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Lisanne Tremblay: Violinization

By Dan McClenaghan
March 23, 2015
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Say "jazz" and the musical instrument that comes to mind might be the saxophone or the trumpet. Say "classical" and it's probably the violin. But there's a long history of players of that have taken that quintessentially classical instrument and moved into the jazz/improvised music world:

Stephane Grappelli

violin
1908 - 1997

" data-original-title="" title="">Stephane Grappelli (1909-1997) and his swinging Quintette du Hot Club de France,

Stuff Smith

violin
1909 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Stuff Smith (1909-1067) with his fiery plugged-in approach that pushed swing towards a bebop sound; then there was the fast and hot playing

Joe Venuti

violin
1903 - 1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Venuti (1903-1978). And, most recently, we have

Billy Bang

violin
1947 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Bang, the man who came back from Viet Nam and attempted to heal the wounds with his avant-garde but always beautiful "violin-istics."

Now we have Violinization, by Montreal's

Lisanne Tremblay

violin

" data-original-title="" title="">Lisanne Tremblay. It is a strikingly successful debut, a sound that can be loosely categorized as chamber jazz, stirred with avant-garde, in large part because her group and her compositions sound like no one else. The music, crafted by Tremblay and her very talented quartet blends elements of the classical and folk worlds along with Afro-Cuban tints stirred up into a modern jazz concoction on a set of quirky and original personal statements, all of them penned by Tremblay.

The title tune opens the set, and again, the group dynamic glows—

Rafael Zaldivar

piano
b.1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Rafael Zaldivar's sparkling piano declarations answering Tremblay's string poetry, drummer

Philippe Melanson

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Philippe Melanson's splashy, low-key bustle setting up an of-kilter groove, bassist Remi-Jean LeBlanc's laying down a deep, organic pulse. "Change has a a relentless momentum in and out of its different instrumentations, with a gorgeously trilling solo by Zaldivar, leading into Tremblay's soaring violin.

On "Hacker," the quartet explores agitation and odd meters, a sense of anxiety, perhaps, at the ubiquitous inter- connectivity we now experience, for better or for worse, and "Tag" is as bright and frenetic and playful as the childhood game of the same name. "Stellar Coincidence" sounds oddly profound, with a collective improvisation coalescing into something ordered and beautiful, like the universe.

Lisanne Tremblay, a star on the rise with Violinization.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Violinization; Change; Corde Sensible; Hoppelaye; Hacker; Tag; Ataraxie; Stellar Coincidence; Cubanisada; Con Toda Palabra.

Personnel

Lisanne Tremblay

violin

Lisanne Tremblay: violin; Rafael Zaldivar: piano, percussion; Remi-Jean LeBlanc: bas; Philipe Melanson: drums.

Album information

Title: Violinization | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Inner Circle Music

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