New Orleans trombonist (and trumpeter) Troy Andrews, aka Trombone Shorty, was the fiery guide to an incandescent evening. He and his long-time friends (New Orleans Avenue) blasted the TD Stage from 9:30 to 11pm non-stop with familiar tracks from Shorty’s most recent albums. Funk that grooves roundly, powerfully, with echoes of rock, hip-hop and salsa, in a staging that puts his friends as much at the forefront as the leader himself. This is evidenced by the exciting exchanges between trombone, tenor sax and baritone, where the sprays of notes hammered out in counterpoint verging on learned repetitive minimalism, before setting off again in an irresistible groovy cacophony with the rest of the band.
Trombone Shorty is also into trumpet, and impresses with a long sequence (a minute and a half or two minutes?) of uninterrupted breathing, which he achieves thanks to the continuous breathing technique. Not easy to do, and not easy to control. While you breathe out through your mouth to play the note, you breathe in through your nose to refill your lungs. Try it and see. A highlight that will live long in the memory: “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In,” with the band members lining up, descending and crossing the crowd. In what other city would star musicians feel so comfortable strolling like this through a human tide of tens of thousands of people? Not that many, I’m sure! Vive Montréal!
