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Arnaud Quevedo & Friends - 2023 - “2nd Life" (63:00; FTF-Music) Arnaud Quevedo has been teaching Current Music at the Conservatoire (Niort from 2007 to 2018 and in La Rochelle since 2018), and over the years he has been involved in different tribute projects for the likes of Magma and King Crimson before deciding to put together his own band. Although the title may give the impression that it is the second album from this project, it is actually the third: there are four sections to the main title track, with the other four songs being older material which has been revisited. He says his music is anchored in progressive jazz rock, while ProgArchives classify him as eclectic and my ears tell me that is probably the best place for him, although I would not have been surprised if there had been a battle with RIO for this. His lead singer is Eloise Baleynaud, who sounds trained for the theatre and is certainly happy working in an environment which is probably more aimed at that artistic style as opposed to pure listening. I can easily imagine this being picked up by Due et Doux, such is the way it moves and changes with little or no respect for what one might expect. The guitar, bass and drums are very much at the heart of what is going on but at times the horns are the lead role, at others it is strings, often within the same passage. It is confused, chaotic and complex, with Gong and Zappa obvious influences outside of the already mentioned Magma and Crimson, while he must also have been listening to Chromb!. This is progressive music in its truest sense, from a musician who can shred with the best of them when the time is right, yet often sits in the background to allow others to take centre stage. It is left field, difficult to describe in many ways, as is often the case with this style of music, but if you enjoy your prog to be challenging and really out there then this may well be for you. Just don’t expect any of your friends to listen to it with you. Progtector: September 2023 Related Links: Arnaud Quevedo FTF-Music