PAN M 360 at FIJM 2024 | Erick the Architect, A Guided Tour of Brooklyn

by Jacob Langlois-Pelletier

“Can I take you to Brooklyn tonight?” These were the first words of American rapper, singer and producer, Erick The Architect, as he entered Club Soda. On Friday night at FIJM, one third of the iconic New York group Flatbush Zombies took the crowd deep into his family history and the reality of his childhood neighborhood, navigating with finesse between hip-hop, rap, R&B, soul and dancehall.

Visiting Montreal to present I’ve Never Been Here Before, his first solo album released earlier this year, “the Architect” set the mood for nostalgia right from the start. From start to finish, various archival projections of all kinds scrolled behind him, from an old soccer game to excerpts from The Simpsons, to recordings of video games he played when he was no taller than three apples.

A certain narrative thread runs through the show: the MC talks for several minutes about a member of his family, puts on a few related songs, then repeats the whole thing. In this way, the audience gets to know his brothers, his mother, his father and even his cat.

Why is the 35-year-old artist telling us all this? Simple: his entourage has shaped the music he makes today, from his kindergarten love of James Brown to his brothers’ keen interest in the Wu-Tang Clan collective. Fans of his work will certainly have been seduced by the rapper’s many anecdotes, while the curious will say that the pace of the evening was affected.

Whatever the case, fans in attendance got their money’s worth from the quality of Erick the Architect’s performances, which lasted almost 120 minutes. Accompanied by a DJ and a musician alternating between keyboard and bass, the rapper delivered every rhyme from his latest opus with passion and impeccable technique. It’s hard to give a more accurate performance – everything was there.

The most memorable aspect of his performance was undoubtedly his versatility. It seems so easy for the architect to travel through his different musical influences, from a trap track like Parkour to the excellent Breaking Point, a haunting pop ballad.

Almost two hours after taking to the stage, the psychedelic rap icon closed with his disco hit Candle Flame, a collaborative piece with British soul-funk band Jungle. “This song will make you dance and burn the calories in your poutine,” he said with a smile.

I’ve Never Been Before, failing to repeat myself, is one of the most complete and interesting hip-hop offerings to have been unveiled since the start of 2024. There’s no doubt that Erick the Architect is building a superb foundation for his solo career.

Photo credit: Novak Productions

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classique

Les Violons du Roy: Une voix pour Bach

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Le formidable jeune contre-ténor anglais Hugh Cutting, nommé « BBC New Generation Artist » en 2022, retrouve le chef fondateur des Violons du Roy, Bernard Labadie. Ils célèbrent les 40 ans de l’orchestre dans un programme comprenant deux des plus belles cantates de Bach pour voix soliste, ainsi que deux concertos grossos de Handel.

The formidable young English countertenor Hugh Cutting, named “BBC New Generation Artist” in 2022, reunites with Les Violons du Roy’s founding conductor, Bernard Labadie. They celebrate the orchestra’s 40th anniversary with a program featuring two of Bach’s finest cantatas for solo voice, plus two Handel concertos grossos.

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Ce contenu provient des Violons du Roy et est adapté par PAN M 360.

Fado

PAN M 360 AT FIJM | Ana Moura, The Queen of Fado

by Michel Labrecque

Sculptural, dressed entirely in red, Ana Moura presented herself as the queen of Portuguese fado which she is, to the acclamations of the room, largely Portuguese-speaking.

Whether we like fado or not, this traditional Portuguese music which is the equivalent of the blues, the 44-year-old lady has a powerful, deep, extraordinary voice, which lets out deep feelings, often sadness, which is unique to the genre.

With her trio of musicians (drums, bass, Portuguese guitar), she first launched into more traditional fado, before slowly taking us into her new musical universe, more tinged with African and electronic sounds, with tones and rhythms that make the music more interesting.

After three songs, Ana Moura spoke to us, at great length, in English, a compromise language, since she explained to us in French that she does not speak French well. There are people who hate it when an artist talks too much, because it breaks the rhythm. But Ana really wanted to bring us into her world and make us understand it.

She explained to us the genesis of her latest record Casa Guilhermina, the house which bears the first name of her grandmother, who is of Angolan origin, just like her mother. As a child, she constantly listened to Angolan Semba (not Brazilian Samba). She told us that this album is imbued with these rhythms and other regional music from Portugal, which are very important to her.

She also dedicated a song that she wrote for Prince, yes the one from Minneapolis, who had already told her that he wanted to produce her music.

Throughout the performance, the three musicians were accompanied by synths, accordion, violin and recorded backing vocals. It’s like we’ve been treated to the low-budget version of the show.

Despite some reservations, it is difficult to doubt the authenticity of the Portuguese singer, who seeks, with other compatriots, to diversify current Portuguese-speaking music. And to share it with the planet.

My two Portuguese seatmates had bright eyes and were constantly moving. At the end of the concert, cheers rang out.

Everything was said.

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Pop

PAN M 360 at FIJM 2024 | Norah Jones: a woman of many dreams

by Claude André

Already the stuff of legend, the 20-million-album-selling international star brought the many facets of her “adult contemporary” universe to a packed Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. Awe-inspiring.

As soon as they entered the hall, the journalist who had previously been relatively oblivious to the Norah Jones phenomenon noticed the merch stand: $45 for a t-shirt! In the audience, gray heads sporting a Bob Dylan effigy here, an old Pat Metheny souvenir t-shirt there, while further on, a lady wearing stilettos, a leather skirt and tribal tattoos takes a photo in front of one of the artist’s posters.

In the end, there was something for everyone. The offspring of Ravi Shankar – yes, the man who taught George Harrison the sitar – and Sue Jones – a fan of jazz, country and soul – moves from one style to another with seamless coherence.

Accompanied by guitarist Sasha Dobson and keyboardist Sami Stevens, the star, seated in front of a white piano, opened with “What Am I to You?”, a classic from the album Feels Like Home (2004).

What’s immediately striking is, of course, her round, mellow voice, but also the richness of her vocal harmonies, which occasionally flirt with a transcendent, atmospheric spirituality.

The singer’s greatest hits will unfold like pearls in a jewel box: “This Life”, “Sunrise” or “Come Away With Me”, whose beautiful purple lighting will transport us out of time into a twilight jazz club.

Surrounded by the excellent Brian Blade on drums (Grammy Award nominee for Best Instrumental Jazz Album of 2021) and the inspired Josh Lattanzi on bass, Norah Jones, who also accompanies herself on electric piano, lets her musical accomplices have their say.

And, it has to be said, even though she may sometimes sound a little mawkish, particularly from a textual point of view, and remains stingy with her interventions – a few words in French here and there – Norah Jones, this first-class performer, will have given us moments of musical grace, and she will also have proved that she remains an accomplished pianist. And an inspired guitarist, notably in her rendition of “Say Goodbye”. All this despite the legendary coldness of the venue. In fact, the vitality of the applause at the end of the show was in stark contrast to the lukewarm discipline of the whole set.

Martha breaks the ice

It was a happy Martha Wainwright who ended the tour of her latest album, Love Will Be Reborn (2021), in her hometown, along with her friend Norah Jones, whom she has known for 25 years. “We lived in the same house when she made her first record,” she breathed at the start of her 45-minute performance. A good choice to invite the whisky-tinged folk gypsy chic performer to open the show.

Among the highlights of this raw, energetic performance was a Brel-inspired cover of Piaf’s ” L’accordéoniste “, which drew rapturous applause. A piano cover of “Dinner at Eight”, from a song by her brother, whom she no longer needs to name, “that she wishes she’d written” (note that she knows how to use the past participle, unlike a plethora of her French-speaking colleagues…). And let’s not forget “Falaise de Malaise”, her “only song composed on the piano and the only one written in French”.

It was a flawless performance from the singer, who often raised her left leg as if to provoke evil spirits during her set, which might have pleased a certain Janis, whose influence could sometimes be felt.

Alas, there was no encore, as is often the case with opening acts.

As we left the venue, we thought that if the Beatles were the good boys and the Stones the bad boys, we could say that at Wilfrid-Pelletier yesterday, it was Martha who was on the latter team and Norah on the former.

crédit photo: Pierre Montminy

Électro / Hip Hop / Latino

PAN M 360 AT FIJM 2024 | Baby Volcano In Eruption

by Michel Labrecque

Guatemala is a volcanic land. Perhaps that’s why Lorena Stadelmann, a Swiss born of a Guatemalan mother and a Jura father, chose this artist name. One thing’s for sure: there’s something fiery and explosive about Baby Volcano’s performance on the FIJM’s Rio Tinto stage on Tuesday evening, July 2.

This is not jazz. Lorena Stadelmann is surrounded by two beatmakers and plays hip-hop. But we also hear Latin influences, electro and, occasionally, chanson or soft melodies. That’s what makes her so special. Baby Volcano has also chosen to sing mainly in Spanish, with occasional insertions of French. She sometimes borrows the Argentine accent-pronouncing the double l’s as j’s. This is because she lived in Buenos-Aires for three years, from 2015 to 2018. A city where culture occupies a very important place.

Baby Volcano is more than a singer or songwriter: she’s a performer, a dancer, who gives her all on stage. She came to sing in the middle of the crowd, during a song. A fiery, lava-like temperament!

Her first EP is entitled Sindrome Premenstrual, (2021). Each piece is dedicated to a body organ.

This young woman’s career is part of a movement: la Chica, Franco-Venezuelan, Ëda Diaz, Franco-Colombian, this Swiss-Guatemalan artist chooses to speak Spanish. Like Noé Lira, Maritza and Boogat back home.

Porque no? Why not? Baby Volcano will also be at the Festival d’été de Québec and the Festivoix de Trois-Rivières.

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Electronic / Hip Hop / Jazz / R&B

PAN M 360 AT FIJM 2024 | Theo Croker Nourishes Body and Mind

by Michel Labrecque

Trumpeter Theo Croker is part of the new generation of American jazz which draws inspiration from both traditions and more recent musical codes such as hip-hop, electro and R&B.

It quickly became clear that we were going to move: the drums, married to electro beats, left us no choice. The trumpet, accompanied by multiple reverb gadgets and special effects made us want to fly.

But be careful: this grooved music remains jazz. The pianist and keyboardist improvises wildly, the double bassist goes with expert rhythms, and the drummer, despite the power of his sound, is capable of versatility. For his part, Theo Croker, after a first thirty minutes mainly composed of musical motifs and themes, took to the solo more seriously in the second part. The 38-year-old is not without talent, like his grandfather, the legendary Doc Cheatham.

We also heard a lot of vocal sampling, since on his albums, we find multiple collaborations with singers and rappers, who were not present on stage.

In short, Theo Croker nourished our minds and stimulated our bodies. An audience of all ages seemed happy, but it was particularly interesting to see many young people dancing to jazz.

For my part, I discovered a musician that I didn’t know accompanied by a trio of wonderful musicians, whose names, unfortunately, I cannot give you. More interesting than Robert Glasper, IMHO.

It was another exciting free concert. On the other hand, we are reaching a limit here: having to stop the performance after sixty minutes when the party is still on is frustrating.

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Cumbia / currulao / latino / Latino

Festival International Nuits d’Afrique : Los Gaiteros de Ovejas

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Country: Colombia

This show is part of the Les Incontournables series presented by ICI Musique.

Description:

“In the heart of the Sucre department, my land, is the village of Ovejas, whose folklore reflects energy and joy. Beyond the hills, we listen to the musicians play the gaita that is so dear to me and which makes the pride of its people.” Once this moving and solemn statement is made by Henry Ortiz, the leader of the troupe, the percussions and the traditional flute are activated. The party can begin! Los Gaiteros de Ovejas is an institution. Like smugglers, the ensemble, which has shared the stage with Arcade Fire, perpetuates for more than 30 years, from generation to generation, but also on the international stage, this unique musical heritage born of the blending of African percussive culture and pre-Columbian melodic traditions, combining the traditional Cumbia, Porro and Currulao.”

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This content comes from the official website of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique and is adapted by PANM360.

Africa

Festival Interanational Nuits d’Afrique : AfirkA invite Soirée Amazigh Kabyle Gnawa with Thiziri, Numidz

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Country: Algeria

This show is part of the series Les Étoiles Nuits d’Afrique presented by La Fabrique Culturelle de Télé-Québec.

Description:

“Pivotal to AfirkA’s project, the generous sharing with the public of the sweet memory of carefree and warm evenings filled with joy and laughter; unifying, liberating and uninhibited parties, punctuated by the popular music of Algeria, challenged by the long enthusiastic youyous. Authentic and energetic, relying on an instrumentation composed of the darbouka, mandole, guitar and violin, their passionate covers of success to the Rai intonations, Chaoui and Kabyle are reminders of how cosmopolitan their country’s rhythms are.”

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This content comes from the official website of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique and is adapted by PANM360.

Jazz

PAN M 360 at FIJM 2024 | Depth and emotion with Melissa Aldana

by Varun Swarup

At the Pub Molson stage last night, saxophonist Melissa Aldana delivered a performance that firmly established her as one of the leading saxophonists of her generation. Playing selections from her latest album, Echoes Of The Inner Prophet (2024), the evening showcased Aldana’s evolving artistry and her remarkable ability to channel profound emotion through her music, no matter how complex the underlying form.

From the moment she took to the stage, it was clear that the audience was in for something special. Her tenor saxophone playing was both assured and immensely expressive, displaying a maturity and depth that belied her age. The concert opened with the esoteric number “The Solitary Seeker”, whose enigmatic harmonies were gracefully navigated by the band, inviting the audience into Aldana’s introspective and richly textured musical world. There was a certain spirituality in the Chilean saxophonist’s playing, and you didn’t have to be a musician to appreciate it. The crowd responded enthusiastically to Aldana’s music, adding to the energy of the band, which included pianist Glenn Zaleski, drummer Kush Abadey and bassist Pablo Menares.

Their interplay was spot-on, with each musician contributing to a coherent, dynamic collective sound. Zaleski was in top form, elevating the compositions with his solos. Melissa Aldana is more than just a saxophonist; she’s also a conductor and composer. Her talent for creating tunes that foster a four-way conversation, where each voice is heard and valued, was commendable and a pleasure to behold.

photo: YouTube page of Serendignity

Jazz / Salsa

PAN M 360 at FIJM 2024 | Audrey Ochoa Quartet, a convincing groove

by Vitta Morales

The Audrey Ochoa quartet gave a very competent performance last evening at the Pub Molson stage. Highlights of the show include several selections from her latest album The Head of a Mouse which was well received here at PAN M 360. Notably, the quartet formation resulted in versions of these songs that were more bare-bones, but still effective. Additionally, Ochoa showed off her talent as a vocalist singing “I want you back” by the Jackson 5. There were, however, a few elements that stopped this good show from being a great one.

When joking with the crowd, Ochoa comes across as rather clunky. Her voice also betrayed a nervousness when speaking that affected the vibe of her set. (Did someone forget to tell her that Montreal Jazz Fest was one of the happiest places on earth?)
This nervousness, fortunately, seemed to be completely forgotten as soon as Ochoa began to speak instead through her horn. When soloing, you can see she has a confidence coming from somewhere visceral; it would be nice for her to maintain that.

Another nitpick of mine was the use of sheet music on stage by some of the musicians. I wasn’t under the impression that they were absolutely dependent on their charts but having them visible, along with music stands, created a barrier between audience and performer. It felt to me like I was watching a high-level rehearsal of interesting compositions and that a final dash of showmanship was missing.

Finally, to my ears, the bassist and pianist didn’t nail the more salsa influenced moments of Ochoa’s music. It takes a while to learn salsa grooves with the proper inflections, and their interpretations lapsed into cruise ship level approximations at the worst of times. Only the drummer, besides Ochoa herself, seemed to have a decent command of Latin rhythms as the approximations percussion wise were quite serviceable and groovy.

Regardless, I believe Ochoa has a lot of skill and it wouldn’t take much work on her end to transform her concerts into true events. I’m glad the prolific Edmontonian trombonist was able to make it to this year’s festival as it was a pleasure to review her eclectic music and see her abilities in a live setting. Here’s hoping she finds just a little bit of arrogance to match her prowess musically.

photo: Artist Instagram page @audreyochotron

Afro House

DJ Karaba at the turntables: Guaranteed fun!

by Sandra Gasana

That’s it, I’ve had my first experience at Piknic Électronik. I’ve been hearing about it for ages, and I’m delighted to have finally been able to unravel the mystery and attend a set by the great DJ Karaba, who has made a name for herself on the Montreal and international scene. She arrives dressed in a black top and jeans, wearing sunglasses and a scarf covering part of her braids.

Right from the start, she throws in a remixed version of Water by South African sensation Tyla, to blow our minds from the very first minutes. She seems to know the words to every song she revisits, dancing and interacting with her audience, with a smile on her face. She continues with sounds of Amapiano, a musical style that has just celebrated its 10th anniversary. With her subtle transitions between tracks, it’s not always clear when she’s moving from one to the next. With catchy choruses, she varies the intensity within the track to give it depth, and all the while living her music to the full. She does several dance steps throughout her set, sometimes even samba steps, reminiscent of her past as a dancer for American stars. She mixes old sounds such as Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Crystal Waters’ Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless), with more recent ones like Rihanna’s Please don’t stop de music. It’s always very gradual: we detect a melody that reminds us of the classic, and slowly the song reveals itself to us with DJ Karaba’s signature touch. In this case, she gets the crowd dancing as soon as she adds the famous big bass that forces us to move.

“The last time I was here was during COVID. We were all separated, but it’s good to see you all together today,” she adds between songs.

A step back in time came when she remixed an old 80s classic, Yeke Yeke by Mory Kanté. In fact, she gave the song a new life without distorting it. During certain tracks, she would take long pauses, making it seem as if the song was over, only to resume again, doubling in intensity. These suspenseful moments were appreciated by the audience, who had a great time as the evening progressed. Another pleasant moment was the Portuguese songs she integrated into her repertoire, from Brazil but also from other Portuguese-speaking countries, with the Kuduro touch she managed to bring out. As night falls, we come to the end of the show. She puts her glasses back on, she got rid of the scarf and it’s as if we’re in an open-air disco, with lights all around her. The atmosphere was at its height, and she took advantage of the opportunity to remix a Nelly Furtado track, Say It Right, which the crowd knew by heart. The only hitch was that the microphone she used to interact with the audience at times didn’t work very well.

Before her set, DJ Karaba shared the National Bank stage with Mr Touré and DJ, musician and producer Poirier, who each played for around two hours. While the former mixed a number of African rhythms to danceable instrumentals, the latter took us on a world tour through his set. We went to Colombia with Agua Oro, a collaboration with Ramon Chicharon, to Brazil with Flavia Coelho’s Café com leche, and to Haiti with Teke Fren by Waahli, from the legendary group Nomadic Massive. We were also transported to Nigeria with remixes of Burna Boy, to Jamaica with some good dancehall and to the Ivory Coast, with the hit Coup de marteau. There was something for everyone.

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Latin Jazz

PAN M 360 AT FIJM 2024 | NOÉ LIRA : A Latina Bombshell!

by Michel Labrecque

The Mexican-Quebec singer and actress Noé Lira gave a free open-air concert, in somewhat rainy weather. But we didn’t feel the rain, because the singer-musician was radiating with her all-female group. Noé Lira is a beast of the stage, her energy is contagious.

Her proposal is certainly Latina, but it is a committed, intelligent music, far from the clichés of the genre. The actress has established herself in several Quebec television series, including The Emperor and La Candidate. In 2021, the musician and singer released Latiendo la Tierra. Three years and a pandemic later, we can feel that Noé Lira’s voice and musical posture have matured and progressed. Noé Lira addressed the audience in Quebec French, but chose to sing mainly in her father’s language. The result is very nice, no offense to certain Quebec nationalists, who could accuse her of weakening French in favor of another language. Noé Lira is also a committed, resolutely feminist artist, who affirmed last night that “the borders were artificial”. She plays the accordion, which she mixes with cello, keyboards and percussion. She is a perfect illustration of a mixed Quebec and proud of it. This plural artist never ceases to amaze us. This woman has fabulous potential. She will tour throughout Quebec this summer. Go listen to her!