Interviews – Page 2

Mateus Vidal was a member of the famous Brazilian samba-reggae group Olodum for almost 30 years. Today, he has settled in Montreal and started a new project, the Axé Experience, named after a style of Afro-Brazilian music born in Salvador de Bahia, where Mateus Vidal hails from. The new Québéco-Brazilian told our contributor Michel Labrecque about his background and his new life in Montreal. He also tells us about his festive concert, presented at Nuits D’Afrique on July 17 at 5pm on the Scène Loto-Québec.

Publicité panam

One of the world’s most sought-after vocal ensembles in the world, with over 90 concerts a year, and winner of two Grammy Awards, the Chanticleer Vocal Ensemble’s first visit to the Festival de Lanaudière offers an overview of the choral tradition spanning five centuries, from the Renaissance to the present day. With works by composers ranging from Guillaume de Machaut to Roland de Lassus, Jean Sibelius and Pete Seeger, the singers of this 12-voice a cappella ensemble will present a panorama of vocal polyphony at the Amphithéâtre Fernand-Lindsay on July 13.

PAN M 360’s Alexandre Villemaire spoke to Tim Keeler, the ensemble’s musical director and the architect of this program, which the ensemble’s singers will perform autonomously.

Publicité panam

On July 13, 14 and 15, Montreal Latino band Less Toches, winners of the 2024 Sily d’Or competition, will perform three different concerts, with different special guests, at 11pm at Club Balattou. Michel Labrecque spoke to Daniel Rodriguez, one of the members of this Colombian-Mexican-Argentinian quintet, who make cumbia resonate in a variety of forms.

Publicité panam

Kitchen parties are a tradition in themselves among Quebecers of all backgrounds. Eli Levison, a.k.a. DJ Oonga, also known for coordinating the artistic direction of the Mundial Montréal event, professionalized the kitchen parties in his own apartment next to Parc Jeanne-Mance, memorable private parties that gradually evolved into the Sauce Piquante Sound System.

Under the impetus of DJ Oonga, this line-up of variable-geometry artists unfolds this Saturday at Le Ministère, from 10pm until 3am on Sunday morning. What a party!

All the spices of Sauce Piquante Sound System can be found in this global cuisine! It’s ska, rumba, calypso, funk, hip-hop and even punk. DJ Oonga will be joined by singers and rappers KC and Gioco, not to mention instrumentalists, guitarists, percussionists and other motivated voices. And all in French, Spanish, English and Portuguese… Babel Montréal has never been better!

Publicité panam

The innovative Montreal ensemble Collectif9 will be at the Lanaudière Festival on 12 July for a concert based on the principle of folklore. Of course, knowing this string orchestra that does nothing like the others, we can already anticipate some crazy, surprising and perhaps even iconoclastic visions of the clichés and stereotypes it imposes. The groove, the beat, the rhythm, is also likely to be part of the show, in a daring way of course, because Collectif9 is a group of learned music, certainly, but of its time. On the programme: Nicole Lizée, a brilliant creator of eclectic worlds ranging from high art to pop culture. Also: John Zorn, the unclassifiable, Vijay Iyer, a genius of contemporary jazz, and many others. Find out more in our interview with Collectif9’s Andrea Stewart and Thibaut Bertin-Maghit.

Publicité panam

A well-kept secret? Daby Touré became a Montrealer a few years ago, and is now embarking on a new cycle in his public life. An atypical African author, composer and performer, integrating elements of folk, rock and Western-style pop, Daby Touré got off to a flying start when he was spotted by Peter Gabriel and signed to his Real World label, touring with the celebrated British artist.

Two decades later, Daby Touré’s career has been a little more confidential than advertised. From his native Mauritania and the Senegal from which his famous paternal family descended (father and uncles of the famous Touré Kunda group), Daby Touré has continued to transhumance across this land, becoming an authentic citizen of the world. After returning regularly to West Africa, he lived in Paris before settling in Montreal. His albums include Diam (2004), Stereo Spirit (2007), Lang(u)age (2012) and Amonafi (2015).

Daby Touré hasn’t recorded an album in 10 years, but claims to have plenty of new songs up his sleeve. He’s back in action this July 11 at Nuits d’Afrique, who have booked the Fairmount Theatre for his professional comeback. It seems that he has completely rearranged his classics and will be offering us a few previously unreleased songs from his new repertoire. Before that, he tells Alain Brunet the ins and outs of his new Montreal cycle, which may take him to stages around the world.

Publicité panam

Las Karamba is an all-female group from Barcelona, made up mainly of Latin American immigrants.

Two Venezuelans, two Cubans, one Argentinean and one Catalan. After two albums, Las Karamba will be at Nuits d’Afrique for the first time on July 20, at Scène TD in the Quartier des Spectacles, at 8:15pm. Free admission. Michel Labrecque spoke, in Spanish, with two members of this festive yet militant group. Natacha Arizu, Argentine and keyboardist, and Ayvin Bruno, Venezuelan and singer, answer his questions.

PANM360: Tell me about the genesis of this women’s group, how did Las Karamba come about?

Ayvin Bruno: I can say I’m the initiator, it was 2018. In Barcelona, there’s a whole open music scene, which allows jam sessions, where lots of people from many different countries can meet. It was in this context that we formed this all-female group, to tell our stories of migration, from Latin America to Europe. We quickly realized that we had a lot in common, even though we came from different countries. In 2021, Camino Asi, our first album, was released, and in 2024, our second, Te lo Digo Cantando, will be much of what we present in Montreal.

PANM360: It seems to me that the musical denominator between the six of you is a love for Cuban music: salsa, rumba, son, etc. Am I right?

Natacha Arizu: No, although I’m Argentine, I grew up listening to a lot of Cuban music, and it’s the same for the others. There are also two Cuban musicians in the group. So that’s our musical base, but after that, each of us brings a bit of the color of her country and her personal experience.

Ayvin Bruno: But we all have this affinity with the Cuban sound. It’s a dance music that’s recognized internationally. And that unites us.

PANM360: Your music is danceable, but you also want to make people think. What do you want to say in your songs?

Ayvin Bruno: You know, on the whole, Latin music is written from a masculine, even patriarchal, perspective. Because the vast majority of composers were men. Our songs tell our side of the story. They tell of our struggles, our daily lives, our lives as mothers, our anxieties, and also the perspective of our mothers or our ancestors. I think it’s a social necessity to do that.

We also wrote a song in Catalan, since we live in Barcelona and it’s the language of the majority. But, apart from a Catalan woman who’s with us, we tell the story from our perspective as migrants, coming here to tame a new society and offer it the best of us. And now we have the opportunity to tell our stories on an international scale by shooting abroad.

PANM360: As Latin Americans, why did you choose to immigrate to Spain rather than the United States, as so many people do?

Natacha Arizu: For my part, I was attracted by the cultural similarities and the common language. For me, the United States didn’t necessarily represent an ideal. Argentina is largely populated by European immigrants. And what’s happening in the United States at the moment reinforces my choice.

Ayvin Bruno: For my part, I’ve had an Italian passport since the age of 9, thanks to my grandmother. It was much easier to come to Europe. That’s why my sister, who’s also part of Las Karamba, and I have been here for almost 20 years. I have a lot of Venezuelan friends who live in the United States, and their situation is very complicated right now with the new administration. I’m very happy with my choice.

PANM360: And right now, the Spanish economy is doing quite well, and the country seems very happy to welcome immigrants with a common language and culture. Let’s get back to the music: what will you be presenting in Montreal?

Natacha Arizu: These will be 100% original compositions. You’ll be able to dance and think at the same time. It’s a mixture of things.

Ayvin Bruno: You’ll also feel our complicity, our solidarity, which we’re living to the full because we’re constantly together on this tour. Our first in North America.

PANM360: See you in Montreal, at the TD Stage, on July 20!

Publicité panam

This will be a Montreal and Canadian premiere for Blaiz Fayah, an artist who will be bringing us shatta, dancehall from Martinique, as well as reggae and its other derivatives. For the occasion, he’ll be accompanied by his two dancers and his musicians for a festive evening, as he intends to set the place alight. With the release of his album Shatta Ting this year, his notoriety is well established, especially in Latin America, but now it’s Canada’s turn to discover this man who multiplies his hits. Our journalist Sandra Gasana joined him in Paris by videoconference for PANM360.

Publicité panam

Back at the Lanaudière Festival for a first time since 2019, the illustrious violinist Christian Tetzlaff takes on one of the summits of solo violin literature: the JS Bach complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 1001–1006. We must acknowledge that

this performance offered by this fantastic German violinist will be a physical and intellectual challenge that just a few concert soloists accept. So we’re looking forward to attending this rendez-vous with Bach and Christian Tetzlaff in the intimacy of one of Lanaudière’s most beautiful churches, at the lovely village of Saint-Alphonse-de-Rodriguez. Just a few minutes before his flight to Quebec, Alain Brunet could reach the renowned violinist and have a chat about playing Bach.

PAN M 360: Christian Tetzlaff, you are going to perform in a church located at Saint-Alphonse-de-Rodriguez in the Lanaudière county. You will play what you recorded in 2017, the JS Bach complete sonata and partitas for violon. Of cours, you played those pieces many times before and after this Virgin recording

Christian Tetzlaff: Yeah. I played those pieces over more than 40 years and I played them as a complete cycle for 20 years. It’s the most beautiful and rewarding thing because Bach gets a continuous story in the six pieces, a journey into deep darkness in the D minor Partita in Chaconne and then some kind of feeling of resurrection in the C major and E major and to follow that whole thought that is like a gigantic Bruckner symphony and it goes through all kinds of emotions and physical feelings a human being can have. So, it’s totally fulfilling. Yeah, well, when you play the complete Sonata and Partita works from Bach, as you say, it’s a long journey.

PAN M 360: It’s probably an ongoing process as an interpreter of JS Bach, during your own life.

Christian Tetzlaff: Yes, it is a steady companion, I have to say.

PAN M 360: And how do you see the evolution of your playing through those pieces?

Christian Tetzlaff: Well, like most things, I think the older you get, the simpler and the more direct you get if you allow yourself to be emotionally free. So, I think what I play now is more direct, easier to follow for the audience and more outwardly emotional about knowing what the composer is talking about and trying to find sounds that really convey it nicely. And everything, yeah, naive and easy and the dancey bits more dancey and the dark bits darker. That’s my feeling towards how it has developed over the decades.

PAN M 360: How can we pinpoint the elements of the personality of the violinist when he plays those immortal pieces? In your case, do you pinpoint some elements of your personality sometimes?

Christian Tetzlaff: I hope as little as possible. I hope the idea of the interpreter is to immerse himself into Bach and his music and let it go through him to the audience. And the more you hear, oh, he’s doing this, he’s doing there, and he’s using vibrato here and not there, the less good it is. I should be as much a listener as the audience is. That’s my ideal.

PAN M 360: The concept of interpreting those Partitas and Sonatas has changed also through the years.

Christian Tetzlaff: And certainly not this idea that one’s doing something that speaks out or that is different from other people. Nowadays we are in a time where we have these decades of gathering knowledge about how it was performed and what it meant at that time and how the Baroque era feels somehow. We have these things all inside of the system – because when I started playing these pieces, one couldn’t listen to them properly because it was all about violin playing and majestic chords and impeccable playing.

And nowadays it’s about making music, dancing and singing. So this is a beautiful process which I have actually lived through in my own lifespan from starting in the 70s playing them. And it’s good to see we are in the best time where we can be free with these pieces, but on the basis of their musicality.

If you listen to the Bach Cantatas, you see for every text, for every Cantata, he uses completely different instruments, completely different composing styles, and this freedom in expression to be always excessive and to the point of saying something that is something that we can transfer nowadays into the violin.

PAN M 360: So through the times since the Baroque period when Bach composed those Partitas and Sonatas for violin, how can we see the evolution of the interpretation of those pieces through the periods, through the epochs?

Christian Tetzlaff: I mean, it’s quite atrocious to see what has been done, because violin playing has been so much about the superstar and about the technical ability and the biggest sound and the broadest data, that when you listen to the first recordings that we have, or maybe not the first days, there’s something good, but from the 50s and 60s and 70s, the music behind it is unrecognizable for me, because it is about mastering weird bowing techniques, playing those chords, those four chords divided in two and two. I mean, there was such a distance to what this music is talking about, and that music can be also wild and can also be at times not beautiful, but deep and dark or overjoyed, that the idea of mastering the violin is completely in the way of this. So when they have been performed in the 50s, 60s, 70s, all I know from hearing is very difficult, because everything is so complicated, and so trying to find some violinistic solutions for something that is actually, you have to see what is the context, what is the dance at that time.

PAN M 360: So if I understand, through the years and the decades, the people that are mastering those pieces went closer to the original way to interpret it. This is what you mean?

Christian Tetzlaff: Yes, but original is a difficult word, because we don’t know exactly how this music was played it, but we know a lot of things that did not exist, and many think that are so, in retrospect, so funny and not very smart to deal with it, making it very difficult, those fugues, whereas it’s so easy, because he had to write them in a certain way, but the notation is just the most easy one, and one always plays the melody line a bit longer, but what violinists always tried is to play all the chord full or break them in two and two, which in a piece that always talks about four independent voices, makes it unintelligible.

You cannot understand the simplicity of the beauty of the writing when violinistic you do such complicated thing, and then with constant vibrato, so then you don’t have the ability anymore to say this note I want to highlight and put a beautiful vibrato on it, and the kind of goings that were just measured. There was a time where it was seen as mathematical music and as square… and there is no music that is more alive and human and talking and especially playing by yourself. It allows such freedom to explain the pieces and to make them easy to follow, and this all didn’t exist when people started picking them up in the 20th century. So we live in glorious times for this.

PAN M 36: And by the way we finally may not expect a recreation of what we think it was.

Christian Tetzlaff: Well, that I don’t know, because for instance I play on a modern violin, so the sound it does not match, but what he wants to express, what he wants to express, I think, is informed by how it was played and how his cantatas were played, and he’s not all of a sudden a different composer who forgets about everything when he writes for the solo violin. It’s the same music, the same expressive big music, and we now find ways of making it alive in a different way. Yeah, do you sometimes play it on a baroque instrument? I did a bit, but I find the fascinating thing is with Bach that you can hear a fugue for the piano played by a saxophone quartet, and it sounds totally wonderful if they phrase and understand the music, and it is very touching.

He is slightly beyond the instrumentarium, but it still means you have to have the information how it was played so that you get most out of it.

PAN M 360: Also it must be a great challenge physically, I suppose, to play all those pieces in the same program.

Christian Tetzlaff: Yeah, it is. But that also has two sides. Usually I come into some kind of trance if I play a while and in communication with the audience, and then all of a sudden these pains or these challenges, they go less in a beautiful way.

PAN M 360: A sort of communion adrenaline that makes the pain disappear.

Christian Tetzlaff: Yes!

Originally a gastronomic happening, since 2015 this annual 4-day festival has featured a full musical program, spread over two outdoor stages on the Quai de l’Horloge in the Old Port. From Thursday, July 10 to Sunday, July 13, the Un Goût des Caraïbes festival brings together artisans and artists from the Caribbean diaspora, i.e. from all the islands and all its linguistic groups (Anglo, Franco, Latino) transplanted to the greater Montreal area. The emphasis is on Caribbean culture as a whole, but with a strong musical component made up essentially of local artists, very often in DJ format, accompanied by a few musicians or singers when the occasion lends itself. The focus is on inclusion and intergenerational links, attracting residents of the city’s Caribbean communities as well as (if not more than) all MTL residents, not to mention tourists strolling through the Old Port. That’s why PAN M 360 brings you this video conversation between Alain Brunet and Cezar Brumeanu, artistic director and executive producer of the festival Un goût des Caraïbes.

To access the program, click here!

This interview is dedicated to the programming of the Un Goût des Caraïbes festival, and is also part of a PAN M 360 content partnership with La Vitrine, the largest website devoted daily to cultural outings across Quebec.

To access the Un Goût des Caraïbes festival listing on the La Vitrine website, click here!

Publicité panam

KillaBeatMaker began his musical career some 2 decades ago, earning a Grammy Award nomination. Born, raised and based in Medellin, Columbia, he combines his DJ/producer tools with percussions and traditional flutes, he also sings and beatboxes while keeping an editorial interest on protecting Columbia’s biodiversity under threat. As a DJ/producer, KillaBeatMaker fuses cumbia, champeta, afro-house, afrobeats, amapiano and other african rhythms réinjected in Columbian music. Just before his first show at Montreal’s Nuits d’Afrique (Le Ministère, July 9th), he had a chat with Alain Brunet for PAN M 360.

Publicité panam

From July 8 to 20, 2025, Montreal welcomes the 39th Nuits d’Afrique, featuring more than 700 artists from some 30 countries around the world where Africans and their Afro-descendants from the Caribbean, Latin America and all immigrant lands live. Here come 13 days of indoor concerts and six 6 days of free outdoor programming in the Quartier des spectacles. Brazil’s Flavia Coehlo, Nigeria’s Femi Kuti, Ivory Coast’s Meiway, Algeria’s Labess and Martinique’s Blaiz Fayah are among the headliners of this not-to-be-missed event in Montreal culture. For PAN M 360, Alain Brunet interviewed Sépopo Galley, programmer at Nuits d’Afrique, who traveled the world to bring us the nuggets of this 39th program.

Publicité panam