Jazz's French connection

By Walter J. Lyng, September 19th, 2012

 All those who complain about the Montreal International Jazz Festival's lack of purity should mark off Oct. 4 to 12 in their calendars. Over this eight-day period, a number of local and visiting artists will take part in the Off Jazz festival, a concept that first took seed among a tight-knit group of Montreal jazzmen in 1999.
One of this year's notable guests is French pianist Baptiste Trotignon, who will be making the trip from France at the behest of local saxophone player Remi Bolduc. Together, the two will engage in a musical dialogue through the different variations of the quartet. The music performed will be a selection of these intimate conversations at their peak.
“I knew who he was by name but I have never met him,” says Trotignon. “I felt it was good music and I wanted to work with different people than I normally do in France and in Europe.”
Having previously played in Montreal, Trotignon says the culture clash is actually a big part of the appeal.
“It's always a pleasure to come to Canada because there are certain things we like about North American culture,” he says. “There's a great musical tradition and there have been plenty of cultural exchanges between Quebec and France. There is a natural relationship.”
Trotignon's newest album, Song Song Song, will come out in Canada on Sept. 25. Following a large number of multi-award-winning jazz albums, in solo, trio and quintet, Trotignon is now exploring songs in two ways: either by taking over some French classics or by composing and interpreting them with guest artists from several universes, influences and cultures, such as Jeanne Added, Brazilian Mônica Passos, and French songwriter Miossec.
“It's a mix of several elements,” he says. “It's my personal way of evoking song in different formats. For a long time, I've attempted to play piano with the same kind of expressiveness as a vocalist. At a certain point, I needed to confront this. There is also a literary component to certain numbers.
“It's been refreshing for me, a jazz musician, to always be on the search for new rhythms and harmonies, tempos, melodies, complexity, sophistication and, in a sense, simplicity.
For me, this album represents one vision of song interpretation.”
Trotignon and Bolduc will perform together on Saturday, Oct. 6 at the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur (100 Sherbrooke East). For more information on the Off Jazz festival, visit www.lofffestivaldejazz.comn