Monday, June 22. Four bands, each with a very different style, took the stage one after another at the Sala Rossa. A wonderful variety.
Karen NG is a young alto saxophonist from Toronto who has visited us a few times in recent years. She was part of the 2023 edition of Suoni and, more recently, opened for Ida Toninato and Jennifer Thiesen’s album release concert for Dream of Heat last February.
What struck me right away was that, since her early days, she has gained depth, and her playing is more confident and incisive. After an opening segment in which she engaged with electroacoustic sounds, she delivered a compelling performance in a series of Coltrane-esque solos of excellent quality. This was followed by other segments drawing on varied inspirations that kept us captivated.
The duo of Vancouver-based guitarists Alvaro Rojas and Cole Schmidt, each armed with a Gibson SG, then transported us into a thoroughly convoluted world of math rock before exploring psychedelic and progressive jazz territories, where they joyfully let loose. It’s clear that the musicians have been playing together for a while, that they complement each other well, and that they’re in perfect sync.
Next up were five Montreal jazz musicians: James Goddard and Cabral Jacobs on alto sax, Markus Floats on bass, Jahsun Promesse on drums, and Engone Endong on electronics, who treated us to two long, evocative pieces with incantatory undertones and enhanced by Engone Endong’s soundscapes, which were as complementary as they were jarring. A fitting conclusion.
Next up were bassist Luke Stewart—well known for his role in the band Irreversible Entanglements—and drummer Warren Crudup Trae for the duo Blacks’ Myths.
After opening with a recited text—which, unfortunately, was rather unintelligible—Stewart began working his electric bass and the array of effects pedals snaking at his feet, generating all sorts of sounds and atmospheres, sometimes dark and menacing—and to create a highly cinematic soundscape, rich with all kinds of textures and bursts of sound, propelled by a drummer who didn’t hold back on his drums and cymbals.
It was as captivating as it was surprising. The duo transported us to another world—one we’d love to return to.
Without a doubt, it was a truly wonderful and very fulfilling evening.
