Boffo, Jean Pascal - ∞

Year of Release: 2004
Label: Musea Records
Catalog Number: FGBG 4588.AR
Format: CD
Total Time: 55:47:00

With ∞French guitarist Jean Pascal Boffo delivers his eighth solo album, yet instead of placing the number eight in a vertical position he puts it in a horizontal way, turning the number eight into the infinity symbol. Ever since his first solo outing Jeux de Nains in 1986 (released first on vinyl followed with a remixed CD-version in 1996), Boffo has gone from strength to strength, introducing world music and getting better and better where studio trickery is concerned. In fact, Jean Pascal can be seen as the in-house producer for the Musea label, working together with a number of Musea artists and mixing and re-mixing a number of their releases. It's that mutual respect which has enabled Boffo to record and release a huge number of albums over the years.

Once again stuck in a nice yet sober digipack, this time around Boffo delivers a pure solo album without the help of guest musicians at all. Recorded between February and April of 2004, Boffo is in charge of all guitars, sequencers, keyboards, samplers and loops, as well as the necessary production, recording, mixing and mastering. How much more solo can you get? The twelve instrumentals on this album deliver a wide variety of guitar inspired compositions, also including several guitar techniques. It's as if you were to take the California Guitar Trio, but only keep one musician in the studio who's in charge of the entire scope. In "Goodbye Cocoon," it's as if you find yourself on the borders of the Nile and see flocks of birds flying by whilst the water returns to its source ? endlessly. In a way you could mention the name Robert Fripp regarding the adventurous approach of the electric guitar, which fuses jazzy moments with experimental elements. Boffo also doesn't use his sequencers and loops to sound like bland rhythm composers. The rhythm gets closer to the real percussive nature instead of sounding like a machine. Again this is the result of years and years of studio knowledge, as one can witness during "Etoile Des Manèges."

Working with backward loops happens during "L'astre Au Gnôme," creating a certain tension that builds towards a repetitive rock rhythm. This nicely alternates with the dreamy atmosphere of "Noon On The Moon," which could well be seen as the perfect soundtrack for tons of films. That's exactly what Jean Pascal Boffo evokes with his instrumental music. Close your eyes, absorb the music, and each and everyone of you will see original images in front of your very own imagination. The power of the Boffo music! With "Passages À Nouveau," Boffo sounds like an alternative George Benson, adding jazzy touches to the repetitive stream of aural delight. The album closes with "Infinitude," a collage of backward loops that maybe gets closest to the unique world of Sir Robert Fripp. For sure ∞ is not an easy album to digest, but most certainly an album that contains top quality music. If you take the time to get into it all then you will agree that there's plenty of nice original music to find here, whilst everyone will once again see what a unique talent Jean Pascal Boffo really is.

Tracklisting:
Toon Town (4:18) / Somnambule (3:50) / Carnavalse (4:12) / Fée D'hiver (4:16) / L'astre Au Gnôme (3:43) / Electroll (4:30) / Goodbye Cocoon (4:33) / Noon On The Moon (3:59) / Passages A Nouveau / Ciel-Ether (4:22) / Etoile Des ManèGes (3:13) / Passages À Nouveau (5:07) / Infinitude (9:44)

Musicians:
Jean Pascal Boffo - guitars, sequencers, loops, keyboards, samplers

Discography:
Jeux De Nains (1986)
Carillon (1987)
Rituel (1988)
Nomades (1993)
Offrande (1996)
Vu De Ciel (1998)
Parfum d'Etoiles (2000)
∞ (2004)
La Boite À Musique (2007)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin FR

Added: September 5th 2004
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.jeanpascalboffo.com
Hits: 2211
Language: english