A July 14 at FINA: Delgrès, Bianca Rocha

The PAN M 360 team has a strong presence at the Festival international Nuits d’Afrique (FINA), with our contributors reporting daily on what they’ve seen and heard at the concerts presented in Montreal until July 23.

Delgrès, Atypical Power Trio, Creole Blues-Rock… Atypical!

Photo credit: André Rival

There’s a little buzz in Montreal about Delgrès, named after Louis Delgrès, the Métis colonel in the French army who died heroically in Guadeloupe when Napoleon re-established slavery in the colonies.

And why the buzz? Because this Parisian with Afro-Caribbean origins and his pale-faced colleagues offer an unusual blend of Guadeloupean Creole vocals (with a little French and English), blues and stoner rock. Delgrès had already made a name for themselves on their previous appearance at MTL, enough to fill the Ministère on Friday night as part of Nuits d’Afrique.

Frontman and guitarist Pascal Danae, ex-member of Rivière Noire (Victoire “musiques du monde” in 2015), teams up with drummer Baptiste Brondy, a colleague of M and other Jean-Louis Aubert artists, and bass player Rafgee, educated at the Paris 5 Conservatoire and regularly hired at West Indian dances to replace the string bass with this greasy reptile that winds it up for our greatest pleasure.

The guitar riffs are blues first and foremost, essentially delta blues and Chicago blues, guitar motifs that Pascal Danaef embellishes with other riffs and rock melodies typical of the 70s. It’s not quite as saturated and explosive as the Black Keys, Jon Spencer or Jack White, although you can enjoy paraphrases of Led Zep’s Whole Lotta Love…

Nonetheless, it rocks!

The rhythm section is crucial to the success of this atypical power trio. The sub-bassophone plays like an electric bass, and the highly competent drums are more than a regular blues-rock drummer.

An experienced professional, Delgrès’s frontman has a fine arsenal of blues and rock motifs, and his Creole vocals come through with ease. Whether it’s the committed, lucid words of his intellect or the passionate words of his guts, all this rhyming verbiage soon hits its targets.

Pascal Danae and his colleagues delivered two very hot sets, which suggests that their next stop in Montreal will be in a bigger venue. An easy prediction!

Alain Brunet

Bianca Rocha, Sincere Enthusiasm for MPB

Photo credit: André Rival

Playing to a full house at Club Balattou, the Brazilian singer-songwriter, Bianca Rocha and her band, put on a warm and breezy set of classic MPB numbers as well as a few originals. Rocha displayed a comfortable stage presence and her genuine enthusiasm and passion for Brazilian music were palpable, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. There were frequent calls to the dance floor throughout the concert, and the audience certainly made the most of them! 

The backing band of drums, guitar, bass, provided solid musical support. Their minimalist arrangements tastefully complemented Rocha’s delicate yet energetic vocals, creating a tight, if at times rather sparse, musical backdrop. Perhaps the concert could have benefitted with some additional instrumentation, a little brass, or even the addition of a keyboard player, which would give the guitarist more room to breathe, would have made the music even better. 

However, the evening was made all the more special with the addition of guest performer, singer Flavia Nascimento. In our interview with Bianca about this performance, she mentioned how Flavia is affectionately known as ‘the sun’ in the Brazilian community, and it is easy to see why. Her larger than life stage presence and her soulful vocal performances added even more warmth and vibrancy to the evening. 

Varun Swarup