Additional Information
Last April, Productions Nuits d’Afrique held the 16th edition of its annual Sylis d’or competition. It’s a competition that’s become a fixture on the city’s music scene. Of the many groups that didn’t make it through to the finals, we at PAN M 360 have picked out four that we’d like to make better known to the general public. The context being what it is in competitions, the semi-finalists are too easily and quickly forgotten.
Cône Orange, is an ensemble firmly rooted in the city’s solid musical eclecticism. From jazz to funk, African music, hip hop, rock, punk, bossa and more, this is a well-crafted multi-style musical recipe that deserves to be experienced live, as was the case on 19 April 2023 at the Balattou club.
The band is made up of Simon Lindsay (drums), Enora Trebern (voice), Nikita Carelov (guitar), Francis Will (bass) and Julian Shively (piano).
PAN M 360: Cône Orange is a funny name that immediately conjures up images of Montreal (because there are lots of construction works in the city)…
Cône Orange: Yes, that’s deliberate. It’s a symbol. It makes us take detours and that’s a bit what we do in music with our mix of genres and styles.
PAN M 360: How did you get together?
Cône Orange: We all joined the band for different reasons. I (Eeno) had just arrived in Montreal, I was looking for people to jam with and thanks to a classified ad in a McGill network, I met Nikita. Francis joined us through an advert and then we started looking for a drummer with a jazz-funk profile, and Simon came along. It was through a series of unexpected detours that we all ended up on the same stage.
PAN M 360: It’s as if orange cones had taken you where you weren’t expecting, precisely… What are your musical references?
Cône Orange: It’s a bit all over the place, depending on which one of us is involved. Simon really likes the intersection of hip-hop and jazz like MF Doom or J Dilla. Herbie Hancock, from the Headhunters era, or the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Tower of Power are also inspirational sources for him. Then, on the more ‘classical’ side, Bossa nova is a favourite. Eeno finds herself listening to Lauren Hill, Nai Palm and Nina Simone, who she heard quite a lot of at home (her parents were quite jazz-minded). African music too. For Francis, we’re more into rock, punk and instrumental hip-hop. Jazz came later. We end up with music that’s well grounded in a solid jazz history, but very much accentuated by today’s sounds.
PAN M 360: What made you want to enter the Sylis d’or competition?
Cône Orange: We started playing together just for fun, doing covers, but we quickly evolved by adding compositions. That was around 2021-2022. At the end of 2022, we played at the Rimouski Jazz Festival, then came back to Montreal and played a few gigs here and there. That’s when we thought it would be worth doing the competition, which is a fixture on the Montreal scene, almost legendary as an event. It’s important and it’s a great way of getting our name out there. We thought we were ready and that we had what it took to take part.
PAN M 360: Even though you’re more jazz than ”world”… How would you sum up your experience? Was it a good medium for you?
Cône Orange: (Eeno) I have to admit I was surprised when Francis told us he’d submitted our application. But we’re really happy. It’s been a great experience. (Simon) Looking back, I realize that during the semi-finals, we had to remove a bossa piece, and in the end that may have worked against us. Especially as it’s the only ‘’world’’ style in our repertoire. Nevertheless, it’s an exceptional springboard, if only for the experience and the obligation to perform in a demanding and closely watched context, both by the public and the judges.
PAN M 360: How do you see your stylistic marriage? Are there any elements of your sound still to be defined? Is there anything that is definitively fixed?
Cône Orange: (Simon) On the spot, I’d say we’re already pretty unique, but of course, there are still things to refine. We’ll take the time to do that. It may still be a bit fragmented, but in truth, plurality is part of our identity. All these detours, as we used to say, it’s the orange cones that make us do them, and that’s good for us. What’s fixed is the culture of solo improv. It doesn’t matter whether we’re doing bossa, hip hop, pure jazz or rock, I think there will always be these improvised solos by the various members of the band, and that will always be a common thread.
PAN M 360: And if we want to see you soon?
Cône Orange: We’ll be at the Festival de rue Petite-Bourgogne on 15 July. We’ll also be at L’Esco (the Escogriffe bar on rue Saint-Denis in Montreal) on 27 July. A few other dates are in the pipeline, but there’s nothing official yet. We’re open to being booked! We want to play!
PAN M 360: I can confirm that it’s worth it. The proof is in this interview.
Cône Orange: Thank you!
