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Quebec Musicians (12)
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Crossroads--Three Jazz PianistsMartin Duckworth 1988 27 minShot in 1987 at the Montréal International Jazz Festival, this documentary film presents musical performances and conversations between three jazz pianists with remarkably different styles--Soviet Leonid Chizhik, Black Montrealer Oliver Jones, and French-Canadian Jean Beaudet. It introduces viewers to the diversity of interpretation within today's jazz world, explores the roots of modern jazz and the specific formative influences on the musicians profiled, and reaches for a definition of twentieth-century jazz. -
Diane Juster: Foundation of a SongGilles Doiron 2024 4 minDiane Juster: Foundation of a song explores the legendary singer-songwriter’s profound relationship to melody, lyrics and emotion. In this intimate tribute, Juster, an untiring advocate for protecting and encouraging Canadian artists, reflects on a legacy of love from her parents, one she’s passing on to a new generation of artists.
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Florent Vollant: I Dream in InnuNicolas Renaud 2021 5 minThe soul of the Innu language is the land, water and forests of the fast-disappearing caribou. Through his music, Florent Vollant continues to make this language heard around the world.
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Finding MacphersonSerge Giguère 2014 1 h 17 minThis feature doc tells the story of the improbable friendship between acclaimed Quebec singer Félix Leclerc and the intriguing Frank Randolph Macpherson. A chemical engineer from Jamaica, Macpherson immigrated to Quebec in 1917 and was the inspiration for the popular song that Leclerc named after him. But this is also a story about memory: it was animator Martine Chartrand’s memory of this song that compelled her to create the striking animated short MacPherson, made by filming paintings on glass using 35mm film. A sympathetic look at an artist at work, Finding Macpherson takes audiences on a personal journey, exploring the imperceptible yet powerful connections that bind us to each other.
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The Girl With the Red BeretJanet Perlman 2023 5 minA girl takes a wild ride on the metro in Montreal. Travelling from station to station, she encounters an array of colourful characters in a bizarre musical journey that’s peppered with hilarious and unexpected incidents. This joyful, heartwarming animated film portrays Montreal in all its vitality, creativity and diversity, with plenty of humour and good cheer, to the tune of Kate and Anna McGarrigle’s timeless hit “Complainte pour Ste-Catherine.”
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Harmonium in CaliforniaRobert Fortier 1979 28 minThis short documentary follows Quebec band Harmonium as they tour California in the mid-'70s with then-Premier René Lévesque in an effort to promote the province as well as introduce the group to the world's biggest music market. Here, we follow the ups and downs of Harmonium's promotional efforts and hear some of their music.
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Je suis fait de musique (English Version)Michel Brault & André Gladu 1978 26 minWell-known button-accordion player Philippe Bruneau from Montréal tells of how he became an internationally recognized folk musician. His outstanding compositions dedicated to many of Quebec’s great musicians have become and inspiration for generations of young Trad musicians.
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Le quêteux Tremblay (English Version)Michel Brault & André Gladu 1977 25 minGaspé fiddler William Tremblay describes his lifestyle. In times past, Quebec’s quêteux—neither beggars nor homeless—had a social function. They were respected figures who brought news, told tales and stories, cast spells, and were often fine musicians. In exchange, they were welcomed, lodged, and fed.
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Les ruine-babines (English Version)Michel Brault & André Gladu 1975 24 minIn Quebec, ruine-babines (literally, lip destroyer) is a common term for the harmonica. It’s also the name of a group of young musicians from the Montréal region. Gilles Garand, Louise De Grosbois, and friends embarked on an exploration of their musical roots, and they talk about their discovery of French-Canadian folk music.
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Le reel des ouvriers (English Version)Michel Brault & André Gladu 1977 27 minMusicians from Quebec’s Portneuf region adopted and adapted Irish fiddle and drum tunes. Road worker and fiddler André Alain; carpenter and accordion player Jean-Claude Petit; and bus driver, frame-drum player, and jig dancer Arthur Tremblay introduce us to their lively music.
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The Megaphone ReelSerge Giguère 1999 52 minThis musical documentary by Serge Giguère focuses on Gilles Garand, a passionate promoter of Quebec’s heritage and an ardent champion of workers’ rights. Garand is a lively figure—a harmonica and accordion player, a CNTU servicing representative, and an organizer of La Grande Rencontre. Filmed in Montreal, Quebec City, and France, the film offers a rare opportunity to hear the masters of Quebec traditional music, Aldor Morin and Philippe Bruneau, who are featured at La Grande Rencontre. In French with English subtitles.
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Pitou Boudreault, violoneux (English Version)Michel Brault & André Gladu 1976 26 minChicoutimi carpenter Louis Boudreault epitomized the typical Quebec fiddler. He relates how he learned his trade and his introduction to music by his father, Idas. Having learned the dance music of the Lac Saint-Jean region from his great uncle Thomas Vaillancourt, he explains how good fiddlers learn by connecting with the dancers.
