Gentiane mg trio
\\ EPK //
"The three musicians share a deep bond and a poised approach beyond their years, although think the calibre of Michaud-Gagnon’s playing and composing would be a mighty rallying point for the band as a collective." -Peter hum
"Through the piano, Gentiane MG transcends emotions and plumbs the unknown."
Peter Hum / Ottawa Citizen
"Gentiane’s music is mysteriously intriguing, with the enchanting deep influences of the great impressionistic French composers like Ravel and Debussy from cultural roots lying deep within her sublime approach."
Kerilie McDowall / Award-Winning Rythm'n'ing Radio Host
“…has such depth and talent that it is undoubtedly a significant testimony of an ever-evolving prodigy.”
Tony Tremblay/ CBC, Radio -Canada
Pianist and composer Gentiane MG has established herself as an important voice as a Canadian jazz composer. She made a powerful impression on Montreal’s jazz scene with her two albums for piano trio, Eternal Cycle (2017) and Wonderland (2019). MG is releasing her third album with this ensemble, Walls Made of Glass, on September 23, 2022. MG’s trio has received several awards, including the OPUS Award for Discovery of the Year (2020), the CBC/Radio-Canada Jazz Award (2018) and the François-Marcaurelle de la GMMQ Award (2017). Eternal Cycle was highlighted by CBC Music as one of 10 outstanding Canadian jazz albums of 2017. MG has played in Canada, Mexico, China, Ivory Coast, and Germany alongside musicians such as Christine Jensen, Andre White, Yannick Rieu, Jim Doxas, , Jean-Michel Pilc and Ira Coleman, and released a duo album entitled Convergence with saxophonist Frank Lozano.
Early on, while studying and performing works from the great classical composers such as Bach, Chopin, Ravel, Debussy, Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, and Scriabin, MG was already beginning to experiment with creating music, seeking an outlet for self expression. A growing interest in improvisation led her in her late teenage years to shift her focus towards jazz, studying the masters of the tradition such as Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Bud Powell, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea.
MG’s music reflects her background as a jazz pianist as well as her early training in Conservatory as a classical pianist, incorporating the aesthetics of impressionism with the improvisational approach and rhythmic sensibility of contemporary jazz. Her compositions come together in a deeply personal universe shaped with contrasting colours, memorable melodies and intricate tensions that bring expressivity, vivacity, dream and mystery to a compelling acoustic landscape. In her trio, she is joined by bassist Levi Dover and drummer Louis-Vincent Hamel, two important voices of the Canadian creative jazz scene, who contribute their original voices to her music. Over several years of performing and touring together, the band has developed its own language, transcending genre and striving for creative freedom.
In addition to her artistic career, MG is an in-demand teacher. She has shared her experience and knowledge with students from all over the world, having been a course lecturer at McGill University and a guest lecturer at institutions such as the University of Veracruz in Mexico. She has also maintained her private teaching studio for the last 15 years.
