Afro-cuban jazz collective bound for Phog Lounge
What started out as a project to mentor and support young female Cuban musicians, an all-female Afro-cuban jazz collective led by veteran Toronto musician Jane Bunnett has quickly made big waves in the jazz scene.
In just five years, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque has evolved into a Juno award-winning and Grammy-nominated collective with three albums under their belt and will kick off their United States tour before crossing the border with a stop in Windsor at Phog Lounge Wednesday to launch their latest album, On Firm Ground/ Tierra Firme.
“It’s going to be a really fun musical night,” said Bunnett. “We’re going to be doing music from all of the recordings we’ve done and we might even throw a couple Christmasy things in there just because it’s getting to be that time of year.”
The name Maqueque holds special meaning, loosely translating to “the fiery energy and spirit of a little girl,” which Bunnett said really struck her as a standout name for the group consisting of herself, Melvis Santa, vocals and percussion; Mary Paz, congas and vocals; Danae Olano, piano; Tailin Marrero, acoustic and electric bass and Yissy Garcia on drums. For this tour, the band will be adding Toledo-based Sacred Steel guitar player and vocalist Nikki D Brown.
While collaborating with musicians and travelling in Cuba, Bunnett said she often found herself the only woman in a group, despite there being more than 50 per cent of women enrolled in the conservatories she worked with.
“If I were out on the scene at like a jam session or playing at a jazz festival in Havana I would often see some of the young students I was interacting with — the women just sitting on the sidelines and never playing,” Bunnett said.
“A lot of the time they wouldn’t even have their instruments they were there watching their boyfriends play. I would be up there and once again be the only female.”
She said she met Maqueque founding member and vocalist Dayme Arocena in Havana and invited her to a jam session, inspiring her to put together a female ensemble with Arocena.
“The rehearsals were pretty disastrous because of the problems that happen in Cuba,” said Bunnett. “There were electrical blackouts and I’d be at someplace rehearsing the group and all of a sudden all the electricity would go down and we were like sitting in the dark for four or five hours.”
Despite any hiccups, the group put out its first album, Jane Bunnett & Maqueque, in 2015, receiving Juno Award recognition and its second album received both Grammy and Juno nods.
“I didn’t start out with the idea of this having a social conscious of sending that message to women to get out and do their thing but it has taken on,” Bunnett said.
“Everybody gets better by getting the opportunity,” Bunnett said. “You can practice all you want in your room but unless you get the forum to get out on a stage and collectively do your thing in front of an audience it’s really hard to develop.”
Phog Lounge is located at 157 University Ave. W. Tickets for Wednesday’s show are $20 at the door.