Komintern

Author of the still cult album Le Bal du Rat Mort in 1971, the folk and progressive rock group Komintern left a lasting mark on the history of the French alternative scene. Created in May 1970 by two former members of Patrick Vian's band Red Noise, saxophonist Francis Lemonnier and drummer Serge Catalano, Komintern enlisted the services of Olivier Zdrzalik (vocals, bass, organ), guitarists Michel Muzac and Pascal Chassin and other musicians such as violinist Richard Aubert and flutist Jean-Michel Berté. Strongly politicized (its name refers to the movement founded by Lenin), the collective took part in the Biot and Aix-en-Provence festivals in the summer of 1970 and, through artistic director Philippe Constantin, signed with the Harvest label, represented in France by Pathé-Marconi. With the help of Étienne Roda-Gil for the lyrics, Komintern recorded, with other guests including Joss Baselli (bandoneon) and a brass section, the album Le Bal du Rat Mort (1971), an eclectic, avant-garde work mixing folk, jazz and rock, which made an immediate impact on the French underground scene with a sixteen-minute suite, "Bal pour un roi vivant", and the epilogue "Fou, roi, pantin", extracted as a single. In 1972, the musicians took part in José Arrabal's play Bella ciao, la guerre de mille ans, directed by Jorge Lavelli at the Théâtre National Populaire de Chaillot. Initiator of FLIP (Front de libération et d'intervention pop), Komintern does not survive the departures of Catalano, Chassin and Aubert. Aubert joins Atoll, while Olivier Zdrzalik-Kowalksi joins Malicorne.