About Maneige

Maneige was a canadian progressive rock and jazz fusion band from Québec, Canada, founded in 1972 by Alain Bergeron and Jérôme Langlois. The instrumental outfit was one of the Québec progressive rock scene's longest running and most consistent bands. Their music are probably one of the best example of what fusion music can be by blending in classical and folk elements together with jazz tones the whole thing having a very progressive rock ideal and could also fit the chamber rock style. Their style can only be really compared to other Quebecois group as Sloche and Opus-5. Bergeron played flute and saxophone, while Langlois was a keyboardist. They were joined by the drummer Gilles Schetagne, percussionist Paul Picard and bassist Yves Léonard, to form the initial quintet. They played a few concerts in the early 1970s, and opened for the Dutch progressive band, Ekseption. They released their first two albums on the Harvest label in 1975. Their eponymous debut release contained a side-long track and established their experimental approach. Jerome's brother, Vincent Langlois, was added as a second keyboardist and a wind player, and a wide array of percussion instruments, some tuned, were used. Their second album was Les porches. After these two initial albums, Jérôme Langlois left due to differences in opinion concerning the band's musical direction, and Vincent Langlois took over sole keyboard duties. Paul Picard, from the original lineup but absent from the first two releases, rejoined the band. The next two studio albums were refined, with shorter compositions and more focus. Ni Vent... Ni Nouvelle and Libre service - Self-service were the next two releasses, and both were reissued on CD in the early 1990s. A live album followed in 1979, entitled Composite. Two more albums came in the early 1980s, which were more of a jazz rock styling. In the late 1990s, Live Montréal 1974-1975 was issued featuring recordings from the early version of the band, including the side-long "Le rafiot" from their first album, as well as the unreleased "1-2-3-4-5-6". The group finally disbanded in 1983. In 2005, ProgQuébec reissued various archive material, including the early composition "Manège" which had never been previously released.