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T.U. Jazz Festival 2017: Of Role Models and Acolytes
Our knowledge of human history is limited by several stumbling blocks. The greatest of these is belief; not belief of the religious kind but more importantly, belief in the facts that exist before our very eyes. Most important of all is the fact that all civilisations grew out of the one protohistoric one that originated in the birth place of all civilisations: Africa. All other fallacies and false beliefs – especially the confusion between myth and reality – stem from that. And one of the most significant victims of all of this is the virtual abandonment of the oral tradition, one that still remains not just active, but gloriously alive among the gnawas of North and West Africa, in India and remote China, and in Far Eastern nations such as Indonesia, among others. Coincidentally all of these places also boast some of the most magical griot traditions that are still alive today.
It is no secret that much of this would have survived had it not been for the systemic corruption of the very educational institutions that arose to perpetuate some of these historic traditions. Quite simply those institutions came to be headed by remarkably ignorant people who mistook their positions of power to be Divine appointments that had nothing to do with the transmissions of knowledge from teacher to student generation after generation. Another tragedy came to be with the demeaning of art, which has always been the food for thought and which naturally became the first victim of those same brokers – often the teachers themselves – who felt the tremors of fear and loss the moment they were challenged, which (challenge) was always something encouraged by the oldest teacher-student relationships. So in its place came codified systems purportedly (dictats or) commandments from a superior Divine power.
Over time these systems have virtually obliterated learning and replaced it with study not only did tedium set in, but as Nigel Kennedy put it recently in an interview with The Observer, an opinion-based columnist in The Guardian. Here’s some of what he said:
“You do hear some amazing talent, but [it] has been kind of fettered,” he told the Observer. “If you listen to one version of a Brahms concerto or Beethoven against another one, they’re unfortunately too similar.”
Mr Kennedy dismissed the “protocol” training by music colleges, which “doesn’t actually help people use their brains or their ears – two important factors in music”. He said: “A lot of classical musicians are steered away from that in order to learn ‘the method’. How many talented young kids are going into these colleges nowadays all over the world? How many come out speaking as an individual?”
Jazz greats such as Coleman Hawkins, Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong didn’t have these lessons, he argues. “They just learned from experience. Then they got something completely unique … whereas now we’ve got factory lines of pianists and violinists coming out.”
In an aside he [Nigel Kennedy] nailed some of the perpetrators: “[Music] professors should be less lazy. Instead of imposing one system for all, listen and cater for the individual”.
Very little of this seemed to be in evidence at the T.U. Jazz Festival 2017 that was held on the 8th and 9th of September at Mel Lastman Square [after a launch at The Rex Bar on the 7th of September]. Everywhere you went on Friday and Saturday, you could feel a ferocious unleashing of visceral energy as undergraduates – acolyte-musicians; young artists all – from music [Jazz – a misnomer?] departments at universities and colleges: Universities of Toronto and York, Humber College; and from Quebec – Concordia and McGill Universities. Appearances were also made by student musicians from Boston and New York. According to the organisers, the Toronto Undergraduate Jazz Festival, there were more than 200 musicians in attendance – including some of their teachers. The latter offered stellar performances and featured the Hilario Durán Quartet, the Christine Jensen Quartet, Mark Kelso and The Jazz Exiles, Larnell Lewis – with his Lewis-Brown duo with bassist Rich Brown and a drum duo with Mark Kelso, both of which were quite unforgettable and a performance by Mike Murley to close the festival.
The Mel Lastman Square was also turned into a festive plaza for two days and nights with the Global Food Fest [always a spot attractive to those hungry for music too]. While attendances seemed thin at times, appearances can also be deceptive. No numbers have been made available, though no doubt these will be part of an organisers brief to sponsors. But some aspects of this event need to be mentioned. Firstly that it was a superbly organised affair; alive not only with music, but with a great sense of community at every turn. Much of this has to do with the fact that art was on display here and this involved those fashionably referred to as ‘Generation Xers’. But it was the dynamic between teacher and musician that became the biggest featured winner here. It was not only in the camaraderie on and off the stage, but it seemed to be in the air and in the music.
Perhaps it’s because there is some degree of informality left in the world of so-called ‘Jazz’ music and this continues to spill over into the streets and in the clubs and other venues where this music is listened to; but it is almost certainly because of the nature of the music itself – where improvisation builds community, which is something that the violinist Nigel Kennedy observed, as mentioned in an earlier quotation involving him. Perhaps it also has to do with the fact that in music – especially music played in the style of Jazz – ‘listening’ (as opposed to hearing, that is – is key and also because boundaries between teachers and students are more blurred and less rigid even when instruction has been formalised to such an extent that most charts first appear as black dots on staved paper until the musicians themselves find the inspiration and the voice to lift the black dots off the paper it is written in.
‘Paying one’s dues’ in some form or the other is something that every artist has to endure whether he or she is a poet, musician, sculptor or painter. This is something we don’t learn amidst the haloed halls of learning; it’s something we learn on the street where we canvas as much our audiences as the producer and label, or publisher, studio or atelier. Getting turned away by [sometimes] 99 percent of them is all part of the learning process. This is what makes the T.U. Jazz festivals – and this is the second in the series – so important. Remarkably, the organisation comprises newly graduated students from [Jazz] music faculties at Humber – and, in the case of the 21 year-old Ana O. Tokareva, whose role in the organisation is that of head of Business Support – and co-founders David M.J. Lee [a drummer] and Becky M. Hargreaves [a baritone saxophonist] are musicians.
I watched all three, unbeknownst to any of them, at close quarters and was enormously impressed by their dedication and enthusiasm: Miss Tokareva went beyond her business role and was seen happily distributing pizza slices to volunteers, and Mr Lee and Miss Hargreaves took in the performances by Mark Kelso and Larnell Lewis as well as that of Mr Lewis and Rich Brown drinking it all in with a clear sense of admiration and dedication to learning at the feet of their role models. Just as impressive was the fact that all the acolyte musicians drank in the first-hand opportunities to also learn from their teachers – Hilario Durán. There was a young lad [clearly a drumming student] who stood glued to the stage – eyes agog – during the monumental performance of Larnell Lewis’ performance with Rich Brown and, later, the performance of the Mark Kelso-Larnell Lewis drum duet; that added up to a total of three solid hours on his feet in addition, we heard, to the master class that Mr Lewis taught at the Memorial Hall on the 9th of September from 4 pm until before the performances started that day an hour later. He was not, I’m sure, alone in this marathon.
Impressive also were Elena Rawlins, a young singer fresh out of Humber College and who has already cut her teeth by performing with Snarky Puppy and New York Voices. Mason Chance and The Robert Lee Group offered standout performances as well. One of the most outstanding performances was by a young alto saxophonist named Jesse Ryan together with his ensemble Bridges. Mr Ryan clearly has pedigree and Toronto is the richer for his warm, voluptuous saxophone sound that he has honed from performances in Trinidad and Tobago as well during his scholarship years at Berklee School of Music and Humber College. Likewise the Daron McColl had a stellar set, as did The Accolades and the Composers Collective and especially The Robert Lee Group.
These two days in September were probably among the most memorable learning experiences for the 200-or-so young musicians, who clearly relished the opportunity to literally share the stage with their role models. And while the acolytes did not disappoint, neither did the role models. The duet between Larnell Lewis and Rich Brown was – for me – the highlight of the 9th of September and here’s why: The music was like nothing I had ever heard before from the eldest of elder statesmen to the edgiest [Snarky Puppy]. It was breathtakingly original. Rich Brown’s writing is fresh and comes from a very deep place. The music grows out of an African experience that is unique, and emotionally connected. Mr Brown’s bass is an important piece in the music, but it isn’t all; his manipulation of delays, fades and tapes is organic to the music as we heard on his horizon-defying composition dedicated to the young Nobel laureate, Malala Yousefzai.
Clearly Mr Lewis [who had played a magnificent solo set to kick things off] wasn’t finished after his duet with Rich Brown [neither was Mr Brown who surfaced again with Mark Kelso’s Jazz Exiles]. The Toronto drummers teamed up in one of the most fascinating events of any festival on the circuit this [or any other] year. The rattle and hum of drums and the hissing of crashing of cymbals was just a part of the set. An improvised duet on electronic percussion was clearly the crest of the wave with both drummers revolving around a single electronic pad and the rhapsodic rhythmic arabesques that ensued were among the most riveting music we have heard in a long time. It was incumbent upon the Mike Murley Quintet to bring the T.U. Jazz Festival 2017 to an official close. Sadly many in the audience began to walk away, fatigued, no doubt from the embarrassment of riches that were feasted up throughout the day. But the students and the Jazz-nuts remained as Mr Murley and his group showed why they are one of the hottest tickets in Canada.
Speaking with Becky Hargreaves it became clear that she, David Lee and Ana Tokareva are in it for the long haul. They must be as they have now – despite all odds especially their youthful years – succeeded not only in impressing dogged music fans, but sponsors with deep pockets. The current climate for music – especially music played in the style of Jazz – is on the rise. Clubs have been reborn [not only in Toronto and Vancouver, but elsewhere; even in smaller Canadian cities], publicists have multiplied, festivals are drawing mammoth crowds, labels have re-committed themselves to the recording process, classes at Music departments [read that as ‘Jazz’ Music Departments] have grown and while the rate of attrition will be high from these [remember Horace who said poeta nascitur , non fit] the strongest and most talented are already well into the pipeline.
Hope is on the horizon and governments across Canada, inspired by [or in competition with] Justin Trudeau are spending more on the promotion of the arts and this – in a hockey-crazy country like ours is an enormous step forward. Much more needs to be done before we, as an artistic community, are in the pink of health as the world was shortly after the Vietnam War. One thing seems almost certain, however: The Toronto Undergraduate Jazz Festival organisation will be alive and well and kicking for a long time to come if they build on what they have started, relinquishing power to another generation when the time comes, of course. And that is always good news not just for the role models that we will have left behind, but also for the new generation of acolytes eager to learn from them.
Feature Article by Raul da Gama. Photos by Danilo Navas
YouTube Video – Toronto Undergraduate Jazz Fest 2016
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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