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.
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.
posted by labrigitte at 5:44 PM
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