Additional Information
Rachel Therrien, a Quebec-born trumpeter and composer, is a constant presence at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Today, June 29, she will be performing at the Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill with the Canadian all-female jazz supergroup The Ostara Project. Our contributor Michel Labrecque spoke with her about it.
PANM360: Rachel, can you tell us about The Ostara Project, an all-female jazz group that isn’t very well known here?
Rachel Therrien: It’s a pan-Canadian group that was founded in 2022 by Jodi Proznick, a double bassist from Vancouver, and Amanda Tosoff, a pianist from Toronto. We’ve released three albums, the most recent of which is titled *Roots*. It’s an ensemble made up of “band leaders”—women who lead ensembles and have their own solo careers. The lineup includes Quebec drummer Valérie Lacombe and saxophonist Claire Devlin, who is originally from Ottawa but lives in Montreal. And for this tour, we have Kim Zombik on vocals. The lineup changes frequently.
PANM360: Could we compare the Ostara Project to the American all-female supergroup Artemis, whose members have included Cécile McLorin Salvant and saxophonist Melissa Aldana, among others?
Rachel Therrien: It’s exactly the same concept. Beyond the music we make together, the Ostara Project—like Artemis—is a platform that showcases the work of each of us, as well as that of other female artists who collaborate with us.
PANM36: What does it mean to create music among women?
Rachel Therrien: We’re experiencing what men have been experiencing for ages in their all-male bands, and it feels great (laughs). My first experience with an all-female band was the Diva Jazz Orchestra, an all-female American big band that’s been around for 35 years. But this time, it’s a smaller ensemble with an extremely high musical standard. We all know how to organize a tour. That helps us connect with each other as women. Recently, we played with Edmonton trombonist Audrey Ochoa, who is fantastic.
PANM360: Do the two concerts tonight, June 29, at the Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill mark the end of Ostara’s current tour?
Rachel Therrien: Since June 19, we’ve been touring all over Canada. After the Ottawa Jazz Festival, the tour wraps up in Montreal.
PANM360: Rachel Therrien, this concert is just one of your performances at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. We’ll continue our conversation tomorrow.
Rachel Therrien: Great, I still have a lot more to tell.
Crédit photo: Frédérique Ménard-Aubin
