The musical competition Les Syli d’or de la musique du monde, organized by Productions Nuits d’Afrique, crowned last Thursday evening, at the La Tulipe theater, the music ensemble with Latin American roots Less Toches, from the outset invited to make the audience dance at the Nuit d’Afrique Festival, somewhere between July 9 and 21, in downtown Montreal.
It goes to show that simplicity pays off: the Less Toches quintet does not reinvent the musical wheel, but performs brilliantly and, above all, with contagious energy. On the menu, Colombian cumbia, with a touch of Afro-Colombian rhythms in the opening and a few hip swings from the bachata side.
Colombian percussion, electric bass, accordion and vocals, that’s all it took for the orchestra to demonstrate its talent and bring a smile to the voting public alongside a panel of judges from the music industry . Of the three competitors who reached the final, after eighteen preliminary evenings and three semi-finals featuring no less than 36 teams, Less Toches seemed the most coherent and the most experienced.
The Silver Syli was awarded to the young singer-songwriter Boubé, originally from Niger, and recently established in our metropolis. Dressed in traditional Tuareg costume and armed with his guitars (acoustic at the start of the performance, electric for the rest), the musician surrounded himself with three collaborators to offer what no other Montrealer on the music scene offers: music. authentic desert blues, like that promoted by Mdou Moctar (his new album Funeral for Justice appears next week) and Bombino, two artists from whom he learned the trade on tour.
Certainly, the orchestra did not have the same intensity as those of the aforementioned stars of the genre, nor the same level of refinement, Boubé being for example left to himself at the microphone, singing choruses (sometimes in French, otherwise in this case). who must have been the tamachek) who would have requested a response from his companions. But not only was the proposal promising, it enriches Montreal’s musical mosaic — what a privilege to have with us an authentic representative of the Tuareg scene!
Finally, composer, pianist and singer Shahrzad finished the event by winning the bronze Syli. We listened to her sing in the middle of her imposing ensemble of a dozen musicians (including three brass instruments) exclaiming: only in Montreal does there exist a Latin jazz project led by a musician of Iranian origin! Already seen on the stages of the jazzophiles’ den Upstairs, Shahrzad Sabzehali offers an encounter between Afro-Cuban rhythms and salsa, jazz and Persian music – the latter influence appearing sparingly during the concert presented at La Tulipe.
In addition to the next edition of the Nuits d’Afrique International Festival, the Less Toches group will be invited to participate in the Musique du bout du monde Festival in Gaspé, the Rythmes du monde international festival in Saguenay as well as the World Traditions Festival in Sherbrooke.