The story...
Crédit: Tina Signatures
Crédit: Tina Signatures
Crédit: Laurie Bélanger
Crédit: Tina Signatures
'' [...] they sing the double bass and percussion parts. The rhythm section is just their voices, without any piano. And they do all this like champs, as the locals might say. ''
- Serge Truffaut
Le Devoir
Jazz Affair has now been around for ten years, making their way as one of the rare Canadian a cappella groups working in jazz. This sextet combines six unique voices that unite into a dynamic and colourful whole: Luce Bélanger (soprano) Marie-Pier Deschênes (mezzo-soprano), Camille Legault Coulombe (alto), Jean-François Aubin (tenor), Louis Laprise (baryton) and Christian B. Poulin (bass). Their repertoire is composed of jazz standards and original arrangements of famous songs, to which they add a jazz flavour.
From the very start, they drew attention by the quality of their arrangements and their interpretations. Their work has been recognized at the Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival in New York, where they walked away with two prizes in 2012. Since then, the band has made many appearances at large-scale shows and festivals in Canada (a tour in British Columbia in 2018, a tour in the Maritime in 2019 and a tour in Alberta 2020). Jazz Affair has two albums in its discography: Wishes (2019) and Jam (2017). In 2020, the sextet is nominated at three distinct awards; the Prix Opus (Québec) in the “Jazz concert of the year” category, at the JUNO awards (Canada) for the “Vocal Jazz Album of the Year” and at the Independant Music Awards in the “Jazz album with vocals” category. At the same award, Jazz Affair won the Vox Pop prize for their song “Jour heureux”.