Montreal drummer Mark Nelson wanted to musically illustrate all the “weird things” that exist beyond the earth’s atmosphere, far beyond, that is, into other solar systems and even other galaxies. It’s this idea that underpins the conceptual content of Postcards From the Cosmos, a jazz collection of impressions from far away, presented last night at Dièse Onze as part of OFF Jazz 2023. Interstellar jazz, philosophically speaking, but very little solar in its harmonic architecture. We find ourselves in a serious, complex sound universe, supported by an often insistent rhythmic drive by Nelson himself, of course, and the discreet but elaborate Levi Dover on double bass. The piano, in truth, is where it’s at. The excellent Andrew Boudreau builds a sophisticated constellation that oscillates between Webernian atonal and reasonable chromaticism.

In this journey, we land somewhere on a planet where it “snows” sunscreen (Kepler 13Ab – yes, yes, it’s true), and admire the so-called Sombrero galaxy (one of the most beautiful captured by telescopes) while trying to perceive the tenuous, highly abstract echoes of the song “Mexican Hat Dance” in the instrumental framework, and we hear a “weird blues” defining the asteroid Oumouamoua (which some have mistaken for an alien spaceship) and a vaguely Schoenbergian funk doubled by pianistic chords reminiscent of Messiaen tells us of a planet with two suns, like Tatooine in Star Wars. There’s even Pluto, nostalgically hailed as a former planet (it’s now a “dwarf planet”). Nelson obviously knows his stuff.

However, we would have liked a little more “sense of wonder” in this high-level music, to sometimes avoid the impression of cerebrality. The title track, “Postcards From the Cosmos,” arriving towards the very end, gave us a touch of that. It was a little late. Stars, galaxies, colourful nebulae, and eccentric exoplanets, were all imbued with a kind of visual and spiritual magic that we’d have hoped would be more faithfully replicated in the musical constructs. Nevertheless, the end result is ferociously intelligent, skilfully woven into several layers of harmonic and rhythmic discourse, and produced with musicians in great technical shape (once again, Boudreau, impressive. Fellow pianist Félix Stüssi was present and said the same thing). We may not have been amazed, but we were certainly impressed and jazzistically satisfied.

A confession to start with: I didn’t know Melissa Pipe before the OFF Jazz festival. Listening to her album Of What Remains totally enchanted, impressed and seduced me. And the concert on October 11th in a totally transfixed Ministère only added to my delight.

Melissa Pipe plays bassoon and baritone saxophone. But first and foremost, she’s a brilliant composer and arranger. She focuses on chamber jazz, in which brass and wind dominate, but in which each musician is in total symbiosis with his or her compatriots. Well-crafted solos to boot.

We’re in a kind of velvet halo, which doesn’t exclude occasional bursts of dissonance and explosions, but what predominates is a formidable harmonic and meditative quilt.

“As you may have noticed, I’m very fond of the low register,” Melissa Pipe tells us between two pieces. It’s true that it’s a characteristic of her musical colours. When you play bassoon and baritone saxophone, it influences the register of your compositions.

Incidentally, Melissa Pipe speaks French like a native Québécoise, and a third of the tracks on Of What Remains have French titles. This sextet once again reflects Montreal’s diversity: Philippe Coté on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, Solon McDade on double bass, the formidable Mili Hong on drums, Andy King on trumpet (Lex French plays more on the album) and Jeff Johnston on piano (Geoff Lapp on the album). This band is exquisite, let’s not mince words.

Compared to some of my colleagues on this site, I don’t possess an encyclopedic knowledge of jazz. But the lover of good music of all genres that I am levitated during these eighty minutes of music.

From now on, when I hear that Melissa Pipe is giving a concert, whether with her sextet, her bassoon quartet, or in some other form – I hear she also collaborates with rock or hip-hop musicians – I’ll keep my ears open.

I end this review with Of What Remains in my headphones. What magnificent harmonies. What symbiosis. Ideal music to transcend the anxieties of the present age.

I was very intrigued by this concert by Objibway trumpeter Chuck Copenace, who lives in Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, which has just elected Canada’s first-ever aboriginal prime minister.

First Nations are on the move, in politics and culture, and not just in Quebec. Listening to his latest opus, Oshki Manitou suggested an interesting mix of traditional Indigenous music, electronic music and jazz.

However, the concert version of this album (Wednesday evening at the Ministère) left me a little disappointed. It was more of a traditional, groovy jazz show, lightly marked by traditional chants on two occasions. The absence of keyboards, omnipresent on the album, transformed the band’s sound.

Once that’s said, the shy colossus that is Chuck Copenace is very touching when he tells his story. He talked a lot. The fact that an Objibway from Northern Ontario, raised by a mother who overcame her substance abuse problems, managed to become a trumpet player is a tremendous accomplishment. That he reconnected with his roots by frequenting Winnipeg’s many sweat lodges, where many of his recent compositions originated. For, in these huts, there’s a lot of singing.

Chuck Copenace is a competent trumpeter. Guitarist Victor Lopez provides the harmonic framework with a crystalline, reverberant sound. The quintet has played Herbie Hancock and Freddie Hubbard in addition to Copenace’s own compositions.

I’d like to see this band again in a version more in keeping with the latest album, where the fusion of genres is expressed more convincingly. Chuck Copenace’s trajectory remains to be followed, as he is committed to bringing native musicians together to build a new jazz.

Tuesday evening’s concert at Salle Bourgie was nothing short of exhilarating. Isata Kanneh-Mason was in town and treated the audience to a remarkably well-constructed and, above all, virtuoso program.

Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, born in 1996, enjoys a well-deserved international reputation. Her stage presence is mesmerizing. The eyes of the entire audience are riveted on her, as she soaks up the music she sees flashing through her mind. Because yes, one of the highlights of the concert was the fact that she played all four works, some 1h30 of them, almost completely by heart! She not only mastered the scores, but also the particular rhythms of the pieces, especially the Chopin in the last part, and seemed to vibrate, almost dancing to the rhythm of the bars. She also demonstrated solid concentration throughout the concert, ignoring the distractions and pitfalls of the scores. She excelled in conveying the emotions and intensity of the program.

A trend, or rather a thread, ran through the entire program. The works, in chronological order, told the story of Romanticism. Starting with Haydn’s Piano Sonata No. 60 (1794-1795), we could hear the first traces. A rather late work, probably composed for the pianoforte, the forerunner of the modern piano, the humour and quality of the themes are typical of Haydn’s pen. The chromaticism in the second movement, which evolves into a scale that seems to disappear into the mist, is noteworthy and delicately realized. The second work, Fanny Mendelssohn’s Ostersonate (1828), is fully Romantic, with a great breadth of movement and intensity that captivates the listener. The canon in the second movement is delightful, underlining the clarity of the voices both in the score and in the pianist’s playing.

The second part somewhat echoes the first, with a brighter piece followed by a more eventful one. Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen (1838) is a sequence of fairly simple themes that evoke images of a child’s life. Their joys, dreams, fears, anxieties and so on. Taking the form of a story, perhaps a lullaby, one is almost tempted to fall asleep with the child after the poet’s conclusion. The final work was Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 3 (1844). Here, Kanneh-Mason had the opportunity to demonstrate all her expertise, all her mastery of the repertoire, and all her virtuosity through the deluge of notes, the volcanic climbs and delicate descents that painted a delicious musical landscape. The voices that appeared and seemed to disappear as if by magic kept the attention of the already satisfied audience, and the particular rhythms of the last movement were more than intriguing. Once again, we could feel how dear this music seemed to the pianist. She repaid the audience’s warm welcome with a short encore, an etude by Chopin (him again!), which was utterly majestic.

Salle Bourgie has once again spoiled its audience with a world-renowned artist who brought the repertoire and the program to life. No doubt many listeners will see these works differently after hearing Isata Kanneh-Mason’s interpretation.

Razalaz is the band of Olivier Salazar, who composes and directs the music.

This sextet calls itself a jazz-funk band. For my part, I’d add that it also has prog-rock and atmospheric film music influences.

At least, that’s how I felt at Razalaz’s concert at Le Ministère on October 10, as part of Off Jazz. Olivier Salazar loves mixes and fusions. His track record bears witness to this: he’s played with the likes of Louis-Jean Cormier, Jacques Kuba Séguin and the funky The Brooks.

He plays keyboards and vibraphone. Maybe it’s his vibraphone that reminds me of progressive rock. He plays more like Kerry Minnear of Gentle Giant than Gary Burton. At times, I had the impression of hearing King Crimson or Snarky Puppy, the American jazz-fusion band.

But Razalaz invents its own sound. The group offered a renewed version of its latest album, Jungle Givrée, released less than a year ago. It was also able to perform a few tracks from its debut opus, Océan Sucré, from 2019.

Just by reading the titles of this album, you understand that Razalaz also has a sense of humour, which you can feel in the music. And it’s even clearer when Olivier Salazar tells you on stage the genesis of what inspired the song titles. The story of Bronzage Napolitain is very funny: a white Québécois-Chilean who burns under the Brazilian sun. It’s the story of Olivier Salazar.

Razalaz doesn’t take itself too seriously but sometimes makes serious, inspired music. Jazz, funk, some very gentle moments. Among the instrumentalists, Andy King’s trumpet stands out.

Also featured are Émile Farley on bass, Alex Francoeur on saxophone, François Jalbert on guitar and Noam Guerrier-Freud on drums.

Razalaz is an intriguing bug that we’ll have to keep listening to, to see how far it will go and how it will mutate.

Pianist Julian Gutierrez isn’t reinventing jazz. But his group gave me a very pleasant Caribbean-flavored jazz experience at his concert at the Ministère on Tuesday, part of the OFF Jazz program. The music is richly and finely arranged and grooves intensely at times. A very high standard.

Cuban-born Julian Guttierez, who studied composition at Laval University, has created a very Montreal-style sextet: Guadeloupean Axel Bonnaire on drums, Cuban Eugenio Kiko Osorio on congas and percussion, Brazilian Joao Lenhari on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Quebecers Guillaume Carpentier on tenor saxophone and Jean-François Martel on electric bass. Starting with the third piece on the program, a surprise guest was added: saxophonist Jean-Pierre Zanella, with whom Julian Guttierez has often collaborated.

This sextet (now a septet) mainly performed pieces from the Julian Gutierrez Project’s latest opus, Goldstream, released in 2022.

In terms of improvisation, Joao Lenhari offered us inspired solos, alternating between sweetness and intensity. Guillaume Carpentier brings the depth of the tenor sax. Julian Gutierrez has a rich harmonic palette and weaves inspiring solos of melody and progression. Jean-Pierre Zanella is simply… Jean-Pierre Zanella on alto and soprano sax.

The group’s rhythm section brings a contagious energy and complexity. The unobtrusive but highly effective bassist Jean-Français Martel supports the highly explosive but highly competent Axel Bonnaire, who seems to take great pleasure in playing with his accomplice, percussionist Eugenio Kiko Osorio.

A small downside: I was less convinced when Julian Gutierrez turned singer on two of the eight pieces presented.

That said, this group illustrates the richness of our jazz scene and the contribution of Montrealers from elsewhere. And the power of mixing. After the concert, Brazilian Joao Lenhari told me that he found Montreal more culturally rich than Sao Paolo, the Brazilian megalopolis. This trumpeter will soon be leading the big band at the Université de Montréal. Stay tuned.

In the context of Off Jazz, the sacred beauty of the Chapelle Saint-Louis was the ideal setting for this highly convincing and unique project led by drummer Aaron Dolman. Alongside two singers, Sarah Rossy and Eugénie Jobin, this trio navigates instrumentation that reveals a real depth and tenderness in Dolman’s rich chamber compositions.

With the two singers expressing themselves between harmony and counterpoint, and the drums performing between groove and melody, the uniqueness of the experience was soon imprinted on us, and the trio showed great sensitivity to make it all work.

Throughout the evening, the band not only shared their new compositions but also revisited tracks from their debut album, Are You Here to Help?

As the evening drew to a close, the trio left the audience with a particularly sweet memory: a folk rendition of the aptly titled “Can the Circle Be Unbroken.” Aaron joined in this more intimate sequence, furnishing the larger whole with warm drum triads, bringing the evening to a heartfelt conclusion, memorable for those in attendance.

Monday night was a big date for Montreal fans of Little Simz. It was a long-awaited return to Montreal for the London-based rapper and musician, who hadn’t been in our neck of the woods since her debut. She went on to win the prestigious Mercury Prize and explode into critical and popular success with three recent albums.

So, what’s a Little Simz show like when she’s at the top of her game?

The MTELUS hall fills up fast. And, to everyone’s surprise, the show starts early! At 7:57 pm, then, it’s the slow, measured flow of rapper OTG who opens the show. A charming performance! A perfect appetizer for what’s to come.

After a few anxious moments, Little Simz finally takes the stage with “Silhouette”, from her latest album NO THANK YOU. Dressed in her usual concert uniform of an extra-long white shirt and black tie, because, understandably, she has no need for flashiness. Alone on stage, she receives the full force of the ecstatic Montreal audience. You can see on her face that she’s delighted.

The rapper performed half the concert on her own. With little downtime between songs, there’s no time to get bored. For her song “Heart on Fire”, the lighting changes from white to bright red, the screen at the back projects flames, and the temperature in the room rises. The same thing happens shortly afterwards for her hit “Venom”, with green. In the middle of the concert, a guitarist and a bassist come in to assist with the remaining songs.

Honestly, Little Simz’s live art loses none of its precision in front of an audience. The lyrics are clear, the syllables cut, the consonants incisive. You can understand it all, you can follow it all. It’s impressive. Not once does she stumble in her lyrics or rhythms. And she does it like it’s easy!

At one point, Simz leaves the stage while the other two jam for a few moments. She returns to the triumphant sound of “Gorilla”, a song that truly deserves to be in the hip-hop pantheon. At this point, the crowd can no longer contain itself. And so goes the rest of the concert, hit after hit, interspersed with softer, more heartfelt moments.

Sii Simz has something special, and that’s sincerity. She doesn’t overplay her presence, and that’s what I appreciate most about her. She’s modest, but aware of her extraordinary talent and the time it took her to get where she is. She shares her pride, which is promptly reciprocated. When she smiles when people sing her lyrics, you can tell it’s true.

One word comes to mind: radiant.

So it was an important show for both sides. For Little Simz, a warm return to Montreal as part of a tour that was drawing to a close. For us, the return of one of today’s finest hip-hop artists. If you were looking for an induction on Monday night, it was at MTELUS.

In the 2000s, Blanche Baillargeon made a name for herself with DJ Champion’s G Strings. Since then, she has also distinguished herself with Christine Tassan’s gypsy jazz and Misses Satchmo jazz, but few music lovers are aware of her personal work.

Well… she wasn’t well known until last spring, when her new project Le Nid sparked things off with unsuspecting music lovers, including our dear colleague Sylvain Cormier, who was full of praise for her. In fact, Blanche Baillargeon has been making her compositional language public since 2015, and her recent opus Le Nid was the main material for this concert presented at Le Ministère.

The rustle of the forest, the flight of birds, the light in the landscape, freedom, happiness, malaise, hope and empathy are all sources of inspiration for these mostly ethereal and gentle jazz songs. Pianist Chantale Morin, drummer Sacha Daoud, bass clarinettist Guillaume Bourque and flautist Alex Dodier (who can play sax in other contexts), all excellent musicians with extensive jazz experience, accompany the double bassist in this Off Jazz context.

The music here is a composite of songs expressed in French (lyrics by master poet Patrice Desbiens) and Brazilian Portuguese, including the cover of Chico Buarque’s “Samba e Amor,” and other original jazz-samba/bossa nova-inspired proposals. Blanche Baillargeon’s musical references are clearly jazz, but they are also tinged with Brazilian and Cape Verdean music that is part of the global collective imagination, and with French chanson that also draws on the romantic and modern music of the Western classical tradition.

The result is voluptuous, enveloping chamber jazz, harmonically and melodically rich, and a pleasure to listen to. No peak performance is required of each performer or improviser, rather the composer seeks to create a coherent, cohesive whole around her works. Personally, I preferred the non-Brazilian moments of this repertoire on the Sunday evening program, as I sometimes had the impression of a certain disparity between these noble tropical inspirations of the 60s-70s-80s and the rest of her original compositions, which are fresher and… more original.

Photo credit: Jean-Pierre Dubé

Erika Angell’s artistic life is distinct from that of her excellent band Thus Owls, whose creative core she forms with her guitarist husband, Simon Angell. She is becoming increasingly regular, notably as part of the trio Beatings Are in The Body, which we heard last June at Suoni Per Il Popolo, and more recently Sunday evening in solo and duo at Le Ministère, as part of the Off Festival de jazz de Montréal.

Poetry, song and sound are at the heart of this subtle, unique approach. The magnificent voice of this gifted Montreal artist is the absolute lever of her expression; the choice of words (English and Swedish, her mother tongue), sometimes declaimed without melody, is also brilliant but does not serve songs built on frameworks that have been standardized for ages. Musically, Erika Angell uses continuous synthetic sounds, a kind of drone around which she makes brilliant superimpositions. The musician is equipped with a small keyboard, light percussion and other electronic tools, which she uses in real-time. The compositional structures are not complex in themselves, but a melodic-harmonic continuum on which various ornaments of varying degrees of intensity are placed. And it does!

A kind of exploratory ambient music with sung or spoken texts, Erika Angell’s art can also involve the intervention of drummer Mili Hong, a Canadian resident originally from South Korea. This gifted percussionist can intervene randomly with the updated vocabulary of free jazz, but can also express her skill on sustained rhythms. She listens carefully to Erika Angell’s ideas and adds to those of her employee, who, at the risk of rambling, deserves to be known and recognized for her true worth.

Photo credit: Jean-Pierre Dubé