It\u2019s no surprise the Orchestre National de Jazz de Montr\u00e9al delivered a great performance last evening, but one could be left wondering whether it was fitting tribute to a luminary like Wayne Shorter after all. Similar to our impressions of Ron Carter\u2019s performance with the Orchestre jazz des dipl\u00f4m\u00e9s-es de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, under Ron Di Lauro\u2019s direction once again, the ensemble may have missed the mark in honouring Mr. Shorter\u2019s unique contribution to the jazz lexicon.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The evening at the Cinqui\u00e8me Salle at Place Des Arts began rather unceremoniously, with two fine but mostly forgettable arrangements unrelated to the rest of the programme. \u201cHammerhead\u201d, the first Shorter composition we were treated to, was an underwhelming first choice. It\u2019s an early and somewhat orthodox \u2018hard-bop\u2019 number written by the composer-performer during his years with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, arguably before he really began to hit his stride. It simply felt somewhat dispensable given the vastness of the Shorter songbook. \u201cEndangered Species\u201d, the next feature, was just as much a curious selection and not one I imagine many were even familiar with. There was palpable excitement when the next tune called was \u201cArmageddon\u201d, a classic from Shorter\u2019s golden years on Blue Note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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To be sure none of this is to point to any criticism as far as the musicians were concerned. Certainly each member of this very fine ensemble did their due diligence, with the saxophonist section of Jean-Pierre Zanella, Samuel Blais, Andr\u00e9 Leroux, Frank Lozano, Alexandre C\u00f4t\u00e9, going above and beyond in their tribute to the master. If only they were featured on more memorable arrangements. \u201cYes or No\u201d stood out as one of the tunes that came closest to channelling the vital and daring spirit of Shorter\u2019s music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Unfortunately the encore choice of \u201cSpeak no Evil\u201d, done in a sort of latin style, didn\u2019t quite cut it.\u00a0\u00a0By all means it was still a very enjoyable evening, but when an ensemble seeks to pay homage to icons like Wayne Shorter, it is essential for such endeavours to carefully curate a repertoire that truly honours the artist\u2019s legacy. The absence of certain iconic compositions and the conservative approach to arrangements left me, perhaps many in the audience, yearning for a more authentic reflection of Shorter\u2019s musical imagination.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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It\u2019s no surprise the Orchestre National de Jazz de Montr\u00e9al delivered a great performance last evening, but one could be left wondering whether it was fitting tribute to a luminary like Wayne Shorter after all. Similar to our impressions of Ron Carter\u2019s performance with the Orchestre jazz des dipl\u00f4m\u00e9s-es de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, under Ron […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1388,"featured_media":110306,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":""},"categories":[8152],"tags":[],"genre":[4162],"salle":[7043],"ville":[],"class_list":["post-110305","gig_review","type-gig_review","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-critiques-de-concerts-en","genre-jazz-en-2","salle-cinquieme-salle-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n