{"id":108226,"date":"2023-10-15T15:16:49","date_gmt":"2023-10-15T19:16:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/?post_type=gig_review&p=108226"},"modified":"2023-10-15T15:21:46","modified_gmt":"2023-10-15T19:21:46","slug":"off-jazz-ruiqi-wang-wanderings-from-east-to-west-and-back-again","status":"publish","type":"gig_review","link":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/en\/gig_review\/off-jazz-ruiqi-wang-wanderings-from-east-to-west-and-back-again\/","title":{"rendered":"OFF Jazz | Ruiqi Wang: Wanderings From East to West, and Back Again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As part of the Ap\u00e9roffs <\/em>series at OFF Jazz 2023, Ruiqi Wang, a fresh young singer and McGill graduate, gave a concert yesterday. Now pursuing her studies in Bern, Switzerland, she is keeping in touch with Montreal (both professionally and emotionally), notably by returning to present material from her forthcoming album, Subduing the Silence<\/em>, due out on 27 October<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In a chamber format with seven musicians (eight including her), a piano-bass-drums trio (very good St\u00e9phanie Urquhart, Summer KoDama and Mili Hong) enhanced by a string quartet, Ruiqi Wang dazzles or lulls the audience, depending, with vocal elaborations that are either traditional Chinese litany (but revisited), contemporary onomatopoeia (influences from Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros and pages of Ligeti are detectable), spoken word or even more classical jazz singing. The voice lacks breath in the upper register, but it’s not devoid of pretty timbres in the lower. In any case, it’s beautiful and tonally accurate, and pleasant to listen to. The chromatic modernism, sometimes atonal, in the harmonies is generally the order of the day, although at times we find ourselves tenderly reminded of Evans or even Strayhorn. It’s a mix that marks out the learned and artistically elite well-sourced inspirations of the young composer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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