Hélène Leone
Date 17 June 2005, 8pm Venue Studio 16, Maison de la francophonie
Reviewer John Jane
Musicians Hélène Leone - vocals; David Sinclair – guitar; Michael Creber – piano & accordion; Brian Newcombe – bass guitar; Shawn Soucy – percussion
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Hélène Leone |
Exactly two years ago, I saw Hélène Leone for the first time as an uncredited warm-up act for the Diane Dufresne Spectacle on West 7th Avenue’s Outdoor Stage.
For the 2005 festival, the Montreal-born chanteuse was front and centre on the tiny Studio 16 stage in a concert performance aimed at promoting the release of her debut CD.
Leone has now lived in the Lower Mainland since the age of four, though she is still solidly connected to her Québécois musical roots.
Backed by an excellent four-piece band that included her musical collaborator, guitarist David Sinclair, Michael Creber on piano and accordion, Brian Newcombe on bass guitar and Shawn Soucy on drums, Madame Leone demonstrated her abundant talent for weaving together jazz standards and contemporary pop songs and giving them original interpretations.
Her opening number, "La
Lune est grise... mon cœur aussi," (made famous by Ella
Fitzgerald in the forties as “How High the Moon”)
was an excellent example of her eclectic approach as she alternated seamlessly
between the English and French versions.
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A selection of songs taken from Leone’s CD followed; including "Jézébel," a song immortalized by Frankie Laine and a stripped-down version of "A marée basse (low tide)" accompanied only by David Sinclair on guitar and dancer Madeleine Scott exhibiting some expressive ballet jazz.
Like many seasoned Francophone artists, Madame Leone saved the best till the end. Returning after the break, wearing a classic black dress, she delighted the audience with a musical hall styled rendition of the Madeleine Peyroux song, “Was I drunk, was he handsome.” By contrast, the plaintive "Te laisser faire" seemed to touch a raw nerve with many of her francophone fans.
Pressed for an encore, Leone and her band obliged with a surprising, yet agreeable version of “My Way.” Not the Paul Anka adaptation, written as a homage to Frank Sinatra's swaggering style, but the original Comme d'habitude, composed by Gilles Thibault, Jacques Revaux & Claude François, delivered as a compelling love song full of yearning.
As an artist based in Vancouver, Hélène Leone has worked hard to establish her reputation in the Francophone community. I hope her album does well. She deserves it.
The Festival d'été
francophone de Vancouver continues until Saint Jean- Baptiste Day, on
24 June.
© 2005 John Jane