Concert review

Tracks and Feel: Live Sports at Bar le Ritz PDB

by Lyle Hendriks

As we struggle for breathing room in the sardine can of a sold-out Bar le Ritz, there’s a sleepy buzz beginning to rise amongst the Wednesday night crowd who’ve shown up for longtime indie sensations Sports. 

First, though, we’re introduced to Chrissy, a singer-songwriter from LA whose artist name makes her as difficult to research as the headliner. She holds impressive power over the vibrating room despite being up there on her own, with a dulcet voice that’s inarguably captivating, even if I find her overall arrangements to be a little simple for my taste.

After an extremely quick set from Chrissy, it’s now time for the main event. Sports is no doubt playing in some relatively major venues on this world tour, evidenced by the intricate setup of stage lights that fill the space onstage. With a brief instrumental intro, vocalist Cale Chronister takes the stage, decked out in a Britpop-inspired fit of chunky sunglasses and a white tracksuit to match.

Sports has been in the game for more than a decade, with an impressive musical catalogue that spans many, many eras of my personal life. Perhaps that’s why it’s so surprising that, when you hear songs from across their history stacked up next to each other, so much of it sounds the same. 

It’s a pleasure to hear nostalgic tracks like “Someone You’d Rather Be Dating” and “You Are the Right One”. These songs take me back to teenage bong chops and anxious waits for texts back, as I suspect they do for many. But when combined with cuts from their new self-titled LP, the Sports catalogue tends to blend together into a wash of throaty bass over lacklustre drum machines, holding this act back from their full live potential.

None of this is to say that Sports puts on a bad show. Despite my thoughts on their same-y setlist, they eventually coerced and cajoled the crowd into clapping, singing, and dancing along, and it’s clear that for those who have history with Sports, nothing can remove them from that soft, special spot in our hearts. I’d argue that a live drummer would transform Sports’ set, but on the other hand, transformation has never been the strong suit of this rock-steady act. 

For those looking for a direct hit of the comforting, familiar thrum of Sports and their sexy, funk-infused pop experiments, their live show is one you won’t want to miss.

Photos Stephan Boissonneault

Indie Pop / Synth-Pop

Grace Ives, extremely intimate and volatile

by Helena Palmer

Grace Ives blessed Montreal this past Saturday on the second stop of her Girlfriend tour. It was the first true spring day we had experienced, so the vibes were high. And what better way to punctuate the weekend than by cramming into Bar Le Ritz to watch the artist give us all she’s got.

The crowd goes wild when the pink-haired pop star emerges from backstage, along with her drummer and all-star keys/bass/dj guy. The room is completely dark as anticipation rises. Then: the punchy kick of “Avalanche,” flashing pink and red lights illuminating the stage. Her sweet voice floats over the room, and the crowd is completely mesmerized. 

She plays all the tracks from her new album, peppered with old favourites including “Shelly” and “Icing on The Cake.” A fan reaches up and hands her a bouquet of flowers. There is something so soft and feminine about all the pink, the flowers, and her sugary voice on a spring evening, despite the force of the band and volatility of her production. 

The emotional peak is when she sits down at the piano and serenades us with “My Mans.” Less danceable than most of her songs, but, I speak on behalf of everyone in the room when I say: goosebumps. 

After her final song she leaves the stage, but not without the whole room screaming “STUPID BITCHES! STUPID BITCHES!” with such demand and desperation until she reappears to sing her encore, an insanely energetic and memorable performance of the closing track from Girlfriend, “Stupid Bitches”.

It was a very intimate show, and feels cool to have seen Ives perform in such a small venue, when she is surely on the cusp of skyrocketing as more people discover the wonderful, whimsical world of Grace Ives.

Photos by Julia Mela

Electroacoustic / Electronic / expérimental / contemporain

UdeM – Ultrasound | Florence Dubé, Allison Chidiac, Alexandre Hamel, Alexandre Vaillant, Florence Lafontaine, Olivier Martin-Fréchette, Charles Anthony Raymond-Plante, Jacob Boucher, Rafaël Bouthillette, Félix Gervais-Richard

by Jeremy Fortin

Last Thursday, Sala Rossa opened its doors for the University of Montreal’s Ultrasons series, presenting six unique performances created by undergraduate students in digital music.

The performance titled *Mukput* by Florence Dubé and Allison Chidiac kicks off the concert. Conceived as a live stream on a platform like Twitch, the two performers present a spread of dishes from Lebanon and Quebec. Throughout the performance, they sample the dishes accompanied by music that sometimes shifts in response to their movements, creating a constant groove throughout the piece.

Alexandre Hamel presents Dante, a custom-built instrument created by Brui, his electronic instrument company. The instrument is a dual-oscillator, dual-format unit controlled by a ribbon controller with pitch detection. The performance is thus an exploration of the possibilities offered by this brand-new instrument.

“Saxophone Conversation” by Alexandre Vaillant brings this first part of the concert to a close. Alone on stage, armed with his saxophone and his computer, the piece blends saxophone and electronics, blurring the line between what is actually played by the performer and what is reproduced electronically—whether it be added reverb or certain motifs played on loop.

After a short intermission, Florence Lafontaine presents Mon pays. With the help of Olivier Martin-Fréchette, they perform Gille Vigneault’s classic text over a soundtrack that expands as the performance progresses before gradually fading away.

Charles Anthony Raymond-Plante presents his piece titled Sirens. In an atmosphere thick with tension, where the bass reigns supreme, we hear sounds erupting in response to the movements of his hands as he triggers the noises that follow one after another throughout the piece.

The concert concluded with Industrial Sonata in E Minor, a performance by Jacob Boucher, Rafaël Bouthillette, and Félix Gervais-Richard. This piece certainly elicited the strongest reaction from the audience. At times reminiscent of death metal, the blend of sounds (often with an industrial edge) allows us to discern melodic-rhythmic motifs that, in turn, give us the impression of hearing a melody throughout the performance.

Here is a diverse program offering a compelling glimpse of the rising stars of digital music in Quebec.

Electroacoustic / Electronic

UdeM – Ultrasound | Aurélie Théroux Sénécale, Maurice du Berger, Zao Dinel, Platon Beliaevskin, Ziryab El Hihi, Ac Riznar, Alex Ronald Brisson, Matisse Charbonneau, Jaden Brown

by Jeremy Fortin

About twenty speakers hung over the Claude Champagne Hall on Wednesday for the opening night of the 2025–2026 season of Ultrasons. For the occasion, a mix of acousmatic pieces, performances, and video installations was showcased through student projects.

The concert opens with the piece Nulle part je n’habite, sauf ici, en moi-même by Aurélie Théroux Sénécale. Surrounded by a console and old televisions, the TV screens project a snowy image onto a giant screen, where the sound and the image are in constant interaction. The oscillations on the “snow” displayed on the televisions evolve in response to the frequency changes emitted by the composer, taking us on a stroboscopic journey.

In Maurice du Berger’s Untitled No. 1, a fully acousmatic piece, we are absorbed by the soundscape that evolves and shifts around us. With a somber tone, the piece unfolds without pushing the extremes too far, featuring moments tinged with lightness before returning to the same dark atmosphere of the beginning.

After setting his violin aside for several years, Zao Dinel returns to his primary instrument for an acousmatic composition titled I Use to Play Violin. Divided into three parts, the opening section showcases the violin in its simplest form, with layered violin recordings illustrating the instrument’s capabilities. The second part depicts a rehearsal in which the performer stubbornly attempts to play a score that is too difficult for his skill level. This exchange between him and the imaginary orchestra leads into a final section mirroring the first, where the violin remains the center of attention, this time focusing on violin pizzicatos.

The piece titled ꙮ, by composer Platon Beliaevskin, begins with a highly rhythmic section before a sudden shift in which we are plunged into pure chaos, punctuated by screams, as the piece attempts—unsuccessfully—to return to the rhythmic stability of the opening.

After a short intermission, Reste de Ziryab El Hihi continues the concert. A structure stands at the center of the stage, with a video projection of a forest unfolding before our eyes. A sudden break interrupts the opening of the piece, giving way to white noise, and the structure quietly comes to life, moving before our eyes, with the aluminum producing sounds against the backdrop of this constant white noise.

Ac Riznar’s piece Yarning Yearning builds toward a massive crescendo that gains momentum as it unfolds. Throughout the piece, we experience a sense of déjà vu as certain sounds recur while traveling through the space created by the dome of speakers.

Alex Ronald Brisson, for his part, titled his piece ⅼ┧″⬤⡂. This piece was certainly one of the most complete of the evening. By making use of the spatialization available to him, he succeeds in immersing us in his universe, where, over the course of the piece, a certain familiarity sets in with the sounds we hear, despite the impossibility of identifying exactly what those sounds are.

A music video—that’s why Matisse Charbonneau chose this format for his piece *Попіл*, a work that depicts the chaos of war, accompanied by ambient music, followed by a moment of rupture where chaos is unleashed both sonically and visually.

Jaden Brown and his composition Mère Michel bring this first Ultrasons concert to a close. Inspired by three CDs that are dear to him, we are swept away on a journey where we hear snippets of this music without necessarily being able to identify it clearly.

Les étudiants ont présenté des œuvres de haut niveau dans un concert où le temps s’est déroulé à grande vitesse sous le talent de ceux-ci.

musique du monde

Nuits d’Afrique Productions | Zalam Kao, Grand Prize Winner of the Syli d’Or

by Frédéric Cardin


My friend Alain Brunet and I were at the 2026 Sylis d’Or Finals on Thursday night at the National. Three bands were in the running: Zalam Kao with their blend of Latin, groove, and hip-hop; Bastin Band with their effective raï fusion style; and Tamboréal Samba Bloco with their spectacular festive and Carioca energy, mixed with rhythms from the Northeast and even rock riffs (Smoke on the Water as a fun nod in one of the songs). The voting results (a combination of the public’s choice and a professional jury’s evaluation) awarded the gold medal to Zalam Kao, the silver to Tamboréal, and the bronze to Bastin Band.

My friend and I are, to say the least, surprised by this ranking, as our ears did not perceive the three performances in the same way as the announced result.

Zalam Kao’s performance suffered from vocals that lacked stability and were often off-key. At least two of the three, that is, since Mohamed Magri’s voice was very solid. The young man, it seems to me, comes from a jazz background. In addition to delivering a few successful vocal performances, he also played the keyboard, the flute, and a piccolo cornet! He is undoubtedly the most accomplished musician in the group. The guitar, bass, and drums were adequate, though they didn’t have to demonstrate particularly demanding technical skills. Zalam Kao’s strength, perhaps, lies in having presented entirely new material. They certainly deserve praise, but they’ll need to refine several interpretive details if they hope to build something lasting.

Bastin Band delivered a stronger performance at a National venue with poor sound quality. The sound lacked definition in both detail and color. During the semifinals at Balattou, I could hear much more clearly. Yesterday, more often than not, I felt like I was being hit with a thick wall of sound. Still, Bastin Band’s Algéro-Kebs brought a lot of energy, focusing largely on covers from their repertoire, ranging from an Arabic version of “Sympathy for the Devil” to Cheb Mami. Lots of stuff you’ll hear at the next North African wedding. Not exactly original, but they do it well.

It was the group of some fifteen musicians from Tamboréal that, at first glance, seemed to us to be the most likely to win the grand prize. They played mostly samba-style percussion, the kind you hear at the Rio Carnival or in the Northeast! Leader Carlos Enrique Feitosa added bass and cavaquinho to the mix. Here again, the lack of originality (it was essentially “classic” samba) likely worked against the group. It’s a shame in the sense that he seemed to us to be the one best suited to lead a full concert, outdoors or indoors, while meeting minimum standards of musical quality—and not just prioritizing novelty at all costs (which in no way detracts from our appreciation of originality in general).

The audience and the jury have made their choice. Let’s see what the future holds.

Photo Credit : Peter Graham

Krooked Kings, catchy human experience

by Samuel Lemieux

On a grey, pouring night, Annika Wells and Krooked Kings manage to come in from Toronto to offer us lethal doses of catchy pop riffs and sing-along choruses all night long, allowing the audience to believe for a moment that summer has come knocking around earlier than expected. 

Annika Wells originated from Sleepy Hollow, Marin County, California, but has since moved to Los Angeles and with her immense talent and creativity, she now travels the world, performing her catchy love songs. She crawled into the spotlight in 2017 as she co-wrote “Crawl Outta Love,” alongside worldwide acclaimed electronic producer Illenium, which won the grand prize at the International Songwriting Competition. From there, she hoped to tour with Illenium in 2019 and has since then indulged in TikTok trend songs and more organic releases, such as “Eat Dirt,” released in 2019, and her newly released album “into the undergrowth” which came out in January 2026. 

Throughout her opening set, Annika takes us travelling through break-ups and make-ups along her life, her angelic, soft, melodious voice allows us to bond over love stories and Connor McCoy, her guitarist, alongside drummer India Pascucci, handles every rhythmic concern. The performance is tight, the backing tracks, although numerous, don’t alter the experience, and the band stays tight and sways gracefully through stories and melodies. By the end, we all take a shot together, as the band steps off stage, I feel nostalgic, as if somehow, I’d known her for so long. Was it the booze mixed with their music or simply the altered state of fatigue? I don’t know, but I surprised myself wishing I could re-live every heartbreak I’d gone through as a teenager with Annika’s music playing in the background. It’s safe to say, Annika Wells’ performance crawled under my skin. My verdict: hearing Annika Wells on streaming platforms is great, but seeing her live, the experience becomes mesmerizing and quite unique.

A quick cigarette break, and I can’t help but notice no one else smokes.
 Krooked Kings, come onstage, the crowd is screaming. For a room half-filled, representing approximately 150 people, the decibels give away an impression of a sold-out show. The band’s pop choruses slashed with indie, Muse-like guitar riffs, get me dancing. From the first note to the last note, relentless applause fills the room. All around me, the crowd cheers, sings, and laughs, demanding more enchanted melodies. Krooked Kings, from Salt Lake in Utah, embrace the American lifestyle with all its ups and downs through their rich and varied catalogue. As the night blazes through each catchy hook, the singer admits his faults and the more positive moments that inspired songs like “Lying Through Their Teeth,” “Wish We Could Be Friends,” and my personal favourite, “Headhunters”. Although tired, everyone in the room screams for an encore when the clock strikes 10. The band happily comes back on stage to perform three songs, including “Catacombs” which sets the place on fire. Exiting the venue, I left feeling old, the whole night was transcendental, I think to myself. Every song had us bonding over shared human experiences, some good and others sad. Krooked Kings, a band that resonates with life experiences, will keep touring North America, passing by Cambridge, Philadelphia, Washington, New York and more.

classique

Meagan Milatz and The OSM musicians: Two Opposite Universes

by Pietro Freiburger

On April 10, at Bourgie Hall, the OSM musicians were joined by pianist Meagan Milatz for a chamber music concert. The program included music by Haydn and Shostakovich.

The concert opened with Haydn’s Quartet Op. 77 No. 2 in F major, interpreted with great refinement in sound and remarkable structural balance. The excellent articulation and phrasing highlighted the cohesion between the musicians of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, who did justice to the character of the various movements with great awareness.

The concert continued with Two pieces by Shostakovich, Adagio and Allegretto, which represented a great contrast to the previous work. The Adagio, in the name of drama and nostalgia, once again highlighted the quality of the sound of the musicians, who in the Allegretto showed great brio and irony. The Quintet op. 57, a work of great complexity, saw the collaboration of Meagan Milatz.

After a Prelude that was both discreet and intense, the Fugue was an overwhelming movement, with very delicate atmospheres and extreme dissonances linked by a very articulated contrapuntal language. The Scherzo acted as an interesting bridge to the Intermezzo, where the musicians enraptured the audience with a magical sound, and then ended with the Finale, a varied movement characterized by the excellent vibrato of the musicians. A very well studied program and a truly remarkable interpretation by all the artists, warmly applauded by the audience in the hall.

période romantique

Brahms and Beethoven in 9th Heaven

by Frédéric Cardin

Two trios with clarinet were offered on the 9th floor of the Montreal Eaton Centre yesterday, at afterhours time. The very beautiful series of HausMusique concerts, organised by cellist Cameron Crozman and pianist Meagan Milatz, in the rich Art Deco environment of the 9th floor of the Eaton Centre, has been unfolding for almost two years now. The concerts last an hour and the programs are always inviting, supported by quality performers.

Yesterday, the hall was almost capacity-filled for the performance of a youthful clarinet trio by Beethoven and another, a masterpiece of maturity, by Brahms. Crozman and Milatz were joined by the Canadian clarinettist James Campbell, a world-renowned figure and a sensitive and seasoned performer.

We were charmed by the well-articulated sparkle of Beethoven, still imbued with Haydnian classicism, but revealing through almost spontaneous episodes expressive tendencies that herald the composer’s more dramatic maturity. A lot of liveliness from the three performers, with a very good sense of dynamics and expressive contrasts. We thoroughly enjoyed Meagan Milatz’s crystalline technique on the piano, even though in one or two cascades of notes, the artist may have pushed the urgency of the tempo a bit, to the detriment of the expected clarity. Nevertheless, the intensity of the collective performance, sprinkled with touches of humour inherent to the composer’s intent, offered beautiful moments of musical pleasure.

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW WITH CAMERON CROZMAN ABOUT THESE TRIOS AND THE HAUSMUSIQUE SERIES

Next came the ‘’pièce-de-résitance’’, the Clarinet Trio Op. 114, the first milestone in the so-called “Autumnal Brahms” period, the time of the last masterpieces initiated by his meeting with the clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld. Here, no effervescent bubbling. We are completely elsewhere. The long languorous lines, imbued with seasonal melancholy, certainly, but also with a soft and tender light, make us think, as James Campbell comments, of a chilly November that we protect ourselves from by drawing the curtains and snuggling by the fire with a comforting drink.

Very beautiful dialogues between the cello and the clarinet, Crozman and Campbell engaging in generous exchanges while respecting the spirit of the music. A great natural rapport is evident between these performers.

An inspiring moment of music, in the magic of a unique and enchanting place.

The next concert in the HausMusique series, and the last of the 25-26 season, will take place on June 2nd. On the program: Ravel and Debussy. Crozman and Milatz will be joined this time by the OSM’s solo violinist, Andrew Wan.

DETAILS AND TICKETS

We will talk to you again about HausMusique during the unveiling of the 26-27 season program. Stay tuned.

Contemporary / danse

Stephanie Lake Company: Symbiosis of Strike and Movement

by Frédéric Cardin

Struck right in the solar plexus, that’s what awaited the spectators who came to see and hear Stephanie Lake’s choreography Manifesto at the Maisonneuve Theatre on Wednesday evening. And this from the very first second, with a thunderous first blow perfectly coordinated between the nine drums arranged in podium like scaling, at the back of the stage. We all jumped. The dancers too, by the way. But in their case, it was planned.

Just one blow, then, but of rare power. Silence. Another blow (but this one, we saw it coming). Silence again. And it continues like that for one or two minutes. The dancers react in a nanosecond, writhing for a brief moment to each sound slap, then freezing into all sorts of postures. The music (an exciting and visceral score by the noise artist and avant-gardist Robin Fox) builds up as it progresses, of course. It swells with textures and rhythms, which become powerful, very rock-like pulsations, or ethereal, evanescent, pointillist, abstract episodes. There is not just pounding in this writing, but also all sorts of extended and contemporary playing techniques, according to the needs.

And on that, the dancers react like a symbiotic organism, like a plethora of ultra-flexible and agile muscles, directly connected to the musical and expressive nerve, transmitted instantly through the sound impulse of the nine musicians. The coherence of the ensemble, the perfect coordination among all these people is remarkable. The effect is memorable. We are captivated, excited, and an hour passes like ten minutes.

The brilliant intuition of choreographer Stephanie Lake is that she did not limit the gestural action to a mere mimicry of the sonic action. Yes, the dancers closely follow the rhythms and sound dynamics of the nine drums, but it is in the “undulating” quality of the gestures, both individual and collective, that one perceives a construction in complementarity of the two expressive entities, music and dance. The percussive nature of the music is therefore compensated by the incessant fluidity of the movements. Each gesture of each dancer is connected to the next like in a natural organic sequence. Each movement metamorphoses into the next and so on. This is true both on an individual and collective level. The mechanical nature of the score, although sometimes fragmented, flourishes in a contrapuntal balance with the fluid, wave-like nature of the choreography. A very well-balanced architecture between what our ears hear and what our eyes see.

Noteworthy, as a visual treat, is the understated staging concerning the decor (large fuchsia curtains at the back of the stage, the arrangement of the nine drums in a podium format) and the very dynamic lighting design. Very impressive, for example, was the episode where the drummers exchanged blows one by one, instantly followed by each being spotlighted solo, and this for several minutes. It stays etched in our memory.

Stephanie Lake had given us a colossal… Colossus a few years ago. This Manifesto is another great artistic and expressive success of the Canadian-Australian artist who, by the way, is building a reputation as a favourite of the Montreal audience. You won’t hear me complain about it.

Related content:

The Breath of Bodies, a performance review and interview

Review of Sol Invictus at Danse Danse

Review of Haydn’s The Creation at the Grand Ballets

Airat Ichmouratov will compose Alice in Wonderland for Les Grands Ballets

Stephanie Lake Company
Manifesto
1er avril 2026 – Montréal
Cr.: Wendell Teodoro
Stephanie Lake Company
Manifesto
1er avril 2026 – Montréal
Cr.: Roy VanderVegt
Stephanie Lake Company
Manifesto
1er avril 2026 – Montréal
Cr.: Roy VanderVegt
Stephanie Lake Company
Manifesto
1er avril 2026 – Montréal
Cr.: Roy VanderVegt
Stephanie Lake Company
Manifesto
1er avril 2026 – Montréal
Cr.: Roy VanderVegt
Catalan Rumba / latino / Pop / Reggaeton / Rock

Maruja Limón, Weapon of Mass Construction!

by Alain Brunet

If you listen to it casually, Catalan rumba can still be mistaken for flamenco. On stage, however, this confusion completely disappears before a different energy unfolds… We, who witnessed this Sunday explosion at the Ministère, experienced the unique identity of Catalan rumba, a powerful force of construction with eminently curative effects.

What a party Maruja Limón put on!

The electric bass that triggers samples (among other things) of synthesizers or Afro-Cuban percussion (Carla González), the solidly executed drums (Elisenda Fabregas), the electronically filtered trumpet (Mila González), the acoustic guitar with effect pedals (Cristóbal Salazar, replacing Vicky Blum), these are all elements that testify to this updating.

Except for the acoustic bulerías performed with a single guitarist (Cristóbal Salazar) and singers (Esther González and Sheila García), except for the vocal inflections typical of the Iberian Peninsula and its Arab-Andalusian roots, the music of Maruja Limón summarizes the updates inherent to the current period.

These musicians are all highly skilled, but they can’t be called virtuosos. The fascination lies more in the collective force of their performance than in the individual contributions of each member. Their cohesion, enthusiasm, and dynamism are the key to their evident success. Any minor flaws or technical limitations one might point out are irrelevant in the context of such an experience.

Through various musical expressions from Catalonia and Spain, flamenco, rumba but also reggaeton, Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban rumba or pop/rock, this squad of happiness and Latin sensuality transmitted a great energy to the dance floor densely populated with new captivated fans.

Over an hour and a half of pure energy, a packed Ministère venue filled to the rafters by a multigenerational crowd that was incredibly enthusiastic from start to finish, and which is already spreading the good news for the Barcelona sextet’s upcoming North American tours. It’s easy to predict that this group will be back often; the buzz they generated there will spread like wildfire.

Indie Pop

Marie-Céleste Burns Bright

by Stephan Boissonneault

I’ll admit that before I was invited to their show, I had no idea who Marie-Céleste, the Francophone indie pop sensation from Alma, QC, now based in Montreal, was. I had seen the posters all around town, featuring the band suspended in the air on the cover of their latest album, Tout ce qui brille, but I had no idea what to expect.

The show begins with a set by Kamilou, a local Franco rapper aiming for that soft-sung Billie Eilish vibe. As she walked around the front of the Club Soda stage, with a red curtain covering the full stage, she was accompanied by a guitarist (whose name I can’t find anywhere) who also handled her DJ and backing tracks with a laptop.

Kamilou

Kamilou has great flow, combining trap, rap, and a bit of soft jazz from her EP Pour toujours et à jamais, but her vocal mix live was way too quiet, almost like her vocals were over-compressed. This is not an issue with her, but rather the sound person not mixing her correctly. With the unruly sold-out crowd in Club Soda, it was impossible to hear her clearly, especially when she was talking directly to the crowd. The guitarist’s solos were also lost in the mix. I think I heard Kamilou say she was working coat check that night, which would be a funny turn of events, but I can’t say for sure.

The curtain eventually opens, and a bearded man in a suit gives a quick patriotic speech and says we are about to witness Quebecois history. I find it a little much, but the hype is clearly real as the curtain opens to a full band setup and a spot in the back for a horn section. Above the stage is a giant, crafted sun, much liek the cover of Tout ce qui brille.

During the first few songs, including one of my favourites of the night, the bossanova pop flavoured “Combien de temps?,” Marie-Céleste’s sound feels much fuller and clearer than Kamilou’s. A man, Simon Duchesne, looking like Donovan if he were a pirate, strums a light and dancey acoustic guitar, while a longer haired moustached keyboardist, Philippe Plourde, hops between three synthesizers. Together they sing harmonies while the bass player, Olivier Tremblay, lays down the song’s rhythmic foundation with the human dynamo drummer, Guillaume Sliger, and lead guitarist, Zachary Tremblay, rips a few solos.

The set is quite long, and the songs sound almost identical to the album, but Marie-Céleste clearly has super fans who know absolutely every lyric and scream in unison to songs like “2 goélands” and “CAM,” so it’s fun to be part of. One fun moment comes as Duchesne and Plourde hop into the crowd while the rest of the band jams. Marie-Celeste proper finishes the full set with a few encores from the previous album, Feux de joie. Yes, the Québécois indie pop sensation is burning brighter and brighter.

Latin Jazz

Hilario Durán and The UdeM Big Band: Caliente at Claude-Champagne Hall!

by Michel Labrecque

A rather full Claude-Champagne hall awaited the Cuban pianist exiled in Toronto, Hilario Durán. With interest. The audience was not disappointed. Durán is a brilliant pianist, improviser, and arranger, in the vein of the former leader of Irakere, Chucho Valdés, whose three compositions he also presented.

The University of Montreal Student Big Band, led by Brazilian João Lenhari, took this encounter seriously. The task was considerable, as Hilario Durán’s arrangements were quite complex, both rhythmically and harmonically.

Obviously, this student orchestra isn’t on the same level as the Montreal National Jazz Orchestra. But we’re dealing with young musicians who are holding their own—or rather, their brass and reed instruments—very well. And they have the incredible opportunity to compete with internationally renowned artists from very different cultural backgrounds.

For the occasion, two Cuban lecturers from the music faculty joined the big band: pianist Julian Gutierrez Vinardell, whose composition opened the concert, and the tireless percussionist Eugenio Kiko Osorio.

It was an evening steeped in Afro-Cuban jazz from beginning to end, with a nod to Frédéric Chopin at the end of the concert with a piece entitled Fantaisie-Impromptue, in which Chopin-esque harmonies are blended with a flavorful punch of tropical rhythms. This demonstrates Hilario Durán’s very broad musical culture, influenced as much by classical music as by jazz and the many different styles of Cuban music.

Imagine yourself in the shoes of the young Big Band pianist, Benoît Francoeur, when he has to follow Durán in an improvisational dialogue. How fast was his heart beating? He handled it very well, as did saxophonist Daniel Diaz, who was given several solos, including on A Night In Tunisia, Dizzy Gillespie’s signature piece, arranged for large ensemble by Hilario Durán for his latest album Cry Me a River (2023).

Hilario Durán addressed us in English that wasn’t always easy to decipher, but he meant well. Next time, why not more Spanish and a few words of French?

Aside from this minor drawback, we had a wonderful evening. This concludes the Big Band’s school year; they will be back in the fall.

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