Y2

Is it not in the very nature of jazz to surprise us and expand our listening experience? Two pillars of Montreal jazz come together to deliver just that: a jazz experience based entirely on free improvisation. The modern vision of two artists who are unmistakably of our time.

Artists
Yannick Rieu, soprano saxophone

After studying at the conservatoires of Rennes (France), Chicoutimi, Quebec City, and Montreal, Yannick Rieu embarked on an intense and solitary musical exploration that lasted four years. From 1980 to 1984, he polished his style in various jazz clubs in Saguenay, Quebec City regions and studied in France with Jean-Louis Chautemps and Réne Urtreger. In 1984, he made his professional debut on the effervescent Montreal music scene. After working with band leader and pianist Vic Vogel, with drummers Bernard Primeau and Guy Nadon, and especially, with pianist Jean Beaudet, he quickly gained a reputation as an intense musician who wielded his art without compromise.

In 1988, Down Beat magazine rated Rieu as one of the twenty most promising saxophonist in the world, alongside the likes of  Branford  Marsalis, Joe Lovano, and Courtney Pine.

In 1992, he recorded his first CD of his own compositions, with some jazz standards included as points of reference. In the Myth was the culmination of two years of free exploration at Montreal’s Café Central with a trio that included Michel Ratté on drums, Normand Guilbeault on bass, and guest pianist Paul Bley. “Playing that is at times powerfully lyrical and at others, rebellious. A  surprisingly mature first album.” Voir, Montreal.

Yves Léveillé, piano

Highly respected for his compositions and arrangements, as well as for his numerous collaborations with some of today’s most important jazzmen, singers, dancers, songwriters, actors and directors, Yves Léveillé is also the founder of Les Productions Yves Léveillé, an organization devoted to producing and presenting contemporary jazz performances. He has held the position of artistic director since the company’s inception in 2002.

Born in Lévis, Quebec, Yves Léveillé has lived in Montreal since 1984. In the 1990s he decided to create his own ensemble dedicated to the interpretation of his original compositions. Since then, he has recorded seven albums under his own name. These recordings have been very well received by critics and audiences alike. Léveillé is increasingly in demand to perform his music in Canada, as well as in Europe and the United States. Yves has received a number of prestigious Canadian grants, including a six-month residency at the Studio du Québec in New York City and another at the famous Banff Centre.

With the release in 2010 of the Pianos album, audiences discovered his inspired partnership with Japanese pianist Eri Yamamoto. This two-piano project met with tremendous success on tour and received support from the Yamaha firm, which led to its première at the Yamaha Salon in New York City. In the fall of 2012, with the support of CALQ and the New York State Council on the Arts, Yves was able to pursue in Manhattan his collaboration with his musical accomplices, pianist Eri Yamamoto and drummer Ikuo Takeuchi.

Ever prolific, Léveillé released a new album in February of 2014, the highly appreciated Essences des bois, featuring woodwind instruments.  Essences des bois was named “Best Jazz Album of the Year” at the 2014 ADISQ awards and ‘Best Jazz Concert of the Year’ at the Prix Opus 2013-14 Awards ceremony. Not to mention that the national public broadcaster Radio-Canada selected the album on its top-five list of the best jazz albums of the year.

Thursday, May 9th 2019 at 6:00pm
Duration: 1 Hrs Without intermission

For tickets and information: www.mbam.qc.ca/en/concerts 514-285-2000

Bourgie Concert Hall, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) complex, is a 444-seat venue located in the restored Erskine and American Church (designed in 1894 in Neo-Romanesque style by architect Alexander Cowper Hutchison). Designated a national historic site in 1998, the transformed setting is now graced with high-quality acoustics and an exceptional décor incorporating 20 historic Tiffany stained glass windows. Ideal for performances by chamber-music ensembles, string orchestras, and other groups, Bourgie Concert Hall offer music lovers an auditory repertoire as diverse as the MMFA collections

Bourgie Concert Hall
1339 Sherbrooke Street West,
Montreal, Quebec
H3G 2E8