Québecoise, Montréal-based double bass player and composer Hugo Blouin has an insightful, ironic perspective on life in the supposedly calm and extremely polite Canada, as already expressed in his previous albums – Charbonneau ou les valeurs à’ bonne place, dedicated to the scandals in Québec’s construction industry and Sport national, dedicated to Canada’s national sport, ice hockey (Multiple Chord Music, 2022 and 2023).
On Le buffet, Blouin shares his own and his friends’ insights on their favourite recipes and childhood food memories, packed into a cycle of ten extravagant, funny, and intimate songs. These songs were cooked up with world-class chefs like drummer John Hollenbeck, lead vocalists Eugénie Jobin Tremblay and Marion Rampal, pianist Marianne Trudel, and lyricists Blanche Baillargeon, Robin Servant, and Olivier Therriault. The cover photo of a third chicken is by Viennese photographer Klaus Pichler.
These witty, delicious, and nourishing story-like songs (all sung in French, but the album’s booklet offers an English translation) remind us that we all need «a lot of good faith, a little time, and a great big smile» when preparing the perfect tomato soup (as seen in the attached video), reveal the recipe for a good, decadent Caesar salad, and discuss the desire for a tasty butter and chocolate baguette, among other culinary delights. The irresistible and seductive, swinging-funky grooves charge and complement food’s sensual pleasures and deserve a Michelin star of their own. Le buffet, no doubt, will charge your hunger, send us all to the kitchen, and inspire us to resume our own culinary journeys.
Eyal Hareuveni
Hugo Blouin (double bass, lead and backing vocals), John Hollenbeck (drums, percussion), Eugénie Jobin Tremblay (lead vocals), Aurélien Tomasi saxophones, flute, bass clarinet, backing vocals), Marianne Trudel (piano), Alissa Cheung (violin), Émilie Fortin (trumpet), Marion Rampal (lead vocals), Sylvaine Arnaud (backing vocals)
