Wooden Ear

Wooden Ear was a French jazz-rock band behind the 1979 album Fantasy on the WM label.

Members: Christian Darré (synthesizer), Éric Boell (guitar), Jean Querlier (saxophone), Jean-Louis Do (drums), Philippe Osman (bass)

Background

Wooden Ear took shape by 1977 with bassist Philippe Osman, drummer Jean-Louis Do, guitarist Éric Boell, saxophonist Jean Querlier, and synthesizer player Christian Darré.

Boell studied classical piano and later jazz piano with American pianist Bobby Few. He took up guitar while enrolled at the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris and won the 1974 Golf Drouot talent contest. After graduation, Boell spent a year in New York, where he studied arranging at Jazzmobile in Harlem under pianist Billy Taylor and jazz guitar with Russ DeFilippis.

Querlier played with Armonicord at the Festival Indépendant de Massy in October 1975, then joined Confluence for their 1976 album 4 Voyages. Do worked with Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes and appeared on their 1977 album Le Temps de l’autre.

Wooden Ear played four nights at 28 rue Dunois in Paris from December 14 through 17, 1978, as part of the venue’s Pas de superstars pour Noël series. 

Discography:

• Fantasy (1979)

References and notes

• BYG Records / current label reissue — identifies the Alice personnel as veterans of Alan Jack Civilization and We Free, gives the debut-album lineup as Auffredo, Duplant, Weiss, Besse, and Suzan, and confirms the original BYG album as a 1970 production. (BYG Records)
• Rock Made in France — traces the group through the Amougies/Blois festival circuit, identifies Suzan as the final link in the formation, confirms the Lewis Carroll name source, and lists the successive lineups. It also identifies Olmos with Les 5 Gentlemen and Alan Jack Civilization, Weiss with Devotion, and the We Three/We Free connection. (Rock Made in France)
• France Heavy Rock / Jean-Luc Doucet — independently places Falissard and Olmos together in the 1969 Alan Jack Civilization lineup, with Falissard coming from Turnips and Happy Poppies and Olmos from Les 5 Gentlemen. Its Alice material also documents Christian Grégoire, Bruno Besse, Weiss, and the intermediate lineups. (France Heavy Rock)
• Musiphyle, detailed Alice chronology — supplies the deepest formation account: Suzan from Villeneuve-Loubet; Dragons of Frank Adams, Les Sharks, Noël Deschamps, Ronnie Bird, and Tom & Jerry; military service; Falissard recruiting Auffredo, Duplant, and Olmos; the spring shows; Nice; the Georgakarakos/BYG contact; and the Olmos/Falissard departures. (hdrpf.eklablog.com)
• Contemporary 1969 festival advertisement — a useful correction to several later summaries: the advertised Amougies program lists both Alan Jack Civilization and We Free, which makes the old JRS “Alice formed as We Free” line especially unsafe. (World Radio History)
• Alyse et Chloé film credits — credits “Alice’s Group” with the music. (AlloCiné)
• Soundohm reissue listing — gives the Marquee Studio sessions as October 20–29, 1970. (Soundohm)
• 45cat / Encyclopédisque / Gazette Drouot — independently identify BYG 529.016 as the 1970 first LP and the preceding BYG singles. (45cat)