No other media outlet in Montreal has so many people on hand to provide expert coverage of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Many of us are scouring the outdoor site and concert halls: Jacob Langlois-Pelletier, Frédéric Cardin, Stephan Boissonneault, Michel Labrecque, Varun Swarup, Vitta Morales and Alain Brunet bring you their album reviews and concert reports. Happy reading and listening!
For those who don’t already know him, Tunisian pianist Wajdi Riahi will be a nice revelation. With great finesse and intelligence, the artist fuses contemporary jazz with post-E.S.T. colours, Arabic chant, romantic lyricism and sometimes even a touch of Latin. The frank and authentic ecumenism expressed by Riahi and his companions (excellent Basile Rahola on double bass and Pierre Hurty on drums) hits the nail on the head with some beautiful flights of fancy in which you might quickly recognise Vijay Iyer. Elsewhere (Nawres and Essia, tributes to his sister and mother), moments of tenderness evoke a touch of Gustavsen, but with a naivety that the Norwegian would never dare. It works really well, and if you’re at the Molson Pub on 28 June at 6pm, you’ll know what I mean.
