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Festival de International Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, 34th Edition.

As spring erupts in the Centre-du-Québec region, so too does FIMAV, the festival of exploratory music that’s been running since 1984. “Eclectic” barely describes the four-day event. Its scope ranges from near-silent to deafening, from the ineffable to the ridiculous. The music originates in Montreal or Tokyo and points in between, taking in every methodologyContinue reading “Festival de International Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, 34th Edition.”

Sam Shalabi and the Evolution of a Global Aesthetic

Sam Shalabi’s insightful musical take on the world can provoke both discomfort and laughter. On his numerous solo albums, he meshes guitar, oud, and field recordings into an electroacoustic collage. He leads a wide variety of small and midsize groups that encompass a who’s who of Montreal improvisers, as well as musicians of international renown,Continue reading “Sam Shalabi and the Evolution of a Global Aesthetic”

Stephanie Richards. Fullmoon.

Stephanie Richards, originally from Canada, has established herself as a trumpet player and composer while living in Brooklyn, where she’s collaborated with Butch Morris, John Zorn, and Henry Threadgill. She has expanded the trumpet’s sonic possibilities through extended techniques such as layering sounds emitted from the bell with close-miked valve noise. On Fullmoon, however, theContinue reading “Stephanie Richards. Fullmoon.”

Peggy Lee. Echo Painting.

Composer and cellist Peggy Lee has made major contributions to Vancouver music. She’s active in free-improvisation and chamber-music settings and much between and beyond; however, her identity grows much more distinct in her roles as bandleader and composer. She regularly leads octets, both the Peggy Lee Band and the cinematic Film in Music, and here,Continue reading “Peggy Lee. Echo Painting.”

Togetherness! Togetherness!

The Montreal-based band Togetherness! injects a shot of jubilant foot-patting rhythm into free-form improvisation. The band splashes a couple of trumpeter Ellwood Epps’ high-spirited compositions into the swirling pool of free-jazz, high-life, second-line, and brass-band creations that include material from the likes of Abdullah Ibrahim, Dudu Pukwana, and Mongezi Feza. Epps’ ebullient trumpet adds zestContinue reading “Togetherness! Togetherness!”

Keiji Haino and John Butcher. Light Never Bright Enough.

It’s not unusual in improvised music to find unlikely partnerships onstage. English saxophonist John Butcher and Japanese singer-guitarist-percussionist Keiji Haino might seem like such a pair. Much of Butcher’s work is refined exploration of the saxophone’s sonic possibilities, employing circular breathing, multiphonics, percussive elements, and feedback to create shifting textures that merge machines and theContinue reading “Keiji Haino and John Butcher. Light Never Bright Enough.”