Montreal International Jazz Festival | An emotional evening with Charlotte Day Wilson and Jeremy Dutcher

What a wonderful proposition to invite festival-goers to a show by Jeremy Dutcher followed by a performance by Charlotte Day Wilson on Wednesday evening on the main stage of the Jazz Festival.

Toronto singer-songwriter Charlotte Day Wilson has a beautiful relationship with Montreal, which she maintains with care. The public also ensures that this connection is maintained by always answering the call when the artist is in the city, as was the case Wednesday night. She had only been invited three years ago to the same stage of this same festival. Since then, she has released the album Cyan Blueat the beginning of this year, which she performed almost in its entirety on Wednesday on the Place des Festivals.

The mandate of putting on an outdoor show at a festival at 9:30 p.m. on a possibly rainy Wednesday is thankless, even in the middle of summer. Yet festival-goers were quick to crowd the main Jazz stage for their date with Charlotte Day Wilson.

The one who once lived in Montreal came to offer the sweetness of her music, starting the show on the piano, with a part of New Daytaken from his recent album, which leaked into Mountainsfrom the previous one. The harp, the piano and the voice complemented each other, the drums were added to the dance, then the guitar and the choirs, allowing a crescendo full of elegance and power.

Charlotte Day Wilson is reserved, but her stage presence is captivating. Dressed in a loose black t-shirt and pants, her blond hair pulled back in her usual ponytail, she does nothing to seek extravagance and it is in all simplicity, by her voice and her words only, that she conquers us.

Without ever overdoing it, she invites us to follow her through the sensual notes of her choruses. Powerful harmonies (provided by Montrealer Ouri, also on cello and keyboards) have often supported her on these choruses. The instrumental arrangements, without too much fuss either, but which become powerful when necessary (the interpretation of Forever was electric, for example), hit the nail on the head, making each of the songs impactful.

After the third song, the rain came and discouraged several festival-goers, but most refused to be chased away. There were fewer people already on the Place des Festivals when the groovy Do U Still began, but Charlotte Day Wilson’s warm, honeyed voice warmed the atmosphere. We lost players, but nothing really showed. “We’re not going to let the rain ruin our night,” she decreed, putting down her electric guitar to move on to Canopy.

I Don’t Love You (majestic) then the popular If I Could (which she began again, reminding the crowd that she was talking about washing away one’s sins and that the rain was thus the perfect time to take advantage of it) followed, while the downpour became even more insistent.

The moment was extraordinary. It continued with Money, I Can Only Whisper (embellished with a sensual guitar solo from Day Wilson), What You Need (a dance piece by Kaytranada on which she collaborated, which allowed for another solo… on the saxophone this time!), Falling Apart (perfect electric guitar-voice formula), among others, the magnetic artist’s voice, the omnipresent bass, the bewitching choirs.

A shower later, there were still a few fewer people left when, as the evening drew to a close, it was time for success. Work (sung by the brave ones still in the front row), then Cyan Blue And Walk With Metwo magnificent recent songs which served as a nice farewell to a delighted audience.

While it wasn’t the largest crowd the Jazz Festival has seen this year, those who were there and stuck it out were treated to a great performance.

Jeremy Dutcher, unifier

Jeremy Dutcher was on stage just before. The singer-songwriter released his most recent album last year, Motewolonuwokof which he presented several songs on Wednesday evening. The Wolastoqey artist took further his need to address his people, but also to create a dialogue with non-natives.

On this record he sang in English for the first time (with the exhilarating song Take My Handwhich he performed at the end of the show), as if to speak to those who are willing to listen to him by looking them directly in the eyes (or by singing directly into their ears).

His quest for denunciation, celebration and reconciliation also materializes on stage. The artist and activist from the Neqotkuk First Nation, who resides in Montreal, knows that those who understand the words they sing will finally feel concerned and that those who do not understand them will be swept away by their beauty.

For example, he presented the song Skicinuwihkuk by stating the words and then translating them: “As long as there is a child among my people, we will protect our land.” Then he let us hear that beyond the powerful words, the beauty of the music he has crafted to accompany them holds an equally powerful power. A highly talented performer, he was moving (and entertaining!) for an hour.

Poet and author Natasha Kanapé Fontaine later came to recite a fabulous poem in Innu and French, Dutcher’s piano notes magnifying the moment.

In interview with The Press Last year, Jeremy Dutcher explained that he wanted people to come see his shows because they are opportunities for him to “contextualize” his songs and the words they convey, full of meaning and history. That’s exactly what he was able to do Wednesday, in front of a listening crowd.

(Re)read our article “Jeremy Dutcher and the importance of words”

“You’ll realize you don’t recognize many of the words I sing,” he said later. “I sing in Wolastoqey, my mother tongue. There are only 500 of us left who speak it. I’m going to teach you a few words so you can share them.” […] But between allochthones and natives, all that matters is love, community. And peace, peace, peace.” In song, he did that: he shared his language with an audience that doesn’t necessarily think about learning these words, but who come out of it feeling stronger.

Throughout his performance, he addressed the crowd in both English and his own language (he even spoke and sang in French, for a great rendition ofO Mary by Daniel Lanois), creating the bridge that he wants to build first and foremost through his art. In the crowd, the exercise had its effect. The festival-goers cheered him on. When Jeremy Dutcher speaks to us, we very often want to listen to him.