On Februray 3, two of Canada’s top jazz artists shared centrestage with two of India’s best musicians to create truly spectacular classic fusion!

Heritage Jazz presented Francois Bourassa, a Quebecois jazz pianist and Jeanne Rochette, a Quebecois chanteuse par excellence, along with Sheldon D’Silva, one of India’s best bassists and drummer Gino Banks; a perfect selection of artists, each contributing pure prowess and impeccable style as they fused
together.
While Francois and Jeanne perform together at most of their concerts in Canada and across the globe, it was only the third time they were performing with these two talented Indian musicians. The way they supported each other on stage and the easy flow of rhythm and vocals was pure
harmony.
Jeanne was a singing classic, complete with her dramatic style and coquettish expression; she is a true ‘bete de scene’, able to mesmerise her audiences with her energy, vocal prowess, intelligence, wit and charm, all rolled into one. Francois delighted everyone on the piano, the light in his eyes bouncing off its surface as his fingers played magic and supported Jeanne’s vocals brilliantly. Sheldon was a sensation on the bass and created beautiful rhythm while Gino kept the tempo on the drums in his cool impressive style.
‘Mes deux Medhi’, composed and performed by Jeanne was a true vocal rhapsody as she captured and thrilled with her voice, theatrics and grace. The show stealer however was a beautiful blend of Indian classical and western Jazz vocals by Gino and Jeanne that left everyone speechless.
“The people were so nice and the feeling just right” exclaimed Jeanne in her natural sweet manner while Gino said “The vibe of the place was too good, something very different.”
The jazz yard filled up to the brim on a Wednesday night which truly highlighted the type of quality and world class presentation that Heritage Jazz represents. Each show over the last couple of months has been brilliant! It was the last courtyard show for this season and what a way to end it. There was an electric buzz around the place and the energy was simply amazing.
The curtains had to close and after an encore to please the pleading audience, there were the last strums of guitar, a few piano notes and an emphatic ‘Merci Beaucoup’ from Jeanne.