The first of a fascinating trio of LPs — this for Futura in 1970, by Hungarian saxophonist Yochk’O Seffer, German pianist Siegfried Kessler, French bassist Didier Levallet and Vietnamese drummer Jean-My Truong.
‘Lyrically incandescent free jazz, made up of startling interactions between complex harmonies and disjointed rhythms.’

‘The second LP, from 1971, augmenting the original quartet with numerous guests including Teddy Lasry, Jean-Charles Capon, Kent Carter and Jean-François Jenny-Clark. Siegfried Kessler is largely absent on this recording, temporarily replaced by Manuel Villaroel, a pianist from Chile with a completely different temperament.
‘It all seems to predict the after-life of Perception would subsequently take. One track, by Yochk’O Seffer, who had already been part of Magma two years previously, looks forward to the more structured Neffesh Music, whilst, in the opposite direction, another track, by Didier Levallet, is more evocative of the future arrangements on Swing Strings System. All these different elements, from tightly written pieces to wild improvisation, work so well together: their coherence is one the key attributes of a group free like few others.’

‘By the time Mestari, their third and final album, came out, Perception had four years of questing and originality behind them, developing their own individual language, in which the improvisatory spontaneity did not exclude influences from European folk or classical traditions.
‘Balanced, ethereal and structured, Mestari reinstated the original quartet. It opens infinite perspectives, totally in phase with what was being produced in France at the same time by the Cohelmec Ensemble and the Dharma Quintet.’

A precious, previously unreleased live recording from 1977, when Jacques ‘Jeter La Girafe A La Mer’ Thollot was drummer.

‘An alluring, meditative, psychedelic brew of shamanic and alchemical rhythms and harmonies, ranging across a wide array of instruments and influences. Modular synths, a two-stringed erhu fiddle, flute, feedback, electronics, guitar, field recordings, and various percussion objects, in ritualistic studio sessions which are augmented and sampled over and over… with the controls set for other planes of there.’