Concert review: Montreal Guitar Trio (further "MGT")
The concert took place in Mustpeade Maja, Tallinn. In Valge Saal (white hall) 23.07.05 at 8 pm.

Folk and academic
This trio can be taken as folk-music players. With the typical sins and virtues it has. The strongest side is the stage-behaviour. They are making jokes, feel free. It was obvious, that the positive response from audience warmed them out at the end. It gives a lot of energy, if performer feels, that the audience is "on his side" not against him. I have felt sometimes this: couple of warm applauses can give the wings. Academic performes aren't usually too relaxed on the stage. But this eminates from the nature of music himself. There is no need for anecdotes, when there is academic music being played. Academic musicians have still something to learn from those folk-fellows.
I liked the approach of "MGT" to guitar though. It was sincere. They were squeezing everything out from guitar. This is the way to go. Best academic players have same attitude. There is no excuse for not to use all power of it.
The sin of folk-musicians is the speed-cult. Excessive speed of music is killing the character in it. It cuts the "sweet corners" out. And, folk musicians aren't usually too form-aware. It is actually the result of speed: If characters are vanishing, the form (or feel of change, returning and ending) is disappearing, too.

Sound balance of ensemble
Negative thing was bad balance between heavily strumming accompaniment and solo-one-string-player. Strummer was too loud for subtle solo-player. Soundengineer can fix this in studio, but in live there is a problem.

Music for background and for listening
Generally the music of "MGT" is for background, not for listening in academic hall. It does not have too much musical meaning in it. But there is lot of technique and rhytm. It was pity, that there was no place to dance. Class of wine would suit perfectly, too. The situation was a bit alienated.

Common motives of other cultures
"MGT" is open for other cultures as one of them acclaimed. But it is not going too far from common imagination about strange culture. If one improvizes on black keys of keyboard and thinks, that he is open to chinese culture, then this is one kind of openness. It is possible to go far further from it. But "MGT"-s intention isn't to go too far. They are staying on "black keys". They are exploiting the common fetishes of other cultures: the common flamenco-rumba, the common indian sitar-bourdon-playing, the common reggey. Nothing too strange. "MGT" is mainstream band. They are excessivly exploiting the listeners "I have heared this somewhere, hey, I know It"-feeling.
Allar