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Entries in td jazz fest (2)

Sunday

Jun242012

Janelle Monáe Photos - TD Toronto Jazz Fest, Fri June 22/12

Sunday, June 24, 2012 at 2:41PM

First of all, big thanks to Janelle Monáe and her band, not to mentioned the kind folks running the TD Toronto Jazz Fest for a mindblowing show and an all around great evening.

From start to finish, Ms. Monáe put on a flawless performance full of energy and perfect vocals. Honestly, every track came off without a hitch. Opening with Dance or Die into Faster, the first two tracks off of her album The Archandroid, which also happen to be our two personal favorites, we were off to an incredible start. Janelle had a full band, including guitar and bass, drums and percussion, keys, a 3 piece string section, and a nice brass section consisting of trombone and trumpet. They are a blast to watch, you can tell everyone on stage truly loves the music, and it is apparent that they have spent some time working together, fine tuning and becoming friends.

It was live music as it should be: fun, passionate, energetic and funky as hell. We definitely did not expect to hear them cover I Want You Back, the Jackson 5 classic, but wow, incredible. We had also heard that she does some live painting on stage, and she did not disappoint, make sure you check out the photos.

All in all, we would recommend Janelle Monáe live or on record to pretty much everyone, really, what's not to love? Thanks again to Janelle Monáe, her band, and everyone at the TD Toronto Jazz Fest. Everyone we encountered was great, we would head back anytime, everyone should check it out and keep in mind, you only need tickets to get into the tent, anyone in the city can go chill in Nathan Phillips Square and watch the show for free!

Check out the other show listings here!

Janelle Monáe live in Toronto this Friday!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at 6:27PM

This Friday, June 22, The TD Toronto Jazz festival presents Janelle Monáe live on the Mainstage at Nathan Phillips Square. We figured we should brush up on our Janelle Monae, seeing as we weren't quite as familiar as we felt we should be with her body of work.

The Archandroid, her 2010 breakthrough album is a mindbending collection of engaging instrumentation with both exceptional flow and lyricism but also beautiful vocals, and the rare ability to seamlessly drift from one to the other. To be completely honest we were a little surprised this album didn't get more attention, mostly due to the fact that it is genuinely a great record.

From the jump, Dance or Die with spoken word legend Saul Williams is an incredible display of technical skill on the mic, an incredible grasp of the chop style of flow, and the ability to ride a much higher tempo beat than most emcees. Right into Faster, another uptempo feelgood jam, this time demonstrating her beautiful singing voice, and she continues to engage us throughout the album with great tracks like Tightrope with Big Boi of Outkast (who's influence is prevalent, and perfectly fitting), Wondaland and Say You'll Go. In all honestly, you won't find any filler, which can be rare nowadays, especially for a near 70 minute LP.

We can't wait to see how this incredible recording translates to a live show, and can't wait to hear some new material! Tickets are still available, go here!