and author, known for his work with Daevid Allen's Gong.

-Reims Punk 'n' Roll (http://reimspunknroll.free.fr/past_sixties.htm#laloux)
1/6/2025

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"Music composer, film director, multimedia author, sound designer, writer, Jean-Jacques Birgé considers music essentially in the audio-visual relationship, or at least in its confrontation with other forms of artistic expression.

Founder of Disques GRRR, he was one of the first synthesists in France in 1973, and with Un Drame Musical Instantané the precursor of the return to the cine-concert in 1976. If his first electronic work dates from 1965, he composes as well for symphonic orchestras that he improvises freely with musicians from the most diverse backgrounds. For his "radiophonic" creations and his multimedia shows (live zapping on the big screen, fireworks, choreographies...), improvisation and preliminary writing merge, the original electroacoustic treatments are integrated with traditional instruments to create evocative musical fictions that he calls musique à propos.

From 1995, he became one of the most popular sound designers in multimedia and a specialist in interactive musical composition, seeking to deepen the effects of meaning and develop an ever-wider range of emotions. As part of his work on major exhibitions, he recently worked at the Louvre Museum, the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, the Grand Palais, the Panthéon, the Palais de Tokyo, the ZKM...

Alongside around fifty vinyls and CDs, his website drame.org offers 105 unreleased albums (191 hours!) for free listening and downloading.

He has been running a daily, activist and supportive blog for 20 years and gives conferences on the relationship between sound and image."

-Jean-Jacques Birge Website (Drame.org) (Translated by Google) (http://www.drame.org/2/bio.php)
1/6/2025

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Francis Gorgé, aka Frank Bugs, is a French composer and virtuoso guitarist, born 1953 in Paris. He is known for his work with Jean-Jacques Birgé on the GRRR and Souffle Continu labels.

-Discogs (https://www.discogs.com/artist/509595-Francis-Gorg%C3%A9?srsltid=AfmBOorp1pOx5BupdYBZBdDTFbfnH7y7TOS5WU2FXPVhiBY12FNbXmum)
1/6/2025

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"Elodie Gonzalez is a French dancer and choreographer who has worked with several contemporary dance companies. She has been involved in performances that blend dance with other artistic disciplines, showcasing a versatile approach to movement and expression."-Squidco 1/6/2025

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"Ismel Da Silveira is a dancer and choreographer specializing in Afro-Brazilian dance forms. He has taught and performed internationally, promoting the rich cultural heritage of Afro-Brazilian dance and its contemporary applications."-Squidco 1/6/2025

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"Karine Saporta is a French choreographer, dancer, photographer, and short film director, recognized as one of the most prominent figures in French dance. Born in France to a Russian mother and Spanish father, she began dancing at the age of five and studied ballet at the National Conservatory. Saporta holds a degree in philosophy and a master's in sociology from the University of Paris. She founded the Compagnie Karine Saporta to redefine contemporary modern dance, drawing influences from Indian dance, urban/hip hop, and other global dance forms. She has served as a professor at the University of Évry Val d'Essonne and has held positions such as president of the Dance Commission and vice-president of the Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers in France (SACD). In 1989, she became Director of the Centre Choreographic National (CCN) of Caen / Basse-Normandie. Saporta choreographed dances for Peter Greenaway's 1991 film "Prospero's Books" and has created works set to music by Michael Nyman. She is a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur."-Wikipedia-Squidco 1/6/2025

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