Jean-Pascal Boffo | en

Jean-Pascal BOFFO has been the first artist signed by Musea, when the French Progressive rock label started in 1985. This incredible guitar player from Eastern France created a beautiful discography displaying a rarely equaled diversity and brilliance. After starting in 1974 within the Progressive rock band LARSEN, he joined drummer Michel ALTMAYER within MANDRAGORE two years later, and thirty six months before founding the RED trio. MANDRAGORE then became GEHEB-RE and then TROLL. Jean-Pascal BOFFO recorded with this last line-up and MAGMAs brass section in 1981, and then got together with the jazz band OURANIA. Issued three years later in 1986, “Jeux De Nains” is the first step under his own name: this record presents an intimate music based on delicate guitars and keyboards loops in a style close to the first albums by Steve HACKETT, or “The Geese And The Ghost” by Anthony PHILLIPS. “Carillons” (1987) includes other influences (MAGMA, WEIDORJE) and proves to be both more orchestrated and more electric. “Rituel” (1988) develops a highly symphonic style influenced by RAVEL and DEBUSSY, with the help of classical musicians: pure art ! “Nomades” (1994) shows a complete style renewal with a line-up that sees saxophone and double-bass on top, and which goes towards an ethnic-fusion with Arabic sounds. Then, Jean-Pascal BOFFO managed to do a perfect synthesis of his evolution, and blended with success Progressive rock, jazz and ethnic music in tracks that are each truly intense and personal, and those could easily compete with the masters of ethno-fusion (John McLAUGHLIN, Mike STERN or Pat METHENY): melodies and emotions blended in a music that showed a rare quality, a perfect structure, great arrangements, orchestrations and melodies. “Vu Du Ciel” (1998) is a really successful blend of the styles that the artist has explored until now. It includes all of his musical knowledge, with a luxury production and a truly magnificent star-shaped cover ! During the year 2000, “Parfum DEtoiles” showed a complete U-turn as far as style was concerned. Jean-Pascal BOFFO finally decided to integrate classical instruments in his music, and got then a blend that has to be discovered ! There, you also find vocals for the first time (ANGE’s Caroline CROZAT gives us a taste of her vocal possibilities both in French and in English), as well as some known and revisited compositions. Finally, and as a further step, “Invizible” has been chosen by renowned French broadcaster Serge LEVAILLANT for his radio-show “Sous Les Etoiles Exactement”. “Infini” (2004) goes back to the more typical instrumental formula, as the sung pieces seem now reserved for the ALIFAIR project. Still based on repetitive (But absolutely not tedious) sequences, the music evolves between Steve HACKETT or Anthony PHILLIPS-like acoustic arpeggios and Mike OLDFIELD-like electric riffs. An overall somewhat up-to-date touch may be heard at times. No fear is to be felt here, this album certainly is one of the best of Jean-Pascal BOFFO. In other words, this is a very serious candidate to be the best opus of the present time. .