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Andrew Balfour and music from future past
We may not live in a period as turbulent as Thomas Tallis did during the English Reformation, but there is an uncomfortable rumble of turbulence today in societies such as in Canada, which enjoys the many notional – some might say, even facile – first-fruits of the “Commonwealth.” The tale of the incredible disappearing hyphen in that word has also created a powerful, invisible vortex begotten by “Colonialism” that is often obscured by “multiculturalism.” The two characteristically unhyphenated words have witting – or unwittingly – ignored the Indigenous Peoples of Canada; undeniably the First Peoples of Canada. But the noun – Colonialism – encompasses non-state forms of influence and domination, as by corporate or religious entities, and [this time] wittingly become an extension of state power – and in the case of Canada [a Catholic country] – church power which has perpetrated the most heinous crimes, such as the infamous 60s Scoop, on the country’s Indigenous Peoples in the name of Christianity.
But politics and religion are – with very few exceptions – at odds with the true “humanness” of humanity. The prehistorian and archeologist, Professor Steven Mithen, in his remarkable book The Archeology of the Brain used a remarkably prescient idiom to describe the analogous development of humanity and the human brain. His theory: as humanity developed over tens of thousands of years, the brain – the citadel of vision, thought and belief – developed in an ever-expanding cranium that [he posited] evolving from an architecturally humble single roomed country chapel to a vaunted cathedral. Knowledge, Professor Mithen said, flowed in from eyes, and ears – notional stained-glass windows to the world – and then rushed seamlessly through an intricate network of naves into the sanctum sanctorum where ever increasing sophisticated knowledge was processed and which begat enlightenment of thought word and deed.
The best examples of this human development in every generation have inevitably displayed an artistry native to dramatists, poets, and musicians where the celebration of humanity has governed their craft [as opposed to holders of the imperial sceptre and the pastoral staff, always motivated by power over humanity. And composer and conductor of Cree descent Andrew Balfour is – like Thomas Tallis – a rare bird, a rare human being possessed of a vaunted cathedral of a mind in which vision, thought and belief is spread upon a proverbial canvas stretched between the celestial and the terrestrial. Here his painted musical notes roused by the voices in their chorales, fly off the canvas returning heavenward from whence their inspiration strikes him like lightning down from heaven to the earth of his ancestors.
Mr Balfour may have been a child of the 60s Scoop, but he considers himself fortunate [watch the video below]. He appears to have benefitted from the munificence – the spiritual bounty – of Christian theology. Fortuitously as well, it is likely that the spirituality of his Indigenous nature – one assumes, of course – was never snuffed out. Instead, his Indigenous Spirit world seems to have coexisted with his adoptive Christian one. As a result, he appears to have learned to do something most children of the 60s Scoop were never successful at doing, probably to the abject terror of living with in an unforgiving – to many even malevolent – world [with or without adoptive parents] of the Residential School System. And so, his beautiful, ancient Indigenous Spirit World appears to have coexisted with his Christian one into which he was adopted. The result is, as in life, so also in art a magical syncretization has overflowed from his uncommon humanity into the compositional ingenuity of his music.
Mr Balfour’s music is both powerful and ethereal. Choral, instrumental, and orchestral works are evocative of the natural spirit world of earth and sky. This is reflected in gossamer-like tapestries informed by melodies and harmonies swirling together amid earthy rhythms – creating a wondrous alchemy bubbling under both musical miniatures and heady epic narratives. His works are unlike anyone else’s – certainly not like Canadian Indigenous writers – Thomson Highway, Jeremy Dutcher, Tanya Tagaq, or the late ingénue, Kelly Fraser. But Mr Balfour is special. His sunlit imagination has adorned both secular and spiritual music. His oeuvre includes Take the Indian, Empire Étrange: The Death of Louis Riel, Migiis: A Whiteshell Soundscape, Bawajigaywin, Gregorio’s Nightmare, Wa Wa Tey Wak [Northern Lights], Fantasia on a Poem by Rumi, Missa Brevis and Medieval Inuit.
It is no secret that Mr Balfour has also harboured a deep passion for medieval polyphony and baroque music. Living in a world of syncretized spirituality and given his prodigious gift for the chorale it seemed only a matter of time he focussed his attention – like a split-diopter – to the liturgical works of composers such as Thomas Tallis, Henry Purcell, Alfonso Ferrabosco the Elder, William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons. The result is an album of measured, unruffled a capella chorales rendered from Latin and English texts into Cree, Ojibway. There is so much power hidden away and stored up in the words all these most fitting melodies spring forth and have presented themselves to the eager, alert, and agile mind of Mr Balfour. It seemed only natural that he would employ his glorious interpretive skills to these arrangements that have been brought to life by the brilliant ensemble musica intima.
Andrew Balfour and musica intima: Nagamo This project is a real journey of discovery. Nagamo is an outstanding reimagining – in Cree and Ojibway – of the choral music of Elizabethan masters. It is a programme of profoundly beautiful sacred music, some of it inspired by the bards of the Psalms and yet others with original texts by Mr Balfour, set to music by the 16th century composers.
The range of voices from musica intima give impressive performances right from the first work. In Four Directions Mr Balfour sets his mystical compass by the voice of his heart which – in turn moves [the diaphragmatic voices] of the singers of musica intima to usher the lyric that rises – first sotto voce then mezza voce – as if from the singers throats, from there to join [suggestively of course] the murmurings of the strings of celestial harps setting the stage for a dramatic programme to follow.
The singers have an uninhibited, fresh sound, coupled with a great skill which includes sustaining lengthy phrases with even tone. Never once does one feel that the beauty of phrasing is given higher priority than conveying the depth of meaning of the texts. This is especially noticeable in pieces such as O Lord, Make Thy Servant Elizabeth, Reges Tharsis, and the wonderfully dolorous Psalm of King David, Miserere mei Deus, perhaps the greatest penitential poems in the Psalter. Listening to the plangent strains of this work, never has King David’s contrition seem more noble or sublime.
Everywhere the singers of musica intima allow the music and the words to speak freely for themselves. They put their faith, as it were, in tonal focus and sweetly balanced textures. The skill of the singers throughout the tutti passages, and the depth and emotional precision of their response to Mr Balfour’s [original and interpreted] text, results in something no less profound and no less moving in the utterly Lutheran vision of life and death as a welcome release from the world’s travails into God’s loving care.
This is certainly Mr Balfour at his most personal and, arguably, at his very best. Here he rises to the challenge admirably, melding his lyrical genius to uncomplicated yet artistically sophisticated works. He shows that he is able to align plainly heard words, unobscured by elaborate musical detail, while sill managing to convey a range of emotion by harnessing simple melodies enhanced by bold harmonies. Best of all, of course, is his ability to render in Cree and Ojibway the simplicity of Elizabethan settings.
The result is that in the hands Mr Balfour each work is subtly and sensitively shaped, and in singers’ remarkable clarity of tone that perfectly serves the simplicity of the melody, the slowly unfolding melodic lines convey a sense of hushed awe between earth and sky as the listener is caught up by this music’s sacred and spellbinding power.
Deo gratis…
Music – 1: Four Directions [Ojibway text – Andrew Balfour / Music – Thomas Tallis {1505-1585}] ; 2: Ambe Anishinaabeg [Ojibway text – Andrew Balfour / Music Thomas Weekes {1576-1623}]; 3: O Lord, Make Thy Servant Elizabeth [English text – Psalm 21:2, 4 alt / Music William Byrd {1540-1623}]; 3: Pakaskitawew [Cree text Andrew Balfour / Music Henry Purcell {c1540-1623}]; 4: Laudibus in sanctus [Latin text paraphrase of Psalm 150 / Music William Byrd from Cantiones Sacrae II {1591}]; 5: What Pow’r Art Thou? [Ojibway text Andrew Balfour / Music Henry Purcell from King Arthur]; 6: Trapped in Stone [From Scots Gaelic, based on and written in memory of the Scottish prisoners of war imprisoned at Durham Cathedral, September 1650 / Text and music – Andrew Balfour]; 7: Reges Tharsis [Latin text from Psalm 71:10 / Music – Baldwin Partbooks, dubiously attributed to William Byrd]; 9: Da Pacem, Domine [Latin text: 6th-7th century hymn / Music – Alfonso Ferrabosco the Elder {c. 1543-1588}, edited by Jamie Apgar {from GB-Ob MS, Tenbury 341-344] Bassus reconstruction – Jamie Apgar]; 10: Miserere mei Deus [Latin text: Psalm 51:1-2 / Music – William Byrd from Cantiones Sacrae II]; 11: Ispiciwn [Cree text – Andrew Balfour / Music – Orlando Gibbons {1583-1625}, Drop, Drop Slow Tears]; 12: Omaa Biindig [Ojibway text and music Andrew Balfour].
Musicians – musica intima – Tabitha Brasso-Ernst, Christina Cichos, Katherine Evans, Kira Fondse, Lucy Smith, Risa Takahashi, Stephen Duncan, Jacob Gramit, Steve Maddock, Carman J. Price, Taka Shimojima and Asitha Tennekoon. Production – Joanna Dundas: producer; Don Harder: recording engineer; editing and mastering; Jacob Gramit: associate producer; Lucy Smith: project manager; Sonny Asau: cover art and graphic design.
Released – 2022
Label – red s h i f t [TK522]
www.redshiftrecords.org
Runtime – 43:44
How one composer spent four decades forging a distinctly Québécois path through the experimental music landscape
When Joane Hétu picks up her alto saxophone, she claims territory. At sixty-six, the Montréal composer, vocalist, and saxophonist has spent forty years carving out space for experimental music in Québec, building institutions and communities that define the province’s musique actuelle scene.
Her latest recording, Elle a son mot à dire, captures Hétu leading Ensemble SuperMusique through thirteen of her compositions from across two decades. The album opens with “Elle n’a pas de mot” (She has no words)—a brief ambient piece that stacks wordless singing atop a chorus of “whirly tubes,” ribbed hoses spun above players that pirouette through the harmonic series. An apt introduction to an artist who has spent her career finding new ways to give voice to the unspoken.
Finding Her Voice in the Underground
Hétu’s path began in the early 1980s with avant-pop groups like Wondeur Brass, Justine, and Les Poules. These bands merged the pluralist ethos of New York’s downtown scene with European progressive sensibilities while maintaining something distinctly Québécois. “I was very young, in my twenties, and this fusion happened quite instinctively, without real premeditation,” she recalls. Through connections to figures like Zeena Parkins, Ikue Mori, and Fred Frith, and the Recommended Records network, these groups found their place in an international experimental music community.
Even while performing with these bands, Hétu was thinking beyond individual artistic expression. In 1980, she co-founded SuperMusique with Danielle Palardy Roger and Diane Labrosse. Eight years later, they organized a Festival of Innovative Women Musicians, devoted entirely to women’s groups working in avant-garde music—a radical curatorial gesture that signaled Hétu’s growing interest in building infrastructure alongside making music.
“We were connected to the New York scene,” Hétu explains, “but we wanted to create something here, something that would support the community we were building in Montréal.”
From Performance to Institution
The instinct to support that community would shape Hétu’s career as much as her compositions. By 1998, she had taken on co-direction of Ensemble SuperMusique, transforming the organization into one that explicitly welcomes “emerging artists, mid-career artists, and major figures alike.” Where many experimental music scenes fragment along generational lines, Hétu has consistently worked to bridge those gaps.
“This intergenerational cohabitation is a great richness for us,” she explains. “It opens perspectives, stimulates listening, and provokes essential exchanges.”
On Elle a son mot à dire, this collaborative philosophy becomes musical practice. In “Mot elle a,” vocalist Sarah Albu’s written part interweaves with improvised percussion, creating what Hétu calls “flexible, malleable” pieces that depend on interpretation. “For now, I only have one recording, but I hope it will live through other recordings and interpretations,” she says. “This is one of the objectives of open scores: to encourage multiple and living interpretations.”
[click on image to enlarge]
The Economics of Experiment
Running an experimental music organization led Hétu deeper into the infrastructure questions that determine which music gets heard and preserved. As founder and longtime president of DAME Records (Distribution Ambiances Magnétiques Etcetera), she took on the less glamorous work of documenting and distributing Canadian experimental music—a role she maintained for three decades.
“I’ve always had a passion for sound recording,” she reflects. “From 1985, I got involved in Ambiances Magnétiques, then DAME took over.” The work came with unexpected costs. “After my daughter’s birth in 1990, I was looking for a certain stability, knowing that tours would be more difficult. Naively, I believed that having a record label would offer a form of security. It was quite the opposite. This enterprise cost me a lot in creative time. Looking back, it’s perhaps what I regret most: having carried it for so long, for thirty-three years.”
Despite the personal sacrifice, DAME has documented a vital chapter in Canadian music history, providing a platform for artists like Jean Derome, Pierre-Yves Martel, Tim Brady, and dozens of others who might otherwise have remained unrecorded. “DAME documents this precious musical heritage and ensures that these musics are represented, supported, available, and that this artistic history is accessible,” Hétu explains.
Claiming Creative Territory
The questions of space and belonging that drove Hétu’s institutional work find their most direct artistic expression in her concept of territory. The idea runs through much of her work, most explicitly in her piece La femme territoire ou 21 fragments d’humus. For Hétu, territory encompasses everything from the intimate to the political: “the Earth, my room, Quebec, my soul—a woman who becomes vastitude.”
“In it, I take a position, as a woman, on my territory—intimate and collective,” she explains. “I doubted while writing it; I had trouble trusting myself. Today, I’m happy with the path traveled and with this work.”
The territorial thinking extends to her approach to voice and instrumentation. Hétu never formally learned to sing, drawing from influences like Tenko, Phil Minton, Jaap Blonk, and Paul Dutton. “I have a deep love for the voice and its noise-making potential. It’s visceral and fundamental to me,” she says. In her work with La chorale bruitiste JOKER, founded in 2012, she explores what collective vocal improvisation can accomplish using techniques like soundpainting.
[click on image to enlarge]
Seasons of Composition
Hétu’s relationship to place extends to her famous engagement with Québec’s harsh winters. Where others see obstacles to cultural life, she found creative catalysts. Her trilogy Musique d’hiver emerged from the practical reality that “January, February and March are rather quiet in the record industry, which leaves time to compose.” But the relationship between season and creativity runs deeper than scheduling.
“I love winter, I love the sound, the cocoon effect it produces,” she explains. The final piece in the trilogy, Récits de neige, focused specifically on snow’s geometry: “I hoped to compose 30 short pieces that musicians could amalgamate as they want, like snowflakes, which each have a different geometry.”
Building for the Future
Today, as Hétu approaches her fifth decade in music, she remains committed to the experimental principles that have guided her career while grappling with new challenges facing the experimental music community. “I believe the public has the capacity to welcome innovation,” she argues. “But it needs tools, which are becoming scarce: radio broadcasting, interviews, production support, and venues dedicated to new music.”
Her work with Ensemble SuperMusique continues to demonstrate that experimental music can build lasting institutions and communities. Recent projects include ongoing workshops in graphic scores and conducting gestures, international collaborations, and regular concert series that have sustained the musique actuelle community for decades.
“I respond to the call, to the impulse of the moment. I am still, fundamentally, the same composer,” Hétu admits. Viewed across four decades, her work reveals a consistent thread: the understanding that experimental music concerns itself with creating the conditions for a community of artists to flourish.
In an era when funding for experimental music remains precarious and cultural institutions focus on measurable outcomes, Hétu’s approach offers a different model. Her career demonstrates that sometimes the most radical act is creating space for other voices to emerge, building the infrastructure for artistic communities to sustain themselves across generations. After four decades, Joane Hétu still has something to say. She’s still creating spaces for others to find their own voices within the experimental music territory she has helped map. In Québec’s cultural landscape, that may be her most enduring composition.
“One of the most unforgettable moments of the Festival was the electrifying performance by Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue”
The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal took place from June 26 to July 5, 2025, in the Quartier des Spectacles. The 45th edition of the world’s largest jazz festival was a resounding success, attracting jazz enthusiasts from around the globe.
The Heart of the Festival
Located in the heart of downtown Montreal, the Festival site becomes a meeting place for jazz lovers worldwide for ten days. The area is closed to all vehicular traffic and remains open until midnight, allowing visitors to enjoy close to 150 indoor concerts and more than 350 free, open-air shows presented on the specially redesigned Quartier des Spectacles.
A Personal Journey
As a jazz fan and festival enthusiast, I had always intended to attend the Montreal Jazz Festival. Despite missing several chances, I finally managed to go this year, although for a shorter time than I would have preferred, from June 30th to July 3rd.
Arrival and First Impressions
I enjoyed a pleasant 5-hour Via Rail train trip from Toronto to Montreal, arriving around 2 PM. After settling into my Airbnb, I found the jazz festival site and met up with Danilo Navas, the editor-in-chief of That Canadian Magazine. We eagerly waited for the first act to perform on the TD Stage, a free concert by UK tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia.
Garcia and her band delivered an energetic and incredibly enjoyable set that featured music from both of her recordings. This is an artist I will be watching more closely.
One of the most unforgettable moments of the festival was the electrifying performance by Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. This mind-bending concert had everything thrown into the mix, creating an explosive fusion of world jazz, funk, and New Orleans soul.
The unbridled excitement and energy from the stage were infectious, drawing the audience in and making them an essential part of the show. The crowd danced, cheered, and grooved to the irresistible beats, unable to resist the magnetic pull of Trombone Shorty’s music.
After this exhilarating experience, the only thing left to do was find a chill spot to unwind and bask in the afterglow of this burst of New Orleans magic.
Canada Day Celebrations
On July 1st, Canada Day, I took a walk to Old Montreal to check out the celebrations. The area, reminiscent of Europe, was closed off to most traffic, allowing visitors to enjoy the numerous restaurants with patios and sidewalk cafes. I indulged in a coffee and biscotti at one inviting cafe before making my way back to the jazz festival area, with a brief stop in Chinatown for some delicious dumplings and soup.
Memorable Performances
This Canada Day was my most active in terms of concerts, with three free shows happening almost consecutively at outdoor venues.
The Sugar Darlings: Miche Love, a key figure in the Montreal blues scene, captivated the audience with her powerful and soulful voice, supported by the electrifying solos of Paul Lucyk on guitar and Kaven Jalbert on saxophone.
Julien Fillion Band: This lively quartet, led by the talented Julien Fillion on saxophone, guitar, and keyboards, delivered an energetic performance to a rain-soaked crowd. The show must go on despite the unpredictable weather challenges.
Endea Owens & the Cookout: Detroit-raised recording artist, bassist, and composer Endea Owens captivated the audience with her soulful singing and jazz and soul-infused playing.
My Last Full Day at the Festival
My last full day at the festival was spent exploring the grounds and soaking in the vibrant atmosphere of the Montreal Jazz Festival, discovering the many facets of this grand celebration.
Christine Jensen Quartet at Le Studio TD
One of the last jazz concerts I attended was at an indoor venue that offered a free performance by the Christine Jensen Quartet, which featured alto saxophonist Christine Jensen. This outstanding group of world-class musicians includes Jim Doxas on drums, Gary Versace on keys, and Adrian Vedady on contrabass. The quartet played tunes from Jensen’s latest recording, “Day Moon,” released in 2023, as well as selections from her other quartet albums.
A Memorable Experience
In summary, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is an excellent event held at a captivating venue, offering a wonderful experience with many free concerts and more. I look forward to returning and delving even further into the modern music of our era.
Editor’s Note: We will publish our photo gallery from the 45th Festival International de Jazz de Montréal in a separate post in the next few days.
Luminato at Harbourfront – June 15, 2025
Somd’agua: A Dance Migration Performance
A mesmerizing collaboration featuring Esie Mensah, Alex Oliver, Reimundo Sosa Reinoldes, and Adrianna Yanuziello, Somd’agua provided a profound exploration of Afro-Brazilian culture. The performance artfully depicted the sacred connection between the deities Oxum and Yemanjá through movement and rhythm.
The fusion of powerful singing, chanting, and dynamic Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian percussion created an immersive backdrop for the dancers’ graceful movements.
As the river meets the sea, the performers wove their magic, creating a flowing exchange of energies that stirred deep emotions and evoked memories of distant lands.
The natural setting of Harbourfront Centre enhanced the experience, with the breeze from Lake Ontario and passing tall ships complementing the performance’s aquatic themes. The audience’s enthusiastic participation peaked during the climactic duet, where the dancers achieved perfect harmony.
Santé! By Cirque Kikasse
Quebec’s innovative circus troupe transformed a food truck into an extraordinary performance space.
Their show seamlessly blended fast-food preparation with spectacular acrobatics, showcasing remarkable athleticism and gravity-defying feats both on and above their unique mobile stage.
Musical Performances and Workshops
Afro-Indigenous roots of Colombia Cumbia workshop with Beny Esguerra
Beny Esguerra, the Juno-nominated multi-instrumentalist, delivered an engaging exploration of Afro-Colombian rhythms. Accompanied by his daughter, who acted as her father’s assistant. She helped distribute percussion instruments.
Esguerra created an interactive experience where the distributed percussion instruments became integral to the musical performance. It featured a fun and engaging demonstration that showcased the communicative power of drumming.
Kombilesa Mi
This vibrant Afro-Colombian ensemble brought the distinctive sounds of San Basilio de Palenque to life. Their dynamic performance merged traditional rhythms (Mapalé, Bullerengue, Son Palenquero) with contemporary hip-hop elements, performing in both Spanish and their native language, Palenque.
Formed in 2011, the group serves as a cultural bridge, connecting young people with their heritage while embracing modern musical expressions. The show was well-attended, and these fantastic entertainers had the crowd singing along, clapping in time, and seemingly having a joyful experience.
The festival experience concluded perfectly with an evening stroll along the Harbourfront paths. The day’s artistic celebrations settled into memory as night descended over Lake Ontario.
Photo Gallery: Adrianna Yunuziello Dance Migration performing Somd’agua
Photos by Paul J. Youngman [click on images to enlarge]
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