Buried deep in Montreal’s lingering winters, a trio of musicians sat in a room together. Used to the crazy pace of working in the city’s hyperactive music industry, they might have been unconsciously looking to do something slower, calmer, and free from commercial constraints. Looking at the snow battering the wide windows by the train tracks, they spent the afternoon playing around with what was in the room: a slide whistle, a Juno, and some guitar pedals. The table was set for what would become Caméra. They eventually spent more time together, finding sounds, exploring bizarre ideas, but always seeking beauty. At some point, they invited some friends over to add colors. The album that came out of these sessions has a really strong cinematic mood. Traveling between a murmuration of birds at sunset, a daydream in the Japanese rainforest in 1986, or listening to a sexy saxophone melody played by a dude in a leopard speedo inside a midcentury cottage while drinking a white russian, Caméra somehow makes sense. The strength of the melodies proposed by the trio ties it all together. They carved this little musical universe with patience and care for countless hours over the past two years, it’s now ready to go out into the world.
Who did this?
Francois Jalbert is a guitarist, composer and producer based in Montreal. Often labeled as a “chameleon” musician, he likes to play (at least try to play) a lot of styles of music, such as folk, jazz, indie and progressive rock, funk, bluegrass and gypsy jazz, and a bit of electro. Francois is a busy bee on the musical scene, he has collaborated with a number of well known and unknown artists from Canada and the United States. He is currently leading the progressive folk band Little Misty.
Mélanie Bélair is a violinist, arranger and composer based in Montreal. She took part in many musicals projects and recordings since the middle of the 90s. She explored plenty of styles and colors with projects from Montreal and went on tour with several artists such as Patrick Watson and Charles Aznavour. For the last 3 years she’s been part of the instrumental project Flore Laurentienne.
Aurélien Tomasi is a composer, arranger and performer, specializing in wind instruments. Graduated from the EMRR Conservatory in Toulouse, he continued his studies at the University of Montreal and graduated in Interpretation-Jazz in 2015 and in digital music in 2022. Aurélien is active in numerous groups in Quebec ; His versatility and curiosity allow him to arrange for Zachary Richard, produce albums by El Balcón, compose for Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra and record for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.
