Miriodor
{{short description|Canadian musical group}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Miriodor
| image =
| caption =
| image_size =
| landscape =
| alias =
| origin = Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| genre = Rock in Opposition, jazz, progressive rock
| years_active = 1980–present
| label = Cuneiform Records
| associated_acts =
| website = {{URL|miriodor.com}}
| current_members =
- Pascal Globensky
- Rémi Leclerc
- Bernard Falaise
- Nicolas Lessard
| past_members =
- François Émond
- Sabin Hudon
- Marc Petitclerc
- Denis Robitaille
- Nicolas Masino
}}
Miriodor is a Canadian musical group of the Rock in Opposition movement; the band combines jazz, progressive rock and chamber music into a powerful sound reminiscent of artists like Univers Zéro or Art Zoyd.
History
Miriodor was founded by François Émond and Pascal Globensky in 1980. By 1983 the band consisted of Émond (violin, flute, keyboards, clarinet), Globensky (keyboards, acoustic guitar), Rémi Leclerc (percussion), Sabin Hudon (saxophone), Denis Robitaille (guitar, bass, vocals) and Marc Petitclerc (keyboards). In 1986, this line-up independently released the album Rencontres.{{cite web |title=Miriodor – Rencontres |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/438306-Miriodor-Rencontres |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=10 December 2021}}{{cite web |title=Artist Bio, Miriodor |url=http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/bandshtml/miriodor.html |website=cuneiformrecords.com |publisher=Cuneiform Records |access-date=10 December 2021}}
In 1984, Émond, Globensky, Leclerc and Hudon moved to Montreal, and began recording. One song, “Middle Ages”, appeared in the audio magazine RēR Quarterly. In 1987, they independently released two albums: Tot Ou Tard and Metam Orpho Sis.{{cite web |title=Miriodor – Tôt Ou Tard |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/1877577-Miriodor-T%C3%B4t-Ou-Tard |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=10 December 2021}}{{cite web |title=MiR ioDor – Metam Orpho Sis |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/20293609-MiR-ioDor-Metam-Orpho-Sis |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=10 December 2021}}
Émond left the band in 1987. In 1988, the band was signed by Cuneiform Records and recorded the album Miriodor, which included many of their previously-published songs.{{cite web |title=Miriodor – Miriodor |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/438312-Miriodor-Miriodor |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=10 December 2021}}{{cite web |title=Miriodor by Miriodor, Customer Reviews |url=https://www.amazon.com/Miriodor/dp/B01MG0ORD1 |website=amazon.com |publisher=Amazon |access-date=10 December 2021}} The album was released worldwide; they played the 1988 Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville and, with the help of the l’Agence Québec/Wallonie-Bruxelles pour la jeunesse (the agency for international co-operation between Belgium and Quebec), toured in Belgium and France in March 1989.
In 1991, Cuneiform released Miriodor’s 3rd Warning.{{cite web |title=Miriodor – 3è Avertissement = 3rd Warning |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/1014468-Miriodor-3%C3%A8-Avertissement-3rd-Warning |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=10 December 2021}} The band played the Festival des musiques de création du Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean and the International Computer Music Conference. Bernard Falaise (electric guitar and bass) joined the band in 1993. The quartet recorded the song "Promenade sous zéro", which appeared on the compilation album Unsettled Scores.{{cite web |title=Various – Unsettled Scores |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/3740117-Various-Unsettled-Scores |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=10 December 2021}}
In 1996, Miriodor released the album Elastic Juggling.{{cite web |title=Miriodor Jongleries Élastiques (Elastic Juggling) |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/jongleries-%C3lastiques-elastic-juggling-mw0000592855 |website=allmusic.com |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=10 December 2021}} Sabin Hudon left the band mid-process; he was replaced by Nicolas Masino (bass, keyboards), and they performed at ProgScape ‘96 in Baltimore, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, and at La Maison du Québec in St-Malo (France).{{cite web |title=ProgScape 1996 Setlists |url=https://www.setlist.fm/festival/1996/progscape-1996-7bd74240.html |website=setlist.fm |publisher=SetList |access-date=10 December 2021}} In 1998, Marie-Chantal Leclair (saxophones) joined the band. In 1999, Miriodor recorded the score for the documentary film Almanach, produced by the National Film Board of Canada.{{cite web |title=Almanach Credits |url=https://www.nfb.ca/film/almanach/ |website=nfb.ca |publisher=National Film Board of Canada |access-date=11 December 2021}}
In October 2000, Miriodor played at Chicago's HotHouse, and at Edgefest, an Avant-garde festival in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Their album Mekano, was released in September 2001, now with the addition of violinist Marie-Soleil Bélanger.{{cite web |title=Miriodor – Mekano |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/3161145-Miriodor-Mekano |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=10 December 2021}} Miriodor performed at the progressive rock festival NEARfest in Trenton, NJ in 2002 and 2003.NEARfest in Trenton, NJ in 2002 and 2003.
By 2011, Miriodor was back to a trio, of Falaise, Globensky and Leclerc, and they recorded their 2013 album, Cobra Fakir.{{cite web |title=Miriodor – Cobra Fakir |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/613630-Miriodor-Cobra-Fakir |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=10 December 2021}} Nicolas Lessard (bass guitar/keyboards) joined Miriodor, and the band premiered the material live on Sat. Aug. 31st at ProgDay 2013 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.{{cite web |last1=Berry |first1=Raffaella |title=...ProgDay 2013...Sept 2013 |url=https://www.prog-sphere.com/reviews/live-review-progday-2013-still-crazy-after-all-these-years/ |website=prog-sphere.com |publisher=Prog Sphere |access-date=11 December 2021}} In 2014, they played Seattle's Seaprog festival.{{cite web |title=Seaprog Festival in Seattle June 20-22, May 2014 |url=https://avantmusicnews.com/2014/05/27/seaprog-festival-in-seattle-june-20-22/ |website=Avant Music News |publisher=avantmusicnews.com |access-date=11 December 2021}}
In 2017, the band released the album Signal 9.{{cite web |title=Miriodor – Signal 9 |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/1361896-Miriodor-Signal-9 |website=discogs.com |publisher=Discogs |access-date=10 December 2021}} The album is dedicated to Miriodor co-founder François Émond, who died that year.
In 2022, the band released the album Elements.{{Cite web |title=Elements, by Miriodor |url=https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/elements |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Cuneiform Records |language=en}} As of 2024 they were seen as the opening act for the David Cross Band in the province of Québec.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-28 |title=Soirée légendaire : David Cross revisite King Crimson! {{!}} Les ArtsZé {{!}} 2024 Jacqueline van de Geer |url=https://lesartsze.com/david_cross_band/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |language=fr-CA}}
Discography
- Rencontres – 1986, Independent. Re-Issued 1998, Cuneiform Records
- Tôt Ou Tard – 1987, Independent
- Metam Orpho Sis – 1987, Independent
- Miriodor - 1988, Cuneiform Records, Re-Issued 1993
- 3è Avertissement / 3rd Warning – 1991, Cuneiform Records
- Jongleries Élastiques – 1996, Cuneiform Records
- Mekano - 2001, Cuneiform Records
- Parade + Live at NEARfest 2002 – 2005, Cuneiform Records
- Avanti! - 2009, Cuneiform Records
- LIVE 89 - 2009, ProgQuébec (recorded 1989)
- Cobra Fakir - 2013, Cuneiform Records
- Signal 9 - 2017, Cuneiform Records
- Elements - 2022, Cuneiform Records
Soundtracks
- Almanach, 1999, National Film Board of Canada
Members
The current lineup, as of 2013 (and 2017), is composed of:
- Pascal Globensky – keyboards (since album 1)
- Rémi Leclerc – drums (since album 1)
- Bernard Falaise – Guitar (since album 4)
- Nicolas Lessard – bass (since album 9)
Former members :
- Sabin Hudon — sax (albums 1–2–3–4)
- François Émond — flute/violin/keyboards (albums 1–2) (1964–2016)
- Marc Petitclerc — keyboard (album 1)
- Denis Robitaille — bass (album 1)
- Nicolas Masino — bass/keyboards (albums 5–6–7)
Other credited musicians:
- Claude St-Jean — trombone (album 4)
- Stéphanie Simard — violin (album 4)
- James Darling — cello (album 4)
- Jean-Denis Levasseur — flute (album 4)
- Ivanhoe Jolicoeur — trumpet (album 4)
- Stefka Iordanova — voice (album 4)
- Marie-Chantal Leclair — sax (albums 5–6–7)
- Marie-Soleil Bélanger — violin (albums 5–6)
- Némo Venba — trumpet (album 5)
- Lars Hollmer — (album 6)
- Lise Millet — (album 6)
- Pierre Labbé — sax (album 7)
- Maxime St-Pierre — trumpet (album 7)
See also
References
External links
- {{official website|http://www.miriodor.com/}}
- {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p21620}}
{{Authority control}}