POP Montréal Day 4 | Truth and Reconciliation Jazz at La Sala Rossa

POP Montréal is undoubtedly one of the major fall events for true music fans. From Wednesday, September 27 to Sunday, October 1, dozens and dozens of discoveries and acclaims from artists nestled in pop are taking place in Montreal. Follow the PAN M 360 team until Sunday!

Mali Obomsawin Sextet

Abenaki double bassist Mali Obomsawin caused a sensation last July when her sextet performed at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. In a more intimate setting this time, due in part to the absence of her guitarist, the ensemble opened their program with an excellent cover of Alice Coltrane. This interpretation set the tone for a performance at the crossroads of different musical genres.

Sprinkled with a few other covers, the band’s performance was mostly rooted in the repertoire of Sweet Tooth, Obomsawin’s debut album. It’s a very interesting combination of jazz, folk and free improvisation that’s not lacking in contrast. The scathing piece Wawasint8da is an arrangement of a Catholic hymn sung in Abenaki, whose repeated melody is gradually deconstructed into formless improvisation. We thus oscillate between very catchy moments and freer, more open forms. Once again, Mali Obomsawin and her orchestra have demonstrated a dynamic, well-crafted repertoire, performed by outstanding musicians. The future looks bright for this young musician, who also comes from a family line of musicians.

Pompey

Pompey took to the stage of a packed Sala Rossa, initially armed only with a guitar. The performance then seemed to be that of a singer/songwriter accompanying himself on guitar like a thousand others. In essence, that’s what this performance was, though a fine progression kept things interesting from track to track. Starting out alone, Pompey welcomed a backing singer for his second piece. The latter then took up electric bass, joined by a second bassist and a drummer. In a way, the line-up augmented Pompey’s songs, whose arpeggiated chords were accompanied by a soft head voice that was always on the threshold of audibility. The band added interesting dynamics, making the songs slightly progressive and giving them post-rock accents too.

All in all, Pompey’s first concert was a very personal, if rather conventional, affair. If the whole thing was well executed, it was mainly thanks to his awkward yet funny interactions that the artist was able to win over his audience last night. In any case, Pompey is a local musician we’ll no doubt be hearing more about in the years to come.

Sarah Rossy

Later, Sarah Rossy and her collective brought a complex, textured pop sound to the hall. Moving effortlessly from chest voice to head voice, the artist was accompanied by elaborate piano lines on her synthesizer. Her years of jazz studies were clearly audible here, particularly in the often unpredictable modulations of the melodic lines. The quality of the other musicians’ performances also deserves to be highlighted. The drummer’s playing was remarkably technical, and she adorned the flowing rhythms of the pieces. On the strings, the bassist effectively accentuated the syncopations, while the guitarist indulged in ad lib flourishes. Buoyed by Rossy’s charisma, the band interpreted the tracks with a healthy dose of spontaneity and improvisation.

The least we can say is that the Montreal artist has invented a very personal, extrovert and colorful sound world for herself. The pop hooks are there, but imbued with erudite, ethereal arrangements.