Classical / classique / période romantique

Virée classique de l’OSM | A Successful Trip on Mediterranean Soil for The OSJM

by Alexandre Villemaire

The PAN M 360 team is very present at the Virée classique, presented by the OSM. On the ground, in the free activities and the indoor concerts, Alain Brunet, Alexis Desrosiers-Michaud and Alexandre Villemaire report on what they saw and heard at the events presented in Montreal until August 18.

The Complexe Desjardins vibrated to the sounds of the Mediterranean with a solid and lively Montreal Youth Symphony Orchestra in a sunny program that hit the mark. The orchestra founded in 1976 and conducted by Louis Lavigueur was participating in its fourth time at the OSM Classical Spree, a beautiful symbolism and a participation that we hope to see continue between the Montreal ensemble and the young members of the orchestra, young people who, as Maestro Lavigueur rightly pointed out, will surely be among the new members of the OSM or the OM in the near future.

The program he had concocted allowed us to witness the quality of the musicians’ playing. Beginning the concert with the sparkling “Overture” from Rossini’s opera L’Italienne à Alger, the orchestra then welcomed violinist Justin Saulnier, winner of the 2nd prize at the OSM Competition in 2023, to perform the fifth movement of Édouard Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole. Saulnier demonstrated great technical agility with a clear and biting sound, despite a few minor communication challenges with the conductor, particularly for a few slowdowns. However, nothing major to spoil the performance. Certainly the most complex piece on the program, Darius Milhaud’s Suite Provençale offered a most exciting play of texture and color. The orchestra concluded its one-hour performance with a most invigorating interpretation of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol, in which several instrumental sections of the orchestra were able to shine with their mastery of their instrument.

Photo credit: Gabriel Fournier

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classique

Virée classique de l’OSM | Kick-off to a Mediterranean weekend

by Alain Brunet

Soberly and aptly hosted by André Robitaille on the Esplanade du Parc Olympique in front of a mass audience, the kick-off to the OSM’s 11th Virée classique was another opportunity to open up to a planetary conception of classical music, at the very least a Mediterranean one. Bringing together in the same program Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Hector Berlioz, Ottorini Respighi and Joseph Tawadros, the great oud soloist and contemporary composer of Arab classical music, was another sign of the times and a further illustration of the inclusive globalization of classical music according to the OSM and Rafael Payare.

First, the tragic loves of Francesca da Rimini, a 13th-century Italian woman immortalized in Dante’s The Divine Comedy, and who inspired the Russian composer in a work written in 1876. Does this symphonic fantasy include elements of Mediterranean culture? In the novelistic inspiration, certainly, but it’s not really out of keeping with the Tchaikovskian style, whose genius we appreciate once again. This vigorous work, with its rockets of strings and woodwinds, its fireworks of brass and virtuoso circonvolutions of strings, was served up with brilliance, passion and high virtuosity.

At the center of the program was the Ouverture du Carnaval romain (1844), a vigorous work based on themes from his opera Benvenuto Cellini. The impression of compositional genius is less strong here, but the execution is more than adequate.

Second and fourth on the program, oud player Joseph Tawadros, born in Cairo but raised in Australia, gave us a few hints of his hybridization of Arab classical music in a Western symphonic version. Originally dressed in a pink shirt, oriental bonnet and stylized moustache and beard, the virtuoso instrumentalist took to the stage in two compositions for oud and orchestra. The oud is a string instrument very similar to the lute, and a forerunner of plucked string instruments such as the guitar, and has become increasingly popular in recent decades. Tawadros’ symphonic works on this program are not of profound harmonic singularity and complexity, but rather an extrapolation of their melodies and specific oud parts. Permission to Evapore evokes the death of the composer’s parents.

As its title suggests, Constantinople takes us to the frontiers of East and West, where orchestral constructions are relatively limited harmonically, as they are primarily at the service of melody and rhythm, as is the case with classical Arabic music, which until recently has eschewed polyphony. For these reasons, one may have the impression of instrumental pop rather than great music, but this is an illusion, for the qualities of these works lie elsewhere, notably in that virtuoso line exquisitely executed in unison by Tawadros and Andrew Wan, OSM concertmaster.

Last but not least, we were treated to music composed in 1924, the second symphonic poem in a trilogy dedicated to Rome. Exactly a century ago, Ottorino Respighi was expressing the grandeur of Rome in music, and Pini di Roma is a fine example of this. The modernity of some of the orchestral harmonies developed at the turn of the 20th century is evident. A blend of post-romanticism and modernity, this symphonic poem includes various elements of popular music, including a march that we would describe as legionary in the conclusion, preceded by the superimposition of pre-recorded birdsong, as Respighi had intended. A visionary of his time, you say? A fitting conclusion to this Voyage méditerranéen, which precedes several other sound experiments inspired in one way or another by Mediterranean musical culture.

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Opéra-rock

Starmania: The Temptation to Exist

by Claude André

In its latest incarnation, the hybrid postmodern rock opera created by Michel Berger and Luc Plamondon in 1978 is given a new lease of life thanks to a new reading of the libretto and a breathtaking staging.

At a time when bombs are raining down and terrorist attacks are multiplying around the world, when a character shaped by TV could once again become “president of the universe” with the help of a social networking tycoon, Starman’s dystopia is truer than ever.

Add to this a group of idle, violent zealots, a populace enslaved by fake news and nihilistic outsiders asking existential questions about the meaning of life and unconventional love, and you have all the ingredients that crystallize today’s society, represented by the intersecting destinies of eight characters, seven of whom will die in a metropolis of skyscrapers where people are obsessed with celebrity and radicalism.

“To propose a readable narrative, beyond the autonomous life that the songs have acquired in 40 years of success (…). To update this booklet, which is certainly visionary, but still very meaningful today, by working on the order of the songs, the transitions, and by bringing back a character who has disappeared since the first version (the guru)…”.

This was the aim of director Thomas Joly, the man behind the grandiose and provocative opening of the Paris Olympics, using a multimedia approach sometimes inspired by direct cinema.

In order to capture the emotional essence of the work, before the dazzling success of the various versions diluted it, whether by a note here or a tempo there, this new version was inspired by the handwritten score of the late Michel Bernholc, arranger of the original version.

From a visual point of view, thanks to ambitious machinery, flamboyant costumes and sophisticated, captivating light architecture, most of the songs that have accompanied our lives for decades are sublimated.

Most of them? It has to be said, some of the pieces seem duller than others, given the bouquet of immortals in the work, which can slow down the rhythm.

So, if the old-school author of these lines was sometimes looking with a certain nostalgia for Balavoine’s ardor in Quand on arrive en ville, or Dubois’ charismatic, mocking posture in the famous Blues du businessman, or Fabienne Thibault’s infectious despair in Le monde est stone, we have to face facts: today’s performers have more than held their own, and will no doubt leave their mark on younger generations just as their predecessors did, although we might have hoped for a greater tonal variety in the choice of female voices.

Despite this drawback and the acoustics that caused some of the rhymes to shatter in the arena that was originally Place Bell, this generous show, which lasts a good three hours (including a twenty-minute intermission) and features some thirty singers, dancers and musicians, proves in our eyes to be the ultimate version of this now cult rock opera.

Photo Credit: Anthony Dorfmann

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Indigenous peoples

International First People Festival – IA, Maori Soul Pop in The Rain

by Alain Brunet

From New Zealand, traditional Maori instruments are integrated into an embodied soul pop. The band’s leaders have clearly thought through their hybridization, as laymen are likely to feel the pop spirit before they discover the Maori flavors.

Māori music collective IA blends taonga pūoro and electronic pop to generate a singular sound. The singer expresses himself mainly in the indigenous language and also in English, reflecting real life in the homeland.

We’re looking at true pros of soul/R&B-tinged pop, with the warm, righteous voice of the soloist (Reti Hedley), the harmonies of the keyboards and the groove of the bass (Moetu Smith) telling no lies. Traditional instruments, especially flutes and percussion, become the Maori ornaments of a global pop whose basic referents are familiar to anyone even remotely connected on this planet. The key to IA’s success lies in this question: should we really be seeking a balance between local and global culture? At IA, this seems to be a sincere and legitimate preoccupation to achieve that artistic identity called indigenous soul music. Based in Waikato, the group is dedicated to highlighting taonga pūoro and Te Reo Māori in its music.

Once again, it’s a shame that the generous remnants of Storm Debby have begun to fall on Montreal, as IA could have generated a lot more interest among music lovers curious to see where Aboriginal pop is at in Oceania.

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Indigenous peoples

International First People Festival | Manawan Hip-Hop Nation

by Alain Brunet

Yann Ottawa aka The RZMN, from the Atikamekw Nation of Manawan, demands our full attention, as he teaches us about the life of his nation, both private and public. With his brother, he raps and sings in Atikamekw, using dramatic chords to coat his flow and melodic lines, sometimes filtered through autotune, and inclined to melancholy. Music runs in the Ottawa family: his father plays guitar and his brother enjoys percussion.

Obviously, he’s more inclined to hip-hop, reggaeton and rap keb, since he expresses himself a lot in French – and also in his mother tongue. In 2022, Yann Ottawa and his brothers released their first mixtape, Bigman Recordz, Vol. 1.

Unfortunately, it was raining on this Thursday evening, and RZMN and his colleagues performed on the main stage of the Place des Festivals in front of a plantation of umbrellas. Under the umbrellas, however, the humans remained captivated. In front of the umbrellas, certainly, there was mastered rap, there were hooks, there were choruses, there were real stories about real life on Atikamekw land, there was real beatmaking, there was a real good aboriginal rap show that we’ll have to see again and again.

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Avant-Rock / Prog Rock

International First People Festival | Subhira Quinteto, Contemporary Avant-Rock and Mapuche Culture

by Alain Brunet

Subhira Quinteto is said to be one of Chile’s most innovative ensembles. The group has been in existence for over a quarter of a century and enjoys a fine international reputation, touring the world music circuit. Clearly, Montreal was not yet among the cities they had conquered, so it was time to catch up on the Place des Festivals, on Wednesday August 6.

Their compositions integrate indigenous music with a kind of contemporary avant-rock, quite savvy in its rhythmic choices (almost always composed measures) and its prog rock or math rock aesthetic matched with contemporary Western music. Their leader, keyboardist and composer, Subhira (Rodrigo Cepeda), is an award-winning professor of composition at the École de Musique Moderne and runs the Mundovivo label. The line-up is made up of drummer Emai Cepeda, violinist Danka Villanueva and flutist Ema Morales, not to mention cellist Juan Angel Muñoz, who was principal cellist of the Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra, has played as a guest with countless national and international artists and orchestras, and will be joined for much of the concert by Khano Llaitul Fernández, an external member of the Chilean team.

This indigenous Mapuche artist and activist is said to have done remarkable work as an advisor on indigenous themes, education, dramaturgy, Mapuche musicology, and the dissemination of art, culture and indigenous rights. You can hear him declaiming, shaking bells and blowing traditional instruments. This is a fine execution of concepts and cultural updates typical of the most open-minded artists of the 70s, 80s and 90s.

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Blues / Bossa Nova / Brazilian / Gospel / Jazz / Soul

A Choir at Balattou for Bïa Ferreira

by Sandra Gasana

“The last time I was here, I said I was going to come back to Montreal and speak French. But I still don’t speak it. But I ordered my supper in French!” Brazilian singer Bïa Ferreira proudly shares in English, as she begins her second concert in Montreal. And just as she did the first time, she divided her concert into two parts, one dealing with love and the other with activism.

“If you leave here different from when you arrived, then I’ll have done my job,” she adds. And it’s off to a prayer-like start, as whistling, voice and guitar mingle to deliver a beautiful sonic cocktail. Indeed, she may be alone on stage with her guitar, but at times it feels like there are five of them.

She also serves us Xote, a Brazilian musical rhythm often danced in pairs. “When I wrote this song, I was very much in love. But I was the only one in love,” she reveals. With her powerful voice and distinctive timbre, she masters her relationship with the microphone, knowing when to step away from it and when to approach it. With my friend Juliana, who’s just as much of a music lover as I am, we thought her music was a mix of blues, jazz, soul and gospel, all with a Brazilian flavour. Her signature is the whistle, which recurs in several songs and which she masters very well, as well as the many other noises she makes with her mouth, in addition to beatboxing. In fact, on one of her tracks, she adds a bit of Lionel Richie’s Easy Like a Sunday morning, which is a surprise but an instant crowd-pleaser.

“The last time I was here was in February and it was very cold. So I thought I’d come back in the summer. And here I am!” to applause from the audience.

On the track Saudade, you sometimes get the impression of hearing cajón and sometimes piano, whereas she does it all with her guitar. She then finishes with a bossa nova rhythm, which adds depth to the track. “It’s hard to translate Saudade. It’s not ‘I miss you’! It’s something else, it’s a feeling that makes you sick!”

Bïa Ferreira is also an excellent storyteller. She takes the time to explain all the songs, but even during certain tracks, she tells us stories, sometimes with a very rapid but always theatrical vocal delivery. This is notably the case on Molho Madeira, which will feature on Ellen Oléria’s forthcoming album, mixing passages where she talks and raps, waltzing between gentleness and aggression, banging on her guitar which serves as percussion.

“Every church has a choir. So to end this first part, I’ll need your help on the raggamuffin-tinged Levante a bandeira do amor (Raise the flag of love).

The second part, more committed and political, kicks off with an a capella rendition of Seu Jorge’s Zé do Caroço, a classic of Brazilian music.

After a tribute to Leci Brandão, the queen of samba, she kicks off the second half with a rhythmic reggae track, with a bit of beatboxing, which sets the tone for what’s to come. She first pays tribute to women around the world in Não precisa ser Amélia, in which she screams at times, showing off her vocal cords in full action.
The high point of the evening, in my opinion, came with the song Diga não (or Say no!), in which she denounced silence in the face of the genocide raging in Palestine. “By remaining silent, you are choosing a side. Your silence helps the oppressors! The audience takes its role as choir very seriously, especially on the song A conta vai chegar (or the bill will arrive), alluding to the debts linked to colonization.

She ended on a high note with Sharamanayas, the principle of keeping what’s good for you, and getting rid of what’s bad. One thing’s for sure, Bïa Ferreira’s concert was good for the people who came to see her, even if I would have expected a fuller house, as on her first visit. Having just come out of the Festival Nuits d’Afrique, this event may well have slipped under the radar of many a fan of her music.

Photo Credit: Inaa

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Afropop / Caribbean / Dancehall / Kompa / Soul/R&B

PAN M 360 at Nuits d’Afrique | A Look Back at Rutshelle Guillaume’s Closing Triumph

by Rédaction PAN M 360

When Rutshelle Guillaume filled the Rialto last spring, it was a community show. That’s a thing of the past. Presented on the main stage of Nuits d’Afrique in front of a packed house, the Port-au-Prince singer’s show (relocated to Florida) went beyond the market of the Haitian diaspora, most of whom were already loyal to her… and very present on this Sunday evening.

A decade of hard work has brought Rutshelle Guillaume to this altitude. If her business is done right for the future, this genuine conqueror could possibly reach the upper echelons of international pop.

Her most fervent fans have crowned her the “queen of konpa”, and we listened carefully to her repertoire, performed on stage with choreography, to see that konpa, the Haitian groove par excellence, is this time combined with other Caribbean, African and North American influences: dancehall, ragamuffin, afrobeats, power ballads and soul/ R&B are all part of this global konpa, expressed above all in Haitian Creole.

With a stage presence like this, Rutshelle Guillaume ticks all the boxes of the globalized superdiva. Scheduled for release before the end of the year, her next studio album will tell us a lot about her professional future. In another sign of recognition, on Monday, July 22, at Montreal City Hall, she was awarded the Prix Nuits d’Afrique pour la Francophonie “given to an artist of international renown, who embodies a unifying vision of the Francophonie and the diversity of cultural expression in the international French-speaking world”.

And it comes from Haiti! Whatever you think of the chaos there, you need to have traveled there to perceive its immense cultural and artistic virtues. From a distance, is it unthinkable that such global pop could flourish in the rubble? Probably not. Up close, on the contrary, we know it’s possible. Here’s further proof! At a time when Haiti is in the worst of its difficulties, this is certainly a token of hope and pride from the Magic Island.

It’s hard to imagine a better closing to the 38th Nuits d’Afrique.

On this occasion, PAN M 360 brings you a cross-report: Keithy Antoine, Haitian-born broadcaster and PAN M 360 contributor, chats with Alain Brunet on site, during the concert. Here’s the text exchange!

AB : Big variety machine!

KA : Yes, she’s powerful.

AB : It’s incredible that such an artist has developed in such a difficult context.

KA : Yes, but she’s traveled a lot, and she’s well surrounded.

AB : No artist from Port-au-Prince has had the impact she will.

KA : That’s what she’s working for! It’s wonderful.

AB : She’s the diva Haiti’s been waiting for.

KA : She’s popular, but not yet an icon.

AB : There are Haitian artists from Port-au-Prince who are icons, but none have made such an impact abroad, so quickly.

KA : We’re in a different era, so it’s hard to compare. But I’m not downplaying her popularity.

AB: In quantitative terms, it’s clear that she exceeds the standards of her era.

KA : Yes. I’m not downplaying it.

AB: It’s also the revenge of konpa in the recent history of West Indian music. Konpa was very strong in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Now it’s back with a vengeance.

KA : You could say. Or its real rise.

AB: Konpa can be seen as the foundation of modern Creole groove. With Rutshelle, it can get big.

KA : To each his own! But trying to win over a wider audience changes the sound too.

AB : But the basics are still there. The Farfisa organ sounds, the guitars, the congas – in short, all the typical elements of konpa are there when she goes in that direction.

KA : But it’s not pure konpa either. And konpa has to change like other styles.

AB: Not pure konpa, yes. It’s more like konpa-based global pop.

KA : With a veneer of variety. In fact, I had a lot of fun, not a lot of fun. This pop is clean clean.

AB : Exactly. It’s pop-variety. There are some nice reforms, but it can be perceived as skimming. Artistically, at least, it’s not yet striking.

KA : That’s not bad. It’s good, it’s very good, it pleases a lot. Bon dodo!

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Africa / Central African traditional music

PAN M 360 at Nuits d’Afrique – Les Aunties, from Ndjamena to Montreal

by Sandra Gasana

Nine women, quite ordinary, in the image of other Chadian women, mothers, all dressed in orange skirts and black tops, sitting in a circle, each with her microphone and calabash.

In fact, they always massage their calabashes before tapping them. And despite heavy rain from the very first minutes of the concert and for a good part of it, the audience remained on hand, with their umbrellas or raincoats, for those who had planned ahead.

Depending on the song, one of them starts singing, while the other eight respond in unison. Sometimes, they walk in circles, with one singing and the others providing backing vocals. At other times, one of them sings, another starts dancing around her, and the others stay behind. In short, we had several configurations on stage, but all of them captivated the audience’s attention, fascinated to see these ladies of a certain age on stage.

Right next to the stage, I could see the great Chadian star Afrotronix, who had come to encourage his compatriots. It was only at the end of the show that we learned that he was behind the group. “It’s a movement that’s just beginning. We grew up seeing our mothers, and it was these women who made us what we are today,” he says, mentioning in passing that his mother is in the audience.

Les Aunties often talk about women and their right to education in several tracks that evening, as well as domestic violence. “Montreal woman, how are you doing ?” asks one, then replacing Montreal, with Kinshasa, Cameroon and Ndjamena. At this point, we hear applause from the crowd, and it soon becomes clear that Montreal’s Chadian community is represented.

At a certain point in the show, they all wear a traditional Chadian dress, over their original skirts, and continue to sing together, seated or standing, with or without calabash, in a circle or in a row. During a song, the title of which I don’t know, the music is quieter and they line up as if going to a mosque for prayer, before taking off their traditional dress and returning to their initial attire. Sometimes, one of them takes center stage, and all the women around her encircle her, addressing her sympathetically and obviously singing for her.

At some point during the concert, each of them takes the floor and addresses the audience in their native language. This is where Afrotronix takes on the role of translator, translating the words into French.

No way!” she says to the applause of the crowd. It’s clear that these women are not afraid of words, and that they speak from experience in their desire to break the silence. From that moment on, it was madness on stage: we witnessed dance performances by several members of the Chadian community who came to perform traditional dance steps, in the center of the circle formed by Les Aunties.
The step they often performed consisted of moving shoulders and chest movements, rather like Ethiopia’s Eskesta. A percussionist also joined in, improvising on one of the tracks, while one of Les Aunties was at the turntables, headphones on and console in front of her. From time to time, Afrotronix came to adjust buttons on DJ Aunty’s console. In fact, the entire Chadian artistic community was on hand to contribute to the success of this original group on Saturday night. Moral of the story: there’s no age limit to following your dreams. If Les Aunties have done it, then anyone can.

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Africa / afro-soul / Hip Hop

PAN M 360 at Nuits d’Afrique – Fredy Massamba Was Blessed with Some Rain

by Sandra Gasana

Rain is often associated with a blessing in many African cultures, and certainly in other parts of the world. As the concert was about to end on Saturday evening, the rain may have kept some festival-goers away, but many stayed till the end of Fredy Massamba’s first-ever concert in Montreal.

For the occasion, he was accompanied by the one he calls “master” Donald Dogbo on drums, Willie Bareto on keyboards, Christian Obam on bass, Charles William Mpondo on guitar, Hendry Massamba on backing vocals and percussion, and Floric Kim on backing vocals. The two backing singers had arrived three days ago from Brazzaville for the occasion. And what a great idea it was to include them in this show!

From the very first track, he plunges us into his world, with the drum, or Ngoma, at its center, a track featured on his most recent album Trancestral. “I have three albums to my credit: Ethnophony, Makasi and Trancestral,” he reminds the crowd. “I invite you to take a journey together between Brussels, Brazzaville, Kinshasa, Douala, Ndjamena and here in Montreal,” he adds.

He then takes a step back in time with Zonza, featured on his debut album Ethnophony , which is much more groovy and lends itself well to a festival performance.

You can tell that Fredy is particularly fond of the African continent. He talks about it in several songs, lists many of them and even wears a white shirt with maps of Africa on it. The choice of the two backing singers was a wise one, as they contribute enormously to the success of the band. They do a remarkable job on stage, and you can feel their complicity with Fredy, who seemed to appreciate their presence.

He mentions the women of Kivu, of Goma in the track Bidilu Bio, and denounces “this war that makes no sense”. The song starts gently, highlighting the artist’s soulful voice, and suddenly moves into reggae, making you want to move despite the sensitive subject matter. Increasingly at ease on stage, he in turn gives the backing singers (very well dressed) space to shine, having opportunities to take turns singing verses, all the while involving the audience.

“I was told I had to sing a love song. Where I come from, in Congo, we have Koffi Olomidé, Fally Ipupa, Lokua Kanza. There’s no shortage of love songs,” he tells a smiling audience, before performing Makwela.
We discover his rapping talents on the track Nkembo, but the most touching moment is when he suggests inviting Papa Wemba (Paix à son âme) on stage.

He “goes and looks for him” backstage and gives us the impression that he’s with the great artist who left us a few years ago. His imitation is remarkable, and moves festival-goers who knew the great Congolese star. Fredy tells us that he always wanted to do a featuring with Papa Wemba, but never got the chance. Hence the symbolic gesture.

And it was after this emotional moment that the rain came down on the Radio-Canada stage (Coincidence? I don’t think so). First the backing singers and Fredy entered together on the song Zua Idée, before being followed by all the musicians. “Even in the rain you’re here!” he says gratefully. You can see the professionalism of the musicians when a situation like this happens. The band carried on as if nothing had happened, Fredy singing with the same ardor. The rain didn’t discourage the audience; on the contrary, they were impatiently waiting for it to stop so they could get back to dancing. And that’s exactly what they do for the last song of the show, Ntoto, during which he takes out his famous bottle on which he has fun blowing, and which we had mentioned in our interview a few days earlier (PAN M 360 at Nuits d’Afrique | Fredy Massamba, a Congolese (from Montreal) on 3 Continents – PAN M 360). And so ends Fredy Massamba’s very first show, blessed by a summer rain shower.

“Thanks to Nuits d’Afrique, my dad Touré, my friends, my family, RFI, Hangaa Music, Vanessa Kanga, and you, watching me in the rain.”

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Africa / Indian Ocean / Maghrebi

PAN M 360 at Nuits d’Afrique 2024 | Sofaz Grooves!

by Keithy Antoine

The members of Sofaz hail from Réunion, Morocco, Burkina Faso and mainland France. These globetrotters and groove trotters put on a great show on Friday!

Sofaz took to the TD Radio-Canada stage for the 38th Festival International Nuits d’Afrique. To the delight of his many fans, Sofaz had everyone singing, dancing and jumping up and down. The 6-piece band instantly set the mood for a unique evening, generating a sense of unity and family among the diverse crowd gathered to celebrate life now. We could all celebrate the music that unites us, and allows us to smile at our immediate neighbors.

Musical instruments, their origins and histories, are central to Sofaz’s work, and it’s clear to see and hear. We hear the familiar sounds of guitar, keyboards and drums, but also the djembe from West Africa or the guembri and crotales from North Africa. Sofaz’s compositions are electrifying, danceable and hypnotic, making this multi-sensory experience impossible to resist. With the crowd gathered for this band from the Indian Ocean, I absolutely had a great time!

And it continues at Montreal’s Nuits d’Afrique until Sunday.

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photo credit: André Rival

Afropop / Caribbean / Kompa

PAN M 360 at Nuits d’Afrique 2024 | Birth of a Haitian star

by Keithy Antoine

A new Haitian star is born! Her name is Modeline Raymond, or Moray for her close friends. The singer-songwriter performed on the Loto-Québec stage at Esplanade Tranquille on Friday evening. It was her very first big stage performance in Montreal, accompanied by a full band, including drums, congas, guitars, backing singers, keyboards and bass. We can enthusiastically say that they rocked!

Once again, the Festival international Nuits d’Afrique is a great opportunity for many emerging artists to build their careers, and to present themselves to a large audience of fans and connoisseurs.

On stage, Moray was in her most authentic and natural element. She sang mainly in Creole, danced well and, without tiring, radiated on stage. Contagious joy! The singer is having fun, inviting the crowd to swirl along with her, in complicity with her band. A lovely summer afternoon of sunny, upbeat Afro-pop sounds and rhythms, Latin soul, and konpa stuck tight, as she candidly puts it!

Modeline Raymond is an artist worth discovering!

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