International Festival of Jazz Explodes Stunningly

International Musicians Make their Mark

Montreal's International Jazz Fest  celebrates its 40th years by dazzling audiences with iconic world-class international artists. There are fifty indoor concerts in 11 different venues in and around the Quartier du Spectacles. Seventeen countries are represented in the VIP line-up of  solo artists and groups, including legendary musical masters and up-and-coming artists  for the audience to discover. The styles are eclectic, innovative, and some -- reassuringly familiar. The palette is as colourful as Montreal itself. 

                                                downtown concert venues

             For programming, concert locations and tickets, visit the website

                                         www.montrealjazzfest.com

Verdun Now on the Musical Map!

This year, there’s some pretty exciting news for jazz genre lovers about the International Festival of Jazz. The festival has enlargened its sphere of performance venue as it brings fabulous live concerts to Verdun. Wellington Street explodes into a hot bed of jazz fest enjoyment, with performances by great local musicians whose talents can finally be appreciated by the Verdun crowd of festival fans. No more having to go downtown to hear great local artists.

“The idea was, if you don’t want to come to the Jazz Fest, the Jazz Fest will come to you,” said Laurent Saulnier, Vice President of Programming for the festival.

Verdun is not just celebrating its first on-site Jazz Fest concerts, but it's now also home to the first satellite set-up for the festival.

Saulnier also highlighted the total local aspect to this year’s festival, He noted that making local artists and areas the focal point this year “just made sense”. 

Crowds enjoying artists performing in Verdun

   

Webster and 5 for Trio

Wow! This French rap artist delivers the gritty goods with passion and authenticity. His themes are about love, xenophobia, racism and everyday oppression. His band plays to perfection with rhythms that punch Webster's messages.

 DJ Fade Wizard

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SESQUIALTERA

This six-piece band is delightfully unique in the waltz music it brashly performs. Its vintage spin fires up the rhythms and sounds of the world, mixing Columbia pasillo and Brazilian chorro in waltz beat that brings nostalgia to anyone dancing feet. The brass band's  leader, Aurelien Tomasi plays a passionate clarinet like there's no tomorrow. Tuba, trombone and tympani make it all sparkle.

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Photo credit for the following photos: Edward Acheampong

Linda May Han Ho Quintet

Linda May Han Ho Quintet brought ecstatic joy to Verdun audiences. Born in Malaysia, raised in Australia and living now in New York, she play bass and composes. She's currently the bassist for the Pat Matheny quartet. A fascinating musician, she just finished her 4th album, Walk Against the Wind. It's a masterpiece.

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                 Downtown outdoors concerts: a review of two

Eric Truffaz Quartet

Eric Truffaz blows that trumpet, and the world stops to listen

Jazz trumpeter  Eric Turfazz  lit up Place des Festivals blowing his trumpet to titillate while treating us all to his compositions from his landmrk album, Bending New Corners. Truffaz should change his name to Truejazz, because his trumpet playing merits to blast into his name. The concert included  his friends who added their own taut twist. We enjoyed them all: guest rapper NYA, and long-time musical companions: bassist Marcello Guiliani, drummer  Marc Erbetta and pianist Benoit Corboz              
                                    
                                                        ________________________

Mississippi Heat

The name says it all. This  blues powerhouse gang gets the Afro-American beat into a Mississippi heat wave that embraces all the down-south flavours you can imagine. The band hails from Chicago but their  soulful appeal is world-wide. Songwriter and harmonica player Pierre Lacoque is a god.

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 Read about the press conference with Alan Parsons and my review of his concert.

 https://sntravelandartswithoutborders.blogspot.com/2019/07/parsons-pressconference-july-3-rd.html#.XR85A497nIU

https://sntravelandartswithoutborders.blogspot.com/2019/07/alan-parsons-night-to-shine.html#.XR845o97nIU  

 

            

I`m in Heaven with the voices of Il Volo!

                                                      

Once in a century, music is turned on its ear by a new sensational group. This year, the group is Il Volo, It has hit the world like a big pizza pie flying into the air, sending amore vibes into everyone`s ear. The sound that comes from these young men's voices is indeed heavenly. It is hypnotizing. Their average age is 17. They are untrained but they are managed by two producers who are closely aligned with Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion.

Luck brought me Il Volo

I ended up one night at their show in Montreal held in Place des Arts. I had neither ticket nor any plan to see them. A woman named Sarah who was in charge of concert audience management and the Meet and Greet folks - all of whom had paid big bucks to go backstage and meet the three gorgeous guys, insisted I attend and take part in meeting them too. Sarah saw my journalist credentials hanging off my neck. I was returning from the Montreal World Film Festival, and so she thought it a good thing I hear them.
Not being interested in pop Italian opera, I expressed a passing  interest, but once she handed me the ticket and looked earnestly at me saying their manager would love me to go backstage and meet them and hear the concert, I agreed. I really did not wish to disappoint Sarah. I am so glad I did! I have never been so excited and thrilled by the music and spectacle that dazzle my ears and eyes.

Elegant and suave, their sonic beauty was heightened by lighting and projections on the back walls of scenes from a Charlie Chaplin movie (when they sang ‘Smile’), and watercolour animations of love images.
These darling young fellows put on a splendid show, joking and making comments with their thick Italian accents to members in the audience, but it is their voices, alone and together that make you believe there really is a heaven - one ringing with celestial romantic songs and upbeat ones too that stir the soul and sizzle the body. They are hot!

No matter the song, each singer mastered the phrasing, pitch and emotion with passion and impeccable timing.
I will not list the songs they sung, but if you go to their albums and check out You Tube, they are all there. My favourite for the evening was El Reloj (a song about eternal love being bound up in time passing). I did not want this concert to end. I wanted all time to stop. I was exhilarated by my evening of magnificent surprise, intensified all the more when Sarah called my name to meet them backstage in a little room where she insisted my picture be taken with them. ''Gianluca, Piero and Ignacio - having you near me made me feel light headed.'' I was flying high for the rest of the week!

                                                                          Gianluca

Piero

                                                                              Ignacio

Jersey Boys

A Marvellous Musical! about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

High Voltage Volume and Energy Deliver a Powerhouse Story

Reviewed by Nancy Snipper

Wow! This frenetically fabulous musical dazzles us as it charts the rise of Frankie Valli and his three talented friends: composer, Bob Gaudio, long time sketchy go-getter and gambler Tommy DeVito, bass boy, Nick Massi and the group’s lyricist, Bob Crewe.  Spectacular harmonies blend to bring to life this iconic 50’s group that spilled out hit after hit. The production offered a back screen animated with comic book images and names of the various clubs that the group performed in, such as the Strand in 1953.

 
 The Silhouette and the Sea Breeze Diner Club; they lit up the back like marquees to highlight the group’s stage gigs and the pictures vividly created the innocence and tenor of the times. The set was framed in a huge metal grid that sported a staircase.

The story of the Four Seasons is one wherein the singing boys traveled together through deep valleys of setbacks, but undeterred they eventually soar to high performance mountain peaks.

What I loved about the production was the zippy non-stop presentation of the story within a musical framework that left no stone unturned. Medley after medley imbedded itself into the various episodic segments of this group that endured decades while others had one-hit wonders and faded into oblivion. 

Dance numbers, a great band and the superlative staging and direction by Des McAnuff created the success as the hyper lively pace superb music showed off the stellar acting and musical talents of all: Drew Seeley, Keith Hines and Nicolas Dromard. Hayden Milanes was Frankie Valli incarnate. What a voice! His stamina was truly a feat of nature, as he was constantly acting, singing and moving. He even pulled off a fast out-of-nowhere James Brown splitz. 

All were great: These veteran actors have appeared on Broadway and toured onto a slew of prestigious stages rocking the world with their musical talents. The Jersey Boys is one of these feel-good productions that have you singing Sherry, Sherry Baby as you leave the theatre. Get ready to keep up with the electrifying pace as the story about this timeless – The Four Seasons and their main star, Frank Valli is revealed like never before.

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RUFUS WAINWRIGHT'S PRIMA DONNA PREMIERS MAGNIFICENTLY!

Jazz Festival Concert: Place des Arts, Salle Wilfred Laurier, July 2, 2016

PRIMA DONNA CONCERT

Prima Donna is Mr Wainright's first opera; and because of it, we discover yet another brilliant side to the singer/composer's artistic expression. What moving music! Highly French in flavour, this interesting creation highlighted a lyrical melody which seemed to echo the spirit of Bizet and Delibes. Several passages climaxed in melodic crescendos, poignantly pointing to Verdi, Puccini, and the darker parts to Prokofiev and Richard Strauss.

Thematically, the subject is a tasteful and highly stylized tribute to "Woman" and the "Feminine" as she lives through the inevitable sadness of ageing - how it affects her outward appearance, her own doubts and insecurity.

Specifically focusing on the late Maria Callas (portrayed with hypnotic intensity by Cindy Sherman), Callas -- the great Greek opera singer -- is a larger than life legend. Her unique voice and striking beauty captivated the world's attention - and this aspect carried through in Prima Donna by the use of close-up images. Cameo photos on the projected back wall screen in the film filled our own imagination. Baroque style settings and luscious costumed Cindy Sherman as Callas were richly highlighted in the film. 

Just as Callas inspired the world, she herself was captivated by Queen Regine, a bust of which is first shown in the film. It was directed by the Italian genius, Francesco Vezzoli , and it featured his inspiring soundtrack. Scenes of Ms. Sherman (portrayal alluding to Callas) at various stages of ageing, singing at the piano, taking off makeup and studying herself slowly, move across the screen enhanced by frequent fade-ins and fade-outs that beautifully flow in a synchronized, symbiotic manner to the emotionally rich terrain of the singing and the orchestral symphonic music -- perfectly performed by the a symphony orchestra under the baton of the vibrant American maestro, Jace Ogren.

The performance only featured some parts of the opera. Still, we glued to our seats. The artists who sang were sublime; their lush yet varied vocal totality along with their obvious connection to the characters they portrayed effectively claimed our admiration. 






Soprano, Kathryn Guthrie who reached notes that surely exceeded the highest upper C stunned us all.

Soprano, Lyne Fortin, who

 sang the lead, was exuberantly beautiful. Her deliciously round voice is rich, emotive and it was perfect for the part. 

Tenor, Antonio Figueroa was so tender, and his voice is sweet. 

The opera is a stand-out. It will surely mesmerize audiences in Paris where it will soon be performed.

Post-intermission, Mr. Wainwright shared the more familiar side of his musical artistry. Whether at the piano or in front of the mike, dressed in an elegant sparkly silver suit created by Zaldy, his musicality spills out in a non-stop flood of love. Head swaying, and arms moving gracefully to the fluid and periodic cleverly punctuated rhythms that mark his original songs showed how much music lives within him- his voice is so smooth - his range and his ability to hold a note for an eternity is astounding.

Charming and always humorously self-mocking when referring to his French, though he did hold his own in the language - as proven in his hypnotically beautiful song, "Les feux d'artifices t'appellent" which he played at the piano, as he did several songs: "Cigarettes and Chocolate" and a sonnet song from his latest album, Let All the Loves In:: Nine Shakespeare Sonnets. I loved, "Going to Town" and "Oh What a World." His sister, Martha joined him on one of his late mother's favourite songs - and she appeared on stage again with two cousins for the final encore number - the iconic - "Halleluja".

It was frustrating that such a complex concert offered no written program for the public; nor were there electronic super headings in either language as the opera (in French) played out. Thus the opera lost a vital concomitant element, and as one French couple said, "We caught only some words as they sung." (Regardless of language, opera librettos are often lost during a performance in "ear translation." 

One hopes everyone reading this will go out - if they haven't already - and purchase Prima Donna, currently playing at Montreal’s International Jazz Festival. 

How rare to hear an opera knowing the composer still lives within our midst!

ARCHER SETS THE TONE OF HOME-SPUN HONESTY

The singer, Archer, from Australia opened the evening. His vocal style is little bit skiffle and a little bit old time. His catchy vocal tremor is such a throw-back to days gone by. His songs about the outback, nature, death of a family mother, hobo days and kangaroos and cars were highly original. “The Greatest Symphony on Earth” about love-making surely showed his risqué sense of humour. Still, I was not sure if he was comfy in the theatre’s performance arena.

He was so low key, rather shy, and although his stage presence was interesting, his delivery might have been more appreciated at a café house. His songs are lyrically rich, but his diction seems to reside between his teeth; he was hard to understand. One suspects he is far more a songwriter than a singer. He’s the real raw deal, and for that, I admire him greatly as an artist.

WAINWRIGHT SISTERS: BORN TO SING TOGETHER

Théatre de Rideau Vert, July 7th, 2016

Although they live miles and miles apart, Lucy Wainwright Roche lives in New York, Martha Wainwright in Saint-Sauveur, these two sublime songbirds belong on the stage. Lucy has a voice as heavenly and as pure as Joan Baez’s. It’s pitch perfect and true folk. Martha’s voice is a mix of Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton and Bonny Raitt. The variety of textures in her voice is astounding. She is more kinetic on stage than her calm sister, but both hold us in their vocal grip.

the minor key; yes some were slow with lyrics about creeping shadows, but their haunting beauty and sometimes lonely and sad images were so beautifully rendered. Such moving melodies with perfect harmonic nuances -- the chance to slumber was overshadowed by awe.

In “Baby Rocking Medley,” they offer wailing newborns up for adoption willingly, while on a cover of Richard Thompson’s “The End of the Rainbow,” you feel -- yes this is what Lucy said – the most depressing of their medley. The song says: “There’s nothing to grow up for anymore,” and one believes this is the real song that hit the most morbid of lullaby songs in the repertoire delivered in the concert.

Laughter spread through the audience when Archangel, Martha’s little son, came out holding a violin and bow, tried to sit on the too-high stool, and then never really played. He just kept looking up at his mother, waiting for his cue. At the end, he took a bow, and we were so amused.

Both ladies were great at playing off one another, sharing funny anecdotes, and tell-all disasters, including one about their matching dresses which alluded to a dress story about Rufus; his garment gift to the two of them has gone into the garbage. Even their father Loudon Wainwright III was not off limits. He is an insomniac: “Shut up and Go to Sleep” (their last song for the evening), was totally appropriate for the theme of the evening. Cleverly comedic, Lucy has this low key drawl humour that is subtly delicious. She added just the right punch to Martha’s more intense stage presence and anecdotal candidness.

I loved this concert. 

Footnote: 

Press conference with Rufus and Martha Wainwright:













 



In 1985 I had the privilege to be called upon by the great Kate McGarrigle to live with Rufus and Martha while she toured... as long as I taught them piano.  I didn't even know them, nor she me. Their talent was obvious even at their very young age.

Imagine how nice it was to be reunited with them decades later during this press conference.