Lancement - Beth McKenna - "Beyond Here" Album Launch
Beth McKenna presents

Lancement - Beth McKenna - "Beyond Here" Album Launch

Virtual Event
October 27th 2021
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm / Doors: 7:00 pm (EDT)
For more information about this event, please contact Beth McKenna at beth.mckenna2@gmail.com.

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LIVESTREAM TICKET ONLY - In-person tickets available via L'Astral Website

“Beyond Here” is inspired by individuals, actions and ideas that radiate out to change the world far beyond what is directly in front of us. Written almost entirely before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was reflecting on how the world around us was shaped - how the needs and views of an individual, corporation, political entity or organization can turn the lives of others upside down. 

Although this album was mostly written (aside from “After the Storm”--which is a shred of hope for life post-pandemic) before COVID-19, we were already headed for a potential planet-wide crises. This included a race against global warming (“Running Out”), facing pollution-related catastrophes in water sources (“Tides”), global leaders influencing millions of people-- fueled by hate and discrimination (“Interlude: Human Malfunction”) against people of diversity. The album also is influenced by observing the ongoing cultural assimilation and fusions of cultural identities in developing countries (“Streets of Mexico City”), healing of relations between countries, affecting those with walls and impermeable borders (“From Divided to One”) and the ever-evolving tech race to replace humans’ roles in society (“Ele(ctro)phant”). 

The album also has tracks inspired by some of my own personal experiences (“Perspective”) in the last few years - including shifting and adapting to ongoing life changes (“Far from Familiar Ground”), learning to look at the big picture in order to maintain mental health (“Letting Go”) and stay grounded while the world around us seems to crumble. 

Beth McKenna - Saxophones, Flute, Compositions
Sarah Rossy - Vocals (Special guest)
Guillaume Martineau - Piano & Keyboards
François Jalbert - Guitar
Olivier Babaz - Electric & Upright Basses
Peter Colantonio - Drums

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LIVESTREAM TICKET ONLY - In-person tickets available via L'Astral Website

“Beyond Here” is inspired by individuals, actions and ideas that radiate out to change the world far beyond what is directly in front of us. Written almost entirely before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was reflecting on how the world around us was shaped - how the needs and views of an individual, corporation, political entity or organization can turn the lives of others upside down. 

Although this album was mostly written (aside from “After the Storm”--which is a shred of hope for life post-pandemic) before COVID-19, we were already headed for a potential planet-wide crises. This included a race against global warming (“Running Out”), facing pollution-related catastrophes in water sources (“Tides”), global leaders influencing millions of people-- fueled by hate and discrimination (“Interlude: Human Malfunction”) against people of diversity. The album also is influenced by observing the ongoing cultural assimilation and fusions of cultural identities in developing countries (“Streets of Mexico City”), healing of relations between countries, affecting those with walls and impermeable borders (“From Divided to One”) and the ever-evolving tech race to replace humans’ roles in society (“Ele(ctro)phant”). 

The album also has tracks inspired by some of my own personal experiences (“Perspective”) in the last few years - including shifting and adapting to ongoing life changes (“Far from Familiar Ground”), learning to look at the big picture in order to maintain mental health (“Letting Go”) and stay grounded while the world around us seems to crumble. 

Beth McKenna - Saxophones, Flute, Compositions
Sarah Rossy - Vocals (Special guest)
Guillaume Martineau - Piano & Keyboards
François Jalbert - Guitar
Olivier Babaz - Electric & Upright Basses
Peter Colantonio - Drums

beth.mckenna2@gmail.com
www.bethmckenna.ca

Beth McKenna

One of Montreal’s most versatile and in-demand musicians, Beth has made her name as a rapidly-rising artist through her music's reach all over Canada and across North America. Since moving to Montreal in 2008, Beth performs professionally on flute, clarinet and saxophones (tenor, alto and soprano), and also doubles on piccolo, alto flute, EWI and piano as secondary instruments. Beth’s inspirations for writing and composing come from personal life experiences, places, events which have taken place and certain people who have played a role in shaping her life. She strives to retell stories from her life through music, allowing the music to inspire the listener to visualize situations she is retelling or places she is describing, while still writing in a mixed genre and style that appeals to a wide range of critics and listeners. Beth's unique writing style is one that strives to be accessible for all, appealing to a wide range of musical tastes by pulling popular musical idiomatic trends from the mainstream into her writing—best described as jazz-fusion, jazz-rock and cinematic jazz. “Beyond Here” continues as a departure, as a creative and ground-breaking development in progressive jazz-fusion writing from Beth’s earlier progressive-jazz work in Home: Montreal. Spaces Beyond Here focuses on global issues and using them as a point of inspiration for another series of works, creating a full-length, epic and high-energy concert work and studio recording. Given all of the issues facing the world right now, this work is one that will have a high value not only domestically across Canada, but all over the world. "Beyond Here" is best described as a mix of jazz-rock, fusion, cinematic jazz, and soul. Intended as an illustration of situations and global problems that are not only in front of us, but affecting the entire planet and the human race as a whole, quickly changing how we live each day—identifying and illustrating environmental, social, societal, economic, cultural and international relations issues. These illustrations look to give perspective and awareness of these problems and issues through a programmatic, through-composed writing approach and inspiration from true events. www.bethmckenna.ca