Thundercat is the Funky Space Cowboy of Our Dreams
Thundercat / Benoit Rousseau
Despite the oppressive heat on July 5, thousands gathered at Scene TD to witness Thundercat—the virtuoso bassist who has been responsible for producing music for some of the most influential and genre-transcending music in the last decade; Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Gorillaz, Ariana Grande, Anderson .Paak, etc.
He of course was playing his own music, mostly from his latest jazz-fusion album, It Is What It Is. From the beginning moments, Thundercat (real name Stephen Bruner) made the crowd aware that this performance was going to be jazzier than most—I mean, he is playing the FIJM—by playing a ridiculously free bass solo on his classic burnt orange six-string bass, ripe with pops and turns to make our heads spin. Hello Victor Wooten?
No, Thundercat is his own sort of master and makes it look too easy and you can tell he loves it, smiling a big Cheshire grin between songs. And his vocal falsettos soared—as if he was a modern Marvin Gaye with a bit more echo filter delay. But his band, Justin Brown on drums, and Dennis Hamm on keys, was just as capable, taking their own five minutes solos between songs. One thing that separates Thundercat from others is his adoration for pop culture; anime, movies, and video games, and he made it known during his set, speaking about how he is more than excited for the final three episodes of the ninja fantasy epic, Naruto. You can’t really separate this aspect from Thundercat; it’s all throughout his lyrics, and his stage outfit—a golden Sonic the Hedgehog necklace, Felix the Cat striped t-shirt, and a treasure trove of videogame/anime reference tattoos, [See You Space Cowboy…] shows a man who knows what he’s all about.
The setlist was mostly newer tracks within the last two years, but there were a few deep hits from Drunk like “A Fan’s Mail,” “Tron Song” and “Friendzone.” One surprise, just for FIJM was when Thundercat brought out Louis Cole, to slay on drums for the track “I Love Louis Cole.” Turns out the two are very good friends and Cole once brought Thundercat back to life after he got a little too sauced on the juice. Everyone was waiting for “Them Changes,” and Thundercat delivered with a more improvised version of his bass funk epic. He then left and arrived again, laying down “No More Lies,” the song he released a little while ago with Tame Impala. It might have made more sense to switch the order of those two last songs as the crowd went way more electric for “Them Changes.” Still, a FIJM show to burn in our memory banks.
Stephan Boissonneault
Genevieve Artadi, songwriting of another kind with Louis Cole and Chiquitamagic
Genevieve Artadi is part of the not-so-new Los Angeles new jazz scene that has been underway since the late 2000s, with Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Terrace Martin, Sounwave, Cameron Graves and more. With three albums to her credit, she is one of the few female singers to formulate such proposals: creating choruses, verses and bridges on complex harmonic frameworks and rhythmic figures inspired by contemporary jazz, jazz-fusion and electro-jazz.
As the night wore on, Studio TD was packed to the rafters to welcome this atypical singer. Did we fall for her? Her high, clear voice is limited in power and texture, but her outgoing personality makes up for this relative vocal tenuity that can be an annoyance. The tension between this small voice and the strength of the rhythmic support is reminiscent of Deerhoof, but the comparison ends there, because we’re really on jazz territory here, and Ms. Atardi’s super drummer is Louis Cole, whose big band we absolutely love.
The other members of the line-up are Adam Ratner, an excellent guitar player, and none other than keyboardist Isis Giraldo, aka Chiquitamagic, a highly gifted Colombian who studied jazz piano in Montreal and is now pursuing a career in the big leagues. She’s progressed to production, beatmaking and real-time keyboard playing, has been hanging out with Louis Cole’s extended family for a few years, and now she’s the musical director of Genevieve Artadi. Bravo and cool party at Genevieve Artadi.
Alain Brunet
Ping Pong Go Make a Playing Field out of the Cosmos
At 7 pm on the Esplanade, the band, formed by keyboardist Vincent Gagnon and drummer P-E Beaudoin was cooking in all the right ways. These two have been swarming all over the emerging Franco-Quebec scene in recent years, with the likes of Hubert Lenoir, Keith Kouna, Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Tire le coyote, and many others. For their FIJM concert, Lysandre Ménard and Cédric Martel joined the team, on keyboards and bass respectively.
It’s fair to say that Ping Pong Go gives back the galactic meaning to the word “nebulous.” The band’s music seems to come from (or go towards) the cosmos, no doubt thanks to the sounds of its many synthesizers. Whether it’s an epic journey through the planets or a nocturnal soaring voyage over a retro cityscape, both are equally valid. Even under the 7 pm sun, in the suffocating heat of the day, they managed to take us elsewhere, not forgetting a detour to Billie Holliday’s world, and a pass through a very Talking Heads-y space.
Seeing Ping Pong Go play on stage, the band’s name takes on its full meaning. Each track is a game of back-and-forth: bass and percussion raise the table, keyboards pass the ball, the rhythm rises … and the whole thing ends with a smash!
In short, make way for screeching synth solos, a relentless pitch bend use, technical and technological prowess, space-jazz-prog-jam, grimaces, smiles, knowing glances, and all that vibrancy. Make way for Ping Pong Go!
Théo Reinhardt
Annahstasia, A Beautiful Moment of Introspection
I knew nothing about Annahstasia when I arrived on the Rio Tinto stage at the festival. I was immediately drawn in by this voice. In a rather gentle musical envelope, Annahstasia is sometimes heartbreaking. This young lady knows how to alternate between extreme sweetness and screaming.
I learned that Annahstasia Enuke is a Nigerian-American based in Los-Angeles. She released an EP this year entitled Revival.
Is she soul, folk or jazz? More folk, I’d say, but with soul-jazz leanings. The mix of cello with guitar, bass and keyboard adds depth to the arrangements.
Some of the crowd were truly captivated, despite the sweltering heat of the evening. I’m always fascinated by an audience’s ability to listen when it’s essential. And this hour’s concert was essential.
This voice, which can play in several octaves, invited us into a kind of intimacy, a kind of essential energy.
Annashtasia tells us to be kind and respectful. And many of the songs are about feminine power.
She ended up asking in French; “C’est bien?” I replied, “c’est très bien.”
Michel Labrecque
Jupiter on Earth
Jupiter Bokondji, born Jean Pierre Bokondji Ilola, offers a frenetic infusion of Congolese music crossed with a clearly globalist pop culture. The music of this ebullient frontman (and his band Okwess) is based on rumba / soukouss, the foundation of modern Congolese pop music, but also of a punk-rock attitude rarely found on the black continent. Even though his deep, husky voice barely exceeds an octave, the singer’s authority on stage is unmistakable. The curious onlookers who came to meet him will have appreciated the energy and independent spirit of this artist who is so popular with rock stars such as Damon Albarn and Massive Attack. Solid stuff !
Alain Brunet
