by François Couture This 1995 album is simply beautiful and has been François Houle's best recorded effort for five years, up to the point when he released his groundbreaking -- and very different -- conceptual album Au Coeur du Litige with his electro-acoustic quartet. Houle and free improv pianist Marilyn Crispell were meant to play together. They both have a contemporary classical sensitiveness that screamed of potential for exquisite compatibility. Seven of the ten pieces are Houle's, Crispell contributed two, and an early acolyte of the clarinetist, Tony Wilson , provided the closing piece. These are framed improvisations and loose compositions with abundant pockets of freedom. From the set of five miniatures "A Patch Sets" (two and a half minutes total) to the sustained "Any Terrain Tumultuous," parts one and two, this disc is full of magical moments, like when the pianist bursts into a sudden solo in the middle of the delicate "Oblique." Both musicians explore the same compositional artifact: Crispell 's "Nomad" and Houle's "For Clayoquot" start on a head played in unison from which one player gradually moves away. The latter piece, already recorded on the François Houle Trio 's Schizosphere (1994, Red Toucan), would be unrecognizable if it weren't for this opening theme. If the pianist tends to take more room in terms of playing than her counterpart, it's only fair play: after all, she had a bigger number of followers at the time and helped introduce Houle to a larger audience. Any Terrain Tumultuous is a must-have for fans of the clarinetist and an appreciable item for Crispell lovers.