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Now that summer is almost over, the loud festival sets digested, the family vacation ended, some of us (maybe still smelling of campfires and bug spray) might want a change of pace—maybe some thought-provoking music instead of the danceable kind found in big, crowded events.
From Rimouski, Que., and Guelph, Ont., come some exciting events in the next few months.
Fresh sounds from Bas-du Fleuve
For two decades now, Rimouski has fostered a remarkable assemblage of forward-looking musicians, revolving around bass player/singer-songwriter/organizer Éric Normand. Not only have Normand and his associates developed a whole school of improvisers (most of them are found within the Grand Groupe Régional d’Improvisation Libérée, or GGRIL), but they have also found ways to document their music (via the Tour de Bras label) and organize events locally, elsewhere in Quebec and abroad. Since the mid-2000s, the collective has rubbed shoulders with many first-class improvisers from around the world, including Evan Parker, John Butcher, Xavier Charles and Ingrid Laubrock, as well as releasing dozens of albums (I count more than 100 on tourdebras.com) by a plethora of creative musicians in various projects. While “music of the now” is, of course, the focus of Tour de Bras, they have also issued a small but precious number of archival releases.
Their fall program will be a busy one, starting with the launch of two new releases on Sept. 25: a new GGRIL album featuring Axel Dörner, Jacques Demierre and Jonas Kocher, and a duo tape by label boss Éric Normand and sound artist anne-f jacques. The launch will kick off the Rencontres de Musiques Spontanées 37 (Sept. 25-Oct. 4), featuring performances from Argentine saxophonist Camila Nebbia (in a trio), veteran turntablist Martin Tétreault and a collaboration between GGRIL members and Belgian musicians from the collective C-IME. This last project, christened Nuée de Ritournelle, will also feature performances in Montreal and Quebec City (Oct. 5 & Oct. 6). Also in the works from Tour de Bras: an album of duets between cellist Rémy Bélanger de Beauport and bass legend Joëlle Léandre, and a series of concerts pairing Normand with French saxophonist Michel Doneda in November (also in Quebec City and Montreal).
Find the Grand groupe régional d’improvisation libérée at www.ggril.wordpress.com
Photo: Hari Avidarekar
Three days in Guelph
Perhaps an inevitable countereffect of the surreal tariff wars with our American neighbour, this year’s Guelph Jazz Festival’s lineup (Sept. 12-14) feels very Canadian. Not that it’s a bad thing: for one, veteran improvisers Lori Freedman and Marilyn Lerner will reunite as the duo Queen Mab to celebrate 40 years of their first collaboration. Freedman will also sit in with Nova Scotia-based saxophonist Nicola Miller’s Living Things quintet, while Miller will meet with Guelph guitarist Dan Loughrin and Montreal-based composer Liberté-Anne and tubist Julie Richard for a rare quartet set. Also from Montreal, the quartet Bellbird (reedists Claire Devlin and Allison Burik, bassist Eli Davidovici, drummer Mili Hong) will make its Guelph debut. From Toronto, vocalist Alex Samaras will explore the repertoire of Judy Garland in a trio with pianist Steven Noronha and saxophonist Allison Au. Montreal-born, Toronto-based violinist Aline Homzy was recently cited in the Downbeat critics’ poll; she will appear at Guelph with her project “Aline’s étoile magique,” as well as guesting with the Guelph Youth Jazz Ensemble. Toronto guitarist Patrick O’Reilly will also play a solo tribute concert to the music of Ken Aldcroft (who died in 2016) as well as per forming with the eclectic trio WAPAMA, with bass player/vocalist Waleed Abdulhamid and drummer Max Senitt.
Talking about eclecticism, the Guelph Jazz Festival has always been about more than jazz. For example, dancers Jessica Houghton and Nidhi Baadkar will collaborate with electronic musician Pursuit Grooves (Vanese Smith); dancer Infinite Lynn (Ivvy Johnson) will perform with Indian-born improviser Ravish Momin and Haitian turntablist Val Jeanty (aka Val-Inc). In a slightly different vein, New York dancer and founder of the Vision Festival, Patricia Nicholson, will collaborate with a trio featuring her partner (and free-jazz legend) William Parker, a group called “no beginning, no end” with Slovak-Canadian saxophonist Bea Labikova, and Chinese-Canadian percussionist Germaine Liu. Global music always plays a part in the GJF program and this year is no different, with a concert by the Eastern Fusion ensemble Massyr and Minangkabau composer, field recorder and vocalist Rani Jambak. Finally, and as Duke Ellington would say, “beyond category,” Montreal singer-songwriter Thanya Iyer will perform with fellow Montrealers Daniel Gélinas, Emilie Kahn and Pompey, as well as with a string trio.
In parallel, the University of Guelph will hold its annual colloquium hosted by the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation (IICSI). Conferences, discussions and workshops with many of the festival’s participants will take place on Sept. 11 and 12. Since 2011, IICSI and Musagetes have also invited an Improviser-in-Residence to develop a community project, and for 2025 they will host veteran pianist Marilyn Crispell later in October. Also keep an eye on their program for ImprovFest; the 2025 edition will be held Nov. 28 and 29 at ImprovLab.
For the complete lineup of the Guelph Jazz Festival, go to: www.guelphjazzfestival.com
Find the program for the Dance with the Music colloquium at:
https://improvisationinstitute.ca/guelph-jazz-festival-colloquium-2025/
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