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.
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.
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!
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!
PAN M 360 AT FIJM 2024 | June 28 at the Jazz Festival with Ambrose Akinmusire
by Michel Labrecque
Friday was my baptism of the 44th Montreal Jazz Festival. Getting back into it is always a blessing, especially when the weather is nice. In a brief moment, I was able to watch excerpts from performances by Sunny War, a young woman who reinvents the blues, outdoors, then by jazz poet Aja Monet, indoors. These two concerts were free, it was more than a treat.
In the meantime, I could see children bathing in the fountains of the Quartier des Spectacles and people of all origins waddling, chatting, smiling. The large outdoor stage was packed to listen to the jazz rock of Cory Wong. Not my cup of tea, but the crowd seemed to enjoy it. The eclecticism of the festival is very unifying.
My favorite destination for this evening was Gésu, to hear trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire perform solo. The 42-year-old prodigy trumpeter is alone on stage, almost completely in the shadows. Only his trumpet speaks, sometimes accompanied by the sound of voices. But what a trumpet my friends! A full sound, which inhabits the entire space. Where virtuosity alternates with long notes… and speaking silences.
We are in the vein of his album Beauty is enough (2023), also performed solo. Ambrose Akinmusire explores every orifice of his instrument. He manages to make the trumpet sound in a thousand ways: sometimes it is a long blast of wind; sometimes the sound of his voice seems to harmonize with the brass. This trumpet belches, argues, rocks, cries, meows, calms, roars, sings. She explores all possible and impossible half-tones and quarter-tones. All these sliding notes that take us on a journey through our heads. With just a little reverb. I’m not always a big fan of the trumpet. But Ambrose’s is floating, poetic, learned, emotional, naked. The gentleman is also a great composer, as his other group albums have demonstrated. At the end of the concert, he finally spoke to us, explaining that this recital is, in part, an imaginary dialogue with other deceased trumpeters, notably Roy Hargrove and Wallace Rooney. For my part, as I listened, I imagined an infinite meditation, a therapy session, an atrocious war, people ranting in demonstrations and moments of absolute tenderness. My seatmates probably heard something completely different. We sometimes heard strange clicking noises during the performance. Was it a problem with the sound system or the effects the trumpeter wanted? The debate between spectators after the concert remained open.
Today, Ambrose will perform again at Gésu in the company of veteran British double bassist David Holland. Many of us will be back.
SUONI PER IL POPOLO : ANTHONY BRAXTON & WOLF EYES REPORTÉ MAIS IL Y A UN CONCERT CE SOIR !
by Rédaction PAN M 360
En raison d’une urgence familiale, le concert d’Anthony Braxton & Wolf Eyes dimanche à la Sala Rossa est reporté à une date ultérieure. Nous continuerons la soirée et l’entrée sera gratuite avec: Bryan Highbloom (ténor, soprano, mélodie en ut), Raymond Torchinsky (fa-alto, alto, clarinette basse) et le batteur Trevor Ferrier (tambours africains) improvisent ensemble depuis plus de cinquante ans. Rejoints par Mark Nelson (batterie trap), ils forment Horns and Drums, un groupe qui se consacre à l’improvisation libre. Et pour nous accompagner jusqu’au bout de la nuit, Mardi Spaghetti’s Late Sessions présentent une panoplie d’artistes, d’improvisateurs-trices et de musicien-nes locaux et internationaux qui collaborent au sein de combinaisons inusitées pour présenter de courtes performances (improvisées). Qui sait qui viendra faire du bruit !?
Due to a family emergency, Anthony Braxton & Wolf Eyes Sunday’ show at Sala Rossa is postponed to a later date. The event is still on and free for all with: Ryan Highbloom (tenor, soprano, c-melody) Raymond Torchinsky (f-alto, alto, bass clarinet) and drummer Trevor Ferrier (African drums) have been jamming together for more than fifty years, joined by Mark Nelson (trap drums) they form Horns and Drums, a group dedicated to free improvisation. And to carry us in through the night, Mardi Spaghetti’s Late Sessions presents a wild array of local and international musicians, improvisers and artists who collaborate in unusual combinations for short (improvised) sets. Who knows who will come shred !?
International Jazz Festival: “Apéro Jazz Molson” – Donald Dogbo and Tevel Sela Quartet!
by Rédaction PAN M 360
The International Jazz Festival is back in Montreal this year for a 44th edition!
From June 27 to July 6, 2024, the “Apéro Jazz Molson” series, presented by Molson, features jazz artists from a wide range of aesthetics, all free of charge!
Donald Dogbo – Friday, July 5, 2024
Tevet Sela Quartet – Saturday, July 6, 2024
This content is from the official website of the International Jazz Festival of Montreal and is adapted by PAN M 360.
Der Kaiser von Atlantis: a modest but important production
by Frédéric Cardin
A moment I’d been looking forward to for a long time took place yesterday in Salle Claude-Champagne at the Université de Montréal: a performance of Viktor Ullman’s opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis. Well, almost what I expected, as it was a concert version, enhanced, that said, by some very fine video projections. Der Kaiser is a great masterpiece in a small format (not even an hour), a fundamental opera of the 20th century that almost disappeared under the carelessness of the Nazis, but survived for decades under an old mattress. Follow the link below to find out part of the story.
Der Kaiser tells a simple story: Emperor Overall (what an appropriate name) wages war on all his neighbors. He boasts that he has Death on his side, “under his banner”, and that with it, no enemy can survive. Death, fed up with being used like this, decides to go on strike. With no one left to die, war becomes pointless, and no one fears the evil imperial dictator. So much so that even people fall in love across enemy lines. Overall is in despair when Death appears to her and proposes a deal: she will resume her service on condition that her first victim is the Emperor himself. In a final gesture of redemption, the Emperor accepts, for the good of all. The direct reference to Hitler and fascism is obvious (minus the redemption), and serves as a powerful, hyper-focused symbol and indictment of the absurdity of megalomania. Ullmann died in Auschwitz in 1944. He never realized that his subject never had the strength of character of the fictional character.
Ullmann’s score is marvelous. An absolute masterpiece of eclectic modernism, typical of a certain style of the 1920s, 30s and 40s, which dared to mix atonal music, late Romanticism, jazz, popular music, consonance and dissonance. In short, what we’re used to today, a century ahead of its time.
The fifteen-strong chamber orchestra features a portable organ, banjo, guitar and classical strings, woodwinds and brass. The music is sparkling with motifs and snatches of melody that are juxtaposed and swiftly strung together, without ever giving the impression of amalgamating into a shapeless soup. On the contrary, ultra-smooth lines, drawn with a scalpel, sometimes anticipating those of Shostakovich. Ullmann keeps us constantly on our toes. A modernism that is often cynical, that squeaks and plays tight in corners, but full of humor and contagious vitality.
Der Kaiser von Atlantis – Festival ClassicaDer Kaiser von Atlantis – Festival Classica
The vocal side is divided between scansions and singing. Frédéric Caton (Death) gives a fine performance, a purring bass, very much in character. Florence Bourget in the role of the Drum, with magnificent projection and a pleasant timbre. Éric Laporte as Harlequin (symbolizing Life) is adequate, but a little thin in the treble. Pierre-Yves Pruvot plays the Emperor Overall, and his grandiloquent vibrato is blessed with a character who can live with it. I’m not sure I’d have liked it in any other context. Le Haut-Parleur, the national radio station, is conducted ”imperially” by Tomislav Lavoie, but in a German that lacks clarity. Emmanuel Hasler and Sophie Naubert are very decent in their small roles as soldiers.
This was a concert version, but ”augmented”, as I said, by video projections, combining beautiful, partially animated illustrations by Maxime Bigras and a montage of archive films by Matthieu Thoër, of Lumifest en cavale. Without this visual dimension, the experience could have seemed arid. All that remains now is to hope for a real stage production in the not-too-distant future.
I disagree with a colleague who regrets the absence of costumes in a concert version. What’s the point of “graying” singers in Halloween when they’re condemned to remain stationary? It would be ridiculous. Anyway…
The concert ended with the presentation of Montrealer Jaap Nico Hamburger’s Symphony for Chamber Orchestra No. 1 “Remember to Forget”. A fitting complement, the underlying theme of this symphony being that of one train heading for death (1st movement) and another heading for liberation, or life (2nd movement).
The link with opera was also made with Hamburger’s music, which bears some resemblance to Ullmann’s, although it is built on a much more linear discursive architecture. No sudden, even violent leaps between opposing affects, textures and rhythms. Rather, the music is fairly consonant, albeit with occasional atonal outbursts, set to a steady pulse, illustrating the train’s progress. Depending on whether the train is heading for life or death, the atmosphere changes, of course. Hamburger would make an excellent film composer. Hamburger’s parents survived the Allied landings in 1944. After the murdered Ullmann, this man’s permitted existence is a positive conclusion. One train to death, another to life.
It’s a shame that Salle Claude-Champagne was only partially filled. Was it the program or the hall itself? Not its acoustics, which were excellent, but rather its location. A cul-de-sac (literally) devoid of any form of amenity in a wide radius around it (zero restaurants, bars or activities of any kind). A dormitory district. What a pity, it sounds so good.
The fact remains that such an operatic treasure, still too hidden, absolutely must be mounted and shown everywhere. It can serve as a powerful anti-totalitarian document as well as an introduction to modern opera and musical language. Its very short duration, its archetypes that can be understood by all, and the infinite possibilities it offers in terms of staging, are all elements that make it an absolute must in the art of music. It’s not what the Festival Classica will fill its coffers with, but the cultural and social importance of this kind of proposition is noteworthy. The vision and courage of the Classica team are to be commended, despite the very modest means at their disposal to realize this project. Sponsors who support this project should know: your investment will go far beyond a monetary rebate.
Suoni Per Il Popolo: Peter Zummo Quartet + Malcolm Goldstein + Guy Thouin & Aaron Leaney
by Rédaction PAN M 360
Peter Zummo Quartet est composé de Josh Cole à la basse, Michael Davidson au vibraphone, Blake Howard aux percussions et Peter Zummo au trombone, à la voix et au synthétiseur. Ils joueront “Different Birds”, des compositions et des arrangements pour percussions improvisées et ensemble mélodique, avec des pistes d’accompagnement synthétisées d’un genre encore non spécifique et des segments de paroles non linéaires qui suggèrent des conversations entendues et des pensées intérieures. Malcolm Goldstein, contemporain de Zummo et Thouin, présent depuis les années 1960 sur la scène musicale internationale et locale, rejoint le quartet après une courte performance en solo. En ouverture de la soirée, le saxophoniste Aaron Leaney (Ratchet Orchestra) retrouve le légendaire batteur Guy Thouin pour interpréter la musique de leur premier album vinyle en duo, “Lockdown”, sorti sur le label Astral Spirits Records, basé à Austin, au Texas. Leur musique est profondément axée sur l’intersection entre l’héritage indo-caribéen de Leaney, les multiples exodes de Thouin en Inde dans les années 1970, lorsqu’il a étudié avec le gourou du tabla Karamuthulla, et leur vocabulaire commun d’improvisateurs acharnés, malgré l’écart d’âge de quatre décennies qui les sépare.
Peter Zummo Quartet consists of Josh Cole on bass, Michael Davidson on vibraphone, Blake Howard on percussion and Peter Zummo on trombone, voice and synthesizer. They will perform “Different Birds”, compositions and arrangements for improvised percussion and melodic ensemble, with as yet non-specific synthesized accompaniment tracks and non-linear lyric segments that suggest overheard conversations and inner thoughts. Zummo and Thouin’s contemporary Malcolm Goldstein, a fixture on the international and local music scene since the 1960s, joins the quartet after a short solo performance. Opening the evening, saxophonist Aaron Leaney (Ratchet Orchestra) reunites with legendary drummer Guy Thouin to perform music from their first duo vinyl album, “Lockdown”, released on Austin, Texas-based Astral Spirits Records. Their music is deeply focused on the intersection between Leaney’s Indo-Caribbean heritage, Thouin’s multiple exoduses to India in the 1970s, when he studied with tabla guru Karamuthulla, and their shared vocabulary of relentless improvisers, despite the four-decade age gap between them.
Suoni Per Il Popolo: Yoo Doo Right + Shunk + Aspirateur
by Rédaction PAN M 360
avec Mothland
Une nuit consacrée à une approche honnête de l’expérimentation, Yoo Doo Right s’engage dans des éléments de krautrock, de shoegaze, de post-rock et de psychédélisme, créant un son unique qui pourrait être décrit comme un « accident de voiture au ralenti », avec le rock cataclysmique de Shunk qui repousse les limites, ils vous laisseront revigoré, choqué et amoureux de leur son intense mais subtil. Et Aspirateur, musique pour saxophone et guitare électrique du duo James Goddard et Mat Ball.
with Mothland
A night dedicated to an honest approach to experimentation, Yoo Doo Right engage with elements of krautrock, shoegaze, post-rock and psychedelia, creating a unique sound that could be described as a “slow-motion car crash”, with Shunk’s cataclysmic boundary-pushing rock, they’ll leave you invigorated, shocked and in love with their intense yet subtle sound. And Aspirateur, music for saxophone and electric guitar by duo James Goddard and Mat Ball. POUR ACHETER VOTRE BILLET, C’EST ICI!
Ce contenu provient de Suoni Per Il Popolo et est adapté par PAN M 360.
Domaine Forget: Le Domaine sur la route – Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive
by Rédaction PAN M 360
Église de Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive
Offerts gratuitement, ces concerts intimes aux styles variés vous amèneront dans différents lieux de Charlevoix pour un été rempli d’escapades musicales.
SAMEDI 6 JUILLET 14 h – Marc-Étienne Leclerc, guitare
DIMANCHE 21 JUILLET 11 h Dominique Beauséjour-Ostiguy, violoncelle Dantonio Pisano, piano
SAMEDI 27 JUILLET 14 h – Cordes en balade
JEUDI 15 AOÛT 19 h 30 Ariane Girard, mezzo-soprano Dominique Côté, baryton Anne-Marie Bernard, Louise Pelletier, Jean-François Mailloux, piano
Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive Church
Offered free of charge, these intimate concerts in a variety of styles will take you to different Charlevoix venues for a summer full of musical escapades.
SATURDAY, JULY 6 2 p.m. – Marc-Étienne Leclerc, guitar
SUNDAY, JULY 21 11 h Dominique Beauséjour-Ostiguy, cello Dantonio Pisano, piano
SATURDAY, JULY 27 2 p.m. – Cordes en balade
THURSDAY AUGUST 15 19 h 30 Ariane Girard, mezzo-soprano Dominique Côté, baritone Anne-Marie Bernard, Louise Pelletier, Jean-François Mailloux, piano
CET ÉVÈNEMENT EST GRATUIT!
Ce contenu provient du Domaine Forget Charlevoix et est adapté par PAN M 360.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.