Thursday, June 30th at Gesù, lauded Canadian pianist François Bourassa proved that, without a doubt, Quebec is home to some of the finest jazz musicians on the planet.
Fronting an incredibly talented quartet of home-grown musicians in saxophonist Andre Leroux, bassist Guy Boisvert, and drummer Philipe Melanson, Bourassa put on a contemporary jazz clinic. The evening's program consisted almost exclusively of...
Tuesday, June 28th's double billing of Trombone Shorty and Bootsy Collins at Metropolis promised to brand Montreal as "the funkiest place on earth". It did not disappoint. Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and his group Orleans Avenue kicked off the night with their sizzling brand of funk infused with jazz, rock, hip hop and soul.
...
Thursday night at Gesù, lauded Canadian pianist François Bourassa proved that without a doubt, Quebec is home to some of the finest jazz musicians on the planet.
Fronting an incredibly talented quartet of home-grown musicians in saxophonist Andre Leroux, Bassist Guy Boisvert, and Drummer Philippe Melanson, Bourassa put on a contemporary jazz clinic. The evening's program consisted almost exclusively of tunes from the quartet's brand new album "Idiosyncracie". Not "straight ahead" by any means, Bourassa's compositions aren't catchy. They hover on the fringe of memorability, forcing the listener to press forward into exciting musical territory rather than linger on phrases already played.
Each musician in...
Thursday night at Gesù, lauded Canadian pianist François Bourassa proved that without a doubt, Quebec is home to some of the finest jazz musicians on the planet.
Fronting an incredibly talented quartet of home-grown musicians in saxophonist Andre Leroux, Bassist Guy Boisvert, and Drummer Philippe Melanson, Bourassa put on a contemporary jazz clinic. The evening's program consisted almost exclusively of tunes from the quartet's brand new album "Idiosyncracie". Not "straight ahead" by any means, Bourassa's compositions aren't catchy. They hover on the fringe of memorability, forcing the listener to press forward into exciting musical territory rather than linger on phrases already played.
Each musician in...
Tuesday night's double billing of Trombone Shorty and Bootsy Collins at Metropolis promised to brand Montreal as "the funkiest place on earth". It did not disappoint. Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and his group Orleans Avenue kicked off the night with their sizzling brand of funk infused with jazz, rock, hip hop and soul.
Playing several tunes from their Grammy nominated 2010 album "Backatown", Shorty and co. brought the funk from the opening note. Orleans Avenue provided funky horn lines, and an impeccably tight rhythm section, while Andrews displayed masterful proficiency on both trombone and trumpet. Shorty also showed off his vocal prowess on Allen Toussaint's "On Your Way Down" and Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On".
...
