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French-Canadian flute player Nadia Labrie is famous for her classical recordings of works by Schubert, Bach, and Mozart. Her latest project, Flûte passion: Claude Bolling – Suite pour flûte et trio piano jazz, celebrates the work of French composer Claude Bolling, who died in 2020 at the age of 90. Labrie says Bolling’s music has expanded her artistry; she is saluting him with a concert at Place des Arts on May 2.
The Quebec-based artist has performed as a soloist with a variety of orchestras including Orchestre symphonique de Québec and Orchestre symphonique de l’Estuaire. Her classical Flûte passion series (2018-2021) was created through a series of difficult circumstances—the final album was finished during the coronavirus pandemic. “I needed a light in my life,” she recalls. “You just hear the name ‘Mozart’ and you smile.” However, the music of Bolling is different. “I think I just wanted to explore something new,” she says.
Her introduction to Bolling’s work came through the uncle of Labrie’s husband, a fan of his famous “Baroque And Blue.” The piece is the first in the seven-movement Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio No. 1, Bolling’s 1973 composition fusing classical and jazz and written for piano, drums, upright bass, and flute. Acclaimed French flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal recorded the work in 1975 (earning him a Grammy nomination), as well as Bolling’s followup, Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio No. 2, in 1986.
For Labrie, Rampal’s recordings were a stepping stone. “When I was listening, I thought: ‘Oh my goodness, he’s so good!’ It’s absolutely perfect phrasing and done with a lot of character and feeling,” she notes, “but at a certain point I began to hear how I wanted to play it myself.”
The process of learning Bolling’s work provided a strong contrast to Labrie’s classical background. “I’ve practised (classical repertoire) all my life, so it was already in my fingers, but with Bolling it was like: ‘What can I do with this?’ I knew I wanted it to have my own sensibility.”
Her individualistic approach was supported by fellow musicians involved with the project—Jonathan Turgeon on piano, Dominic Girard on double bass, and Bernard Riche on drums—who performed Bolling’s work with Labrie in a series of live dates last year. They join her at Place des Arts in May. “At the beginning I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it,” she says, “but I just went for it—and playing this music is so much fun!”
Flutist Nadia Labrie presents her brand-new project Flûte passion : Claude Bolling-Suite pour flûte et trio piano jazz. May 2, 8 p.m at Place des Arts in Montreal. www.placedesarts.com
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