Composer, pianist and conductor Marianne Trudel will kick off the beautiful jazz season with a series of concerts in varying configurations. At the opening of the 43e edition of the Festival international de jazz de Montréal (FIJM) on Thursday, at the Dièse Onze, in a trio format with those she calls “pillars of Quebec jazz”, double bassist Normand Guilbeault and drummer Pierre Tanguay, then on July 3 at the head of the McGill Jazz Orchestra, on an outdoor stage.
Between these two dates, she will take part in the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival and the Edmonton International Jazz Festival with the female ensemble Ostara Project. The pianist also has on her agenda a tribute concert to Ella Fitzgerald in Orford on August 4 and continues her collaboration with singer Karen Young in tribute to Joni Mitchell — they have just played at the Grand Théâtre de Québec, at the invitation of the Festival Québec jazz in June; ” it was magical ! “.
I really gave it my all since this year I led one of the two big bands, which comes with a lot of work and pressure.
What else ? Marianne Trudel announces the release, on September 29, of a triptych of albums of original compositions, recorded during the pandemic: a solo album, a duet with percussionist John Hollenbeck, and a final trio joined by the bassist Rémi-Jean Leblanc (the project Time Poem. The joy of the ephemeral). “I find it interesting to show these three facets, three different but complementary albums, with John Hollenbeck acting as a pivot between the projects. Note also that Rémi-Jean Leblanc will present at Studio TD on July 6 the substance of his excellent album jazz fusion rock Helloreleased last December.
Duplicate
Ah, we almost forgot: the pianist will also be part of the Big Band of trumpeter Joe Sullivan on July 4, again at Dièse Onze and on the bill at the FIJM. It sums up, in a way, Marianne Trudel’s vacation. Holidays, you say? Yes, since “school is out — and I’m out too!” said Marianne Trudel with a big burst of laughter. She also teaches jazz at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University and the last semester was busy: “I really gave it my all, since this year I conducted one of the two big band, which comes with a lot of work and pressure, since the orchestra serves as a vehicle to promote the school’s program. »
On the program, Count Basie, Maria Schneider, his own original compositions, among others. “On the repertoire side, we cast a wide net in terms of influences and eras,” says Trudel. Playing in a section, in a large orchestra, is a completely different experience for young musicians. It’s very formative — and me, that’s what I like about these formations, big band, symphony orchestras: synergy. When you put so many people on the same wavelength, it multiplies the intensity and the probability that there is magic. When it works, when all these energies come together, it’s sublime. I really see it as a metaphor for community life. »
Marianne’s double employment, both a jazz teacher and an actor on her stage, allows her to take a particularly sharp look at the evolution of Quebec jazz. “I can’t comment on the musical personality or the distinctive characteristics of the Quebec jazz scene, since I have my nose in it. I do not have enough hindsight on this question; on the other hand, I am convinced — and my impression is confirmed over the years — that in terms of the quality of the musicians, the souls of the soloists that we have here, in Montreal, it is extraordinary. »
“You see, last winter, I was invited by [la compositrice et batteuse] Terri Lyne Carrington to give a masterclass at Berklee College of Music [de Boston]. It is one of the best jazz programs in the United States, which attracts the best teachers; gold, once again [au contact des étudiants], I realized how much our musicians rub shoulders with those of the United States, and we don’t really realize it. It’s a bit distressing, but the jazz that is made here is still too little within our borders.
The musical life of Marianne Trudel, who has just been awarded the CALQ Prize for artist of the year in Laval, is thus punctuated by her duties as a teacher (the music program at Cégep de Saint-Laurent also calls on to her) and those of composer and soloist. “Of course I would like to have a little more vacation, but the summer, for me, it has become the time to update myself in my various projects and to compose, she comments. Usually, I give a lot of concerts during the holidays, but this summer, I will be relatively quiet — the autumn will be much busier with concerts.