Radio programmer and host Russ Davis reports on performances by Regina Carter, Jeremy Pelt and 4105 Quartette de l’Uqam during the 2011 Montreal International Jazz Festival
Most of my music listening time at this year’s Montreal Jazz Festival has been spent inside the various beautiful concert halls and clubs, but there is to no way to ignore or underestimate the joys of the free music happening on the many outdoor stages randomly scattered around the festival grounds in the Place des Arts.
During one of my strolls through the grounds I happened upon a quartet of funky Quebec kids who call themselves 4105 Quartette de l’Uqam. It was the music that first got my attention from afar as I heard some funky sounds filling the air and being a sucker for electric improvised music of a groove-oriented nature I thought I’d check it out for a while. It was time well spent.
The band featured a charming young lady behind a piano-electric keyboard set up and three of her funky, young friends including a guitarist who was absolutely on fire with the funk. They were playing familiar tunes and putting their own stamp on them and closed out the set with a song by Stanton Moore, the great drummer and composer from New Orleans and the bands Galactic and Garage-A-Trois.
Anyone who wants to play some Stanton Moore for me is my friend and I was most impressed with this 20-something quartet, their spirit and ability. I felt like the future of groove is alive and well in Montreal and this was a great start to another wonderful night of music here in Montreal that would take me to Africa and beyond. First stop, The Gesu Theatre.
Violinist Regina Carter’s beautiful collection of African folk songs taken to the jazzy side titled Reverse Thread is one of the great releases of the past couple of years in that is a delightful concept beautifully executed and played with a sincere spirit that is modern though true to the original form and idea of the music.
Violinist Regina Carter’s beautiful collection of African folk songs taken to the jazzy side titled Reverse Thread is one of the great releases of the past couple of years in that is a delightful concept beautifully executed and played with a sincere spirit that is modern though true to the original form and idea of the music.
Just after the album was released I had seen Regina perform this music at the club Dizzy’s in New York featuring a kora player from Africa who was simply brilliant. So when I entered the hall and saw no kora among the instruments on stage I was a bit let down.
Again, I need to be more patient and trusting of an artist the stature of Regina Carter. She was not going to let any of us down on this evening as she was joined on stage by a quartet of masters on harp, accordion, drums and bass that would more than make up for anything that I might have perceived as lacking. The harpist was an associate of Regina’s from decades before who she said she’d always wanted to collaborate with again. Well, the wait to work with him was well worth it as he filled every space that the kora could have filled and more.
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