Bios – Pascal Tremblay Jazz Faction

PASCAL TREMBLAY

He goes on to play in the Carabeans and throughout Europe where he starts to write his own music while he still is a teenager. He helps maintain jazz in the Laurentians and around his hometown by playing in many clubs for years. First a saxophone player, he also records and plays with diverse artists like Gilles Vigneault and Gary Boudreault as a bass player; just like with La Corde de Bois, a band that he co-founded. A pillar of the jazz scene in the laurentians, his project named Jazz Faction earned him to be chosen to represent Canada at the 2005 Aïchi International Exposition, in Japan, just as the 2007 UNESCO Summit, in Ottawa. He got nominated at the Grand Prix General Motors in the 2006 Montreal International Jazz Festival as well as in the Galaxie contest. On the scene since 2008, LUEURS specifically illustrates the bond between impressionist era compositions and modern jazz. The CD has been nominated Best jazz album of the year - ADISQ 2011.

His last music is a symphonic suite in 5 movements - Weather Cycle for Jazz Quartet & Orchestra. The work was premiered on March 23, 2019 at the Oscar-Peterson Hall in Montreal, with the Orchestre symphonique de l'Isle, conducted by Cristian Gort.

SYLVAIN PROVOST

Guitarist Sylvain Provost is a leading light in Québec’s Jazz scene. In 1983 he won the «Yamaha Prize» with the group QUARTZ at «The Montreal Jazz Festival». With his Trio, he has recorded a number of broadcasts for Radio-Canada and Radio Québec. With his long-time bassist cohort, Norman Lachapelle he has produced a host of recordings, winning nominations and awards at the ADISQ, JUNO’s and Opus Awards.For 25 years now, Sylvain has taken part in countless professional collaborations in concerts and recordings with the likes of Gerry Boulet, Oliver Jones, Yannick Rieu, Karen Young, Jean-Pierre Zanella, Térez Montcalm, Sylvain Lelièvre, «LA LA LA Human Steps» (with whom he toured around the world) and many other Québec and France performers. With his new acoustic trio, we can now enjoy Désirs Démodés, his latest own CD released in spring 2009.

Désirs démodés, an album totally filled with new inspirations

FRÉDÉRIC ALARIE

On the jazz scene since the late 80’s, this double bass player and composer is innovator, inspired, capable of remarkable improvisations, with a prodigious mastering of his instrument. Qualities that provides him a great recognition amongst the grand jazz players in Canada. Having worked regularly with Lorraine Desmarais and Yannick Rieu, he also performed with Oliver Jones, Ranee Lee and Sheila Jordan. His participation at jazz festivals and many radio events have contributed to the acquaintance of the musician and his work in Canada and many countries in Europe. This international recognition makes his way by the magic of meetings and fabulous projects with the American musicians Ray Anderson, Sonny Fortune and Art Johnson. His personnal recordings are critically acclaimed and in 1997 his very first personal disc Vision-Basse Section have been rewarded by nominations of l’ADISQ and Saison Jazz Montreal named him «Discovery of the year». Frédéric Alarie amazes you by the colour, depth and audacity of his work; musician, composer, soloist, he’s always able to extend the limits of his expression and those of jazz.

JEAN-FRANÇOIS BARBEAU

Its under the direction and with the expert advice of Jean-Guy Plante, Luc Boivin, Philippe Keyser and Pierre Hébert that Jean-François Barbeau managed to evolved and pushed his musicality even further. In 1998, he recorded with the UQAM Jazz formation. Since then, he has been noticed on the music scene and he has been invited on many projects with such artists as Carole Therrien, Alain Bédard, Andrée Boudreau, Norman Lachapelle, Michel Donato and Sylvain Provost, who are some of the many that appreciate his great listening ability as well as his very melodic playing. He replaces Paul Brochu with Sylvain Provost's trio for several shows in 2006 and 2007. Jean-François joined the ranks of Jean Vavasse's quartet and he played along with guitarist Lauren Belec for singer Jean-François Prud'homme. Different projects took him from Florida to the Caribbean and Geneva, Switzerland.