Who knows if it was on purpose. The fact is that there was something that rhymed between them in this double program offered two consecutive nights at the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts. They followed one another like Wednesday follows Tuesday. Appointments that were self-evident.
First Martha. And then Norah.
Martha from the Wainwrights and McGarrigles, royal families of our folk. Norah Jones from the illustrious Shankar lineage. Two fierce performers who invented themselves outside the family nucleus without denying anything.
Extraordinarily unique women who have managed to distinguish themselves without distancing themselves, strong in their own merit and their blood ties.
It’s as if they were to one day share such a stage, in such a festival, in this city that has loved them for a long time already.
Martha at Piaf
You had to hear the spectators give Martha a nice, more than felt, triumph after her immense version of The accordionistalready immortalized by Piaf. It takes cheek, guts, strength in the lungs and heart to dare that. Martha has no shortage of that.
“Thanks again to you… and to me!” she will say at the end of the segment, proud and fulfilled. Sacred Martha. The table could not have been better set for Norah Jones: we were immediately among soul sisters of music. The fact is that they have already sung together, a long time ago, according to my colleague Rezzonico. It was audible.
Norah visionary
From bold to bold, we will have similarly seen Norah Jones in her best days. The album Visions, released last March, was that of a singer with her head held high, with panoramic joy. The complete opposite of Pick Me Up Off The Floor, the previous album, good to pick up with a teaspoon.
Soulful from the start, light in her peasant dress, the emblematic What Am I To You? from the album Feels Like Home revived our beloved Norah from the early days. We were immediately in the best mood to follow her on the paths of Visions.
Bath of light
A good half of his show was devoted to these still fresh and beneficial beauties: Sunrise, Paradise, The stage was bathed in good light. Think Carole King at Roberta Flack, 1970s organic, wholesome music. Norah style.
Here and there, trips to the side of notable albums, particularly Little Broken Heartsmarked out familiar routes, but it was always to prepare the ground for what followed in life.
Because the joy of today’s Norah does not come from nowhere. Deserved joy. Meritorious journey. Horizon to broaden. Musicians to celebrate.
Whether she was on the grand white piano or the electric piano, she had feeling and bounce in the arpeggios. In I Just Wanna Danceit sparkled at his fingertips, to the rhythm of shared pleasure.
Straight ahead
It wasn’t a series of greatest hits, and you didn’t notice it: gospel was ageless, as it should be when you’re truly praying.
On the guitar, moments of grace, Norah will have touched the most resonant notes of the evening: the electric picking of Say Goodbyethe bluesy riff of Queen Of The Seait was the promise of better days for America and humanity.
Notes of hope. From Martha and Norah.