Bossa Nova / Brazilian / Jazz

Brazilian Days | Saudade According to Erivan GD

by Sandra Gasana

On this second Brazilian day, we were treated to a sextet of high-calibre musicians on Duluth Avenue, to kick off the musical program. Under the direction of bassist Erivan GD, who accompanies several artists on the Montreal Brazilian scene, they concocted a colorful and emotional set.

I had the pleasure of seeing him at La Brassée a few months ago, but this time he had expanded his line-up for the occasion. So we had Jean-Philippe Grégoire on guitar, Santiago Ferrer on piano, saxophonist Thiago Ferté, Olivier Bussières on percussion of all kinds and drummer Shayne Assouline. Together, they managed to make us forget the cold weather at the beginning of September.

What I like about this type of performance, without vocals, is the length of the solos. From the very first tracks, we were treated to several solos, not always in the same order, alternating with each other. We had time to immerse ourselves fully in the musician’s world, in the meanders of his rhythms, before moving on to another musician. The percussionist varied his instruments, sometimes using a pandeiro, or other typically Brazilian instruments, among others.

“It’s cold so I need to move. If you want, you can move with me,” says Erivan, after opening with Afternoons by Milton Nascimento, who has just released an album with Esperanza Spalding.(MILTON + ESPERANZA – PAN M 360).

He then follows up with three of his own compositions, including Déjà vu. The instruments enter gradually, giving the impression that the musicians are dressing up the piece, layer by layer. Even during his solos, Erivan manages to maintain the rhythm and structure of the piece, allowing him to return with the ensemble seamlessly. In his role as conductor, he communicates with his musicians, who know when to come in and when to go out, all very subtly. The intensity was at its highest during Everything is sound, which at times included abrupt stops, before continuing with rhythmic flights.

“The third piece is very special to me on this day, and is called Saudade, which is a Portuguese term that’s difficult to translate into French, a bit like nostalgia,” Erivan explains, before playing a jazz / bossa, my favorite of the show. The progression was a natural one, with moments of solos but also instruments in unison. At this point, the percussionist adds his pandeiro to accentuate the group’s Brazilian touch, before ending the piece in the same way they began it.

We couldn’t end the mini-concert without including another classic, Tom Jobim’s Samba de Verão, with its goosebump-inducing piano solos. And not just because of the cold, but above all because of the intense emotions felt by the audience, who grew in number throughout the show.

Publicité panam

Bossa Nova / Brazilian / Brazilian jazz / Música Popular Brasileira

Brazilian Days | Bianca Rocha: A Lot of Calor In The Cold!

by Michel Labrecque

Sunday September 8 will go down in Montreal history as an unusually cold day. It couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Journées Brésiliennes, which celebrate the culture of a tropical country. But the Brazilian artists didn’t let it get them down. Bianca Rocha injected warmth into our souls, with inspired MPB (Brazilian popular music) that delighted a large audience, some of whom knew most of the lyrics.

Bianca Rocha’s smile is totally infectious when she sings. Irresistible. Her music is a blend of bossa nova, Afro-Brazilian music, gaucho music from southern Brazil, pop and jazz, impeccably arranged by guitarist Rodrigo Simoes. Everything flows naturally, with highly competent musicians, including drummer/percussionist Lara Klaus, who instantly conveys the joy of making music…even when it’s freezing.

Bianca has a versatile vocal range, alternating between meditative sweetness and power. Most of her songs are sung in her native Portuguese, but she did deliver a composition in French, about the possibility of creating paradise on earth; as well as a very feminist song by the excellent Canadian-Colombian artist, Lido Pimienta.

Bianca Rocha is also a committed singer, but with a playful perspective. Even her song Fim Do Mundo (End Of The World) makes you want to dance. In fact, it’s the title of her only album, released in 2021.

This woman, originally from Curitiba in southern Brazil, came to Montreal in 2019 because of the rise to power of far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro, she tells me in an interview after her show. Her partner landed an interesting professional opportunity and the family moved north. Since then, Bianca Rocha loves to live Montreal and plans to stay here, while eventually opening up to the Brazilian music market.

Bianca Rocha is thus a welcome addition to Montreal’s increasingly rich Brazilian musical ecosystem, as we heard this weekend.

Let’s face it: there’s musical talent from all over the world in Montreal. And all these people are mixing and creating together. No matter what some politicians think, it makes Montreal great. Even for native Quebecers, who were present at the Journées brésiliennes.

Publicité panam

Brazilian / Brazilian jazz / Jazz

Brazilian Days | Manoel Vieira : A Tribute to João Donato Better Than The Original?

by Michel Labrecque

On Saturday, September 7, Duluth Street was transformed into a mini-Brazil. Churrascos (Brazilian barbecues), food stalls of all kinds, hundreds of people speaking mostly Brazilian Portuguese, and music. It was on this note that the Brazilian Days kicked off, before rain spoiled the party in the afternoon.

Pianist and composer Manoel Vieira and his musician friends were the first to take to the stage. Just hearing them warm up, it was clear to my ears that we were in for an above-average concert of Brazilian music.

Manoel gave us a tribute concert to the great Brazilian jazzman and composer João Donato, who died last year. It started with Vento do Carnaval and ended with Bananeira. And we were floating for just over an hour.

Manoel Vieira studied classical piano while being an adept of improvised music. In 2020, he released Rhizome, a blend of bebop and Brazilian forro. He teaches at the Université de Montréal and occasionally performs with Brazilian symphony orchestras. Listen to my interview with him on PANM360 to learn more.(Manoel Vieira to Launch Brazilian Days – PAN M 360)

On stage, he was supported by a group of super-solid musicians. Erivan Duarte on bass, Laurent Cauchy on trombone, Thiago Ferté on saxophone, Aquiles Melo on drums and percussion, and João Lenhari on trumpet and flugelhorn. The latter also teaches at the Université de Montréal and leads his big band. I joked with him that Brazil was invading the university’s music faculty. What do you expect,” he replied, ”we’re the best.

Indeed, the musicians in this group are excellent. While following João Donato’s skilful melodies, they gave their all in improvisations and solos. A mixture of virtuosity and emotion. Unfortunately, as it was the beginning of the day, there weren’t enough of us. But those who were there were all smiles.

Let’s hope this concert is repeated soon in a venue more conducive to listening. A magical musical moment. Knowledgeable and festive!

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Punk

POP Montréal: The Spirit of the Beehive + Winter

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Au cours de la dernière décennie, SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE a affiné une esthétique sans pareille. Iels découpent des échantillons, les mâchent et les recrachent pour nous nourrir à la cuillère. En quatre albums et quelques EP, Zack Schwartz, Corey Wichlin et Rivka Ravede se sont affirmé·es comme les déconstructeur·ices les plus étranges et habiles du rock. Hypnic Jerk, sorti en 2018, était une étude d’échantillonnage noise punk. C’était une percée pour le groupe. Frank Ocean est devenu fan, faisant jouer « fell asleep with a vision » à Blonded Radio. ENTERTAINMENT DEATH, sorti en 2021, était de la dream pop sale mixant le réalisme d’un vieux dépanneur avec le charme aléatoire d’un iPod shuffle.

Over the past decade, SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE has honed an unparalleled aesthetic. They cut up samples, chew them up and spit them out, spoon-feeding us. In four albums and a handful of EPs, Zack Schwartz, Corey Wichlin and Rivka Ravede have established themselves as rock’s strangest and most deft deconstructors. Hypnic Jerk, released in 2018, was a study in noise punk sampling. It was a breakthrough for the band. Frank Ocean became a fan, playing “fell asleep with a vision” on Blonded Radio. ENTERTAINMENT DEATH, released in 2021, was dirty dream pop mixing the realism of an old convenience store with the random charm of an iPod shuffle.

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Ce contenu provient de POP Montréal et est adapté par PAN M 360.

EDM / Electronic / Techno

Palomosa | Gesaffelstein at the top of the festival

by Sami Rixhon

Palomosa’s big hit: French electronic artist Gesaffelstein performed late Friday evening, bringing the first day of this new festival to a close. The performance was convincing, and confirmed the organizers’ choice of Gesaffelstein as headliner.

On the remnants of an already nostalgic summer, in memory of the defunct Montréal Électronique Groove, Palomosa presented a fine line-up of urban artists to get the most curious Montreal fans of the genre on their feet.

At 9.50pm, Gesaffelstein kicks off the final performance of the day at the Videotron stage with The Urge, from his third and most recent album, Gamma. The piercing yellow eyes of Gesaffelstein’s headphones, known as “the black prince of French techno”, pierce the darkness of the venue. The artist stands at the top of the stage podium, his mixers resembling long black crystals. Laser beams and space-like projections accompany the oppressive music orchestrated by Gesaffelstein. The dark, bass-heavy musical style recalls the compositions of Justice, who performed just a few hundred meters away at Osheaga 2024 a month ago.

The atmosphere never lets up throughout the set, and the audience seems more than satisfied with what they see on stage. The festival-goers’ outfits aren’t all suited to the September evening temperatures, but give a jolt of reminder of Palomosa’s primary mandate: here, you’re free, here, you’ll always feel welcome.

Hip Hop / rap

Palomosa | Destroy Lonely and its playslist…

by Sami Rixhon

Playboi Carti’s young protégé, Destroy Lonely, played to an enthusiastic crowd in Palomosa on Friday. The atmosphere was great, but the quality of the performance was less than impressive. As is often the case with rap concerts…

It’s a few minutes before 8 pm, the sun has already set and reminds us that the leaves in the trees will soon be colored. The crowd at the front of the stage is 90% young men, wearing branded hoodies or balaclavas.

From the very first notes of LUV 4 YA, the mosh pit was formed and didn’t stop for the whole performance, which lasted just under an hour. Destroy Lonely, sporting white-rimmed sunglasses, performed tracks from his album LOVE LASTS FOREVER, released just a week ago.

And yet… The Opium rapper relies for the most part on the pre-recorded tape of his songs, so he doesn’t go out of his way to make his performance more appealing than a Spotify playlist. Imagine a classical music orchestra simulating a Beethoven symphony, using their instruments as mere decorative props. Wouldn’t that cause a scandal? Who knows why it’s become such a rap standard?

classique / Contemporary / période romantique

OSM : L’impressionnante Symphonie no 2 de Rachmaninov

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Des couleurs automnales contrastées, des mélodies gorgées d’un lyrisme débordant et la continuelle alternance entre intimité et exubérance caractérisent la somptueuse Symphonie n^o 2 de Rachmaninov. De son côté, la Sinfonia concertante pour orgue et orchestre de Salonen évolue dans une ambiance onirique soutenue par une fabuleuse orchestration. Il mettra à l’honneur Olivier Latry, organiste émérite de l’OSM et titulaire du grand orgue de Notre-Dame de Paris.

Rachmaninov’s sumptuous Symphony No. 2 is characterized by contrasting autumnal colors, melodies bursting with lyricism and a continuous alternation between intimacy and exuberance. Salonen’s Sinfonia concertante for organ and orchestra, meanwhile, evolves in a dreamlike atmosphere underpinned by fabulous orchestration. It will feature Olivier Latry, OSM organist emeritus and titular of the great organ of Notre-Dame de Paris.

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Ce contenu provient de l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal et est adapté par PAN M 360

Africa / Afro Funk / Afrobeat / Saharan Blues

Sahad, The New King of Afrobeat

by Sandra Gasana

A gentle introduction. A guitar, a voice. That’s how Sahad welcomed us to his very first concert at Club Balattou last Thursday. He is joined by Joon Ho Wantete on piano, Christian Obam, the bassist everyone’s raving about at the moment, Raphaël Ojo, with his contagious smile, on drums and backing vocals, and Frédéric Bourgeault on trumpet.

Mixing Wolof, French and English, he took us from blues to afrobeat, funk and reggae, sometimes with no transition between tracks. At times, we thought we were at a Fela Kuti concert, so perfect was his mastery of this style of Nigerian music. He repeatedly addressed the crowd with the question: “Are you alive tonight?”, before moving on to another track.

The complicity with his musicians was palpable, particularly with Joon Ho, who seems to have worked with the artist for a long time. “Some of the musicians I used to play with in Senegal are now based in Montreal,” he told me during our interview a few days earlier (Sahad, Taxi-Brousse in Song – PAN M 360), while others had flown in from London and Abidjan for the occasion.

In addition to playing guitar, he incorporated percussion into his show, sometimes engaging in percussive dialogues with his drummer or interacting with the trumpet, which heightened the musical intensity in the room.

The audience also had an important role to play in following Sahad’s instructions, particularly on the track Ayeye. While the first part of the show was performed in front of a seated audience, the second part was quite different. The artist invited the audience to move closer to the stage, and that was all it took for them to start dancing. The song Kadio Blues was a particular crowd-pleaser, with its breathtaking trumpet and keyboard solos.

To top it all off, Malian diva and griot Djely Tapa blessed the stage with her powerful, haunting voice, while Sahad’s compatriot Seydina charmed us with his unique vocals.

My favorite song was the tribute to Dakar, which took me back to my memories of the city I’d just visited a few weeks earlier. “The next song, we’re going to Senegal. It’s important to sing a song from home,” he announced by way of introduction, with a passage he had the crowd repeat: Dakar ndiaye nekhna, which means Dakar, the wonderful capital. Sahad showcases his musicians, giving them the space they need for their respective solos, sometimes playing the role of conductor. One thing’s for sure: Montreal’s Senegalese community missed quite a show last Thursday. Let’s hope that word-of-mouth will do its job so that on his next visit to our metropolis, the Balattou will be packed to the rafters with his compatriots, who have everything to discover in this multi-talented artist.

Photo credit: Peter Graham

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Garage Punk / Punk Rock

POP Montréal: Crachat + SO TIRED + Puberty Well + Debbie Christ

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Crachat est un trio punk rock à paillettes de la basse-ville de Québec. Formé en 2022, sa musique fait résonner une colère adolescente de façon explosive et extravagante. Leur son garage et gorgé de distorsion n’empêche pas les musiciennes de rayonner en toute féminité sur scène: Rock ‘n’ roll, tutus et vivacité sont toujours au rendez-vous chez ces princesses à gros bras.

Crachat is a glittery punk rock trio from Quebec City’s Lower Town. Formed in 2022, their music resonates with explosive, extravagant teenage anger. Their distortion-laden garage sound doesn’t stop the musicians from radiating femininity on stage: rock ‘n’ roll, tutus and vivacity are always on the agenda for these big-armed princesses.

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Ce contenu provient de POP Montréal et est adapté par PAN M 360.

Afro-Colombian / latino

Bumaranga au Balattou

by Rédaction PAN M 360

La musique de Bumaranga est une fête tourbillonnante ; une invitation à s’abandonner suavement à des mélodies afro-colombiennes tantôt veloutées, tantôt exaltées, toujours sublimes de sincérité. À la croisée des rythmes indigènes et des sons importés par les esclaves venus d’Afrique, les Cumbia, Puya, Tambora et Mapalé du groupe révélé par les Syli d’or 2013 mettent en avant plan les instruments traditionnels que sont les tambora, tambour alegre, gaïta et flûte de Millo, que le groupe, attelé à la voix puissante et pétillante de la chanteuse, magnifie à coup de batterie et d’instruments électriques. Un séduisant petit côté indiscipliné, dansant et très très égayant.

Bumaranga’s music is like a festive party, an invitation to gently surrender yourself to their Afro-Columbian melodies, at times mellow, other times thrilling but always sublimely heartfelt. A blending of Indigenous rhythms and those carried over from Africa by people who were enslaved—cumbia, puya, tambora and malapé were all brought to the fore when the group won the 2013 Syli d’or de la musique du monde. Their music puts the spotlight on traditional instruments such as the tambora and alegre drums, the gaita and Millo flutes, which, along with the singer’s powerful and lively voice, are amplified with the use of drums and electronic instruments. The group has a kind of seductively undisciplined side to them, very danceable and very, very, exciting.

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