The band Trifolia does not waste a minute of their time, nor yours. Barely a year after their first steps as an instrumental trio, they are releasing the album Refuge and going on a cross-Canada tour. They’ve already showcased their compositions at the renowned German jazz festival, Jazzahead.
On Jun—–e 18, Trifolia will kick-start their tour in the Yukon’s capital.
Trifolia is Marianne Trudel on piano, accordion and vocals, Etienne Lafrance on double bass and Patrick Graham on percussions.
“We all come from very different musical backgrounds,” explains band leader Marianne Trudel. “I’m a jazzwoman, Etienne plays for the Québec Symphonic Orchestra and Patrick is a Japanese and Arabic percussions specialist. This eclectic mix creates a very unique sound and allows us a great sense of freedom as musicians.”
Trifolia is a place for these three high-calibre musicians to let their creativity run completely loose. Even though it’s very influenced by jazz, this trio doesn’t fit in any precise genre.
“We play with different styles, sounds and rhythms without ever censoring ourselves.” says Trudel.
In this creative environment, the piano player decided to give her keys a break and pick up an accordion for the first time.
“I also started singing by mistake,” Trudel says, laughing. “I was humming along to a song during an improv one day and the accordion microphone picked up my voice. Etienne and Patrick loved it! As a result, I sing on a record for the first time of my career.”
Spontaneity is a major part of the band.
“Improvisation is what I strive for. I compose in a way to leave lots of room for what the present moment will bring to the songs.” explains Trudel. “There is nothing like stepping on stage not knowing what’s going to happen once you start playing.”
The three band members are comfortable with each other because they were musical accomplices before this trio.
“We met playing together in another musical project and we hit it off. Playing and improvising together comes so naturally.”
The word Trifolia is often applied to a plant with three leaves growing from one common stem. If you know a few French words, you already know it also suggests they might be a bit crazy.
In a good way.
Trifolia plays Tuesday, June 18 at the Old Fire Hall. There is an artist’s talk titled “What is this thing called jazz?” from 5:30 -— 7:00 p.m., free admission, followed by the show and Yukon CD release at 7:30.
Tickets are $20 adult, $15 teens, $5 children. They can be purchased at
www.yukontickets.com, Arts Underground and the YAC Box Office.
