The Orchester National de Jazz de Montréal (ONJ) will be led, for one evening only, by world-renowned conductor and composer Miho Hazama.
The event will take place this Friday at Gésù and will feature the hybrid ensemble of the ONJ instrumental group. The ensemble will be composed of a string section, a rhythm section, and a wind section (flute, clarinet, French body saxophone, trombone), while Sienna Dahlen will provide the vocal portions.
For about five years now, Miho Hazama has been the leader of the Danish Radio Big Band in Denmark, a very influential big band in the jazz world, through which has passed a long line of famous jazzmen, including Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer and Jim McNeely.
“She is enjoying great momentum at the moment, among other things because of this position where she is at the forefront of the jazz scene,” underlined pianist Marianne Trudel, also spokesperson and artistic director. associated with the ONJ.
“It was a priority this year to invite a female conductor to the Orchestra. There are so few female conductors and composers in jazz, let’s say that her name came up sometimes in our conversations,” she detailed, explaining the genesis of this unique collaboration, emphasizing in passing the importance of saluting the work of women composers, especially in 2024.
Marianne Trudel will be in concert on November 8 with her show “Marianne Trudel & Karen Young – Portraits: Songs of Joni Mitchell”, near Saint-Jérome.
Photo André Chevrier provided by Marianne Trudel
“It’s always super enriching for the Orchestra to do this kind of collaboration. It’s a sharing of experiences and that’s precisely the beauty of jazz; we can arrive tomorrow in Europe, in Japan, in China, in Latin America, the language is a common language,” recalled Marianne Trudel, nominated last Sunday at the First ADISQ gala for her album Time Poem: The joy of the ephemeral.
“Since it is instrumental music, often with few words, it is accessible to everyone. It’s music that needs collaboration to enrich each other and it’s music that is beautiful to revisit, depending on who’s playing and who’s conducting. Each time we play a work, it will be a unique version,” she continued.
Next December, the Orchester National de Jazz de Montréal will accompany Damien Robitaille for two concerts presented in the fifth hall of Place des Arts, on December 21.
The NJO will return to this hall after the Holidays for a concert with singer Malika Tirolien, scheduled for February 13.
Miho Hazama and the Orchester National de Jazz de Montréal will be at Gésù this Friday. To get tickets, click here.
