Le Festival International Nuits d'Afrique est de retour

Apprêtez-vous à accueillir la 21ème édition du Festival International Nuits d'Afrique à Montreal. L'événement se déroulera du 12 au 22 juillet. 20 concerts baliseront les planches du Spectrum, la Tulipe, le Kola Note et le Club Balattou. Tout comme les "free-shows" du Jazzfest, plusieurs concerts gratuits extérieurs seront tenus sur la Place Emilie Gamelin (coin de maisonneuve et berri, metro berri). Pour de plus amples informations vous pouvez visitez le site web de l'événement au: www.festivalnuitsdafrique.com .

Bon festival !!!

nad

TORTOISE...exquis

Tortoise is one of those bands I grew up listening to that taught me many things about music. I had never seen them live until yesterday at the Metropolis (part of the jazzfest), and what a concert it was...
The show started with a drums/electronica duo that consisted of Kieran Hebden, the man behind the highly acclaimed electronic music-oriented solo effort Four Tet, and "jazz drummer" Steve Reid. Although I've listened to a couple of Four Tet albums and I really like Hebden's work, I found that the set performed by the duo last night was poor, uncoordinated and extremely boring. This is mainly due to the terrible drumming of Steve Reid, hence the bracketed "jazz drummer". In the first tune I noticed that Reid was completely off, and I wondered whether it was on purpose or not. But then as the set progressed, I figured that the drummer was just having his own trip in his own world. At many instances I felt a lot of confusion and uncertainty in his drumming. He was reacting too late or too early to the music played by Hebden which made the entire sound really awkward. Aside from the bad time-keeping, I found that his drumming style was also pretty boring, he kept doing the same "drum phrases" over and over again and they were off time over and over again... This really threw me off and I couldn't really enjoy Hebden's electronic sounds. I frankly hope that Hebden will reconsider performing with Reid because I feel that he would sound so much better with a REAL drummer.


Praise TORTOISE. Praise them over and over again for the WONDERFUL set they played last night. The Chicago quintet played tunes off their older albums (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, Tortoise) as well as their newer ones (Standards, It's All Around You). The tunes were very well picked and the order in which they were played made the set flow very nicely. I was impressed by the stellar musicianship of all five band members. Needless to say that everyone plays everyone else's instrument.
Oftentimes there were 2 drummers playing in the same time or 2 bassists playing in the same time which created a very interesting and unusual "soundscape". My favorite moments in the set were the double drum moments where the entire stage turned into a percussion festival with amazing Tortoise sounds in the background. Both drummers would be playing a fat beat together and then they would drift into syncopated rhythms that sounded so good together. One last note about the drumming during the show, I particularly enjoyed the drumming of John McEntire who played the drums until they reached the tune "Benway" in their set but I also really liked the drumming of John Herndon who was on vibes until this tune and switched to drums afterwards. I find that each of them had his unique style which is great for the overall band sound and I think that this shift in drum styles also opens up new territories for the rest of the band to explore. The other thing I've always loved about Tortoise is the vibes and vibe-like instruments they use on pretty much all their tunes. I feel that it makes their sound very warm/dreamy and percussive in the same time. I really like the fact that the vibes is a major instrument in the band and that it's not just used once or twice as a filling "layer" of sound.
I was also impressed by the fact that this band really has its OWN sound. It's impossible to imitate it. I believe that this is due to several factors such as the unusual instrumentation of the group but also the unique playing styles of each musician in the band. I think that "secret" behind the "Tortoise sound" lies in the unique guitar style of Jeff Parker (who was the only band member that stayed on his instrument for most of the show). I find his guitar playing one of a kind and I really love the perception he has of his instrument i.e. the way the guitar fits in the whole picture. I feel that his chord voicings and arpeggios feel so good and they sort of tie the rest of the sounds together. I also love the "sound" of his guitar , it reminded me of Scofield's sound that has a constant overdrive or crunch to it, it feels like its always a bit dirty. Hidden in the right corner in the back of the stage Jeff Parker's guitar playing provided the harmonic support for the rest of the sounds to be laid on last night.

You know that there are certain bands you respect so much more when you see them perform "live". To me, Tortoise is one of those bands.

nad

JAZZ FEST ROCKS ! - PART 2 : PATRICK WATSON

This is part 2 of my Patrick Watson/Besnard Lakes concert review. Part 1 was Besnard. Now is time for me to review the Patrick Watson show.... I warn you, this is going to be a long review.

Going into that show, I had very precise expectations, most of which were based on the previous time I saw them live (with Lhasa at the SAT). I was expecting a cocky, self-absorbed and annoying frontman with fabulous tunes that basically group everything I like about music in one hell of a package. Luckily for me (and him), the first part of that sentence turned out to be wrong and the second part was vastly confirmed... Mr Watson may have an annoying laugh, he may be a little self-absorbed but ultimately he's a fun , extremely genuine guy and a true artist. He held it together like few artists can. He had a stage presence that shattered the traditional audience/performer boundaries by having very genuine (can't stress that word enough) communication with us. He really felt like one of us, just higher up on a stage, with a piano, pedals, mics, marimbas and 3 fantastic musicians. Of course, there was that instance where he actually crossed the audience/performer boundary and performed a fabulous acapella version of Man Under the Sea in the audience (more on this later)....

Now to the music.
So much to say.
The show opened up in a low key way with Close to Paradise, sang an octave below the album version, hinting that maybe he didn't have his full voice that night (which was confirmed later in the show). Soon enough, greatness arrived and peaked during his performance of Slip into your skin. What a shilling moment! At the end of the song, we were all surprised and strangely impressed by 4 lamps emerging out of the ceiling and oscillating (reminding me of Coldplay's gimmick on Fix You). Speaking of Coldplay, this show confirmed something I always thought : Patrick Watson are a clever version of Coldplay, with actual musicianship and complexity beyond the guitar reverb.
Then came one of the evening's biggest surprise : One of my favorite female performers, Lhasa, joined him on stage for a song that sent chills down everyone's spines. His high pitched vocals over her somber honey vocals were a thing of perfection.
And we though he couldn't top that. Which he did....
The show kept getting better with, among others, a surprise ending to Luscious life, extending beyond it's regular 3 minute duration, into a guest-drummers-meets-weird-sounds madness... Speaking of which, one of the guest drummers was so annoying as he tried to steal the show by throwing his drum kit around and jumping like a monkey... Get your own Metropolis Show !

And then came the encores.... starting with the amazing new song Midnight Express, definetly one of the show's highlights. It hints at what direction the next album is going : less obvious vocal melodies, and center-stage instrumentations mixed with untraditional drumming and marimbas ? Well if it sounds like this, I'm all up for it !
The highlight of the encores, Man Under the Sea, was performed acapella in the audience (with head lamps). Another surprising moment, topped only by the appearance, two minutes into the song, of the horn section on the balcony... Prior to that, the band went into a 5-minute unrehearsed bit where they were looking for their headlamps (that some P.A. forgot backstage), which prompted Besnard Lakes' frontman to come out and present "the Patrick Watson comedy hour, featuring Patrick Watson and friends".... Again, it all felt very genuine.

Later - and surprisingly enough- Sleeping beauty was featured and had this quirkiness about it that, in my opinion, topped the album version. To end it all, the dreamy Great Escape ended the show on a very high note, including a wonderful twist in the end where the song transformed into an audience-propelled disco tune ! haha

Overall, I'm thankful to have spent that time with the Patrick Watsons (hehe) yesterday and I can certainly testify that I wasn't the only one. The audience was mesmerized, for good reason.

Watch out for this guy. He could be Canada's next Alanis, or even Celine Dion ! ;)

JAZZFEST ROCKS! - PART 1 : BESNARD LAKES

I went to the Besnard Lakes / Patrick Watson double bill at the jazz fest and I should say this was one of the most enjoyable concerts I've been to in Montreal.

First Off, Besnard lakes. I finally know how to pronounce their name now ! Was it "bai-nard" or "bess-nar-d" ?? Well, I lost my bet. It's indeed pronounced bess-nar-d. But should I trust the friendly jazzfest announcer ? :)
On with the show.... They played 7 of 8 songs on their current album (strangely omitting the cute Cedric's War). Not to be too kind, but all the songs sounded amazing and showcased a wide variety of talent within the band. Some instrumentations were so inspired it made me doubt my own musical abilities (which only happens in front of great artists). I found the vocals to be endearing, emotionally charged and full of interesting references from Brian Wilson to Pink Floyd, but always with a fresh twist. The lead singer's voice really touched me: it's one of those voices that appear cold on the surface but really have much going on in the backseat.

One this that came out of this show is how much the band really resembles their Montreal counterparts The Arcade Fire. First off, a friend of mine made me notice how the formula applied : tons of musicians, baroque instruments, husband and wife as leads, epic songs.... However, I was way more impressed by yesterday's cooled down, down to earth performance, than by Arcade Fire's circus freek show at the Maurice Richard Arena. The music takes its rightful place at the center-stage and we appreciate it so much more...
Being an Arcade Fire fan myself, I do have to admit that the Besnard Lakes just seemed like a more mature band (both in music and attitude) and could very well go ahead of them in my Montreal Band pantheon.

Back to the show... the highlight for me was Disaster, arguably the best song on the album and definetly the best at the show. It started out slow, and slowly built up to a mind-blowing finale that had me almost shiver. Also noteworthy was the fabulous And You lied to me, which really rocked! Overall, all other songs were ranging in the great-to-excellent category and I won't comment further to avoid boring everyone....

patrick watson review coming very shortly.... (when I find some time to pause during work hehe)

Jazz fest concert reviews

I was fortunate enough to catch 2 full sets yesterday at the Jazz fest. Both concerts were free outdoor events.

-The first one was Felix Stüssi's quintet performing at the Scène General Motors. The band played an hour long set showcasing tunes off their most recent album "Give me Five". This quintet consists of Felix Süssi on piano, Bruno Lamarche on tenor sax, Alex Côté on alto & soprano saxes, Clinton Ryder on double bass & Isaiah Ceccarelli on drums. They offered an extremely dynamic set of tunes. In each composition there is balance between expected jazz form (swing, progressions, blues etc.) and unexpected somewhat more experimental drifts to different feelings be it rock, funk or ambient sounds. Something I really like about this quintet is that both saxes often solo together creating some sort of "sax conversation" that builds up, intensifies and explodes in beautiful colors on most of the tunes. My favorite tunes were Zoé Félicia and Seven to Twelve (i'm not sure about the second tune's name). The former is a tune written by Félix Stüssi for his daughter who was born a few days after 9/11, it therefore blends in feelings of joy and happiness with feelings of fear and terror. The saxes joint solo was very intense and so was the unconventional piano comping throughout the entire tune. The latter featured the drummer Isaiah Ceccarelli. Despite the awkward time signature of this tune, it was really grooving. The tune started with a great fat bassline in 7/4 on top of which the drummer was improvising and moved on to saxes improv. I was blown away by the experimental structure of this tune and by the versatility of the drummer that could go in and out of time while maintain a head nodding feeling. Anyway, I think i'm gonna check out their album "Give me Five" which is on sale in all cd stores in Montreal.

-The second band is the Brandi Disterheft trio from BC. The group consists of Brandi Disterheft on Double bass, Chris Gale on tenor sax and Sly Juhas on drums. This modern jazz trio gave a fresh and energetic set last night consisting mostly of tunes free of rigid form where painful sax lines were laid on extremely dynamic basslines and versatile drum beats. Once again, I witnessed a band where the traditional jazz form was challenged which gave rise to a lot of space for improvisation both for the sax and the rhythm section. I particularly like Brandi's style of playing. Many of her basslines are based on one-note pedals that are sustained for a little while which gives a lot of harmonic freedom for the sax player to explore. This style of bass playing reminds me a bit of Dave Holland which is one of my favorite bassists of all time. Brandi also succeeded in making her compositions extremely dynamic just by altering her way of playing the bass in those tunes (from walking bass to pedals to rhythmic grooves). The drummer was extremely responsive to the changes in the basslines which made this trio's rythm section extremely tight.

Both those concerts were free outdoors events. If you like young modern jazz, keep an eye on the Club Jazz TD Canada Trust stage (parc Hydro-quebec)this is where the Brandi Disterheft trio was performing and that's where most young international talents will be performing throughout the festival.

Enjoy !!

nad

JAZZFEST!!!

The luscious summer days are here.... & so is the 28th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal !!!
We are lucky as montrealers to host one of the biggest jazz festivals in the world. Starting on the 28th of June, the downtown Place des Arts area celebrates world music (not only jazz) for 11 consecutive days. A few years ago, the jazzfest started hosting more and more diversified music shows and other performances to suit all tastes. This year's edition is no exception to this trend. This makes the jazzfest a perfect event to chill out after work, bath in huge crowds of people, and enjoy summertime even if you don't particularily like jazz music.
That being said, there are a few shows (indoor & outdoor) that I would strongly recommend for this weekend (stay posted for next week's shows):

-Fri 29th: +Erik Truffaz quartet (10pm spectrum) -- this band is a fusion of ambiant jazz with electronica, Erik Truffaz's acclaimed electronic trumpet style is known to be very trippy :)
+Pawa up first (FREE 10pm scene bell) -- local experimental hip hop band... I'm not a fan of hip hop & I still love the sound of this band, its groovy and goes way beyond radio hip hop.

-Sat 30th: +Joshua Redman trio (6pm theatre maisonneuve) -- one of today's hottest tenor saxophonists will take you on a journey back to african drum beats, a jazz style similar to Sonny Rollins back in the 50's... not to miss...
+Roy Haynes quartet (10pm spectrum) -- Legendary jazz drummer in an unconventional quartet

-Sun 1st: +Felix Stussi & Give me five (FREE 6pm scene general motors) -- New quintet starring local pianist Stussi. Again another blend of genres that is worth checking out
+Jarrett, Peacock, DeJohnette (8pm Wilfrid-Pelletier) -- If you can afford it you should see this !! 3 pillars of modern jazz. I shall say no more...

-Mon 2nd: +Mike Stern/Bona/Roy Hargrove (7:30pm theatre Jean-Duceppe) -- Watch out for this is gonna be a GROOVY show !
+Soulive (FREE 9pm & 11pm general motors) -- Really cool US jazz funk band... & it's free ! :)

That's all for now,
Enjoy the festival !


nad

JAZZ IT UP !

The Jazz fest is back for another exciting year.
I will leave it up to the Jazz collablogator to cover the individual events. On my side, I'd like to mention that you absolutely have to go hang out on the Place des Arts surroundings at some point this week-end. you don't need to like Jazz (I don't particularly) but the mood is so great there.... Just walk around, have a hot dog or even better, a good refreshing ice cream.... Just look around at all the people, all smiling... :) You can even listen to some music if you please, it won't kill you!

The Jazz festival runs June 28-July 8th. All info on this website

Montag

Well I guess this will be the first post.
I felt like writing about a show I saw last week at the Main Hall.
It was a show by Montag (aka. Antoine Bedard). His music can best be described as a soft electronic sound with a hint of circus freekiness and poetry. Think Sufjan Stevens goes electronic and solo.
I found it mostly exciting, eventhough I wasn't a big fan of some of the slower pieces.

His new album, Going Places, is - beware the upcoming cheesy comment- definetly going places... He has amazing guest stars on the LP, including Stars' Amy Millan. I love the mood on the album, it swings, goes here and there but somehow always stays consistant. Sometimes it's even funny (listen carefully to some of the lyrics, like on Hi5 to the DJ).
Recommended tracks : Best Boy Electric, Going Places, Safe in sound

Catch him in Montreal again on June 16th at Parc des Ameriques (Part of the Fringe Festival)

official site