At the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, PAN M 360’s experts attend the concerts that shake up music lovers. Follow our team!
Photo credits : Benoît Rousseau
Samara Joy Defies All Suspicion
Was there any reason to be suspicious? Samara Joy wins a Grammy, two Grammys, revelation of the year, jazz album of the year. The 23-year-old has two albums, one of them self-produced. And now the Grammys jury has decided that a classical jazz singer outshines all the emerging pop singers of 2023. Listening distractedly to Samara Joy, we say to ourselves, well, here’s another jazz fundamentalist titillating the bien-pensants of American culture. Not very excited, then.
But then I think, let’s not avoid the subject, let’s not snub it. That these widely publicized victories, legitimate or not, deserve our attention. So it wasn’t without skepticism that I volunteered to cover Samara Joy. And… once again, preconceptions are shattered. We hear her during a short appearance on Saturday evening, guest of piano prodigy Julius Rodriguez. Hm, not a museum replica of Sarah Vaughan, perhaps more than that. Then PAN M 360 is offered an interview with this young woman.
She’s very tall, she’s brilliant, she’s nice. No pretensions. Two hours later, we turn up at Monument National. She’s swapped her relaxed outfit for an evening gown and heels. She intones This Is the Moment, our ears flutter, our eyes widen. So this wasn’t one of those incoherent, disconnected choices the Grammys are sometimes capable of.
Samara Joy has an alto register but can push into that of a soprano. This is not just the result of rigorous technique, but a gift of nature. The variety of timbres, modulations and variations in power are all assets for this exceptional singer.
Superbly at ease on stage, humble and proud, very funny, entertaining to the max. She knows how to make her own a standard like Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust or Tom Jobim’s Chega de Saudade, or a vocal adaptation of Nostalgia by bop trumpeter Fats Navarro, or the hybridization of Stevie Wonder and Nancy Wilson, or even those incandescent lines in homage to the great Betty Carter, an influence more evident in Samara Joy. Which is excellent news for the future.
Alain Brunet
JaRon Leads Us All to the Cosmos
JaRon Marshall, the keyboardist for the Black Pumas, revived a sleepy crowd at Rogers Stage, as he played 80s percent of his debut full-length solo album, earth sounds on Sunday night at FIJM. Backed up by a fantastic drummer and bassist—who he only started playing with on the same day—JaRon lead the crowd through a whirlwind of cosmic jazz that was a bit Return to Forever and Pharoah Sanders. The main instrument was, of course, two keyboards that JaRon commanded with ease.
It looked as if he didn’t break a sweat during his synthy freakout solos or complex chord arrangments. The band did a great job of keeping the groove for the crowd, without diving too much into the realm of free jazz. JaRon is clearly a maestro who loves emotional jazz music and we were lucky to witness him on a smaller, more intimate, stage because this guy could easily be playing the main stages in a year or two.
Stephan Boissonneault
Elliot Maginot Nests on the Esplanade
At 11 pm, singer-songwriter Elliot Maginot performs on the Esplanade at Place des Arts. On the stage, garlands of lights run through the space, climbing over the equipment and delimiting the playground. Six decorative owls are scattered around the front of the stage and on the equipment… an animal that has apparently become the artist’s symbol of choice, judging by his communications on social networks.
Elliot Maginot’s concert kicks off with an atmospheric sound, to which a few guitar ripples are added. A soaring sound that both builds tension and relaxes muscles. As the musicians prepare, the audience warms up. Then it’s off to 55 minutes of flattering folk-pop, sometimes bouncy, sometimes contemplative, and above all luminously tinged with saxophone, marimba, cello, and West African touches. The drums resonate in the chest, and the artist’s voice, in the mind.
Elliot Maginot stands out for his pinched, breathy voice, and also for his intense yet restrained performance. When he sings, his body and face tense with emotion, and his voice is shot through with a quiver – not a vibrato – that lifts the longer words and ends of phrases. An unusual singer, perhaps, but a singer nonetheless. You can tell when you see him on stage.
In short, a charming show! Let’s just say that the branch on which Elliot Maginot is perched doesn’t make you want to leave.
Théo Reinhardt
Blue Moon Marquee Brings their Raspy Gypsy Blues to FIJM
It was nice to see Blue Moon Marquee, an Albertan band with humble beginnings as a two-piece, play to a larger crowd at Scene Loto Quebec. They were competing with Vance Joy at the same time, but the true heads—the crowd looking for something a bit more than generic folk, began to grow and grow. It must have been the haunting, Tom Waits-esque vocals, from A.W Cardinal, or the rhythm section, played by Jasmine Colette on stand-up bass and drums. You read that right. She plays both and literally punches the crash cymbals while playing and singing. Nothing more punk rock and DIY than that. Without her the band is nothing.
It’s usually just a two-piece, but this show they were joined by a saloon-style keyboard/ organ which added a whole other dimension to the bluesy lead guitar and thumping bass. This band is full of intensity and their energy is wild and untameable. Cardinal ended the set by singing without a microphone and his raspy voice carried to the back of the crowd. Make sure you check out Blue Moon Marquee next time you get the chance.
Stephan Boissonneault
Vance Joy Charms the FIJM Crowd
Just over a year after the release of his third album, In Our Own Sweet Time, Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy took the FIJM stage late Sunday evening. In front of a jam-packed Place des Festivals, the 35-year-old performed a happy mix of tracks from his various projects for almost 90 minutes. Placed in the middle of the stage, with his guitar or ukulele in hand, Vance Joy was accompanied on stage by various musicians, including a trumpet player and a saxophonist, bringing even more richness and depth to his best hits. With all smiles, the Australian kicked off his performance with ”Missing Piece”, a track from his latest opus.
Halfway through, Vance Joy got the crowd going when he took to his ukulele for his track Saturday Sun, then slowed the tempo with his ballad “We’re Going Home”. During the latter, people gathered in front of the stage waved their lights, making for a superb moment. Without a doubt, the highlight of the show was when he sang his most popular track to date, Riptide. It was party time, and the crowd went wild singing the song’s lyrics. Just when you thought the performance of his biggest hit signalled the end of his set, the artist surprised everyone with a well-done cover of ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” There’s no denying that Vance Joy has captured the hearts of millions of listeners with his pop over the years, and last night was no exception!
Jacob Langlois-Pelletier
