Last week in Halifax we enjoyed a visit from some great musicians through the Music Actuelle > Montreal et Halifax project that suddenlyLISTEN shared with the Dalhousie University Music Department.
It was great to hear Joane Hetu, Danielle P. Roger, Scott Thomson and Jean Derome from Productions Supermusique of Montreal. I know I’ve said it a million times, but while they are some of Canadian music history’s most important figures, and they’re still some of the most vital creators we have! And they play great!
It was an honour to have them all here at once, teaching and playing.
But the most exciting thing was hearing the students! At Dalhousie Jerome Blais is professor of composition, and his class of students are all improvisers. (a little like Jerome himself, not surprisingly!). I first heard many of these young musicians last December when sL’s guest artist Joelle Leandre gave her workshop at Dal. That night the students shone, but this week I found those guys really cranked it up a notch or two! I heard Arthur Fairfax-Perry, Alex Arnold, Ben Marmen and Rosanna Burrill, and wow! If I had to single somebody out I’d say Alex was most improved, he was truly listening and making musical contributions. But all of them were deep in the music they were making. They were getting it, and making pieces in the moment!
I spoke about this with Jean after the concert, and he told me about his worries a few years ago, that there were no improvisers to take his place. It may have skipped a generation, but I can tell you we’re not worried about that here in Halifax!
Our job now is to give these creative people places to play, and chances to make the discoveries they can only make through improvisation. I think that’s what suddenlyLISTEN is all about really. Make sure you listen for these players and come out and hear them play. I’ll be there!