Ensemble 0is a contemporary music ensemble founded in 2004 and directed by Sylvain Chauveau and Stphane Garin. It mostly performs works by modern composers, as well as compositions by its members.

Jojoniis a delightful suite of seven hypnotic minimal pieces, written for and performed on small percussion instruments and acoustic guitars.

The story goes that in 2010, the three musician friends (Stphane Garin, Jol Mrah & Sylvain Chauveau) were dreaming of playing concerts in Japan, so they decided to write a series of instrumental, acoustic pieces for small instruments, with the following, self-imposed rule: each of the three friends equipment must fit into a suitcase which will comply to airline regulations. With the sole use of guitars and small metal percussion, they spent two years writing and recording an album, entitledSoando, which came out in 2013 and defined the identity of the trio. Their dream came true: they did play in Japan & Taiwan, and toured in several European countries.

In cartography, zero is the level of reference, in relation to which all altitudes are calculated. Depending on the chosen directions, compositions and instrumentation,Ensemble 0plays with an astonishing variety of topographies. First and foremost with its own compositions and with the trio, which is like the beating heart of the collective:Sylvain Chauveau(acoustic guitar, glockenspiel),Stphane Garin(metal percussion) andJol Mrah(acoustic guitar). And also with contemporary repertoire, for which the ensemble expands at will. Theyve played and are playing music by Moondog, Arthur Russell and Ligeti and have a real inclination for currently active composers such as Tristan Perich, Michael Pisaro and Rachel Grimes.

After these tours, and amidst Ensemble 0s burgeoning activities and collaborations, it took them four years to writeJojoni,the follow-up to that first album of original music.Jojonimeans gradually, slowly in Japanese, and refers to the pace of their compositional work, which is partly due to the fact that the trios members reside in three different countries (France, Spain, Belgium). But, beyond that, the title reflects Ensemble 0s attitude towards time, a precious commodity within their creative process: they place care, meticulousness and organic evolution above the reigning injections to perform and obtain short-term results.

MADE TO MEASURE VOL. 49

2023 CRAMMED DISCS – MTM 49

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