Synchro Rhythmic Eclectic Language

Synchro Rhythmic Eclectic Language was a French jazz-rock band that made two albums in 1975 on Moshé-Naïm.

Members: Georges-Edouard Nouel, Gérard Curbillon, Jo Maka, Louis Xavier, Saint-Yves Dolphin

Background

Synchro Rhythmic Eclectic Language formed in Paris in 1969 when drummer Eddy Gaumont teamed with bassist Louis Xavier and saxophonist Jo Maka.

Gaumont came from Cayenne and studied violin at the Versailles Conservatory, where he met drummer Jacques Thollot. He studied drums with Kenny Clarke and joined French free-jazz sessions with Barney Wilen, Michel Portal, Beb Guérin, and François Tusques. Xavier grew up in Martinique and played violin with the Fort-de-France symphony. He moved to France in the late 1950s to study medicine and led the Latin dance group El Conjunto Chungo in Paris. Maka was born in Conakry and studied art history and civilizations in Paris, where he pursued saxophone and played in African and Antillean dance groups.

Synchro appeared on the Pop Club radio program hosted by José Arthur with support from jazz broadcaster Maurice Cullaz. The group played the first concert in October 1971 at Le Chesnay, west of Paris. Gaumont died in Paris in November 1971, which ended the founding lineup. Xavier continued Synchro and recruited keyboardist Jean-Louis Bucchi on a recommendation from Gaumont. Synchro played Avignon dates in 1972, where the musicians met Chicago drummer Steve McCall. Bucchi brought guitarist Gérard Curbillon into Synchro, and Curbillon introduced violinist Jean-Yves Rigaud.

The 1973 lineup played Théâtre Mouffetard and returned to Pop Club in May with Xavier, Maka, Curbillon, Bucchi, gwo-ka drummer Jean-Claude Antoinette, and percussionist Jannick Tridz. Xavier met one of the Ertegun brothers from Atlantic Records through Pierre Lattès and declined a proposal that required revisions to the group material. Moshé Naïm signed Synchro in early 1974 and booked one month at Studio de la Grande Armée in Paris for the sessions that produced Lambi.

Discography:

• Lambi (1975)
• Rhytmic Eclectic Language (1975 • Franck Valmont & Synchro Rhythmic Eclectic Language)
• Foukie (Owa Tchu Wa) (EP, 1979)