A Halloween Saturday night in Outremont. Bernard Street was buzzing with friendly monsters, both big and small. Without probably realising it, inside the Théâtre Outremont, the third “double bill” of the new Jazz@vue festival was taking place, organised by the Théâtre Outremont in collaboration with the Effendi label, Yves Léveillé Productions, and Félix Stüssi Productions. Third evening where two groups share the stage in turn. On this evening of the dead, it was the rather vital and tonic music of the Parisian duo Léno (for pianist LÉonardo Montana and drummer ArNAUD Dolmen) that covered the first half of the lineup.
READ THE INTERVIEW WITH THE LÉNO DUO
Energising music, yes, absolutely. A pulsing, percussive piano that generously blossoms in dramatic intensity and expressive strength as the pieces progress. A melodic discourse, fragmented but constantly groovy. A friend pointed out to me that this guy (Leonardo Montana, just like Dolmen the drummer, I’ll come back to that) must have a hidden third arm to add notes.
Arnaud Dolmen, another skilled hand, impresses with his highly assured technique. This stick artist maintains the pulse but plays with it like a cat with a ball, making it soar, roll, and bounce in surprising, always exciting paths.
The two boys blend the sounds and influences of modern jazz, heavily informed by bop and post-bop, but also with many Caribbean resonances (Dolmen is from Guadeloupe) and modern Brazilian (several echoes of Milton Nascimento, at least to my ears). This beautiful ecumenism serves as an expressive framework for impressive reinterpretations of Mongo Santamaria (Afro Blue), Wayne Shorter (Joy Rider), Pedro Aznar, and some personal compositions (Spirale) from their self-titled album released in 2024.
The kind of show that makes me happy, because it’s definitely one of the best jazz musical performances of my year 2026! They will have to be invited again. The kind of show that, unfortunately, saddens me, because the Théâtre Outremont seemed far too large for the audience present. A little embarrassing. How can this high level of artistic quality remain so confidential in the media (except at PanM)?
The second part was provided by the music of the Gentiane MG trio, all elegance and contemporary finesse, yet accessible. Good excerpts from the album Can You Hear the Birds? released last March, for which I offered you a positive review.
READ THE REVIEW OF THE ALBUM CAN YOU HEAR THE BIRDS? BY GENTIANE MG TRIO
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW OF ALAIN BRUNET WITH GENTIANE MG
I was saying this about the music from the album: … invites us instinctively to breathe, to relax, and to let the impulse of the moment nestle in and stimulate our imagination. An airing of the play and the phrases, a gentleness in the interactions between the three artists…
Obviously, on stage, spontaneity expands, freedom stirs a bit more, but in general, the spirit is fully respected, and it helps conclude a very beautiful evening, united by the juxtaposition of two different yet complementary visions of contemporary jazz.
