Gentiane MG - Album release
- M Media jazz
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Saguenay-born pianist and composer Gentiane MG (Gentiane Michaud Gagnon) has released her fourth album, *Can You Hear the Birds?*
A fully realized and deeply resonant work, *Can You Hear the Birds?* marks a pivotal moment in the artistic journey of this leading figure in contemporary Canadian jazz. At the heart of the album lies a guiding idea that Gentiane describes as a connection to others in all their forms: a connection to human beings, to the natural world, to the creative process, but also to parts of oneself still in development. Rather than telling specific stories, the music opens up vast emotional spaces, allowing the listener to navigate freely between turbulence and calm, grief and joy, vulnerability and strength.
With *Can You Hear the Birds?*, Gentiane evolves significantly towards a more open approach, a more assertive curiosity about the world. While her previous albums adopted a more introspective stance, this one turns resolutely outward, embracing movement, curiosity, and clarity, without ever sacrificing emotional depth. Nourished by experiences of friendship, loss, illness, forgiveness, and renewal, the music presents itself as a living, shared work that meets the listener where they are and invites them to move forward.
Can You Hear the Birds? was recorded with his longtime collaborators, bassist Levi Dover and drummer Mark Nelson. Together, they have released three critically acclaimed albums on which the trio prioritizes a listening-based creative process, allowing the music to evolve organically rather than through strictly intellectual construction. This approach lends the album a strong sense of urgency, fluidity, and lived experience.
Confident and coherent, *Can You Hear the Birds?* confirms Gentiane Michaud Gagnon as a composer who readily embraces complexity, openness, and emotional truth. The album brings together clarity and depth in a powerful artistic gesture, establishing itself as a major work in the career of one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Canadian jazz.
LISTEN
Can you hear the birds : https://gentianemg.bandcamp.com/album/can-you-hear-the-birds
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