Artist.......: VA
Album........: Montreal Variations-Montreal Jazz Club Session 3
Label........: Analekta
Genre........: Jazz
Catnr........: AN 2 8833
source.......: CDDA
rip.date.....: Jun-28-2008
str.date.....: Nov-13-2007
quality......: VBR/44,1Hz/Joint-Stereo
Url..........: n/a
track title time
01. Lorraine Desmarais - Mont-Royal Romance 05:42
02. Lorraine Desmarais - Variation I 01:09
03. Francois Bourassa - L'Oratoire 04:26
04. Francois Bourassa - Variation II 01:56
05. James Gelfand - Le Saint-Laurent 06:22
06. James Gelfand - Variation III 01:23
07. Jean - Francois Groulx-Parc Maisonneuve 06:06
08. Jean - Francois Groulx-Variation IV 01:45
09. Alain Lefevre - Ville ╔mard la belle 04:55
10. Alain Lefevre - Variation V 01:18
11. Guy Dubuc - La Main 03:46
12. Guy Dubuc - Variation VI 03:21
13. Oliver Jones - St-Henri 03:00
14. Oliver Jones - Variation VII 01:39
15. Luc Beaugrand - Un macchiato sur 05:11
Saint-Viateur
16. Luc Beaugrand - Variation VIII 02:46
17. Guy St - Onge-Jardin botanique 04:48
18. Guy St - Onge-Variation IX 02:36
Runtime 62:09 min
Size 79,1 MB
Release Notes:
The first in a series of happy surprises concerning
this recording was the eagerness of the marvelous
pianist/composers I contacted to participate in the
adventure. Admittedly the subject is a golden one:
Montreal abounds with accents, perfumes and
colours; it is at once simple and refined; even its
few wrinkles speak to us. And in this era of the
global village, isn't it wonderful to evoke one's
own neighbourhood: the streets that saw our first
steps, our first loves, and our first heartbreaks
too. These are the places that shaped who we are.
With such a group of virtuosi, one could very well
have expected a surfeit of erudite notes and flashy
effects. But no, this disc, which aims to be
accessible to all, bears instead the seal of
emotion, and a measured dose of nostalgia. Hats off
to these artists, who put Montreal first.
Because the very nature of solo piano recordings
does not allow the artists much opportunity to
meet, aside from hasty greetings at the studio
entrance, I had to find a way to bring them
together. I suggested that they each write a short
variation on a common theme. These four notes,
reminiscent of the departure signal of the Montreal
metro, also begin the official theme song of Man
and His World, which montrealers celebrate the
40th anniversary this year.
Sound engineering, like beauty or taste, is not a
dogma but rather a point of view. In this work, I
wanted a straightforward, almost raw sound, to give
listeners the sense of being close to both artist
and instrument.
Finally, I was happy to have the exceptionally
talented Montreal photographer Luc Robitaille on
this project, who for the insert employed a process
that was similar to and inspired by jazz.
So sit down, get comfortable, and rediscover
Montreal with the artists of Montreal Jazz Club as
your guides.