{"id":167651,"date":"2026-11-01T18:10:46","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T23:10:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/gig_review\/jazzvue-leno-gentiane-mg-concert-theatre-outremont-montreal\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T18:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T23:16:09","slug":"jazzvue-leno-gentiane-mg-concert-theatre-outremont-montreal","status":"publish","type":"gig_review","link":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/en\/gig_review\/jazzvue-leno-gentiane-mg-concert-theatre-outremont-montreal\/","title":{"rendered":"Jazz@Vue | Impressive L\u00e9no duo and the elegance of Gentiane MG"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Halloween Saturday night in Outremont. Bernard Street was buzzing with friendly monsters, both big and small. Without probably realising it, inside the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Outremont, the third “double bill” of the new Jazz@vue festival was taking place, organised by the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Outremont in collaboration with the Effendi label, Yves L\u00e9veill\u00e9 Productions, and F\u00e9lix St\u00fcssi Productions. Third evening where two groups share the stage in turn. On this evening of the dead, it was the rather vital and tonic music of the Parisian duo L\u00e9no (for pianist L\u00c9onardo Montana and drummer ArNAUD Dolmen) that covered the first half of the lineup.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ THE INTERVIEW WITH THE L\u00c9NO DUO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energising music, yes, absolutely. A pulsing, percussive piano that generously blossoms in dramatic intensity and expressive strength as the pieces progress. A melodic discourse, fragmented but constantly groovy. A friend pointed out to me that this guy (Leonardo Montana, just like Dolmen the drummer, I’ll come back to that) must have a hidden third arm to add notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arnaud Dolmen, another skilled hand, impresses with his highly assured technique. This stick artist maintains the pulse but plays with it like a cat with a ball, making it soar, roll, and bounce in surprising, always exciting paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two boys blend the sounds and influences of modern jazz, heavily informed by bop and post-bop, but also with many Caribbean resonances (Dolmen is from Guadeloupe) and modern Brazilian (several echoes of Milton Nascimento, at least to my ears). This beautiful ecumenism serves as an expressive framework for impressive reinterpretations of Mongo Santamaria (Afro Blue), Wayne Shorter (Joy Rider), Pedro Aznar, and some personal compositions (Spirale) from their self-titled album released in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kind of show that makes me happy, because it’s definitely one of the best jazz musical performances of my year 2026! They will have to be invited again. The kind of show that, unfortunately, saddens me, because the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Outremont seemed far too large for the audience present. A little embarrassing. How can this high level of artistic quality remain so confidential in the media (except at PanM)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ THE REVIEW OF THE ALBUM<\/strong> CAN YOU HEAR THE BIRDS?<\/em><\/strong> BY GENTIANE MG TRIO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW OF ALAIN BRUNET WITH GENTIANE MG<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was saying this about the music from the album: … invites us instinctively to breathe, to relax, and to let the impulse of the moment nestle in and stimulate our imagination. An airing of the play and the phrases, a gentleness in the interactions between the three artists…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, on stage, spontaneity expands, freedom stirs a bit more, but in general, the spirit is fully respected, and it helps conclude a very beautiful evening, united by the juxtaposition of two different yet complementary visions of contemporary jazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n