Briga launches the Balkan pop Diaspora
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In Toronto
Tuesday, February 23rd, 8pm, at Hugh’s Room
Tickets $10 in advance, $12 at the door
Reservations: 416-531-6604
In Kingston
Februrary 24th at The Mansion
To heck with women in rock. When was the last time you saw a woman fronting a Balkan pop ensemble?
Well, meet Briga, a Geoff Berner accompanist and Les Gitans de Sarajevo and Rembetika Hipsters alumnus who is stepping out from her sideman (er, sidewoman) status to launch her debut solo project, Diaspora.
Having already made her mark on Montreal, where she is an esteemed member of the Gypsy revival scene, she is now preparing her entry into Toronto with the launch of Diaspora February 23rd at Hugh’s Room. Those who attend can expect an evening of entertainment that befits the cabaret-style lay-out of the venue.
Diaspora is a toast to the great Canadian culturefuck – Balkan jazz, French chanson and contemporary art song, all performed with the youthful exuberance of someone who feels at home in her hyphenated identity. The album is divided into a double disc set to showcase two distinct aspects of Briga’s talent. Disc one is pure Balkan Gypsy groove – jazzy instrumental violin music. Disc two is French chanson and a whole lot more. Briga composed two of the instrumental numbers and all but one of the tracks on the vocal disc. Its lead-off, “The Empress,” recently won the Best Music prize at the Stepping Stone Film Festival in Chennai (did I mention Briga is also an award-winning independent film-maker?). She also performs three traditional instrumentals, a pair of compositions by contemporary Eastern European artists and a cover of Les Paul’s “Johnny Tu N’est Pas Un Ange.” Throughout the album, Briga plays with intensity, sings with a theatrical flair and hits some really high notes – both figuratively and literally. It’s an auspicious debut from someone who’s already had to work twice as hard as the guys just to prove her metal.
The granddaughter of a Polish concert pianist and the daughter of a Warsaw Symphony Orchestra performer, the former Brigitte Dajczer was introduced to the violin at age four. As a youth, she played with a women in rock ensemble in Calgary before being discovered and recruited by the members of the nationally acclaimed Rembetika Hipters, a favourite Greek/Balkan act on the Canadian festival circuit. In 2001, Briga returned to Montreal – her mother’s hometown and the city of her birth – where she stubbornly muscled her way into the male-dominated Algerian music scene, often playing in venues where – unofficially at least – women aren’t welcome. It was while playing with the Algerian hip hop band Syncop, that she was once again discovered and recruited by some of the top musicians in town – this time by Les Gitans de Sarajevo.
Adopted by Montreal’s Serbo-Croat community and rechristened “Briga” – “moya briga” is a term of endearment that translates approximately into “my burden” – she has flourished in Montreal’s multilingual, multicultural musical melting pot. With Diaspora, she is now presenting her own take on the Balkan Gypsy musical revival.