Earning the moniker of being hip hop’s favourite french jazz album, Cortex’s 1975 album Troupeau bleu is a groundbreaking work of art. The crossover jazz project is able to brilliantly blend jazz with funk, psychedelic, and r&b melodies. And even if you aren’t familiar with the album or band, you’ve likely heard them be sampled in iconic hip hop tracks, most notably MF DOOM’s One Beer from his 2004 LP MM..FOOD. Other sample credits include Odd Toddlers by Tyler, The Creator, Mural by Lupe Fiasco, and Cortex by Lil Yachty. As such, when I saw a post from Jazz is Dead about an upcoming North American tour for the french jazz legends, I knew I had to snatch up a ticket.
Cortex the band still features pianist and leader Alain Mion, but this summer’s tour has Virginie Hombel doing vocals, Loïc Soulat on keys and alto saxophone, Mohamed Ouaraz on bass guitar, and Victor Dubois on drums. So on a beautiful sunday night on the last day of June, there I was at The Great Hall, as Adrian Younge (Jazz is Dead co-founder) described it, witnessing history.
As usual, I get to the venue on time as I’m in charge of getting a decent spot for my friends by the stage, but I was also intrigued by some of the merch they had in store for attendees. While they didn’t have the limited edition Jazz is Dead vinyl pressing of Troupeau bleu (not too bothered by that as I already have a vinyl copy at home), I knew I had to get the tour poster to add to my pile of posters that I have yet to put up in my room. Was it a bit pricey at $40? Sure, but being able to carry it around all night and figuring out how to clap after solos is a priceless experience.
After an hour of sipping my rum (non-spiced of course) and coke and catching up with friends, the show began with a DJ set from Adrian Younge, spinning vinyl of R&B, Jazz, and hip hop classics. After his hour-long jam session, Adrian poured his heart out about the beauty of the concert. An album that is nearly 50 years old is able to create such a diverse crowd of music lovers; young and old, jazz-lovers and fans of their impact on hip hop, members of every generation have been enamoured by this album and band. And then after much anticipation, in walks the Parisian musicians that everyone had been waiting for.
Troupeau bleu by Cortex
The group begins the night on a bang with the performance of La Rue, the opening song off of Troupeau bleu. The song teases what is in store for concert goers: smooth vocals about Parisian life, piano solos, sultry saxophone tunes, and scat with a french flair that the audience is able to sing along to. This is immediately followed up with the album's titular track Troupeau bleu where we truly got to see Virginie's vocals take flight as the vocals go from quick and cool to falsettos that enchant the entire venue. As the tour poster boldly states, the band played the entirety of Troupeau bleu and sprinkled in some deep cuts from their discography throughout the night. For Sabbat, 1,2, & 3, the audience got a chance to practice their vocals by singing the scat lyrics. What started as a nervous call and response eventually turned into boisturous choir of singers. And then of course came Huit octobre 1971, a song dedicated to Alain's wife and as he described it, "the one everyone was waiting for." Popularized by MF DOOM's One Beer, it's simply just a groovy instrumental track with beautiful vocals, snazzy synths, and a wicked beat switch that gives the bass and drums a chance in shine. To the average listener, it might not seem special compared to the rest of the album's hits, but for the hip hop and jazz lovers in the crowd, it is timeless.
I found myself closing my eyes at times and listening with the same awe and wonder that I had when I first listened to the album. The saxophonist played like his marriage was on the line, Alain played with such youth, exuberance, and expertise for a man in his late 70s that made me wonder what’s Biden’s excuse. At times Alain would show off and do his keyboard solo with one hand and then switch hands midway through. And unlike Troupeau bleu, there were countless times throughout the performance where he would show off his vocal talents. With their encore song Sans Toi, Alain sang and played by himself while his fellow bandmates watched in admiration, before they eventually joined in to play Cortex’s 1978 funk track.
Huit octobre 1971 by Cortex
In between songs, Alain made sure to help translate the song titles for those who may not be familiar with French. However, it was probably only necessary for the American stops on their tour as anyone in Canada with a 4th grade understanding of French could probably figure out the titles for themselves. But I appreciate the fan service. In addition to the French duolingo lessons, Alain told a hilarious story about meeting a fan in the venue washrooms who said that he was from France. The fan then naïvely asked Alain why he was at the show. To which he sarcastically replied, “well I’m from France as well…and from Paris…” until finally pointing at his hat that said “Cortex band member.” “I guess the man was unable to read,” joked Alain, and to quote Boondocks, I wouldn’t let that shit happen to me though. But it was all in good jest, and to be fair, I likely wouldn’t be able to recognize many of my favourite jazz artists if I passed by them in the washroom.
Trends in music come and go. In recent years we’ve seen a resurgence of 90s shoegaze in the form of zoomergaze. Alternative folk that was popularized by artists like Elliott Smith and Joni Mitchell, is now dominated by the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Adrienne Lenker. In La La Land, John Legend’s character remarks that, “Jazz is the future.” It is a genre that is constantly evolving and being reinvented. Cortex releases a revolutionary album in the 70s, which then gets sampled in one of the most memorable rap albums of the 2000s, which is then being covered by in bars, bistros, and speakeasies today with bands like Lavender Town putting their own spin on the melody. But despite all of the transformations, there is still a yearning in the community to rewind and go back in time to the original setting of 1975. And on June 30th myself and fellow concert goers got the chance to turn back the clock.
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