Quite a few names from free jazz’s 1960s heydays could be bandied around to discuss François Tusques: Don Cherry, Sunny Murray, Alan Silva, Clifford Thornton…There are then the milestones, such as his 1965 Free Jazz album, one of the first recordings connecting Europe with the jazz avant garde. But, more importantly, the uniqueness of Tusques’ music has never faltered, with some of his most recent releases on Parisian label Improvising Beings ranking among his best (see tracks 1, 4, 6 in this playlist).

There’s something straightforward in Tusques’ music. No grandstanding or posturing, works that are presented for what they are, often with explicitly stated intent. Whatever it expresses, from resolve to “insouciance,” it is music that is put together seriously, although not in an austere manner. Its immediacy can make it seem simple, but actually figuring it out is another matter entirely, as is the case with most jazz greats.

With bassist Beb Guérin and trumpeter Bernard Vitet, Tusques became one of the key movers of French free jazz’s mid-1960s beginnings after his return from the Algerian War. The distinctive sound of his early records (9) probably owes much to the fact that the idea that a freer jazz was possible was then more influential than any directly replicable blueprint. Although the pair only recorded once, trumpeter Don Cherry was an important early encounter. Taped in 1964 in Tusques’s Breton hometown, their obscure 7” collaboration has been brought back in circulation thanks to British label Finders Keepers’ work on Tusques’ early years (5).

In the late 1960s, Tusques’ music proved strong enough to not be swept away by the increased American presence in Paris. Instead, he found fruitful points of contact, working for instance with drums pioneer Sunny Murray (10) and cornetist and trombonist Clifford Thornton (11). Unlike other musicians elsewhere in Europe, Tusques did not distance himself from the Black American roots of his music, stretching back to the blues. His work with American colleagues, on equal footing and standing among their best, was an integral part of the pages of US free jazz history that were being written in France.

In 1971, Tusques founded the long lasting Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra (2, 7). Referencing the Black Panther Party’s concept of revolutionary intercommunalism, the band combined elements of the musics of African, Arab, or Portuguese communities and stalwarts included Guinean saxophonist Jo Maka and Togolese trombonist Adolf Winkler. Souffle Continu is working on long awaited reissues of the hard to find titles making up the group’s discography.

Marking a step further in the politicisation of Tusques’ music, the Intercommunal also increased his removal from jazz’s established circuit. Recordings were issued on his own Temps Des Cerises label, as was a suite combining songs of the labor movement (12). The two records newly remastered by Souffle Continu, Piano Dazibao (8) and Dazibao No 2, originally released by Gérard Terronès’s important Futura imprint, constitute the first documents of a long involvement with solo playing that also included a unique detour through the prepared piano (3).

Jamaican drummer Noel McGhie, a longtime collaborator, is featured on several selections (6, 11, 13), including on the excellent 1998 recording Blue Suite. Along the years, Tusques has worked with vocalists Colette Magny, Carlos Andreu, and Isabel Juanpera. He has composed far more material than could be represented in a short survey. Liberation movements, China, Breton music, film, Lewis Carroll, and tango make appearances in works not included here. Occasional US outings have included gigs at the Vision festival with Sonny Simmons and William Parker.

In addition to Finders Keepers’ Cacophonic reissues and archival releases, Tusques’ catalog has been extended in recent years by the Luxembourg based Ni Vu Ni Connu with a Sunny Murray duet and by Breton pianist Fabien Robbe, who has recorded unheard compositions (14) and issued a previously unreleased 1984 Intercommunal concert. As the following playlist shows, Improvising Beings releases are prime entry points in Tusques’ discography, thanks to the extensive work of producer Julien Palomo.

Playlist

1)
François Tusques
“Insouciance”
From L’Étang Change (Mais Les Poissons Sont Toujours Là)
(Improvising Beings)

2)
Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra
“Mazir”
From Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra Vol 4
(Vendémiaire)

3)
François Tusques
“Hon-Dat”
From Le Piano Préparé
(Le Chant Du Monde)

4)
François Tusques/Mirtha Pozzi/Pablo Cueco
“Tango/Milonga/Hob/Basse”
From Le Fond De L’air
(Improvising Beings)

5)
François Tusques/Don Cherry
“Indes”
From La Maison Fille Du Doleil
(Studio Scriptone/Cacophonic)

6)
François Tusques/Noel McGhie
“Pianorgue”
From Topolitologie
(Improvising Beings)

7)
Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra
“L’heure Est À La Lutte”
From Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra Vol 3
(Vendémiaire)

8)
François Tusques
“Que 100 Fleurs S’Epanouissent”
From Piano Dazibao
(Futura/Souffle Continu)

9)
François Tusques
“Sombre”
From Le Nouveau Jazz
(Mouloudji/Cacophonic)

10)
François Tusques
“La Bourgeoisie Périra Noyée Dans Les Eaux Glacées Du Calcul Égoïste”
From Intercommunal Music
(Shandar)

11)
Clifford Thornton
“Right On!”
From The Panther And The Lash
(America)

12)
François Tusques
“Histoire Du Mouvement Ouvrier: Elle N’est Pas Morte/Les Canuts/La Semaine Sanglante/La Butte Rouge/Le Temps Des Cerises”
From Ça Branle Dans La Manche!
(Le Temps Des Cerises)

13)
François Tusques Trio
“Pigin'”
From Blue Suite
(Transes Européennes)

14)
Fabien Robbe/Jérôme Gloaguen
“Tamm-Kreiz”
From États D’Urgences
(Improvising Beings)

More François Tusques can be heard in Wire playlists devoted to Gérard Terronès’ clubs and 1970s musician-owned labels, as well as in a Chimurenga mix covering avant-garde jazz in France in 1969. Wire subscribers can read a feature on Futura’s Gérard Terronès in The Wire 412 via the online archive.