Face to face with a Bootleg = $15 CAN

Here it is: the Bootleg I suspected was floating around of an epic gig I played at Théâtre Corona in 2004 with the following musicians at Le Festival du Monde Arabe. The show was a concept gig where musicians from the Occident meet musicians/mystic sufists from the Orient:

Montrealers:
Michel Donato (contrabass - played with Oscar Peterson), Thom Gossage (drums - top canadian drummer), Thuryn Von Pranke (keyboard - internationally renown musician), Jeremiah McDade (woodwinds/multi-instrumentalist - tours the world with The McDades), and me (violin).

Morrocans - 8 morrocan sufists from Tangier & Marrakech:
Abdellah El Gourd, Abdelkader El Khiley, Lahcen Alti-Llah Khalid, Rahali, Mohamed Benothman, Ahmed Benothman, M'Barek Benothman, and Najib Senhadji


First off, I never signed any document that would allow this to come out. Beyond that, I have many mixed emotions about it all: from surprise & disdain at the fact that I had to buy a CD that I contributed to the musical phenomena of...for $15 CAN...and knowing that I, nor any of the other musicians, will never ever see a cent of it - to an ironic sense of accomplishment when my friend Joe looked over at me (as I borrowed $15 from him to buy the CD) and he said in awe: "Wow, you have bootlegs of your playing floating around?! Cool..."

One thing for certain: my investigation about the circulating rumours of an existing CD is now over. Three years ago I got in a cab and the cabbie was playing a CD that had a very distinctive violin and sax playing wrapped in a gnawa trance of Karkabouhs. I asked the guy what show it was and he proudly explained "Gnawa El Jazz". I then went through the underground arabic community rumour mill... (also labeled by the community as "le téléphone arabe") and found out that my friend Nazir had a copy of the CD. It took me a year of playing phone tag with him to get a copy of it. That was last year (2007). And just when I though it was all behind me, two weeks ago I ended up at a Nomadic Massive show and found the official bootleg on sale.



That's all folks. I'm not ready to go into a full on sermon about bootlegs and all that shit. Especially not when we live with the World Wide Web and we download everything to high heavens for free. All I can say is that as a musician living in these modern times, we work/live like dogs trying pay the bills and we scramble like rats in hopes for our music to be heard and appreciated. We are stupid enough to leave it to others to make the money off of our backs. And that's where I want to change.

Autumn Campfires and the search for home

I just spent a week greeting/hosting/entertaining a friend visiting from High River, Alberta. When I was living out west, we played Greek Rembetika (the greek blues) together in a band called: The Rembetika Hipsters. To this day, he is one of the greatest collaborators I've had the chance to create music with. Let's call him Eleftarios...he chooses to be somewhat anonymous.Here he stands, in the shadows, at Quai des Brumes...enjoying the equally mysterious and elusive Montreal band: "Phantom Power"...

Anyways, he arrived at the airport at 0h30h. I was invited by some people to go have a campfire on the mountain on the same night. I was told that there would be balalaikas, guitars and they needed a violin or two at least. Although I hadn't really met any of the people that were going to do this (except for Mirjana...who shares some of the same circle of friends), and being the curious creature that I am, I decided to go for it...I enjoy into meeting new people. Being the horrible hostess that I am and leaving everything to the last minute, I texted Eleftarios to tell the cab driver to drop him off somewhere in the middle of nowhere...downtown - This campfire thing was last minute and I hadn't had the chance to warn him before he caught his flight.

So around 01h00 I ran down to get him, and made him drag his stuff up the mountain, saxophone included. He complained about his old knees but once at the top and in front of the view, it all dissipated. Since we were surrounded by a contingency of Russians, Serbians, Mexicans and one American, the same old Montreal topic came up: Notions of Home. And I now leave you with a text that Eleftarios wrote, as a Canadian, about his ideas of what home is:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ELEFTARIOS wrote in responce to the CBC radio broadcast of "Mashup": "Listened with interest to your 24 June program. I too have been culturally dislocated by paths taken in life, but I have never emigrated to a foreign land. It's natural to feel "homesick" for your place of origin, to wonder about your true identity amongst a new culture. But have you ever been homesick at home? I have.
I am a musician and I have travelled and performed in many places far from Canada. I have had the great joy of working alongside artists from Mexico, Jamaica, Venezuela, Granada, Poland, India, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Africa and other places I seem to have forgotten at the moment. I speak only English and a bit of bad Spanish. Most of the artists I've worked with have had less English ability than my bad Spanish. Nonetheless, we are able to interact through a universal language: music (plus knowing how to say "beer" and "please" in about 20 languages).
Whenever I return to my home in the foothills of Alberta after one of these journeys, I have the distinct feeling of not belonging, that it is not "home". In fact, I am homesick for something other. I am dislocated from the world beyond, my real home. At various times of my life, I have felt home to be the Mexican city of Merida, a village in the French Pyrenees, the mountains of Epirus in Greece, and the upper Rhine valley from whence my ancestors fled the devastation of the Napoleonic wars, sojourned for a century in southern Russia, then came to Canada to flee the devastation of the Bolsheviks.
From these Teutonic ancestors, I have inherited some genetic condition of homelessness. I am a point on a very long thread, one of the great human migrations of history. But I'm not the end of the thread because I own a nice house in Canada and hold a steady job with RSP's and dental benefits. My children continue the journey, living and learning in far away places, and cultivating friends from all corners of the world.

This is where it starts, when you grow up and exit the house where your parents maintain your bedroom, just to see what is out there. Emigration can be within your own culture, indeed within your own little village. It's not about place, it's about place of mind.
A long time ago, on another CBC program about Roma people, I heard a story of how the gypsies find the place where they stop roaming. At marriage, the couple is given two different colours of lentils and an empty jar. Everyday they each put a lentil in the empty jar: one colour represents a good day, the other a not-so good day. When the jar is full, it is emptied and they start over.
Eventually, a day will come when the jar is full of mostly good-day lentils. This is the time when husband and wife will cease wandering and put down roots. This is where home is found, and it may be a patch of ground next door to where you were born.
I realize your program is about immigration (arriving) and less about emigration (leaving). But the two words are opposite sides of the same coin. I doubt that I will ever come to a full stop in some far away land, unless I am overcome at last by a bottle of retsina on some cafe patio in Metsovo."

Jorge Martinez, Les Violons d'Automne & Cesaria Evora

Back in January 2008, I got a call from Flamenco virtuoso Jorge Martinez, asking me if I'd be into playing with him in September of 2008 at a violin festival in Saint-Jean-Port-Jolie. Of course was the answer, I learned the repertoire as quickly as time would allow (about 10 days prep time and two rehearsals w/Jorge, not the band), and Jorge & his ensemble picked me up on Sept. 17th and off we drove to the gig.

Saint-Jean-Port-Jolie is located about an hour 1/2 north east of Quebec City. It is right on the edge of the Saint-Laurent river and quite beautiful. The show went very well, and people went crazy. Before we started, the hall was already full and people had to stand in the back and the aisles. Jorge had suggested that I choose a song from my repertoir for JMZ to play, so I picked a serbian gypsy song "Ederlezi" to begin the second set. To my surprise, people recognized the song, screamed and got up to dance. For the remainder of the second set, the whole hall was up and dancing. yes..."it was a grrreeeeat success:! And on top of that, we shared some wonderful moments...

But talking about success, Jorge's team were so happy with the connection that we shared on stage, that a week after Les Violons d'Automne, they invited me to come and hang out back stage at Place des Arts' Salle Wilfred Pelletier and watch them open for Cesaria Evora. Here they are warming up during soundcheck:

Now this must have been the first time that I'd be at a show but not playing it. And what a wonder it was! First of, the food rider set up by Spectra was amazing. And as foolish of a girl as I am...having an undying love for food...I spent a good portion of the evening eating from the buffet. So much so that Spectra was not very impressed by my table manners and Jorge's manager, Joe, did hear about it. Besides that, let's focus on the music now. Jorge blew the crowd away. Many shows I have seen, and many shows I have contributed to getting people up on their feet and dancing like there was no tomorrow, but this one sent shivers up my spine. At the last song of the set, I got up from the soundman's booth and decided to walk up to the side of the stage...

I turned around to look at the concert hall instead of the artists on stage. It was amazing; the hall was sold out and everybody was up and clapping their hands to the beat. You have to understand that Place des Arts' salle Wilfred Pelletier hosts l'Opera de Montreal and the OSM and the audience that comes with season tickets. I would've never expected to see this demographic up and dancing. You can view it on MySpace TV on Jorge's site: www.myspace.com/jorgemartinezJMZ

The ice was broken, the crowd was sold and warmed up...ready to see Cesaria Evora come on stage next. Cesaria was amazing. The timber of her voice blew me away, Her stage presence was anti-presence. So casual and indifferent to her surroundings was her demeanor, for all one knows Cesaria could have been performing for 4 people at an intimate cafe. It was difficult to get back to reality and realize she was performing in front of thousands. I found her truly amazing...and besides seeing her pass by back stage, I didn't get to be closer to her than that. But her warm voice filled us all with a feeling of having spent a wonderful evening!

Summer 2008 (part III): BRIGA - a gentle beginning

CUTV's "l'Obscure" has just uploaded on YouTube a 5 minute spotlight on BRIGA. Enjoy!

Summer 2008 (part II): oh Devla, where are you now?

So I've spent my days hanging out at Laurier pool, then going home and trying to practice & compose, and then finishing off with more swimming at the McGill pool. I'm enjoying it, and that's the closest I'm going to get to a vacation in the countryside; my weekends are always riddled with shows.

On Friday night we played Cafe Sarajevo. Usually we're three or four at the most...but Boris and I found ourselves to be the only ones available that evening. Oh dear...I thought to myself...it's gonna be a night of Boris on beatbox & cheezy keyboard, and me improvising solos for three whole long sets, for little gratification or money. oh Devla, Devla...where are you now? Thinking about the mysteries of Devla got me to reflecting. How faces have come and gone throughout my summer, and always enjoyable. I feel lucky; One minute I was playing my sister's wedding in the Canadian Rockies...

the next I'm in front of 20 000 people with Amanda Mabro at the Jazz fest...


another day I've got a mediocre violinist in the metro making fun of my violin case; while the evening before Les Gitans de Sarajevo were performing au Théâtre de Verdure; a beautiful outdoor amphitheatre in Parc Lafontaine...


one afternoon we're in Studio Victor A finishing up Amanda Mabro's tracks...


then we're dancing the pre-show ritual before Jeff Kavanda's performance au Festival du Bout du Monde, Gaspé...


and the next day I'm in Cafe Sarajevo: playing in front of mafiosos that look at me as if I'm a whore. Ah well...maybe I am a courvah (whore)-(metaphorically speaking of course lol), if it means making a living at this profession. who knows....

All I know is that I do what I do, and Devla watches quietly. And friday night at Cafe Sarajevo, as I was setting up for a long night, I wondered about Devla and if Devla is with us, if Devla cares about those who are lucky and/or unlucky in life, if Devla breathes into our dreams when we sleep at night, or if Devla watches over our loved ones; ex. my father (recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma)...or if Devla is entertained by the chaos of the world we created...if Devla is busy right now and simply hasn't taken notice of our existence yet. At that very moment I'm tempted to curse and/or hail this existence under my breath, and as if I've stired somethin' in the air, Devla wakes up from the nap: Devla throws the joker dice down and the following happens at Cafe Sarajevo: in walks Sergiu Popa, one of the finest Moldavian Gypsy accordeonists on the earth. He says: "hello! I cannot believe you play alone the two of you!", pulls out the accordeon and bam! we're on fire. As if inspired by this great act of gypsy solidarity, Zohran, a gypsy singer who's been known to make fun of Boris while Boris himself sings, decides to get up and sing along with Boris, as if they were the closest of brothers in the past 10 lifetimes. OPA! Some bellydance comes out of nowhere and suddenly a slow Cafe Sarajevo turns into a over capacity haven full of drunken people from all over.

whoa...Marton doesn't count (image above)!

There you have it...
hvala devla...
please take care of my daddy...

Summer 2008 (part I): Vive le Congo!

Jeff Kavanda is back in town. Nabat Nabat Montréal! It wasn't enough that he conquered Montreal and its regions last year...with his band of Belgian/Congoleese musicians mixed with a couple of local musicians touring furiously through every "Festival des Rhythmes du Monde de ___________________" (fill in the city), now he's released a new album called "TAM TAM D'EXIL" and he's come back to Quebec to promote it.
I met Jeff through the grapevine. In the beginning of February 2007, word was floating around that a Congolese percussionist/vocalist/dancer from Brussels, Belgium was going to tour Quebec in the summer, and he was looking for a violinist to sub for his violinist (that couldn't get a visa to come to Canada). I had received a phone call from Thomas (Alpha Yaya Diallo's drummer) who insisted that we meet for a coffee and discuss business. Jeff Kavanda flew in to do a colloquium at l'Université de Montréal on music and the exile, we met and played as a duet form - we hit it off and the rest is history! It's rare that I meet a musician who's a talented multi-instrumentalist, an artist and an intellectual as well. Jeff is one of these rare instances, and it's such a pleasure to meet him and learn more about Congolese culture.

This year, Jeff decided to come alone and hire local musicians. The result is Momo Coulibaly on drums, Guy Langué on bass, Thomas Ntale on guitar, Joanne Degand on vocals and me on violin. We played Chicoutimi last friday, of which I spent the 5 hour drive back to Montreal listening to a mix tape of different styles of music and rhythms such as zouk, soukousse, bikutsi, 3 over 4, makossa and much much more. Next week we'll be playing Le Festival au Bout du Monde de Gaspé. Jeff's music mixes the traditional with a variety of influences from everywhere.

Check out his stuff: www.jeffkavanda.be and www.myspace.com/jeffkavanda

Renaud

So tonight I'm playing with Les Gitans de Sarajevo at Les Bobards, and this is the last gig of a music marathon that began about 10 days ago...

And about two weeks ago, I met violinist from Belgium who was touring throughout Quebec. It was a Sunday night and I had decided to swing by Cafe Sarajevo to jam some Django style swing with Lou and the Manouche Swing guys. I was sitting at the bar, admitting to Lilianka that I had to get some negative energy off my chest...someone had passed it on to me and I just couldn't shake it off. She poured me a drink and tried to reassure me before we started playing. Halfway through the gig, a young man with a violin showed up. Damian, the guitarist, had told me about running into a talented Belgian violinist on the street who was up to any kind of trouble, had said he'd be in town up until the end of the month, and was planning on swinging by. Well here he was, he pulled out his violin, began playing and blew us all out of the water.

His name is Renaud. I was awestruck, inspired, embarrased at my own perceived weakness in the style, yet excited to put aside my ego, to learn by picking his musician's brain. After the jam, Damien, Renaud and I sat around drinking and joking around. At first he seemed less open in person than musically. But after a couple of drinks in him he opened up and we got along. We got along too well. Spiritually and musically, we shared the same philosophy. At first, it's easy for one to say that....and to think that you're experiencing it only uniquely to yourself....but at one point, a situation presents itself, the two of you are tested and BAM! the illusion melts away, you realize that the words you shared don't necessarily line up with the vibe that was between the two of you. But with Renaud, I had the chance to spend some time with him throughout his stay, in different settings as well, and even after dissolving every boundary between us and then rebuilding them as to not lose our sense of decency - I felt we were truly genuine with each other every moment.

In the whirlwind of my music marathon, with the following projects on the go...Luc Boivin et la Nouvelle Symphonie (Shot at Theatre Corona for ARTV's last episode of the 12 part series)...Courtney Wing's show at La Sala Rossa, then his CBC recording at Breakglass Studios...BRIGA, my own personal project, going into the studio to record 5 tracks & playing at the WAWA show (we are women artists) at La Sala Rossa...A show with Amanda Mabro as well at the WAWA event...a NOISE jam @ Le Cagibi called:Les Mardi spaghetti with Nicolas Caloia and Chris Burns...the Les Gitans de Sarajevo gig tonight at les Bobards...

...and Renaud's relentless partying, jams at Casa Obscura, musical escapades with Damien and Francois, adventures with dancers from the production he toured with....it didn't matter:
Renaud never passed judgement, never asked questions, never passed off passive aggressive comments about what I did or who he perceived I was, nor did I think of doing such things to him either. We would just look at each other and smile, letting everything dissolve away into nothingness.
Funny...they say that you just can't have two violinists in one room together, let alone play in the same project together, or simply be interested in hanging out...WHY? their egos will create a black hole in the time space continuum and the gig will collapse due to excessive soloing and showing off. Well, Zoe Dumais (another violinist) and I both enjoyed playing with him, and lovingly nicknamed him "Le Monstre" for his mastering of the violin and the art of improvisation. As he left for the airport, I couldn't help but give him a kiss goodbye and thank him for breathing a breath of fresh air and inspiration in my life, and for giving us all such beautiful, positive energy.