Marc Ducret has gained a cult following for his virtuosic skills mainly in small ensembles and solo settings -- recordings during the 1990s and 2000s have featured the guitarist unaccompanied on acoustic or electric guitar; with his trio featuring bassist Bruno Chevillon and drummer Eric Echampard; and with Tim Berne in Big Satan, Science Friction, and Bloodcount. And while 2003’s Qui Parle? took listeners on a ride through diverse styles and instrumentation, Ducret's composing and arranging skills on 2009's generous 73-minute Le Sens de la Marche might still surprise his fans. Here, with perhaps a bit of inspiration from his participation in Berne's 2001 Open, Coma large-ensemble set, Ducret guides an 11-piece band (including Chevillon and Echampard) through five lengthy compositions -- the longest being the 26-plus-minute “Nouvelles Nouvelles du Front” -- in a variegated extravaganza of complex yet highly charged polyrhythms and tight multi-layered riffing alternating with spacious floating atmospheres. And the fact that the album was recorded live in concert only makes it that much more impressive (with a sound so clean and bright that the infrequent audience outbursts are often the only clue that this is not a studio recording).

1		Total Machine
2		Tapage
3		Le Menteur dans l'Annexe
4		Aquatique
5		Nouvelles Nouvelles du Front