PAN M 360 at FIJM 2024 | Makaya McCraven Becomes Headliner

by Alain Brunet

Under the guidance of visionary drummer and composer Makaya McCraven, a Chicago musician of whom I’ve been a thurifer for some years now, we were treated on Friday to rereadings of his recent material, especially the material from the album In These Times, released the fall following his FIJM residency in July 2022. Fewer surprises, less astonishment, less excitement, but just as much quality and brilliance in the playing. Just as much competence in the personnel put forward.

One can only imagine the delight of jazzophiles at their first encounter with this music played in real time! Théâtre Jean Duceppe was about 90% full, for a performance lasting about an hour and a half.

There was Joel Ross, obviously a vibraphone virtuoso, who had the opportunity to show off his two-mallet skills. Marquis Hill, trumpet, fulfilled all the tasks requested by his employer, with whom he has been working for some time; the exposition of the themes was perfect, the solos circumspect, without any major sparkle.

Junius Paul, electric bass, is another loyal Makaya McCraven collaborator, and the main support for the extraordinary rhythmic figures generated by the drums. The bassist also knows how to sing, and will also express himself through his voice in Makaya McCraven’s excellent mashup of his music with that of the late Gil Scott Heron’s album I’m New Here, including audio extracts from the late poet, and also a chorus sung by Junius Paul.

As for harpist Brandee Younger, we’ve heard her in this environment before (both on record and on stage), and she also has a solo career. She was in MTL in July 2023, and her concert at Studio TD was a great success. On the Makaya side, the harpist is at one with the ensemble, both as a gifted soloist and as a generator of harmony. The aura of legendary harpist Alice Coltrane is not far away. Once again, the depth of the drummer, certainly one of the most innovative of the current period, was evident.

We can’t wait for Makaya McCraven’s next chapter, but there’s still time to enjoy what he’s put forward so far. Prior to the release of In These Times, the percussionist had been creating pieces inspired by electronic processes and repurposing them as instrumental music. On Friday evening, this impression was less strong, as was the case when listening to his latest album.

Why is that? The composer’s most recent work incorporates aesthetic codes much closer to modern jazz and jazz groove. The rhythmic foundations remain visionary, the melodic and harmonic approaches more conservative, and that’s probably why it works so well with music lovers. For the future, in any case, let’s be sure that Makaya McCraven will be a headliner in the territory he’s combing. Let’s rejoice: very few artists of such depth can claim such a status.

Publicité panam

Jazz

PAN M 360 AT FIJM 2024 | AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE & DAVE HOLLAND: a sublime dialogue

by Michel Labrecque

I told you yesterday about my enthusiasm for the solo concert of trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire at the Gésu, who made his little instrument sound in so many astonishing ways. So I was very happy to be able to attend Ambrose’s second show with veteran British double bassist Dave Holland.

You must be telling yourself: “It will be a kind of remake, with the addition of solid double bass accompaniment”. However, it was absolutely not a remake. We witnessed an authentic communion, an open, fruitful dialogue, such as jazz can offer us when it is at its best. The 42-year-old black trumpeter and the 77-year-old white double bassist made us levitate and float in their exchange where every note counted, or at least that is the impression I had. The trumpet of Ambrose Akinmusire was as interesting as the day before, but totally different, since it interacted with the double bass, in a complementary way. There were as many, if not more, double bass solos than trumpet. Sometimes, Ambrose offered repetitive trumpet layers while Dave improvised at full throttle. Everything started around a basic theme, then the two instrumentalists listened to each other and decided on a direction that only they knew. I heard Dave Holland for the first time in 1975 at Laval University in Quebec, accompanying free saxophonist Anthony Braxton. This was my introduction to free jazz. Then, the community radio station CKRL-FM in Quebec adopted its pretty ballad The Conference of the Birds, as music for a callsign. Dave Holland has played with Miles Davis, Chick Corea, and just about every great musician in his fifty-year career. He is also a very gifted composer. On his personal website, there are more than two hundred records in which he took part. This meeting between him and Ambrose Akinmusire was therefore a meeting between two great instrumentalists and composers. A very high-level meeting. Was this the first meeting between the two? I do not know.
But it was serious jazz, my friends!

Classical

L’Orchestre Symphonique présente Pacho Flores avec cuivres et percussions

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Pacho Flores est certainement l’un des plus illustres trompettistes actifs sur la scène musicale internationale. Lors de ce concert, il mènera un ensemble de 16 musiciens, tout cuivres et percussions, dans une démonstration de force, d’unité et de virtuosité. Au programme : un répertoire varié des Amériques en plus des poignants Airs gitans de Pablo de Sarasate, dans lesquels vous pourrez apprécier la brillance, l’homogénéité et la polyvalence des cuivres; la vigueur, la diversité et la subtilité des percussions.

Pacho Flores figures unquestionably among the most illustious trumpeters currently active on the international stage. This concert will see him lead an ensemble of 16 musicians, all playing brass and percussion, in a demonstration of strength, unity and technical agility. The program features a variety of works from the Americas together with Pablo de Sarasate’s poignant Aires Gitanos, in which listeners can appreciate the bright, blended and versatile sounds of the brass as well as the vigorous, diverse and subtle sounds of the percussion instruments.

POUR ACHETER VOTRE BILLET, C’EST ICI!

Ce contenu provient de l’OSM et est adapté par PAN M 360.

Classical

L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal présente Polyphonies baroques dans les cités d’or

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Le chef de chœur Andrew Megill vous convie à un concert poignant mettant en lumière les compositeurs espagnols et mexicains des XVI^e et XVII^e siècles. Pour l’occasion, 12 chanteuses et chanteurs du Chœur de l’OSM revêtiront leurs atours polyphoniques dans l’interprétation d’œuvres en langues autochtones et en latin, accompagnés de brillants instrumentistes. Ce sera une occasion unique de découvrir un répertoire aussi riche que méconnu!

Chorusmaster Andrew Megill invites you to a concert showcasing Spanish and Mexican composers of the 16th and 17th centuries that is sure to move you. For this event, 12 singers from the OSM Chorus show off their polyphonic acumen in their performance of works in Indigenous languages and in Latin, also featuring top instrumentalists. A moment of opportunity to discover a fabulous yet little-known repertoire!

POUR ACHETER VOTRE BILLET, C’EST ICI!

Ce contenu provient de l’OSM et est adapté par PAN M 360.

Classical

L’Orchestre Symphonique présente Sixtrum : 6 marimbas

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Fier d’une réputation internationale et toujours à l’avant-garde de l’expérimentation, l’ensemble Sixtrum collaborera avec l’OSM afin de présenter un concert tout marimba. En effet, les six musiciens du groupe offriront un répertoire consacré uniquement à cet instrument aux sonorités chaleureuses, culminant avec l’œuvre 6 Marimbas de Steve Reich. Cette pièce aux allures transcendantales créée il y a 35 ans est typique de l’univers minimaliste du compositeur états-unien.

Boasting an international reputation and ever at the forefront of experimentation, Sixtrum ensemble collaborates with the OSM to present an all-marimba concert. The group’s six musicians will perform repertoire solely devoted to the warm-toned instrument, culminating in Steve Reich’s 6 Marimbas, a transcendentally imbued piece that premiered 35 years ago, characteristic of this American composer’s minimalist creative approach.

POUR ACHETER VOTRE BILLET, C’EST ICI!

Ce contenu provient de l’OSM et est adapté par PAN M 360.

Baroque / Classical

Soledad : Tribute to Piazzolla

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Bandonéoniste virtuose considéré comme le plus grand compositeur de tango du XX^e siècle, Astor Piazzolla sera à l’honneur lors de ce concert aux forts effluves argentins. Pour donner vie au répertoire de cette légende musicale, l’OSM a réuni une formation à l’image de celle que privilégiait Piazzolla, soit le piano, le bandonéon, le violon la guitare et la contrebasse. Dans ce concert qui témoignera de l’importance de la musique baroque dans l’œuvre du maître argentin, le public sera enhardi par la présence de deux danseurs, dont les pas sont inextricablement liés aux airs de tango.

A virtuoso bandoneon player regarded as the greatest tango composer of the 20th century, Astor Piazzolla is celebrated in this strongly accented Argentinian concert. To bring the repertoire of this musical legend to life, the OSM will assemble a group of musicians reflecting Piazolla’s favoured ensemble: piano, bandoneon, violin, guitar, and double bass. In this concert highlighting the importance of Baroque music in the works of this Argentinian master, audiences will also be conquered by the panache of two dancers whose steps are inextricably bound to the tango melodies being performed.

POUR ACHETER VOTRE BILLET, C’EST ICI!

Ce contenu provient de l’OSM et est adapté par PAN M 360.

Classical

Chopin in America with Sergio Tiempo

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Argentine, Venezuela, Brésil, États-Unis et Pologne : voilà le voyage musical auquel vous convie le pianiste de renom Sergio Tiempo. Celui qui s’est fait connaître dès l’âge de 14 ans grâce à un concert donné au Concertgebouw d’Amsterdam démontrera l’étendue de son énergie et de son talent en interprétant le Joropo de Moleiro, le blues de Copland et le lyrisme de Chopin. De ce dernier, Tiempo présentera la dernière et monumentale Sonate pour piano, qui connaît peu d’équivalents dans le répertoire pianistique.

Acclaimed pianist Sergio Tiempo beckons us on a musical journey through Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, the United States and Poland. This performer, who rose to prominence at age 14 after giving a concert at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, will illustrate the breadth of his energy and talent in his interpretation of Moleiro’s Joropo, Copland’s blues and Chopin’s lyricism, performing the latter composer’s monumental Piano Sonata no. 3, a work virtually in a class of its own in the repertoire for piano.

POUR ACHETER VOTRE BILLET, C’EST ICI!

Ce contenu provient de l’OSM et est adapté par PAN M 360.

Classical

Saxophone Quintets with Steven Banks

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Le remarquable saxophoniste états-unien Steven Banks fera ses débuts à l’OSM, lors d’un concert où il pourra démontrer toute la diversité avec laquelle son instrument est employé dans le répertoire de chambre. Entouré de musiciens de l’OSM et de lauréats du Concours OSM, Banks offrira ainsi une rare occasion d’entendre des œuvres d’Adolf Busch et d’Ellen Taafe Zwilich, en plus du Quarteto simbólico de Villa-Lobos, à l’instrumentation audacieuse. Le tableau sera complété par des pièces de Debussy, dont les évocatrices Danse sacrée et danse profane.

The outstanding American saxophonist Steven Banks makes his OSM debut in a concert demonstrating the variety of ways his instrument is employed in the chamber music repertoire. Joined by OSM musicians and OSM Competition winners, Banks offers a rare opportunity to hear works by Adolf Busch and Ellen Taafe Zwilich, as well as the audaciously scored Quarteto simbólico by Villa-Lobos. This musical tableau will be completed by pieces by Debussy, including the evocative Danse sacrée et danse profane.

POUR ACHETER VOTRE BILLET, C’EST ICI!

Ce contenu provient de l’OSM et est adapté par PAN M 360.