_ Panellists
Ethel Bruneau
Oliver Jones
Michael P. Farkas
Modibo Keita
_ Moderator
Nantali Indongo
We are humbled to have jazz legends Ethel Bruneau and Oliver Jones take part in this special round table during this first edition of Saint-Henri Jazz Week.
Michael P. Farkas, president of the Black History Month Roundtable and director of Youth in Motion, will be joining the group of panellists to discuss the role of jazz in building communities.
Modibo Keita is a young multi-disciplinary artist and music entrepreneur. He has been working in creating spaces and opportunities for BIPOC musicians around the world to network.
This event is a rare opportunity to listen to some of those who have played a vital role in developing the jazz art in Montreal, and to those who are keeping the tradition alive today.
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In 1953, at the age of 16, after studying with Mary Bruce and at the High School of Performing Arts in New York, Ethel Bruneau was recruited by the dance troupe that accompanied jazz singer Cab Calloway and his big band on their North American tour. This is how she discovered Montreal and decided to settle there. Bruneau went on to sing and dance in dozens of Montreal clubs, including Rockhead’s Paradise, Aldo’s, Black Bottom, the Cavendish Club and Maroon. She has won the titles of "Miss Swing" and "Queen of Afro-Cuban" on every stage. In 1960, she began teaching in Dorion, then opened her first school on St. Catherine Street West, not far from Eva von Gencsy’s Ballet Jazz de Montréal studios. Later, she also shared her knowledge at the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in Little Burgundy. Finally, in the early 1960’s, she founded the Ethel Bruneau School of Tap Dance in Dorval, where she popularized her own style of tap dancing. After almost forty years of existence, the school ceased its activities in 2019. Ethel Bruneau trained and inspired thousands of students, including Travis Knights, winner of the Canada Council’s Jacqueline Lemieux Prize in 2020.
(Source: Les Prix de la danse de Montréal) -
Oliver Theophilus Jones, OC, CQ, pianist, organist, composer, arranger (born 11 September 1934 in Montreal, QC). A musical prodigy, Oliver Jones is one of the best-known and most talented Canadian jazz pianists of all time. He studied piano in his youth with Daisy Peterson Sweeney, sister of Oscar Peterson, and spent much of his career working in pop and variety settings. Jones drew critical notice for his technical dexterity and rollicking swing, often eliciting comparisons to Peterson. He received Félix Awards in 1989, 1994, 2007 and 2008, and Juno Awards in 1986 and 2009. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Knight of the Ordre national du Québec.
(Source: Annie Joan Gagnon, Evan Ware, The Canadian Encyclopedia) -
Michael P. Farkas is the President of the Round Table on Black History Month, Director of Youth in Motion and Coordinator of Club Énergie Arts program for children. He is passionate about Black history. He spends most of his time working with his community in order to come up with ideas and start projects to help make the world a better place. As an author-composer-singer, he has released three albums with the project Heart Hand Soul.
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Modibo Keita (performing under the name Simb0) is a multi-disciplinary artist and music entrepreneur. As a trombonist, he has recorded or performed with artists like Calypso Rose, Talib Kweli, The Digable Planets, Orchestre National de Jazz de Montréal, Clerel and Zach Zoya among others. Through his commitment to music education reform and on top of teaching regularly, Keita has led masterclasses and workshops at institutions like the University of Toronto and Augsburg University. As the artistic director and founder of The Shed Montréal, Modibo Keita has collaborated with musicians like Rich Brown, Melanie Charles, Jonathan Hoard and Tara Kannangara. As a cofounder of WE UP RE UP alongside Eric Revis (Branford Marsalis, Betty Carter), Nasheet Waits (Jason Moran, Andrew Hill) and J.D. Allen (Ron Carter, Dave Douglas), he has been working in creating spaces and opportunities for BIPOC musicians around the world to network.
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Nantali Indongo is the host of CBC Montreal's provincial arts and culture program, The Bridge, Saturdays on CBC Radio One and arts contributor for CBC Montreal. She's also a member of Nomadic Massive, a multilingual hip hop group based in Montreal. A graduate of University of Ottawa and Humber College, Nantali has shared her knowledge of music and culture as a community educator and public speaker.