Recording: Houle/Sorbara/Gill/McCarrol-Butler

Artist: François Houle/Joe Sorbara/Tania Gill/Naomi McCarrol-Butler

Song: [set 1 excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Most Popular Mic Touching Sounds), June 14, 2022.

François Houle/Joe Sorbara/Tania Gill/Naomi McCarrol-Butler - [set 1 excerpt]

Amongst the things that I didn't really notice I was missing was a night like this, where a visiting musician is given a chance to mix things up with some local faves. Unlike last time I saw him, Vancouverite clarinetist François Houle was playing without his cool effects rig, but there were still plenty of sounds to be wrung from his instrument as he was joined by Naomi McCarroll-Butler on sax, Tania Gill on piano and Joe Sorbara on percussion, stretching out through a spontaneous suite of ideas.

[François Houle will be playing a free and outdoor show with his quartet (including Gord Grdina, Mark Helias, and Gerry Hemingway) at the Jazz Festival, Sunday afternoon, July 3rd.]

Recording: François Houle & Nick Fraser

Artist: François Houle & Nick Fraser

Songs: [1st set, excerpt from 1st piece] + Sticks and Stones [composer: John Carter]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), September 30, 2018.

François Houle & Nick Fraser - [1st set, excerpt from 1st piece]

François Houle & Nick Fraser - Sticks and Stones

This wasn't the first chance I took in a set with an unfamiliar name based on Nick Fraser's presence — and is so often the case, it lead to a proper introduction to a visiting musician as well as a powerful spontaneous collaboration. François Houle was actually slightly familiar to me by reputation (he was in town not so long ago with Gord Grdina and plays with all the West Coast/Drip audio types) but it was really an inspiration to see him extending his clarinet's sounds through some creative pedal use, including some bent and warped loop action. Moving from tasty l'il dits and arpeggiations to frenzied blasts, there were plenty "excitatious" moments (to use Houle's phrase) through two sets.