GRAND ORGUE PIERRE-BÉIQUE IS ANYTHING BUT AUSTERE
Jean-Willy Kunz and his ensemble will be getting into the swing of things at jazz fest
Alas, the Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique does not have a saxophone stop. No one thought to ask Casavant Frères to install one.
But the splendid behemoth that adorns the Maison symphonique does boast eight trumpet stops, as well as clarinet, oboe, horn and other solo options.
With careful alchemy, JeanWilly Kunz has no doubt that he can make this redoubtably classical instrument sound perfectly jazzy on Wednesday evening with a quartet of colleagues on trombone (Hélène Lemay), clarinet and saxophone (André Moisan), double bass (Frédéric Alarie) and drums (Camil Belisle).
“And contrary to the image of the austere organist, wrongly perpetrated for decades,” Kunz adds, “organists are quite capable of swinging and making a great organ swing.”
Whatever your preconceptions, this concert probably counts as the most unusual offering in the lineups of both the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Montreal Organ Festival, which are collaborating in the presentation.
Repertoire is not confined to standards. Fly Me to the Moon (Bart Howard) is familiar to everyone, and some jazz fans will recognize Guataca City (Paquito D’Rivera). There is a tribute to sax great John Coltrane arranged by Alarie and numbers by guitarist Luiz Bonfá and trombonist Nils Landgren.
Also on offer are traditional Balkan tunes in Kunz’s arrangements. Classical people know Paganini’s Caprice No. 24 for solo violin, but are probably not acquainted with the variations penned by Mike Garson and Eddie Daniels. Klezmer tastes will be serviced by a Béla Kovács fantasy named after Shalom Aleichem.
The organ is not a newcomer to the jazz world, although the dominant species in clubs has been the transportable Hammond B3, a pungent electronic instrument also heard in gospel and rock music. Kunz says he can summon a convincing B3 sound from the Grand Orgue PierreBéique (which would surely startle the founding general manager of the OSM after whom the organ is named).
Kunz is the OSM organist-inresidence and makes his living primarily in the classical realm. Yet, he is not averse to populist experimentation — as his work as a harpsichordist on the ATMA recording titled André Gagnon Baroque might suggest.
A heavyweight concert organ is more forceful than a harpsichord, however many musicians might be fluent in both instruments. But Kunz believes in the versatility of the Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique and confidently predicts an appropriately scaled ensemble of well-matched partners.
Nor is Kunz the first jazz musician to use church or concert organs for jazz. Keith Jarrett, John Zorn and Barbara Dennerlein are some of his predecessors.
“The Grand Orgue PierreBéique has 83 stops, which the organist can combine to create an infinity of timbres and nuances,” Kunz says.
“It is so versatile that it is capable of adapting to different contexts, including jazz and pop music. And it can interact perfectly with other solo instruments, or with small ensembles, as at the concert of July 5.”
Organ fans who do not swing also have their options — by the dozen. The Montreal Organ Festival, organized mainly by the Canadian International Organ Competition, starts on Saturday
and runs through Friday.
Concerts are at various locations (mainly churches, of course) and often at competing times. It would be hard to assemble even a short list of highlights, but artistic director John Grew advises those who have not yet made the acquaintance of young American virtuoso Nathan Laube to undertake the ascent to St. Joseph’s Oratory Sunday at 3:30 to hear a program of Bach (Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor), Jehan Alain, Maurice Duruflé and George Baker.
Grew plays at Mountainside United Church in Westmount (Buxtehude, Bengt Hambraeus and Bach’s Passacaglia) on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. Olivier Latry, an old friend from Paris, offers a thoroughly French and Romantic program at Notre Dame Basilica on Thursday. There are also choral events: The Choir of King’s College London participates in the evensong at Christ Church Cathedral Monday to Thursday at 5:15. Go to montrealorganfestival.org.
Organ not your thing? Then you probably bailed on this column a while ago. But if you are still with me, keep in mind the Lachine Music Festival. Veteran pianist André Laplante plays Schubert, Liszt and Chopin Sunday at 7:30 in the L’Entrepôt Performance Hall at 2901 St. Joseph Blvd. Other fine artists presented by the festival, which runs through July 16, are violinist Jonathan Crow, cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianists Benedetto Lupo and Charles Richard-Hamelin.
Donations are recommended, but admission is free. Go to concertslachine.ca.