Biography
In the closing years of the 1960s, numerous ensembles shifted away from psychedelic sounds toward progressive rock. Among the first French outfits to abandon standard rock & roll conventions was Ame Son, whose fusion of psychedelic rock and avant jazz produced an improvised style that opened doors for later French progressive acts exploring the frontier between rock and free jazz. The group’s roots trace to the middle of the decade, when guitarists Bernard Lavialle and Bernard Stizi, bassist Patrick Fontaine, and drummer Marc Blanc assembled under the name Les Primitivs. Between 1965 and 1967 the quartet, drawing heavily on British blues rock exemplified by the Yardbirds, performed throughout Paris and spent three months playing on Corsica. After Stizi departed late in 1967, the remaining members launched Expression, a psychedelic project that appeared at both nightclubs and experimental art exhibitions. During Lavialle’s temporary Army service, Blanc and Fontaine joined Bananamoon—Daevid Allen’s project following his exit from Soft Machine and preceding the formation of Gong—for engagements in Spain during summer 1968 and in southern France at the start of 1969. Allen’s guidance, together with the influence of London’s underground psychedelic milieu centered around the UFO club, proved decisive once Lavialle returned in June 1969 alongside flutist Francois Garrel; the musicians then christened themselves Ame Son, a French phrase signifying soul song or expressive song. Three months later they secured a contract with BYG Records and captured the instrumental portions of their sole studio album during a two-day London session. Vocals and final mixes were completed in October, allowing Catalyse to reach stores in early 1970. Over the ensuing eighteen months the band enjoyed both audience enthusiasm and critical approval at major French festivals, yet dissolved in June 1971. A few years afterward they reassembled with guest contributors Jacques Dudon, Alain Renaud, and Jean-Louis Auber, remaining active for several additional seasons. In the 1980s Blanc pursued solo endeavors under the moniker Ame Songs, while the original lineup reconvened in 1995 to perform with avant-garde guitarist Jean Francois Pauvros.
Albums
