Fred Frith & Lol Coxhill — French Gigs

Originally released back in 1983, French Gigs is a wonderful dangerous and fiery selection of improv bringing together two of the most respected and versatile names in the scene- guitarist Fred Frith, and sax player Lol Coxhill, both of whom will need little introduction to those who enjoy the more edgy/ experimental side of jazz.

This reissue appeared late last year of Klanggalerie- coming as a CD presented in a bright red, black and white digipak that features on its front cover two goat skull-headed humanoid figures dancing. Inside we find a short write up by Frith on how the pair met, and full track credits.

The release opens with the longest track here “Reims”- it runs at just over the twenty-five-minute mark and boy does it never lets up/ lessen its searing-to-shifting attack. The track finds  Coxhill’s horn work moving between chatting jitters, onto fired-up wails, though to rapid bays and cascading honks. While Firth guitar shifts and melts through pick rustles, neck fumbles, groove-like tapings, warbling highs and mid-range spacy chimes. Together the pair create a wonderfully vivid and dangerous darting track- It's a damn fine opener!.

As we move through the album, we come to wonky guitar chime ‘n’ lumbering beast feedback-meets-searing warbling sax tones of the track "Poitiers". We have honking flirts-meets-stretched spring guitar bangs and simmer of “Limoges”. With the album been topped off with “Aubervilliers” where we find the slow wailing- to -honking sax meeting guitar neck bangs and stark reverb swim/ simmer, with a side order of whistling.

It’s great to have this classy slice of edgy and creatively fired-up improv back in print once again- with Klanggalerie doing a simple yet effective recreation of the original packaging  I wonder if these two did any other work together because it would certainly great to hear it- as throughout French Gigs they are both firing on both cylinders.