Dominique Fils-Aimé - Live At The Montreal International Jazz Festival - Double Vinyl LP (33 RPM)

Dominique Fils-Aimé reimagines her discography in this live album, recorded on the main stage during Montreal’s 2024 International Jazz Festival. Fils-Aimé bestows new meaning to each song by expanding her vocal range and improvising fresh melodies. The band also shows a willingness to put themselves in vulnerable positions by taking creative risks and introducing new sounds to Dominique’s repertoire. The audience responds to these acts of courage, feeding the musician’s passion, creating a place of meaningful energetic exchange.

The Montreal local draws the crowd in by opening with a quiet mood. She builds the song slowly, one riff at a time, with each note holding emotional value. This approach allows the listener to take an intimate look into Fils-Aimé’s creative process—one note or word, when felt deeply, can be the origin of a new composition. These moments, when a piercing mood is expressed clearly, are interwoven throughout the show. The hauntingly beautiful vocals in the song “Fall And All” shows Dominique’s intuitive sense. The singer cuts through the surface and into the spiritual realm, like a prayer, a soul moving mood emerges through her. The crowd falls silent, emphasizing the transcendent quality in Dominique’s voice.

Fils-Aimé’s music translates seamlessly into a live setting. Certain songs are paired together so that the end of one song blends into the beginning of the next. This strategy, like most of Dominique’s creative decisions, is intentional. Structuring the show in this way allows the artist to tell a story of energetic transformation. Every emotional impulse feeds off the mood preceding it. When viewed retrospectively, each feeling plays an integral part in how we experience the current moment. The continuity of Dominique’s performance encourages the audience to enter a flow state alongside the musicians.

This album ventures into a vast range of sound. The fun dance rhythm of “Tall Lion Down”, the ecstatic, overjoyed jam in “Love Take Over” and the refreshing shift of perspective in “While We Wait”. Fils-Aimé and all the band members involved push themselves past their comfort zones, making for a memorable performance.