PAN M 360 at FIJM 2024 | Ekep Nkwelle, a star not yet born but…

by Alain Brunet

International jazz is struggling to find new female vocal jazz stars to add to the cohort of living artistes as Dianne Reeves, Cécile McLorin Salvant or Samara Joy. Here’s another first-round draft pick: Ekep Nkwelle.

At around 8pm on Saturday, the small outdoor amphitheatre on the Esplanade Tranquille, named Pub Molson for the duration of the FIJM, was one of the few places protected from the insistent rain, which later eased off, fortunately for our very own Dominique Fils-Aimée, who was able to give an imperious performance on the Scène TD.

On a smaller scale, this 25-year-old woman, born in Washington DC of Cameroonian parents, knocked the hundreds of people present at this authentic discovery on their asses. The illustrious unknown recorded very little, as we were all there by chance of discovery.

It starts with jazz that’s very much inclined towards gospel and soul jazz. Then it plunges straight into the world of the great Abbey Lincoln, and once again you realize that this African-American vibe is absolutely inimitable. As is the case with Ekep Nkwelle, you have to be steeped in black American life to express it in this way through jazz.

Ekep Kwelle then moves on to Betty Carter covers arranged by Brazilian Djavan, where Betty’s spirit is warmly appealed to.

La chanteuse passe ensuite à l’évocation fervente de Nina Simone et sa si puissante blackness.

And then there’s Ellington’s Solitude, and then Bobby Timmons’ Moanin’, and so on until the end of this thrilling hour.

By choosing this rather predictable repertoire of modern jazz and female vocal jazz, Ekep Kwelle could have left us cold, put us to sleep or directed us to other stages. Not so! This young singer performs miracles of expressivity, power, exuberance, ease, sensitivity, passion and guts on the table.

In her white dress, she’ll have everyone present. Without exception. There weren’t enough of us to use the “a star is born” cliché, but… we’re not far off.In her white dress, she’ll have everyone present. Without exception. There weren’t enough of us to use the “a star is born” cliché, but… we’re not far off.

PAN M 360 at FIJM | Madison and Alicia, soul pop from opposite direction

by Alain Brunet

Madison Ryann Ward has a beautiful voice and can count on Mother Nature’s best physical assets – and perhaps a touch of plastic surgery. Madison’s hits are certainly not for nothing on FIJM’s largest outdoor stage… despite the insistent rain on a Saturday, June 29.

Madison sings smoothly, her mezzo voice subscribing to all the vocal standards of feminine soul pop. A luxurious bandana covers her golden hair, a minimalist tattoo appears on her forearm, and our luxury gypsy wears chic clothes.

Madison can count on a top-notch black band to serve up silky, elegant soul, quiet storm, with a hint of jazz in the harmonies. So far, so good, right ? Behind this apparent perfection, there’s a certain retreat from the vulnerability and viscerality essential to vocal expression. Soul, quiet storm, pop, a hint of jazz… a little out of her depth… Madison seems to remain suspended in her own halo. Fortunately, she manages to break this impression a little when she starts rapping.

Alicia Creti doesn’t sound and look like that at all. A Montrealer relocated to Los Angeles, she’s the girl-next-door with a secure career and a toxic relationship to migrate to California, become a professional singer and heal her wounds. You’ll understand that the emotional burden is not the same. Less aesthetic, less sexy, much more visceral;

Alicia Creti is a contralto of power whose timbre electrocutes and tears. She recently released Selfless, an album that sums up and expresses her situation well. It’s not yet a real hit, which justifies a performance on the small FIJM stage, but it’s definitely pop, it’s soul pop, nothing rocket science, predictable forms, a competent band as it should be, a tad rough around the edges on stage but… so credible, so true.

Latin Jazz

PAN M 360 AT FIJM 2024 | NOÉ LIRA : A Latina Bombshell!

by Michel Labrecque

The Mexican-Quebec singer and actress Noé Lira gave a free open-air concert, in somewhat rainy weather. But we didn’t feel the rain, because the singer-musician was radiating with her all-female group. Noé Lira is a beast of the stage, her energy is contagious.

Her proposal is certainly Latina, but it is a committed, intelligent music, far from the clichés of the genre. The actress has established herself in several Quebec television series, including The Emperor and La Candidate. In 2021, the musician and singer released Latiendo la Tierra. Three years and a pandemic later, we can feel that Noé Lira’s voice and musical posture have matured and progressed. Noé Lira addressed the audience in Quebec French, but chose to sing mainly in her father’s language. The result is very nice, no offense to certain Quebec nationalists, who could accuse her of weakening French in favor of another language. Noé Lira is also a committed, resolutely feminist artist, who affirmed last night that “the borders were artificial”. She plays the accordion, which she mixes with cello, keyboards and percussion. She is a perfect illustration of a mixed Quebec and proud of it. This plural artist never ceases to amaze us. This woman has fabulous potential. She will tour throughout Quebec this summer. Go listen to her!

Jazz

PAN M 360 AT FIJM 2024 | AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE & DAVE HOLLAND: a sublime dialogue

by Michel Labrecque

I told you yesterday about my enthusiasm for the solo concert of trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire at the Gésu, who made his little instrument sound in so many astonishing ways. So I was very happy to be able to attend Ambrose’s second show with veteran British double bassist Dave Holland.

You must be telling yourself: “It will be a kind of remake, with the addition of solid double bass accompaniment”. However, it was absolutely not a remake. We witnessed an authentic communion, an open, fruitful dialogue, such as jazz can offer us when it is at its best. The 42-year-old black trumpeter and the 77-year-old white double bassist made us levitate and float in their exchange where every note counted, or at least that is the impression I had. The trumpet of Ambrose Akinmusire was as interesting as the day before, but totally different, since it interacted with the double bass, in a complementary way. There were as many, if not more, double bass solos than trumpet. Sometimes, Ambrose offered repetitive trumpet layers while Dave improvised at full throttle. Everything started around a basic theme, then the two instrumentalists listened to each other and decided on a direction that only they knew. I heard Dave Holland for the first time in 1975 at Laval University in Quebec, accompanying free saxophonist Anthony Braxton. This was my introduction to free jazz. Then, the community radio station CKRL-FM in Quebec adopted its pretty ballad The Conference of the Birds, as music for a callsign. Dave Holland has played with Miles Davis, Chick Corea, and just about every great musician in his fifty-year career. He is also a very gifted composer. On his personal website, there are more than two hundred records in which he took part. This meeting between him and Ambrose Akinmusire was therefore a meeting between two great instrumentalists and composers. A very high-level meeting. Was this the first meeting between the two? I do not know.
But it was serious jazz, my friends!

Jazz Pop

PAN M 360 at FIJM 2024 – Is Laufey’s huge social media success justified on stage?

by Vitta Morales

No other media outlet in Montreal has so many people on hand to provide expert coverage of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Many of us are scouring the outdoor site and concert halls: Jacob Langlois-Pelletier, Frédéric Cardin, Stephan Boissonneault, Michel Labrecque, Varun Swarup, Vitta Morales and Alain Brunet bring you their album reviews, concert reports and some interviews. Happy reading and listening!

After a ninety minute concert of sentimental selections that enthralled her audience, Icelandic-Chinese artist Laufey can now add the Ella Fitzgerald Award to her artistic achievements. Before performing her final tune at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier on the evening of June 29th, Montreal Jazz Festival organizers surprised the mononymous singer with flowers and a trophy. This prize is given to a jazz singer of significant talent who has majorly impacted the international scene. Considering the spirit of the award, I frankly have no qualms with her receiving it. Judging by the standing ovation, I would say the audience didn’t either.

This is a major accolade for the young twenty-five year old, not least because the subject of whether her music is or isn’t “authentic” jazz has been debated since first enjoying online virality. Whether they admit it or not, I think her most cynical detractors take issue with the fact that Gen Z is using her music as a reference for jazz without necessarily looking further into the canon. Of course, Laufey herself admits that she sees her music as a fusion of jazz, pop, classical elements. Regardless, I don’t think this debate truly matters. Personally, I long ago lost interest in adjudicating what jazz is and isn’t. Instead, I am much more interested in relaying the listening experience of music that leads to such a debate in the first place.

With that in mind, Laufey is quite obviously a beautiful singer capable of reaching silky notes in the contralto range. In addition, she is a very capable multi-instrumentalist who can play heartbreaking melodies on piano, guitar, and cello. Her accompanying string quartet for this concert added a lot of sentimentality and her rhythm section players balanced this out providing nice moments of groove and dynamics. Furthermore, she has the capacity to write bossa novas that I believe Jobim himself would have approved of as well as the ability to solo competently over chord changes; (though I wished she would have given us more of these moments). What really surprised me, however, were the lights, the glamour, and her movements as a frontwoman.

Indeed, Laufey’s use of campy movements and audience interaction gave me the impression I was watching a musical theater actor or cabaret singer. This had the young audience, many of whom were young girls, extremely giggly. Countless would shout messages of love and encouragement which Laufey would meekly reciprocate. It was all very wholesome but did eventually grow tedious as this phenomenon lasted the entirety of the show. I suppose that’s the price of being such a glamorous musician.

Such tedium would unfortunately be found musically as well before the night was done. Although I do not retract my previous praise, (as every selection was beautifully performed and exceptionally sung), I think ninety minutes of mostly break up songs is a bit much. Laufey at least seems aware of this as she joked about it several times. Regardless, her faithful fans seemed to care little as they loudly sang along to her hits including “From the Start,” and “Falling Behind.”

All things considered, and regardless of any prizes won or not, Laufey is an impressive performer, and writer, who is arguably on track to being a prolific pop star if she isn’t already. With considerable musical talent paired with a willingness to be vulnerable with her fans, I foresee Laufey being a name we’ll continue to hear for as long as she is still interested in creating new music. We will have to see if the subject matter of her music changes significantly with time, but for now they make for a still fresh addition to any playlist in need of some sentimentality.

Contemporary Jazz / Spoken Word

PAN M 360 at FIJM 2024 | Aja Monet, committed jazz, committed poetry, a breath of fresh air

by Alain Brunet

No other Montreal media has as many human resources on hand for expert coverage of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Many of us are scouring the outdoor site and concert halls : Jacob Langlois-Pelletier, Frédéric Cardin, Stephan Boissonneault, Michel Labrecque, Varun Swarup, Vitta Morales and Alain Brunet offer their album reviews, concert reports and a few interviews. Happy reading and listening!

Live jazz supporting poetry was commonplace at the turn of the 60s. Beat generation poets were accompanied by jazzmen, as were African-American writers during the civil rights struggle and the more radical phases of Black American rebellion in many USA cities in the 60s and 70s. We also remember the Last Poets, whose syncopated declamations were (among other things) at the origin of rap as we know it today.

The marriage between poetry and jazz still exists, but its protagonists are a rarity today. And that’s exactly why Aja Monet, from Los Angeles, arrived at Studio TD on a Friday evening and blew in a breath of fresh air. Conscious poetry, creative and committed writing, both pamphleteering and sensitive, both private and political. In black American style, a contemporary jazz quartet accompanies this prolific thirty-something, who has published numerous novels and poetry collections and recorded the fine 2023 album When The Poems Do What They Do, the main subject of this concert / spoken words at FIJM on June 28.

From the point of view of literary form, the words are direct, the meaning is direct, and a few formal elements transform these pamphlets and reflections into art. But above all, it’s the timbre of the voice and the magnetism of this highly intelligent and beautiful woman. Her activism and social conscience run the gamut, from European colonialism to the detriment of America’s indigenous populations, to today’s African-American condition, via the ongoing tragedy in the Gaza Strip, pushing her to denounce everything from the homelessness crisis in Montreal. These are just some of the injustices she seeks to expose beneath the stones of our humanity at the dawn of one of the darkest periods in its recent history.

There’s no pretence here of evaluating Aja Monet’s literary work, just savouring this event where jazz and poetry are once again in symbiosis. A class act!

Afrobeat / thaï

PAN M 360 at FIJM 2024 | Salin implant her Afro-Isan-soul on festival-goers

by Alain Brunet

No other media in Montreal has as many human resources on hand to provide expert coverage of the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Jacob Langlois-Pelletier, Frédéric Cardin, Stephan Boissonneault, Michel Labrecque, Varun Swarup, Vitta Morales and Alain Brunet bring you their album reviews, concert reports and a few interviews. Happy reading and listening!

As Salin Cheewapansri was forced to observe on Friday evening on the Rio Tinto stage, she had learned her lessons well from the master Tony Allen, inventor of the afro-beat drumming style when he was a member of Afrika 70, the famous band of the famous leader Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Having died during the pandemic, the immense Nigerian drummer had the opportunity to demonstrate his science, an approach that has since been taken up by two generations of drummers, far beyond Nigeria where afrobeat was born.

Fresh, smiling and sexy, Salin takes center stage and delivers the drum salvos. Of Thai origin, this excellent Montreal musician sports the beehive hairstyle once worn by Phil Spector’s Ronettes, like so many young American women in the mid-60s. Salin is at the center of a vast band: sax, trumpet, electric guitar, percussion, bass, keyboards, all Montreal pros happy to take part in this groovy hybridization.

She describes her personal style as Afro-Isan soul, a composite blend of traditional Siamese and Khmer music, seasoned with an Afrobeat groove, soul/R&B and jazz-funk-fusion. Salin is far from the first to weld these genres and sub-genres together, but she is certainly the first female drummer in the known universe to play at such a high level – perfectly mastered rhythmic patterns, straightforward tones, etc. – and she is also the first female drummer in the known universe to play that afrobeat groove at such a high level.

At the end of the program, Haitian musicians added new spices to this already spicy papaya salad.

Contemporary Jazz / Modern Jazz

PAN M 360 AT FIJM 2024 | Joey is simply doing his own thing

by Varun Swarup

With his trio of Kris Fine on bass and Jonathan Barber on drums, Joey Alexander graced those in attendance at the Théâtre Duceppe last Friday night with a warm and intimate set of original material. By all accounts the evening was a success, but considering the bar Alexander has set for himself, he may have disappointed some. Namely those expecting to be dazzled by a now twenty-something year old prodigy taking jazz to a new level, because Joey is simply doing his own thing.

In fact one wouldn’t even assume from hearing him that at the age of seven he was already as accomplished as a pianist could be. There is real modesty, restraint, and maturity in Joey’s playing, and he seems to have found his niche in writing a sort of accessible, soulful, hymnal repertoire. Without being too reductive here, the best way to describe Alexander’s playing might be to say it’s like hearing Bill Evans playing the soundtracks of Studio Ghibli. The depth of technique and emotion is there, if subtle, you can hear it in the lushness of his voicings and his ornamentations, but gone are the dissonances replaced by more open intervals and harmonies à la Studio Ghibli or Keith Jarrett on ECM.

The most fascinating part of the evening was getting to hear Joey Alexander play his mellotron, which is featured heavily on his latest album Continuance (read our colleague Vitta’s review here). It certainly marks a compelling new direction for Joey, but like Bill Evans himself, who flirted briefly with Fender Rhodes, it seems it will always be an auxiliary to the piano, never a worthy replacement. That said, any chance to see this subtle master at work is a good chance.

Photo credit: Joey Alexander Facebook page with Jazz Forum

Americana / Blues / Funk / Soul/R&B

PAN M 360 AT FIJM 2024 | Stephen Barry, 50 years of blues at the Gesù

by Alain Brunet

At the helm of his blues band for 50 years, Stephen Barry has never had the voice of a great blues soloist, but… his relaxed vocals always come through, not unlike the tone of a JJ Cale. Stephen Barry has never been a great bass player, but he still manages to keep the tempo and produce his motifs without stumbling. At the helm of his blues band for 50 years, Stephen Barry has never had the voice of a great blues soloist, but… his laid back vocals always come through, not unlike the tone of a JJ Cale. Stephen Barry has never been a great bass player, but he still manages to keep the tempo and produce his motifs without stumbling. Able to make us forget his own limitations, Stephen Barry has always been an exciting artist.

And that’s still the case after half a century of blues, as evidenced by his commemorative album under the Only A Dream banner. Don’t look for a contradiction here, rather a contrast: thought and creative imagination regularly prevail in such forms, experience and subtlety can prevail over technique, and this is certainly the case with this leader and, let’s face it, blues thinker who knows how to dress for special occasions (skullcap, jacket and copper sneakers!) and who knows how to surround himself to serve his inspiration: Andrew Cowan, guitar, vocals and bright red jumpsuit, Jody Golick, tenor and soprano saxophones and cruisewear, Martin Boodman, diatonic harmonica and vocals, Gordie Adamson, drums and vocals. All experienced pros, loyal to Stephen Barry for ages, and what can we say about the choral contributions of Sylvie Choquette and Suzanne Lamontagne, invited to flesh out this appearance at FIJM 2024.

A nerdy artist fascinated by blues and other North American musical strains, Stephen Barry has always approached the blue note with respect, circumspection and, what’s more, a self-deprecating sense of humor. His music repels orthodoxy and purism, and his blues is peppered with brilliant stylistic appropriations, such as the cover of .

“Freedom Jazz Dance”, a superb Eddie Harris standard with a hell of a theme for the sax, this time served up in a boogaloo rhythm! Or Stephen Cassonade Faulkner’s country “Si j’avais un char”, the only song performed in French by our beloved Montrealer. Or Marvin Gaye’s funky soul “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)”.

The Stephen Barry Band had a very pleasant encounter with the audience that filled the Gesù to capacity on Thursday June 27, 2024, half a century since the start of this cruise.

crédit photo : Victor Diaz Lamich pour le FIJM

Jazz

PAN M 360 AT FIJM 2024 | June 28 at the Jazz Festival with Ambrose Akinmusire

by Michel Labrecque

Friday was my baptism of the 44th Montreal Jazz Festival. Getting back into it is always a blessing, especially when the weather is nice. In a brief moment, I was able to watch excerpts from performances by Sunny War, a young woman who reinvents the blues, outdoors, then by jazz poet Aja Monet, indoors. These two concerts were free, it was more than a treat.

In the meantime, I could see children bathing in the fountains of the Quartier des Spectacles and people of all origins waddling, chatting, smiling. The large outdoor stage was packed to listen to the jazz rock of Cory Wong. Not my cup of tea, but the crowd seemed to enjoy it. The eclecticism of the festival is very unifying.

My favorite destination for this evening was Gésu, to hear trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire perform solo. The 42-year-old prodigy trumpeter is alone on stage, almost completely in the shadows. Only his trumpet speaks, sometimes accompanied by the sound of voices. But what a trumpet my friends! A full sound, which inhabits the entire space. Where virtuosity alternates with long notes… and speaking silences.

We are in the vein of his album Beauty is enough (2023), also performed solo. Ambrose Akinmusire explores every orifice of his instrument. He manages to make the trumpet sound in a thousand ways: sometimes it is a long blast of wind; sometimes the sound of his voice seems to harmonize with the brass. This trumpet belches, argues, rocks, cries, meows, calms, roars, sings. She explores all possible and impossible half-tones and quarter-tones. All these sliding notes that take us on a journey through our heads. With just a little reverb. I’m not always a big fan of the trumpet. But Ambrose’s is floating, poetic, learned, emotional, naked. The gentleman is also a great composer, as his other group albums have demonstrated. At the end of the concert, he finally spoke to us, explaining that this recital is, in part, an imaginary dialogue with other deceased trumpeters, notably Roy Hargrove and Wallace Rooney. For my part, as I listened, I imagined an infinite meditation, a therapy session, an atrocious war, people ranting in demonstrations and moments of absolute tenderness. My seatmates probably heard something completely different. We sometimes heard strange clicking noises during the performance. Was it a problem with the sound system or the effects the trumpeter wanted? The debate between spectators after the concert remained open.

Today, Ambrose will perform again at Gésu in the company of veteran British double bassist David Holland. Many of us will be back.

Chamber Folk / Contemporary Jazz / Jazz

PAN M 360 AT FIJM 2024 | Killer show conducted by Julian Lage

by Vitta Morales

Julian Lage, Dave King, and Jorge Roeder put on a killer show last Thursday night at Théâtre Duceppe. Notably, the trio displayed what interplay between instruments looks and sounds like when done at a very high level. The first fifteen minutes, in fact, King played almost entirely linearly as he shaped his drumming to Lage’s melodies and cadenza-like passages. At another point, Roeder and Lage dedicated a section of a song to playing impressive ionian inventions up and down their instruments in counterpoint. It’s sometimes hard to tell when moments like these are improvised or well rehearsed but either way it clearly shows the chemistry between musicians and can make for some memorable moments indeed.

When the trio played decidedly more conventional, (with requisite walking bass and typical time feel on the drums), they didn’t shine any less. Their solos over chord changes with strict forms only forced them to focus their creativity melodically instead. When they grew tired of this, the entire band even played a section or two of dense free-jazz that they then juxtaposed with moments of shimmery ballads and chugging blues selections including “Northern Shuffle” from Lage’s latest album.

By the time it was all done, Lage with the help of his musicians and twangy telecaster, had given the audience another night of eclectic and exciting music as is his custom.

photo credit by @victordiazlamich for FIJM

Cumbia / Rock

PAN M 360 AT FIJM 2024 | Lom live, a successful visit to MTL

by Vitta Morales

No other media outlet in Montreal has so many people on hand to provide expert coverage of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Many of us are scouring the outdoor site and concert
halls: Jacob Langlois-Pelletier, Frédéric Cardin, Stephan Boissonneault, Michel Labrecque, Varun Swarup, Vitta Morales and Alain Brunet bring you their album reviews, concert reports and some
interviews. Happy reading and listening!

If you were within earshot of the Rio Tinto stage last Thursday night between 8 and 11, you would have heard the very danceable stylings of LA LOM. Having reviewed their recorded music earlier in the week, I was curious to see how the live experience compared. The evening proved to be a lively one with audience members dancing, swaying, and even tenderly kissing during the more ballady selections. All for close to three hours total. I would probably classify this as a successful first visit to Montreal for the Los Angeles trio.

Conducive to this success was certainly how well the drums were mixed and how well Nicholas Baker approximates an entire percussion section by himself. Baker makes clever use of a conga, cow bell, and a maraca in addition to the more conventional pieces of a drum set to create beats that are interesting, stylistic, and full sounding. Furthermore, his solos were very dynamic.

On the subject of dynamic, this would describe the rest of the band as well with the mix being very hard hitting. (Once Jake Faulkner’s upright bass decided to work properly, that is). Sounding “big” is paramount when playing as a trio and perhaps even more important when so much of the set relies on dance music. Needless to say, I’m glad they nailed this aspect.

In addition, the order of the songs were generally effective. For those who can’t or don’t dance, several cumbia songs of similar tempo and tonality could prove tedious, and so I’m glad some ballads and rock selections were interspersed strategically. It is LA LOM’s prerogative how much of each element they want to add, but they might do well to rely more on the rock aspect of their music. Zack Sokolow is a very capable guitarist and when he got moments to really shred, I got glimpses of a young Carlos Santana. (A feat even the current Santana wishes he could achieve more, I suspect). If not, it could be worthwhile to have Zack sing as they played a new ballad of theirs with the melody on guitar in the absence of the singer who provided her voice on the recording.

I think strategies like this would only serve to shield them from the criticism that their music gets repetitive. I won’t deny this criticism but then again, I don’t go to nightclubs and complain that there aren’t enough songs in 5/4. LA LOM are a band for dancing and occasionally rocking out to, so listeners should expect the music to be in service of that.

With all this said, after last night’s concert, I can confirm that LA LOM put on a mean show and I suspect we’ll be hearing more about them in the near future with their debut album coming out August 9th. Until then, catching them on the road and watching their stylized live videos will have to hold us over.