Emily Jones
During the latter half of last week, downtown Guelph housed its annual Jazz Festival which was a must see event held in the beginning of September every year. Even though the weather was gloomy, people came out to see the unique talent that had been brought together through a love and passion for jazz music.
As the day went on the crowds grew bigger and people were venturing around downtown Guelph to see a mixture of shows that inspired and moved them. The beats and vibrations of the sound of the music filled the streets of downtown and attracted viewers to come have a drink and explore something they have or have not been introduced to before.
Looking around at the faces of the people watching these shows, it was apparent they were not only at the Jazz Festival to fill their day with activity; they were there to absorb the experience. The audience was captivated by the musical ability of the artists who were performing before them. The act of seeing a live musical performance is a personal experience; one isn’t just listening to something that is meaningless but rather building their own relationship with the sound, the lyrics and the overall vibe of the show.
Watching a musician perform their masterpiece is a moving moment in many respects; their artistry can move an audience while, at the same time, each individual can take something unique from the experience. These experiences can impart a memory that will last a lifetime.
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Nuit Blanche: Acoustic Inventions
Katherine Chabot
For a four-day (and night) period, various sounds and music were vibrating through the atmosphere and within the eardrums of people lucky enough to be witnessing Guelph Jazz Festival celebrating their 20th anniversary. Musicians were scattered around the city serenading their audiences, while their viewers jumped from event to event in search of new sights and sounds that laced the town.
Nuit Blanche was an extraordinary event for those willing enough to sacrifice some of their sleep and watch performances, starting at midnight and lasting until 7 a.m. the next morning. With different genres to choose from, one could decide to venture off to Mitchell Hall located at St. George’s Anglican Church to attend a Soul Jazz Orchestra, or walk down to Market Square and participate in a Silent Dance Party alongside two DJs for a complete opposite experience.
I had the privilege of attending Silence on 46 Essex Street, where I listened and observed many different acoustic performers while pulling espresso shots from the convenient café located in the same building. Although the caffeine may have played a small role in keeping everyone alert, the performances had the ability to captivate its audience and keep them at the edge of their seats wanting more.
At 2:30 a.m., Montreal percussionist Patrick Graham began his rare solo performance unveiling his unique talent. Influenced from Japanese percussion through Indian and Irish rhythms to Mediterranean frame drumming, it was clear to recognize that Graham’s style was charged with his musical passion for new sounds and improvisation. From using an actual drum kit, to collaborating with the noises from the squeak in an old wooden chair, Graham’s musical styling’s spoke to it’s listeners and left it’s splendor resonating in everyone’s ear’s even when his performance ended. Nuit Blanche was well worth the lack of sleep, and an event that should be highly advised to any music-loving individual.
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BadBadNotGood at St. George’s Church
Braeden Etienne
Last Wednesday, jazz and hip hop trio BadBadNotGood came to Guelph as a part of this year’s jazz festival. Alex Sowinski (drums and sampler), Mathew Tavares (keyboards), Chester Hansen (bass), and special guest Leeland Whiity (saxophone) stopped by to entertain an eager and sold out crowd. It was fortunate that the Toronto musicians found time to drop by the festival. After the release of their second album over a year ago, the band have been busy working with the likes of Odd Future’s Tyler the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt as well as playing to thousands of people over the summer on their European tour, including the Glastonbury Festival in England. However, on this past Wednesday, the trio arrived in Guelph and our slightly-more-intimate venue of St. George’s Anglican Church.
The sold out crowd was small, and at first, sat quietly on the white fold out chairs on the hardwood floor or the church hall. As, BBNG started their set with their more laid back and more jazz-influenced songs, they drew the crowd in with melodious sax and keyboard lines overtop of the solidly help hip hop beats of the drums and bass. The audience watched silently entranced during songs and applauded loudly at the breaks, which built up an anticipation and excitement in the atmosphere of the small church hall.
By the end of the night BBNG’s soft spoken Sowinski informed everyone there, of whom was still sitting and politely waiting for the next song, that the band did encourage both dancing and mobility at their performances. At Stowinski’s request, the audience instantly and eagerly rose to fill the small, chairless area at the front of the stage, and at the drop of the next song, seemed to explode with a pent up frustration of sitting in their chairs all night. With the next few songs of the set, BBNG showed a dynamic change from the laid back jazz-inspired songs that started off the evening and shifted towards a more enthusiastic electronic and hip-hop inspired set. The new atmosphere created allowed the audience to emphatically dance along. In the final song before their encore, a cover of Gucci Mayne’s “Lemonade” (that has garnered viral success thanks to the promotion of Tyler the Creator), had drops causing the rowdy university crowd to excitedly jump around and even mosh. With the dancing crowd and their smiling, screaming faces, it was easy to see that BBNG was easily entertaining the young audience, who perhaps was a little less sober and a little more eager to dance, than the few confused adults who had remained in their seats.
After BBNG’s final song, a restless audience called them to return the stage for an encore. The band’s energetic cover of Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights,” was complete with a steady building bass line and verbal countdowns to drops from Stowinski, which ensured both synchronized rowdiness and expulsion of energy from the now, heavy-breathing crowd. After the show, a happy and energized audience left the church hall as a very humble BBNG graciously thanked the crowd for their energy and expressed gratitude for being allowed to participate in the festival. The three person band’s energetic, exciting performance left the crowd satisfied and set the bar for the remaining performances of the week. With the release of BBNG’s third album later this year, one can only hope for their return to Guelph in the near future.