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| Mélissa Laveaux & Marie-josée Houle At Zaphod Beeblebrox Mélissa Laveaux & Marie-josée Houl will perform at Zaphod Beeblebrox, 27 York Street, Ottawa, Canada on Sunday, December 28, 2008. Born in Montreal to a proud Haitian family, Mélissa Laveaux grew up conscious of the context of her cultural roots while moving around South-eastern Ontario before settling in Ottawa. In February 2008, Mélissa settled into a cozy little apartment on the right-bank of the Seine in Paris. She has been trekking and performing across the French countryside and several citysides ever since, including a notable performance at the Moods in Zurich, Switzerland. Mélissa grew up to the sounds of Martha Jean-Claudes kreyol calypso ballads, Morcheeba's down-tempo electronic soul, and whatever samba and bossa nova (Adriana Calcanhotto) she could afford to get her hands on. In 2006 Melissa self-produced and released her first full-length album Camphor & Copper, and was the recipient of the Ontario Council of Folk Festival's Songs From the Heart Award in the World Music category for the kreyol song "Koudlo". Her music is drawn from a deep and intimate knowledge of the global musical milieu, a bilingual raw mix of acoustic soul/jazz and percussive kreyol folklore. A fresh offering to the folk music scene, it is folk that has bedded and bled with other genres. Born in Val d'Or, Quebec and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Marie-Josée Houle celebrates her dual cultural roots through music. Singing and writing in both English and French, she brings the Townships to the Prairies and beyond. No polkas or foxtrots for this accordion diva; instead, she combines her classical, punk rock, and French cabaret sensibilities into one sultry stew of sound. In 2008, Marie-Josée continued to journey across Canada and to Europe. She finished her second album in Oslo, Norway with the support of her Canadian and Norwegian backing bands and producer Marius Gengenbach. On October 16, 2008, Marie-Josée Houle released her sophomore CD "Monsters" at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa moments after she was informed that she earned a nomination for Best Folk Album of 2008 by the Ottawa XPress. Monsters continues to chart across Canada and to receive stellar reviews nationally and internationally. She continues to transport the streets and cafés of Paris to the clubs, theatres and festivals of Canada and beyond. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |