Once again studio master / composer / bassist Guy Segers assembles a huge cast of progressive musicians to perform / improvise 8 new pieces. Guy’s methods of composition and collage remain as before, but each new Eclectic Maybe Band release brings a new perspective to the music. This time round harder, more brittle sounds emerge from an album with a very punchy attitude. A mixture of avant pop and progressive complexity.
– Aura Grace MSIMANG (Vocals)
– Fabienne VANDENPLAS (Vocals)
– Carlos CONGOSTO (Vocals)
– Guy SEGERS (Bass, Vocals, Virtual « Guitar-Synth-Organ-Bells- Percussion-Rim Shot-Taïko Drums-Bongos-Gamelan-Floating Sounds-Keyboards »)
– Geoff LEIGH (Flute)
– Pierre BERNARD (Flute, Spoon)
– Paul EVERAERT (Bassoon)
– Dirk DESCHEEMAEKER (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet)
– Joe HIGHAM (Soprano Saxophone, Sample)
– Martin ARCHER (Saxello)
– Mark BOGAERTS (Alto & Baritone Saxophone)
– Daniel STOKART (Alto Saxophone)
– Dave NEWHOUSE (Baritone Saxophone)
– Jean-Pierre SOAREZ (Trumpet)
– Luc Van LIESHOUT (Flugel Horn)
– Franck COTTRET (Trombone)
– Cécile BROCHÉ (Violin)
– Marianne DENOÏA (Violin)
– Jan KUIJKEN (Cello)
– Dem VINCKE (Cello)
– Henri GREINDL (Acoustic Guitar)
– Simon STEENSLAND (Guitar)
– Eric LEMAÎTRE (Guitar)
– Daniel VINCKE (Guitar)
– Michel DELVILLE (Guitar)
– Michel DELORY (Guitar)
– Catherine SMET (Keyboards)
– Andy KIRK (Keyboards)
– Rich O’MEARA (Marimba, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone)
– Sean RICKMAN (Drums)
– Daniel DENIS (Drums)
– Tatsuya YOSHIDA (Drums)
– Dirk WACHTELAER (Drums)
– Fabrice OWERZARZAK (Drums)
– Morgan ÅGREN (Drums, Percussion)
Once again, after the best part of three years, bassist and composer Guy Segers returns with the ever-evolving hydra-headed Eclectic Maybe Band. It feels that each album is a push on from the previous, with the number of personnel involved on Domestic Dragon amounting to thirty-five.
A large proportion of these musicians have appeared on previous albums and will be well known by regular Discus listeners and are obviously party to Guy’s MO of composition, improvisation, collage and studio editing that finds tracks going back to a live recording from 1991 being compiled into a remarkably cohesive whole. Clearly, with the number of personnel and the almost infinite iterations, the album, as per the previous collections, ranges broadly through styles and textures living right up to the group’s name.
Over the course of an hour and eight tracks that range from four to fourteen minutes, we are taken on a journey through the singular mind of one of the prime exponents of the bass guitar and the way it can be used as a thread that binds disparate musical approaches and ideas together. It is a solid sound, but one that is this time around has a stronger edge, as if they were pushing for more power.
The opening track, with its distorted guitar and slinky beat, has an edge that s helped by the PJ Harvey-like vocals of Aura Grace Msimang and the hot trumpet of Jean-Pierre Soarez. There is a duel between Aura Grace and Fabienne Vandenplas that works its way into the fabric of the song, and the sense of players weaving in and out is helped by the length.
The abstract pastoralism of their take on Dave Holland‘s “Conference Of The Birds”, aided by the flute of Geoff Leigh, is a change of tack, the waltz-like rhythm and the spoken-word delivery is further enhanced by a sexy sax break that turns up the temperature. It suits the sashaying rhythm and is a step away from the flute. So far, so diverse; and with only two tracks in, you can sense that there are more moods to cover.
There is a definite rock energy to “Meek Monsters” with its bombastic blasts, but space noises push it out of the ordinary, while “Jonction Nuageuse” has an odd but outstanding rhythmic structure. It feels as though it is taking place in a submarine, and is lazy and loose, as if the air were running out. Cécile Broché‘s violin is bareely recognisable, while the clarinet of Dirk Descheemaeker is the mystery element that seems to tie it all together.
“Inaltérable Offre” is a collective improvisation and here, as on “Jonction Nuageese”, there is a sense of unreality and it appears as a series of dreams, an unmoored bass riff tying the forgotten memories together as they threaten to drift away, exotic things flashing past windows with just a hint of their true nature. The irresistible groove and frantic violin of “Chateau Kafka” grounds things again, the elastic bass and lush bongos are impossible to stay still to, with lots of little interlocking sections keeping the pressure up to the end.
The album ends with the long form “Conquistadores” which, considering its length, is a supple and tricky beast, and perhaps best describes their intense catch-all approach as instruments dip in and out of the mix, shaking off styles like so many winter coats. They enjoy repeated phrases, then drift into near silence, raising the tension before a voice appears taking things in a part-Spanish, part-mystery direction full of mariachi despair that aims for the rarest of conclusions.
An extraordinary ending to another unparalleled feat with all players and vocalists lifting this beyond the ordinary and pushing the Eclectic Maybe legacy on one step further. – Mr Olivetti, FREQ https://freq.org.uk/reviews/eclectic-domestic/
This is the next chapter in the elusive saga of the Eclectic Maybe Band, created by Guy Segers. He continues to gather, cut, and paste recordings to craft a seamless whole. In total, the list of collaborators—who formed various iterations of the group—features no fewer than thirty-five names this time around.
The project Guy Segers embarked on was a truly monumental undertaking. Over the years, working as a bassist and running the legendary Carbon7 label, he built a global network of connections. For the Eclectic Maybe Band, he frequently reaches out to these contacts, soliciting contributions to assemble a collage or engaging in improvisation with them. ‘Domestic Dragon’ also incorporates archival material that Segers has (re)mixed. Welcome to a labyrinth where genres and boundaries simply do not exist.
From the very first notes, an initial ensemble drags you into a sinister gothic-prog underworld. Incisive guitars carve a path through this jungle, while vocalists add to the confusion of finding the right direction. Even Rich O’Meara joins the fray on marimba. Thanks to a driving horn section, there is no time to stand still or hesitate.
‘Conference Of The Birds’ is a 1991 live recording by the equally legendary Morton Fork Gang. A booming bass (!) and frenzied saxophone solos resonate through the speakers for over nine minutes—a version distinct from Dave Holland’s original. The sound of ‘Meek Monsters’ might best be described as having a metallic “distortion.” As with every track, there is an eclectic array of deviations, tempo shifts, and radical distortions; for the latter, listen to the bluesy intro of ‘Inaltérable Offre’ and what follows. Sun Ra once declared, “Space is the place.” Guy Segers and his Eclectic Maybe Band simply catapult the listener into another universe.
Alongside stalwarts such as Joe Higham, Daniel Stokart, Michel Delville, and Cécile Broché, the team of musicians also includes Luc Van Lieshout, Tatsuya Yoshida, Henri Greindl, Jan Kuijken, and Morgan Ågren (!). Anyone who acquires the Eclectic Maybe Band releases possesses enough material to map out the family tree of everyone who played even a minor part in a scene where prog rock, the avant-garde, the Canterbury sound, psych-pop, Material-style funk, and the most extreme forms of free music intersected. – Georges Tonla Briquet, JAZZ HALO
It is fortunate that Guy Segers put so much effort into ensuring that *Domestic Dragon* —the sixth Discus release by the Eclectic Maybe Band—d id not fall short of the standard. The album features “Cage,” a dark, hard-hitting track driven by baritone sax, trumpet, trombone, and two guitars that growl and tear; it is performed with Fabienne Vandenplas—Segers’ partner in the group Guts!—and features lyrics by the late township legend Aura Grace Msimang (who passed away in 2015). Back in 1991, Segers had covered Dave Holland’s “Conference of the Birds” live with the Morton Fork Gang, featuring Daniel Denis on drums and starring roles for Geoff Leigh on flute and fiery baritone sax. “Meek Monsters” and “Jonction Nuageuse” both originated on October 17, 2021, performed by a sextet featuring clarinets, trumpet, violin, Andy Kirk on keys, bass, and drums. The former is a fast-paced “monster groove” that distracts Godzilla from further stomping. The latter takes a dark, unsettling turn, again featuring blazing trumpet work from Jean-Pierre Soarez and Dirk Descheemaeker—whose clarinet sound, honed with groups like Maximalist!, Univers Zero, Julverne, Daniel Schell & Karo, and Wim Mertens, leads into the final crescendo. “Just In Exact” follows, performed by a septet with Tatsuya Yoshida on drums, showcasing an intricate interplay between strings, Morton Fork Gang saxophonist Mark Bogaerts, and flugelhorn. Yet another septet—featuring flute, trumpet, soprano sax, samples, keys, guitar, bass, and Dirk Wachtelaer on drums—delivers the gritty blues of “Inaltérable Offre,” a track whose core remains robust and intact. “Chateau Kafka”—performed by a nine-piece lineup with an uptempo, driving rhythm and animated by horns and violin—and “Conquistadores”—composed back in 1983 and played by a twelve-piece ensemble—share a common instrumentation of flute, violin, Descheemaeker, Soarez, Morgan Ågren (drums), Segers (bass), and virtual instruments, while differing in their use of trombone, alto and baritone sax (or bassoon), saxello, and guitars. The latter track, after a long stretch of frenetic, twitchy intensity, breaks off abruptly to make way for Spanish guitar, pathos shifting into a minor key—delivered by Carlos Congosto, the gritty vocalist of Macande—and a massive blast of horns. Beyond Segers’ ultra-punchy bass, another shared characteristic of the music is that it only fully takes shape through his processes of collage, arrangement, and mixing. This time, the highlights include fiery free jazz, a “Godzilla stomp,” surreal “blues-no-blues,” and *Aguirre*-esque drama. – Rigobert Dittmann, BAD ALCHEMY
DOMESTIC DRAGON [61:30] est le sixième album d’ECLECTIC MAYBE BAND avec 35 intervenants. [Pour la biographie, Cf chronique du 5e album COSMIC LIGHT CLUSTERS, parue dans HIGHLANDS Magazine n°125 de mai 2025, page 6] Cage 9:36, ouvre les huit titres, Guy SEGERS, Aura Grace MSIMANG sont au chant avec Fabienne VANDENPLAS. La basse omniprésente et distincte de Guy SEGERS s’anime parmi des kyrielles de sonorités exacerbées s’évadant des luxueux saxophones alto et baryton de Mark BOGAERTS. La batterie de Sean RICKMAN se libère, assénant ses roulements bouillonnants. Les sons vertigineux jaillissent en gerbes tournoyantes de la trompette de Jean-Pierre SOAREZ, en reliefs et en miroir avec le trombone volcanique de Franck COTTRET. La guitare électrique de Simon STEENSLAND transcende la partition, celle d’Eric LEMAÎTRE irradie l’espace musical très agité. Le Marimba de Rich O’MEARA ajoute un riche velouté exotique.
Conference Of The Birds 9:25, les oiseaux, les premiers musiciens du monde sont bien imaginés et interprétés par les sept minutieux solistes. Geoff LEIGH avec sa flûte légère dans son sublime solo empli de délicatesse, Joe HIGHAM souffle son énergie et sollicite son saxophone soprano à se surpasser dans les motifs des timbres sauvages des différents granivores qu’il fait défiler. Daniel STOKART invite son saxophone alto à créer des expressions imagées mais réelles de cris et chants d’oiseaux en forêt dans un récital ciselé et sinueux. Mark BOGAERTS atteint les cimes maîtrisant un solo monumental sur son saxophone baryton, déployant la force de ses timbres multicolores effervescents. Entre temps, Jan KUIJKEN forme un brillant concerto avec son périlleux violoncelle via l’orchestre flamboyant où la basse de Guy SEGERS et la batterie de Daniel DENIS s’accordent sempiternellement pour un brio septuor par associations de cellule mélodiques s’imbriquant et assurant à l’œuvre sa cohésion thématique. Meek Monsters 7:47, commence sur une féerie de cuivres, de vent, de fines percussions indiennes, xylophones, gongs, petits tambours. Une surcharge électrique, une implosion houleuse de sons signés Guy SEGERS, panoplie de bourdonnements sourds flottants résonnant comme un tonnerre en ébullition brûlant la partition. La basse prend sa part aux joutes houleuses tout le long de la composition. À bord de sa clarinette basse, Dirk DESCHEEMAEKER fait circuler des couloirs aériens de différentes sonorités disgracieuses, des coassements, sous les jupes de la basse torturée, boulimique avalant la partition sous le nez de la trompette stridente de Jean-Pierre SOAREZ.
Une autre clarinette moins nasillarde s’invite au colloque apposant son poinçon. La musique suit le poème céleste qui reste le point central de cette manifestation créatrice. Les sonorités se fondent, voguant comme de légers rubans au vent. Les timbres limpides dialoguent s’échappant et s’évanouissant pour renaître. La batterie de Fabrice OWERZARZAK accompagne ce ballet des sons. Le violon de Cécile BROCHÉ, les claviers d’Andy KIRK, la superbe clarinette basse diffusant chacun leur périlleuse partie soliste toujours aussi distincte sous les remous tortueux de la basse.
Jonction Nuageuse 7:54, pièce poursuivant sans relâche, son périple d’improvisation avec la basse tonitruante de Guy SEGERS. Une volonté de retrouver la symbiose précédente pour cet ensemble de six solistes. L’osmose restituée par leurs amples chambardements se pare d’articulations inouïes sur leurs tirades précises et nettes. Un esprit jazz avant-garde se confirme régnant sur les coups frappés de la batterie de Fabrice OWERZARZAK, sur les phrasés de la clarinette de Dirk DESCHEEMAEKER, sur la fabuleuse trompette de Jean-Pierre SOAREZ. Le violon qui s’échelonne sur le fil des pensées subtiles au solide savoir-faire de Cécile BROCHÉ, les claviers d’Andy KIRK aux audaces inspirées dans cet ensemble atypique créant cette atmosphere poussée à l’extrême. Just In Exact 5:17, sérénité, aisance nonchalance chaloupée pour cette rencontre instrumentale superbement timbrée, corsetée d’instruments toujours originaux. Six solistes assidus, basse, claviers virtuels, Flugelhorn de Luc Van LIESHOUT, le style à caractère musclé du violon, celui du violoncelle courtois de Dem VINCKE, l’embellissement de la partition par la guitare électrique de Daniel VINCKE, la batterie dynamique bien roulée de Tatsuya YOSHIDA. Tous cheminent via l’esprit de divertissement parfaitement rendu par leur interprétation de souplesse et délicatesse Inalterable Offre 3:44, citation dans les riffs électriques ostentatoires très rock de Michel DELVILLE évoquant ceux de Muddy WATERS sur Mannish Boy. Effets libres dissonants dans les suraigus sous tension blessant l’oreille. Troubles sonores en cuisines musicales par vagues salées avec les cuillères de Pierre BERNARD ; sa flute souriante chuchote, murmure dans l’espace avec les samples, les chants et cris d’oiseaux comme au cœur de la forêt tropicale. La trompette, le saxophone soprano accompagnent cette nouvelle expedition dans un tintamarre où les claviers de Catherine SMET répètent leur jeu de notes hautes ayant perdu leur âme du rationnel. On retrouve, avec la clarté de ses traits incisifs, Dirk WACHTELAER non pas à la clarinette mais à la batterie. Chateau Kafka 5:48, encore un défi tournoyant dans l’imagination débordante d’une basse toujours imperturbable continuant son épopée avec rudesse. Un exposé rayonnant, une éclipse solaire avérée avec les jeux symphoniques détonnant de l’orchestre dansant aux sons de la flûte, clarinette, saxophone alto, baryton, trompette embrouillée, trombone de l’inimitable Franck COTTRET, violon à la parfaite lisibilité de Marianne DENOÏA, cloches, clochettes, percussions Taïko drums-Bongos, batterie et autres explorations percussives dues à Morgan ÅGREN.
Conquistadores 13:59, l’orchestre se prend au jeu poursuivant dans une suite arabisante, grandiloquente au tempo très rapide, décapé, offrant comme une fin idyllique à la composition du Chateau Kafka. Guy SEGERS à la composition, basse, claviers virtuel, cajon, chœurs, soundscapes, percussions. Panache des solistes, déclinaisons débonnaires de sonorités avec la flûte mutine, les clarinettes dissipées, le merveilleux basson de Paul EVERAERT aux lourds attributs, le saxello de Martin ARCHER, instrument rare et noble, résonnant aussi bien que celui d’Elton DEAN, dans SOFT MACHINE. Carlos CONGOSTO au chant, sous une pluie d’arpèges de guitare d’Henri GREINDL, de sonorités diverses plaisantes autant que de démentes sorties du cadre. Des délices de timbres comme ceux de Rich O’MEARA, aux Glockenspiels, vibraphone, ceux de Michel DELORY à la guitare électrique créant un climat d’exception hallucinée dans la virtuosité insensée. Un déséquilibre orchestral dans la démesure spontanée, ahurissant et conquérant, apte à exprimer les nuances et articulations les plus pointues, les plus fines.
DOMESTIC DRAGON novateur, avec ses incursions dans le jazz d’avant-garde d’amplification extrême ; Les oreilles constamment en apnée sur cet album façonné de hardiesse, de bravoure, de rythmes trépidants, bâti sur d’inédits phrasés indomptables, d’arrangements irrésistibles, secouant les méninges. (****¼) – Marie Mesmer, HIGHLANDS
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