It’s one thing to have a good musical idea, it’s another to execute it successfully. Led by composer Katia Makdissi-Warren, the Oktoécho ensemble had already explored the points of convergence between jazz, contemporary music and music from the Maghreb; on the album Samaniq (2018), the project added to its mixture the tradition of katajjaq, Inuit throat singing. Transcestral embraces Indigenous music more broadly with the participation of Métis singer Moe Clark, the pow-wow choir Buffalo Hat Singers and even Josephine Bacon reciting one of her texts (My wealth is calling me). Once again, the result lives up to the ambitions: between the jazz flights ofInter-Nation-All (powerful solo by Marianne Trudel!) and the more formal songs (niki pawatin, Clark’s voice then giving way to the singing of Anouar Barrada) enhanced by ardent orchestrations of strings, great moments of emotion, as on this poignant Dunya at the heart of the album, an incredible fusion of throat singing, pow-wow flights and Sufi chanting. Dazzling album!
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