Bonobo @ Le National

Bonobo succeeded at bringing jazz underhandedly to the masses Saturday night at Le National. I don’t think I’ve personally ever seen jazz (which is really Bonobo in a nutshell… except for the DJ) so well -eceived by a group of twenty-something hipsters. Le National was packed to the rafters, and I barely was able to navigate my way through the haze of pot smoke (most appropriate for this show) to the balcony. I arrived late (missing Thunderball, the opener) and Bonobo was just starting his/their first song, with the relatively recent addition of Andreya Triana on vocals. It was a more R&B or hip-hop vocal style that wasn’t my bag, but the show was riding more on the strength of the live instrumentalists more than anything else. Apparently I was alone in this feeling, though, because the crowd was bananas for this girl. For me, though, her “American Idol” stylings left a lot to be desired.

The band, on the other hand, was professional, tight, and gorgeously balanced. In addition to Bonobo on decks, there was a synth player, a guitarist, a dummer on a very full and very beautifully mixed (kudos to the sound guy) kit, and a three-piece horn section with sax/flute/clarinet, trombone, and trumpet. The result was a lushness you wouldn’t normally get on a typical Ninja Tune show- which would involve, normally, just DJs and sometimes vocals.

The crowd seemed to be at home with every single track Bonobo threw at them, and was more responsive than any group I’ve seen in awhile in Montreal. At the top of the set were the two songs with vocals, followed by several with only instrumentals involving some very hot solos from the horn section and drummer that successfully revved the crowd up even more. There were some songs that just bordered on the heavier, grittier sound that I wanted more of, but they never quite went there. Some breakbeats peeked out too, but they never formed the basis for songs, and for the most part, Bonobo stuck to a pretty formulaic, loop-based set. Very rehearsed, very structures, and almost predictable, but still quite gorgeous sounds.

Bonobo’s chill-out ambiance left the crowd wanting more and after the last two songs heralding the return of Andreya Triana and a loop pedal, they came back like troopers for a couple of encores.

If you dug early '90s Ninja Tune, Bonobo hasn’t changed his sound much from those days. There was no hint of anything very modern or experimental, but it felt very comfy, like an old Zero 7 or Funki Porcini record. Check them out next time they’re in town if you need a classic downtempo trip out party.