Pierre Tanguay
If we could give a prize to the most valuable Ambiances Magnétiques sideman (or woman), it would go to drummer Pierre Tanguay. Even though he is not one of the nine core members of the collective, he appears on more albums put out by its label than any one of them. But his career cannot be pinned down to the Montreal avant-garde scene. He has also been a valued sideman on the jazz scene, playing with Eric Longsworth, Jean Vanasse, Karen Young, and a dozen of others, and is active in world music, especially with his Mediterranean folk group Strada. In Montreal, he occupies a place comparable to Hamid Drake in New York.
Tanguay was born in Quebec City in 1957. He began as a jazz drummer, finding inspiration in the playing of Billy Higgins, Ed Blackwell, and Paul Motian. A professional musician since 1978, he also studied African percussion for two years in the Comores Islands and went to Paris to study tablas and Indian music with Anand Kumar. When he settled in Montreal in the late '70s, he was already an accomplished player. One of the first musicians he hooked up with was saxophonist Jean Derome, who would later co-found Ambiances Magnétiques. Tanguay has been his trusty partner for decades, first in the scrapyard ensemble Les Patenteux du Québec and later in Jean Derome et les Dangereux Zhoms and Derome Tanguay Danse.
Still, at first, Tanguay let the Ambiances Magnétiques musicians pursue their experimentations, preferring to ride a softer avant-garde jazz wave. In the '80s, he was part of Icarus with cellist Eric Longsworth and participated in bassist Pierre Cartier's ensembles. His relentless working schedule and rare listening quality and musicianship established him as a leading session drummer. With Cartier and Derome, he formed the Thelonious Monk tribute trio Évidence and by the mid-'90s he was involved in all major projects by Derome, René Lussier, Robert M. Lepage, Joane Hétu, and Diane Labrosse. With the Dangereux Zhoms, he toured Europe and the U.S., appearing at every major jazz festival.
Tanguay prefers the role of sideman, but he has occasionally stepped to the front of the stage, particularly in free improv duets with trombonist Tom Walsh (the album Midi Tapant came out in 1998) and Derome (Pinc! Plonc! in 2001). In 2000, he released a first solo album, La Musique de Mon Disque, a collection of experimental ambient percussion pieces. Around the same time, he also began to write and perform music for film, theater, and dance.
© François Couture /TiVo
Similar artists
Discography
10 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
-
Ellen’s Bar
Pierre Tanguay, Michel Donato, Antoine Berthiaume
Rock - Released by Ambiances Magnétiques Jazz on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Super Nova
Felix Stussi, Jean Derome, Normand Guilbeault, Pierre Tanguay
Jazz - Released by Effendi Records on 13 Mar 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wow!
Jean Derome, Normand Guilbeault, Pierre Tanguay
Jazz - Released by Ambiances Magnétiques on 19 Dec 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Midi tapant
Rock - Released by Ambiances Magnétiques on 1 Jan 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Yul/Departure
Pierre Tanguay, Michel Mergaerts, Erwin Vann
Rock - Released by Malasartes musique on 1 Jan 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Plinc! Plonc!
Rock - Released by Ambiances Magnétiques on 1 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
La musique de mon disque
Rock - Released by Ambiances Magnétiques on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Yul/Nos enfants
Erwin Vann, Michel Mergaerts, Pierre Tanguay
Rock - Released by Malasartes musique on 1 Jan 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Huskless!
Lori Freedman, Nicola Everton, Christopher Cauley, Marilyn Lerner, Paul Plimley, Pierre Tanguay
Classical - Released by Centrediscs on 4 Sep 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
La boulezaille
Pierre Langevin, Pierre Tanguay
Rock - Released by Ambiances Magnétiques on 1 Jan 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo