Fresh from touring France in November, with upcoming Canadian tour dates this year and a new album slated for release in May, the Souljazz Orchestra is heading full force into 2008.
The independent band’s success has been growing internationally since its creation in 2002. BBC Radio One’s Gilles Peterson, an influential radio host, nominated Souljazz Orchestra’s single, Mista President, one of his top 10 tracks of 2006.
The band’s second album, Freedom No Go Die, has also received rave reviews from magazines including England’s Straight No Chaser and Toronto’s Exclaim!, while also being picked one of 2007’s top albums by the Montreal Mirror and Vancouver’s Highlife World Music.
“It was kind of surprising because we are a small local Ottawa band,” says Pierre Chrétien, the band’s founder and songwriter. “We have a lot more support overseas than here.”
The Souljazz Orchestra mixes elements of afrobeat, funk, jazz and Cuban rhythms to create a distinct afrofunk groove. Chrétien says the band also incorporates North American influences to create the Souljazz Orchestra’s unique sound.
Afrobeat was created by the Nigerian Fela Kuti after a brief visit to Los Angeles in 1969, where he discovered the Black Panther movement and James Brown. He incorporated these influences with West African highlife music to invent the style of music that eventually gained him international stardom by the mid-1970s.
Kuti used his music to protest against the Nigerian government and African post-colonial mentality. This spurred the population and landed him in jail on several occasions. Kuti continued to produce albums throughout his life until he died of AIDS-related complications in 1997.
Chrétien says one of his most memorable performances was sharing the stage with Femi Kuti, the son of afrobeat’s creator, at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest last year. “It was fun to get support from him,” says Chrétien.
Marielle Rivard, the lone female of the group, says that the Souljazz Orchestra’s political message can be serious. “But it doesn’t mean you can’t really enjoy it.” She became an official member in 2007 after performing as a guest vocalist on both of Souljazz Orchestra’s albums and during live performances.
Rivard also lends her hands to the shekere, the small beaded gourd which she says is the staple of African music. “It’s really afrobeat’s heartbeat,” says Chrétien.
Souljazz Orchestra got their break on Babylon Nightclub’s stage. Adam Kronick, the owner and manager, remembers when the band used to play at the venue once a week. “This was a few years back,” says Kronick. “They played periodically once every few months bringing in bigger and bigger crowds and became more and more popular,” he says.
The band eventually earned a weekly timeslot for two years. Chrétien says playing every week forced the band to get better at their craft. A heavy touring schedule, which included the jazz festival circuit in eastern and western Canada, forced the band to quit. “Now they only play every few months,” says Kronick.
Chrétien is still unsure if Do Right! Music will pick up Souljazz’s third album, Manifesto. The independent Toronto-based label re-released Freedom No Go Die in 2007.
Chrétien says the band is looking forward to the release, because the new album will have only original singles. But the Souljazz Orchestra will not be taking a break after Manifesto. “We are thinking about going on tour in Europe, and maybe Asia,” says Chrétien.
The Souljazz Orchestra is scheduled to perform in Ottawa at the Babylon Nightclub on Feb. 8 at 10 p.m.