Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, guys and gals, non-binary pals, did I ever see a show! It was a free-flowing jazz jam consisting of twenty three different musicians from around the world forming groups for one night only. (Huh? See that? Twenty three musicians on the twenty third of June. I wonder if that was intentional)? It was glorious, chaotic, and completely foreign to me. I’m not a jazz musician, so this form of free jazz is a few points above my musical intelligence. Nonetheless, it was interesting to my non-innundated ears, so here is how the night went.

Organized by the Suoni Per Il Popolo festival, according to Production Manager for the night Alexis O’Hara “Get Free! improv night is an opportunity for touring musicians and locals to collaborate spontaneously in front of our audiences… …to try things out. Within improv, there is the possibility of risk and failure, and that can be very revelatory.”

The first group to hit the stage was a four piece consisting of bass (Alex Motta, from CDMX), harp (Christelle St-Julien from Montreal), violin (Aledia Perez from CDMX), and percussion (Rosalie Chretien from Montreal) They launched into the jam and it started off scratchy. The violin, harp, and bass all making the disjointed sounds of bows squealing across strings, and fingers plucking muted, almost harmonic-esq notes. Hell, even the drums were lowkey and making the same sounds as the other instruments. It was unique and weird and something I wasn’t prepared for. My favourite was the harpist, who kept my attention rapt as she nimbly danced her fingers across the instrument (not just the strings), creating glowing sounds, and at other times things I didn’t think possible to do. My only regret is I never got their name so I could give them the proper kudos.

The next group was another ensemble with a vocalist (Maya Kuroki, from Montreal), bass (Alex Motta, again), drums (Katherina Bornefeld, from the Netherlands), and featured a hurdy gurdy played by a Ben Grossman (from Montreal). When asked about the evening, Grossman said “It’s kind of an extreme sport,” referencing the free nature of the jam. “It’s the kite skiing of music, because we’re put together in adhoc ensembles. For instance, all the members of ‘The Ex’ are performing tonight in different groups. I’m personally thrilled and starstruck because I’ve been listening to them for decades and I get to play with Katherina (Bornefeld) tonight!”

Once again, this group was very minimalist at the beginning, building throughout the song as each person took, and gave, turns to someone else, to lead the progression of the music. Both the first two acts reminded me of beat poetry, if beat poetry was good. But I digress. My favourite part of their set was when the vocalist did what I can only describe as a juvenile predator scream. (You know, the film franchise that has Arnold, Danny Glover, and Amber Midthunder as their main stars. Sidenote, Predator 2 is the best one. Don’t @ me)! It was also cool how the bass mimicked the sound of a didgeridoo at times. Pretty far out!

The next group, consisting of violin (Helios, from Montreal) guitar (Cole Schmidt, from Vancouver), electronics Daniel Anez, from Montreal), and bass Adriana Camacho, from CDMX), started their song that sounded straight out of a “Twilight Zone” intro. There were rain belts and chimes used to play – TO PLAY – the stringed instruments. It was an interesting take on how using one instrument to facilitate the use of another is sometimes very overlooked, cause who does that? I guess that’s what makes this festival, and this show in particular, so special. It’s a plethora, a veritable smorgasbord of cultures coming together and having a conversation. As an avid listener throughout the night, I learned more about music than I thought possible. It was such a good educational experience, that I’m definitely going to the next ‘Get Free!’ jam if they have one in my city.

Finally, we get to my favourite group (sorry, ensemble) of the evening [Editor’s note: Terrie Hessels (guitar) (NED), Karen Ng (sax), (TOR) Warren “Trae” Cudrup (drums) (PHIL), Marilou Craft (voice, electronics) (MTL)]. It featured “Trae” Cudrup on percussion, our of Philadelphia. He’s played with the James Brandon Lewis trio, and Luke Stewert out of Washington D.C. Cudrup was a beast behind the kit, allowing the two saxophonists and guitar player to speak when needed, and doing the heavy lifting when it was his turn. And when it was his turn? Well damn, homie shined! As for the two saxophonists, well, the only thing I can say is that Karen Ng, she of the alto sax, and her partner in crime (Marilou Craft) on the other sax, gave me massive flashbacks to “The Pocket Dwellers,” which is only fitting, because both Ng, and “The Pocket Dwellers” are from Toronto. Those two had some chemistry because their woodwind dance was tight, tight, tight. Each note had purpose and authority. Each note reinforced a beautiful notion in music that even if you’ve never played together before, it doesn’t mean you can’t make amazing music on the fly.

Unfortunately, it was at this point that I had to leave to go home, so I apologize for whomever I missed. They included such musicians as Alvaro Rojas out of Vancouver, and Allison Burik on a divine bass clarinet, or so I’ve been told.

All in all, it was a good night. The crowd, only speaking in hushed tones while the music was being played, were respectful. The majority of humans in the venue were jazz musicians, so it was a constant changing current of people, coming to see their favourites, and also checking out new acts. If you’re new to jazz, or an old hat at it, I recommend keeping an ear to the ground for the next time ‘Get Free!’ drops and to go check it out.
I know I will.

*Author’s note: I apologize if I got people’s names wrong. It was a hectic night and I tried to speak with as many of the musicians as possible and get their accolades and names correctly. Mostly though, thanks to my editor for finding the names that I missed. It’s much appreciated.

-Aaron Deck