Jazz en Rafale-LIVE CAM Festival
By Kevin Young
A Live & Intimate Online Concert Experience for
PHOTO : MARGINAL STUDIOS
BENJAMIN DESCHAMPS & HIS BAND PERFORMING AT PICCOLO STUDIOS DURING
JAZZ EN RAFALE-LIVE CAM FESTIVAL
The pandemic forced many annual festivals to reimagine themselves with varying degrees of success . Jazz En Rafale 2021 , which consisted of performances by some of Quebec ’ s most prolific and celebrated jazz artists , however , managed to provide audiences and participants alike with an intimate , unique live performance experience .
To do so , Jazz En Rafale Founder and Artistic Director Alain Bédard – who is also the president of one of Canada ’ s premier independent jazz labels – partnered with Marginal Studios ( previously MB Productions ) and Montreal ’ s historic Piccolo Recording Studios to mount and record a series of concerts over four months . This livestreamed series of shows , dubbed Jazz en Rafale-LIVE CAM Festival , included artists like Jazzlab Orchestra with Loguslabusmuzikus , François Bourassa with L ’ Impact du Silence , Manoel Vieira , and others .
For this , the 19 th edition of the festival , Bédard ’ s central idea was , to “ offer a little peace and happiness during this difficult time ” via a “ live ” jazz club-style concert experience , and Piccolo is uniquely positioned to facilitate that effort . One of the largest recording facilities in Quebec , Piccolo has become a go-to for recordings of everything ranging from contemporary music to large-scale orchestral performances and television broadcasts .
While the festival has occupied a variety of venues over time , beginning in 2001 at a space near Montreal ’ s Jean-Talon Market , it has always brought jazz performers from all over the world and across Canada together for a series of some 20 to 25 shows .
“ This year , of course , was very different ,” Bédard says , as it consisted of nine concerts in total , of which eight took place at Piccolo . “ Because it was impossible to play [ during the pandemic ], for many bands this was their first concert in a year .” As a bass player himself , he was among them , he notes , adding that his band , Jazzlab Orchestra , was forced to cancel more than 40 concerts over the past year . As such , this was a welcome opportunity for everyone involved . “ So many musicians wanted to play , to present their projects ,” he says , adding that some artists used the opportunity to release new
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