A
retreat is a place affording peace, quietude and sanctuary; it's
an environment conducive to the replenishment of body and mind.
Think of a Zen retreat around which a community of like-minded
people gathers in pursuit of a common goal or purpose.
United
in an over-riding passion for the guitar, people from all over
the world come to Montreal to share their love of the instrument
and the very particular music it generates. For three consecutive
days, in a venue all to itself (Montreal’s Palais des congrès),
the Montreal
Guitar Show (MGS) concentrates what is best in
the guitar in both its arduous production (one hand-made guitar
at a time), and the very special ambience the generic guitar sound
produces.
The
guitar sets itself apart from all other instruments by the manner
in which its string-generated pluck so easily and naturally suffuses
with the invisible world around us. When wood, that has been meticulously
treated, and string are purposefully married, the guitar, like
no other instrument, is able to articulate the fragility and delicacy
of acoustic space. It’s as if the guitar sound was invented
to dissolve the indifference that separates us from the spaces
we always inhabit. Creating an environment that disposes the visitor
to avail himself to what is sublime in the guitar is perhaps the
MGS’s most endearing accomplishment.
Walking
the two short blocks from the Montreal Jazz Festival site to the
MGS this year, I was accompanied by the ever-present unruly background
din and cacophony common to all big cities. Then up the escalator
and into the alt-world of the guitar salons and I immediately
felt healed and restored, and privy to a sea breeze of sounds
that cannot be produced by even the most loving relationship between
metal and human breath (trumpet, sax, trombone). When a fledging
bird takes aim at the skies, we look to the guitar, and not the
trumpet, to describe that first fragile fluttering of wing.
MGS founder
and guitar junkie, Jacques-André
Dupont, believes
the 3-day event, which includes exhibitors, salons, workshops,
guitar lessons, mini concerts, is one of the most comprehensive
in the world -- and it’s only in its 3rd year and growing
exponentially. Embedded in the world famous Montreal International
Jazz Festival, it has taken on a life and personality of its own
and deservingly so. 
The guitar
in its present form dates back to 15th century Spain, having borrowed
what is best from the more medieval lute and mandolin. As such,
its long history has been mostly acoustic, and for the first two
years of the MGS, the salons reflected that long and illustrious
tradition. But the electrification of the guitar, as an historical
advent, has been revolutionary, and Jacques-André felt
that a room dedicated to its emergence and pre-eminence was in
order. If music has always been the medium of choice through which
we confess our most private, unedited feelings, the electric guitar
has become the instrument of choice in trying to make sense of
a world whose rapid pace of change is the defining challenge of
our times. In consideration of the almost infinite variety of
sounds and feelings the electric guitar is able to generate, we
now look to it -- above all other instruments -- to parry and
particularize the effects modernity. So with the addition of the
electric guitar salon, the MSG is more inclusive than ever in
bringing together a range of guitar sounds and effects that tell
a story (our story) -- a work in progress.
The
centrepiece of the MGS is its luthiers. The best in the world
are pre-selected and invited to come to Montreal and exhibit axes
bold as love to die for. Last year’s show resulted in approximately
2 million dollars in sales, such is the quality of the workmanship
and our propensity to buy what some of us can’t afford and
cannot refuse.
And if
you’re a junkie for guitar talk, the luthiers are only too
happy to share their secrets. Made-to-measure takes on new dimensions
when it comes to fitting someone up with a guitar. In sizing up
the quality and texture of sound made by the finger striking the
string, the luthier will consider the brittleness of the client’s
fingernails as well as their curvature.
If a
singer is more comfortable singing in C (guitars are constructed
in E), a luthier may suggest a longer neck with added frets (for
the reverse capo effect), provided the fingers can handle the
additional stretching. And if the musician plays unplugged, the
luthier will remind the player that down tuning to C requires
a loosening of the strings which results in a significant reduction
in the projection of the sound.
It goes
without saying the guitar world’s small details play big
in attracting huge numbers to the MGS. And at the end of the day,
they are rewarded with a handsome selection of concerts delivered
by some of the best guitarists in the world.
This
year’s Guitarissimo series featured nine concerts running
over three days. The programmers (J.A. Dupont and Frédéric
Poulin) made sure the full dynamic and expressive
range of the guitar was on full display. Audiences were treated
to memorable solo concerts from chording master Russell
Malone and the inimitable Stanley Jordon. The traditional
classical sound was warmly provided by Muriel Anderson and Valérie
Duchâteau. Shred master Monte Montgomery dazzled with his
combination of finger and pick style playing: He recently made
Guitar Player’s list of top 50 guitarists of all
time. Frank Vignola and his trio reminded us why the standards
are forever. Sylvain Provost
expertly navigated between playing it softy and electric: his
fusion solos were series highlights. Local guitarist Oliver Langevin
made a strong case for the Guitar Hero playing style, delivering
rich and sensuous, multi-layered melody lines dipped in sonic
acid and molten metal. Following in the fevered footsteps of Joe
Satriani et al, Langevin turned the polite venue (Cinquième
Salle) into a post-industrial sound chamber to the delight of
loyal following and new converts alike.
In recognition
of the incredible contribution the greatest international guitarists
have made to the instrument and the music, the MGS organizers
created the Tribute Award, which this year went to future Hall
of Famer Jeff Beck, one of the most respected players in the guitar
pantheon.
And with
that, a fitting conclusion to yet another remarkable Montreal
Guitar Show and a reminder to stay the course with those passing
chords to the 2010 edition.
Interview
of Frédéric
Poulin - Music Festival Programmer
Report
filed by Robert J. Lewis
Photo Credits: © Marcel Dubois
