Mörglbl

Mörglbl - Jazz For The Deaf - 2009 - Laser's Edge

Ahh, those silly French. I still don't even know how to pronounce the name of this band correctly, but Morglbl (yes, that is the correct spelling) are one hell of a talented trio! Their latest CD, Jazz For The Deaf (The Laser's Edge Records) is a 12 track CD full of musical chops and a lot of goofy, off beat fun. Morglbl features the talents of guitarist Christophe Godin, bassist Ivan Rougny and new drummer Aurelien Ouzoulias, and the all instrumental Jazz For The Deaf will totally find a home with fans of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, King's X, Frank Zappa and Primus. Guitarist Christophe Godin has the ability to channel a Vai or a Holdsworth in songs while never actual stealing from them. His linear phasing is uncanny but it never feels like he's copying anyone, which is a hard feat to pull off. Morglbl's 4th CD, Jazz For The Deaf is quite a heavier release than their previous CD's and new hard hitting drummer, Aurelien Ouzoulias is a large reason for this. Part Fusion, part Metal, Morglbl have a killer CD here and finding a bad track among this lot is a hard thing to do. Highlight tracks like "Borderline", "Jazz For Deaf People" and "Hell's Ball's" all showcase a great sense of humor as well as technical brilliance. Quirky changes and break downs are simply a lot of fun to listen to and actually made me smile and laugh out loud at times. These guys are just an awesome band. The strange name aside, Morglbl are a fun band to listen to and the combination of humor and musical wizardry is brilliant. Guitarist Christophe Godin is a stellar player and for shred guitar fans out there, he IS a player to check out. You won't be disappointed. For fans of American bands like Dub Trio and Bolt, Morglbl have that same offbeat wackiness with an even a higher level of superb musicianship. Jazz For The Deaf is a great, fun record that you will find yourself spinning over and over. I know that I did. Great guitar tone, great playing and a nice clean production, no clunkers on this one. This is a winner! I thoroughly enjoyed it. - Added: August 20th 2009, Review by & © Butch Jones: Score ***** © 2004 Sea Of Tranquility http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=8116

Imagine taking the eccentric sounding band Primus and an accomplished guitar shredder such as Steve Vai or Joe Satriani, and locking them together in a room to see what kind of mad experiments they could conjure up. This might give you an idea of the template that French instrumental trio Mörglbl is working off of as they unleash their latest effort Jazz For The Deaf. While I generally find most instrumental records of this nature tend to lean more towards lengthy excursions of guitar wankery I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the results here. The group has put together a solid album that, while it does feature a heaping display of musical chops, it more importantly also has well constructed songs designed to keep the listener engaged for the full hour long ride. Make no mistake about it guitarist Christophe Godin is the main focal point here as his blazingly articulate solos on "Myspacebook", The Bleach Boy" and "Jazz For Deaf People" make up a large portion of the band's sound. However, that being said the funky and muscular rhythm section of bassist Ivan Rougny and drummer Aurélian Ouzoulias should not be overlooked as their meaty backbone provides the solid foundation necessary for Godin's extended forays. The duo isn't content with simply backing him up as they are focused on accompanying him for the ride, making Jazz For The Deaf a true team effort in every sense of the word. The ever changing atmospherics on songs like "The Monster Within Me", "Stoner de Brest" and "Hell's Balls", not to mention the subtle doses of humor injected into some of these song titles, make for serious music but with a with pleasantly lighthearted feel to it as well. If you've never heard of these guys but enjoy instrumental music with stunning musicianship then I'd have to say Jazz For The Deaf is really no-brainer. You need to add this one to your collection. (originally reviewed for www.classicrockrevisited.com) Posted by & © Ryan Sparks, SoT Staff Writer on 2010-02-09 21:24:02 My Score: **** I/2 © 2004 Sea Of Tranquility http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=8116

It isn't hard to see how Mörglbl came up with the humorous title Jäzz for the Deaf for this album; combining jazz with hard rock, the French power trio (Christophe Godin on electric guitar, Ivan Rougny on electric bass, and Aurélien Ouzoulias on drums) doesn't hesitate to crank up the decibels. One can think of Mörglbl's approach as Scott Henderson & Tribal Tech by way of the instrumental hard rock shredders (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Randy Coven) with hints of Primus' eccentricity and angularity (although Mörglbl, unlike the vocal-oriented Primus, are strictly instrumentalists). Godin's guitar crunching can be quite metallic, which isn't to say that Jäzz for the Deaf is full-fledged heavy metal or alternative metal. There can be a fine line between metal and hard rock, of course; considering the way that Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, AC/DC, and so many others have been a part of both metal and hard rock, it isn't surprising that the terms heavy metal and hard rock have often been used interchangeably. But Jäzz for the Deaf's influences are really more hard rock than outright metal; nonetheless, there is no question that this 2009 release rocks aggressively hard, and Mörglbl combine that high-volume aggression with plenty of nuance and jazz complexity. No one would mistake this 61-minute CD for straight-ahead bop, but it would be a mistake to say that Mörglbl are strictly rock instrumentalists. Godin improvises in a way that shows an appreciation of both jazz guitarists and hard rock shredders, and Ouzoulias sounds like the sort of drummer who could happily listen to Alex Van Halen one minute and Tony Williams or Jack DeJohnette the next. Although fusion (as opposed to smooth jazz) isn't as plentiful in the 21st century as it was in the 1970s, quality fusion can still be found if one knows where to look for it -- and quality fusion can definitely be found on Jäzz for the Deaf. © Alex Henderson © 2013 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-for-the-deaf-mw0000819922

Jazz For The Deaf is an absolutely killer collection of instrumentals fronted by guitar-god-in-waiting Christophe Godin. Remember the name. What’s Mörglbl like? It’s progressive rock with a heavy guitar edge but always with a strong melodic foundation. “22 Oz” sounds like Robin Trower and Steve Vai guesting on King Crimson’s Red. Ivan Rougny’s elastic bass makes the slippery “Borderline” veer back and forth between Tony Levin and Les Claypool. Drummer Aurélien Ouzoulias has a punchy and crisp attack that cements every mix. Savage, twisted and beautiful instrumental rock music with a sense of humor. by & © TW on NOVEMBER 2, 2009 © http://classicrockmusicblog.com/what-im-listening-to/morglbl-jazz-deaf/

Mörglbl’s music is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Give the band’s “The Morglbl Trio !!” and brilliant “Grotesk” albums a listen. If you like this album and are finding it difficult to purchase the band’s albums, please contact this blog. [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 145 Mb]

TRACKS

1. Mörglbl Circus 4:21
2. 22 Oz 5:50
3. Borderline 5:12
4. Myspacebook 4:23
5. Stoner de Brest 5:22
6. Bleach Boy 4:28
7. Monster Within Me 5:26
8. Jäzz for Deaf People 5:59
9. Point d'Org 5:13
10. Hell's Balls 4:47
11. Untold Stories 5:37
12. My Little Man 5:02

All music composed by Godin, Rougny, & Ouzoulias except “Point d'Org” by Godin, Rougny, Ouzoulias, & Garcia and “My Little Man” by Godin

BAND

Christophe Godin - Guitar
Ivan Rougny - Bass
Aurélien Ouzoulias - Drums

ABOUT MÖRGLBL aka MÖRGLBL TRIO

MÖRGLBL, also known as MÖRGLBL TRIO, is one of the bands/projects by guitarist Christophe Godin (other two projects being CHRISTOPHE GODIN'S METAL KARTOON and 2G). MÖRGLBL is a French band (from Annecy), founded in 1997 (or 1996, according to lasercd.com). Godin decided to form an instrumental fusion rock band - he describes band's music as 'power-jazz-metal instrumental music' - along with Jean Pierre Frelezeau (drums) and Ivan Rougny (bass). In 1997, MÖRGLBL's first cd named "Ze Mörglbl Trio!!" was released and received good reactions from the French press. The band toured intensively in France, placing Christophe as one of France's top guitar players. In 1999, the band's second album "Bienvenue à Mörglbl Land" was released. After this release, they disbanded in 2002 - Godin was doing various projects in that period, but the band re-united in 2005, this time with Aurélien Ouzoulias on drums, and they released their third album, "Grotesk" in 2007.The band is playing an unique fusion of jazz and metal; although jazz-metal as a form was not unknown before, their fusion of styles is perfectly balanced and one of the kind, forcing a listener to question him/herself what actually defines each of the musical styles that MÖRGLBL uses as a part of their style. The music is leaving quite a lot of space for improvisations, and it's enjoyable and RECOMMENDED for anyone who's interested in eclecticism varying from jazz-rock shredding guru such is HOLDSWORTH to the 'post-trash' metal of PANTERA style, with a solid amount of furious PRIMUS thrown in. © Moris Mateljan, 2008 (sources compiled from the band's MySpace page, Godin's web site, and lasercd.com) © Prog Archives, All rights reserved http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4038

ABOUT CHRISTOPHE GODIN (WIKI)

Christophe Godin (born 1968) is a French guitarist and singer, notable for his work with the famous French bands Metal Kartoon, Gnô and Mörglbl. Godin plays a variety of styles, including heavy metal, jazz fusion, blues and more. Christophe Godin was born in Annecy, France. He has toured with some famous musicians, like Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (Guns N' Roses), Andy Timmons (Danger Danger), Mattias Eklundh (Freak Kitchen), Kiko Loureiro (Angra). Mörglbl shared the stage with Liquid Tension Experiment (3/5 of Dream Theater plus Tony Levin on bass) at US biggest indoor prog festival, NEARfest in 2008 for the festival's 10th anniversary. He also played with Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big), Frank Gambale (Chick Corea), Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson). Godin is known for his sense of humour, virtuosic guitar skills, energetic performances and overall wacky personality. These traits can be best observed in one of his live performances, where he does both the vocals and guitar parts in the Jimi Hendrix classic "Little Wing". Instead of playing the chords as they would normally be played, Godin played the arpeggiated versions of those chords using the sweep picking technique, all the while singing in time with his playing. Christophe Godin began his musical journey as a local guitar hero in several bands which, unfortunately, never left any trace. In 1995, with Temple, Christophe played on an album that was properly distributed in France and received a wave of positive reviews. In 1996, he took part on Guitare Attitudes, a compilation featuring French guitarists, that allowed him to regularly appear on the French TV show Nulle Part Ailleurs (Canal +) as a guest guitarist. In 1997, he created, along with Ivan Rougny and Jean-Pierre Frelézeau, the Mörglbl Trio !! and released two albums ("The Mörglbl Trio !!" in 1998 and "Bienvenue à Mörglbl Land" in 1999). With this band, the doors to international distribution finally opened. In the meantime, Christophe, who's been a teacher at the E.T.M. of Geneva, Switzerland, since 1994 acquired a solid pedagogue reputation with the release of an instructional video (Heavy metal : les techniques) and the multitude of articles he wrote for dozens of guitar magazines. He became a regular guest at the M.A.I. of Nancy, France, and runs master-classes in the whole country. In 2001, he created Gnô, with Gabriel Vegh (bass/vocals) and Peter Puke (drums/vocals), and released "Trash Deluxe". Gnô was on tour intensively throughout France until 2003. Finally, simultaneously with his duo with Pierrejean Gaucher (the 2G, playing Frank Zappa covers alongside their original material), Christophe, for the first time, formed his solo project under the name Christophe Godin's Metal Kartoon, which includes two violinists/pianists/singers, one bass player/singer, one drummer/pianist/singer and Christophe Godin. The band tours since 2004, and the album is released in the fall of 2005. All the ingredients that made the career of the guitarist what it is are to be found on this record: humour, virtuosity, and a mix of jazz, funk and metal. Godin was voted fifth best international guitarist by Guitar Parts magazine.