Experimental Jazz - my/maSCENA

André Leroux (au centre) avec François Bourassa, Karen Young, Rémi-Jean Leblanc et John Hollenbeck. Photo: Félix-Antoine Hamel

Leroux et le rythme – En concert

By Félix-Antoine Hamel on 19 March 2024 City, Experimental Jazz, Jazz, La Scena Online, Montreal, Scena Jazz

On ne présente plus le saxophoniste André Leroux au public montréalais : dans le dernier quart de siècle, il s’est imposé autant auprès des amateurs de jazz (par sa longue collaboration avec François Bourassa) que du côté du public de la musique contemporaine (au sein du quatuor de saxophones Quasar) Le 22 février dernier, à la Salle Bourgie, le ténor sexagénaire proposait une soirée baptisée André Leroux & ses amis ; les amis en question étant annoncés comme le batteur John Hollenbeck, le contrebassiste Rémi-Jean Leblanc, et évidemment le vieux comparse du saxophoniste, le pianiste François Bourassa, en plus d’une invitée…

CD Review | AAAAUM (Self-produced, 2023)

By Zenith Wolfe on 2 February 2024 Canadian Music, CD and Book Reviews, Experimental Jazz

Montreal-based electric bassist Marc Decho has been a sideman on many recordings over his career, but with his debut album AAAAUM, it’s his time to finally step into the spotlight.

Ensemble Infini

Montrealities

By Marc Chénard on 6 October 2023 Experimental Jazz, Mainstream Jazz, Montreal, Scena Jazz

When looking back at his life in the music business, Jim West can rightfully claim to have had one great ride. When he created his imprint, Justin Time Records, in 1983, he had already worked in the retail trade for a decade, and had started his parent company, Distributions Fusion III, a year prior. Justin Time Records — Still Riding High at 40 By now, the story of Jim West’s first catch, pianist Oliver Jones, has been told countless times. Jones’s signing to the label marked the beginning of an enduring business relationship that ended with the artist’s retirement a…

Off the Record: Have Trumpet Will Excite

By Marc Chénard on 2 September 2022 Experimental Jazz, Scena Jazz

While summer is the time for most to take leave from the rat race, music journalists are not so fortunate. Between running around at festivals, writing advance pieces, interviewing musicians or keeping up with the steady flow of new releases from artists on tour, they barely have time to catch their breath. The following items are among those received by this reviewer earlier this year and given a second listen during the summer, all of them led by trained trumpeters, one of whom has since switched over to cornet. Miles Davis Stockholm 1967-1969 (Revisited) – Hat Ezzthetics 1130 Since his death in…

Salle Bourgie, 27-10: Charles McPherson

Fall Previews – On Stage and Off the Record

By Marc Chénard on 2 September 2022 Experimental Jazz, Scena Jazz

By the looks of it, Montreal’s music scene is back on track for the fall season, unless COVID-19 throws yet another curveball at us with one more of its variants. In the weeks and months to come, the city will be jazzing on all fronts. For starters, there are always the two main jazz dens to rely on, both of which have miraculously made it through the thinnest of times: the Upstairs Jazz Bar (1254 Mackay) and Le Dièse Onze (4115 Saint-Denis), both of which have updated listings on their respective websites. A new player is the restaurant La Petite…

Photo: F. Prandoni

Marc Copland: Mezzo Piano

By Marc Chénard on 29 January 2022 Experimental Jazz, Scena Jazz

There are basically two meanings to the term “mezzo” in music, the first designating a midrange somewhere between soprano and tenor, the second a dynamic marking neither too loud nor too soft. In jazz, the former applies to lower female voices, think of Sarah Vaughan, whereas the latter is not the one the music is best known for. The stereotype of horns blaring and drums pummeling away have shaped the public’s perception of the music over time, to the point of turning off more than one music lover in the process. But for all of its boisterousness, there are plenty…

Michael Formanek

Solos Now (Off the Record)

By Marc Chénard on 3 June 2021 Experimental Jazz, Scena Jazz

Michael Formanek / Imperfect Measures – Intakt CD 359 From the first sounds plucked on his bass, Michael Formanek captures our ear. His nine-track 56-minute offering relies more on his playing than interpreting written material. Never will the listener’s interest flag in this magnificent excursion. What’s more, the recording’s sound, deep and vibrant, enhances the aural experience, as if he were right there in front of you. As a side note, the album’s fanciful etchings of visual artist Warren Linn adorning the album were created during the recording session. For those who think solo recordings of instruments other than piano are…

Claire Devlin: Tenor of the Times

By Marc Chénard on 11 March 2021 Experimental Jazz, Scena Jazz

When the first lockdown hit Montreal a year ago, working opportunities ground to a halt for performing artists. Then there was a glimmer of hope in the summer but from October on, it was back to square one, or just about. To pick up some of the slack, some found work by staging shows online or, as an alternative, turning to teaching on the Web. Claire Devlin is one such musician who now tutors her base of students virtually, some on tenor and alto saxophones (her main axes), a couple on piano, the instrument she began with as a child.…

Jazz Off the Record

By Arthur Kaptainis on 27 January 2021 Experimental Jazz

Quinsin Nachoff Pivotal Arc Whirlwind Recordings WR4761 Classical and jazz are seldom found on the same dance floor. The Toronto-born New Yorker Quinsin Nachoff has managed a viable synthesis with his Violin Concerto, a work of long gestation played with strength and affection by Nathalie Bonin, a McGill alumna who has since returned to her native California. A tart solo starts in no-man’s land before drums and offbeat wind comments enter the room, presenting their jazz credentials. A fairly steady (and slightly tango-ish) beat keeps things more or less classical and a splendidly lyrical second theme for the violin after…

Jazz Off the Record

By Marc Chénard on 27 January 2021 Experimental Jazz

John Hollenbeck Songs You Like a Lot Flexatonic Records 001 Just released on John Hollenbeck’s newly created imprint, this album is the final installment of a trilogy of big band recordings dibe with the HR radio jazz orchestra in Frankfurt. Like his previous efforts, Songs I Like a Lot and Songs We Like a Lot, Hollenbeck has flexed his arranger chops once more, driving the crew from his drum set. The tune selections, it must be noted, were actually chosen by the listening audience who were asked to submit its picks. The selections are decidedly pop with numbers by Joni Mitchell…

Browsing: Experimental Jazz

Leroux et le rythme – En concert

CD Review | AAAAUM (Self-produced, 2023)

Montrealities

Off the Record: Have Trumpet Will Excite

Fall Previews – On Stage and Off the Record

Marc Copland: Mezzo Piano

Solos Now (Off the Record)

Claire Devlin: Tenor of the Times

Jazz Off the Record

Jazz Off the Record

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