Skip to main content

Maverick Ad

Home

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Cover Stories
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Legacy Awards
  • Past Covers
  • Weekly Archive
Ottawa-based Composer Huguette Lavigne Makes Her Piano Dance on the “Rails”

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Ottawa-based Composer Huguette Lavigne Makes Her Piano Dance on the “Rails”
Huguette Lavigne
Fri May 07, 2021
Cashbox Canada

Ottawa-based pianist and composer Huguette Lavigne returns with another sparkling addition to her collection of solo piano pieces, “Rails”.

Featuring a lovely, dancing upper melody supported by ascending arpeggios, “Rails” carries the listener along a sun-dappled stream just shy of three minutes long. Much like many of her over 40 piano works, this is another beautiful manifestation of Lavigne’s desire to let go and let the muse take her wherever it pleases. 

Check out “Rails” on YouTube here:

“There is something about breaking the rules that can be terribly satisfying,” she says. “My fingers sometimes go where they want to on the keyboard and at times I sort of have to take them back home or rein them in.”

Lavigne’s playing and composing are truly extensions of her physical and mental being. She’s an artist who eschews the tradition of meticulously notating her compositions in favour of relying on a shorthand of her own to facilitate recall for future performances. Her final compositions are eventually stored entirely in her head and fingers. Once they’re recorded she moves on to the next piece.

“Not notating everything down keeps things fresh,” explains Lavigne. “You are open to new phrases and resolutions. This is risky, but oh so satisfying!”

Lavigne’s expressive songs are also satisfyingly plentiful. The prolific pianist has released four full-length recordings over the past five years. Her latest album, Five O’Clock Somewhere, was released in 2020, while “Rails” is from her third collection, Free and Easy, originally released in 2019. Her first album, Black Tie Affair, debuted in 2015 and a second collection of her works, Yin and Yang, was issued in 2018.

Lavigne was raised in a milieu of three Canadian cultures, Franco Ontarian, Quebecois, and English Canadian. She studied composition at McGill University and piano at l’université de Montréal. Consequently, her music has a melting pot of influences including elements of Neo-Classicism, Neo-Romanticism, Minimalism, Jazz, Folk and Classical.

“There has always been something alluring about the pieces I studied, loved and discovered over the years,” recalls Lavigne. “They are valuable, inspired specimens of the universal landscape we have all inherited and that we live in today. The fabric of that music inspires me to this day.”

Lavigne’s composing inspiration always comes from a deeply personal place but the variety of influences she has had can often make what comes out of her fingers surprising.

“Somehow and unexpectedly, a style, theme, mood, emotion or vision is released from the deep recesses of memory,” she explains. “It’s a place where the subjective is stored and it surprises me when it lets something loose. Then, I either capture it, or let it go.”

We can’t wait to see where her head, heart and fingers will take her next but, for now, Huguette Lavigne’s “Rails” is available now.

Fore more on Huguette Lavigne visit:
pianonotesottawa.ca/
soundcloud.com/huguette-lavigne/03-rails-wav
open.spotify.com/artist/263xHg7rf2m9BJsVg1Ler3?si=e585a7c252e3405c&nd=1

Reviews
Album
Huguette Lavigne
Month: Sep 2022
The Discarded Rockers THE DISCARDED Send “Thoughts and Prayers” In Provocative New Single
Moncton’s Upkvst Gets Clean, Releases Boom-Bap “Midnight Club” Moncton’s Upkvst Gets Clean, Releases Boom-Bap “Midnight Club”
Opal Voss Opal Voss’s Debut Album Played A Fundamental Role In Realizing Her Identity…
Osas Igbinosun Nigerian-Born, Edmonton-Based Pop Singer Osasioo Releases Future…
Sarantos Chicago-Based Sarantos Reminds Us To Strive For Happiness In “I Wish” Single
The McAuley Boys The McAuley Boys Are Back To Remind Us Of Family And Human…
Robinson Kirby Robinson Kirby Releases Fresh Folk Old To Blossoming Relationships…
Travis Dolter Travis Dolter Releases ABBA Tribute In “Does Your Mother Know” And…
Vivienne Cure Look Out! London, UK's Vivienne Cure Unleashes Haunting "…
Baltimore Breakout Rapper Von Tae Delivers Heartfelt Retellings Of Harrowing Hardships With Release of "On God" Baltimore Breakout Rapper Von Tae Delivers Heartfelt Retellings Of…
Road Waves The Groovy Soulful Road Waves Release “Small World” Single…
Jazz Singer Alex Bird Swings into the Season with Canada’s First Great Thanksgiving Song Jazz Singer Alex Bird Swings into the Season with Canada’s First Great…
Month: Oct 2022
Alexis Lynn Canadian Pop Songstress Alexis Lynn Gets Honest and Raw on Searing,…
Sultans of String 3x JUNO Nominees / 4x CFMA Winning Canadian Global Music Supergroup…
Smooth Jazz Guitarist And Composer Jeremy Sean Hector Takes Off On A Soaring “Night Flight” Smooth Jazz Guitarist And Composer Jeremy Sean Hector Takes Off…

Pagination

  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • …
  • Page 79
  • Page 80
  • Page 81
  • Page 82
  • Current page 83
  • Page 84
  • Page 85
  • Page 86
  • Page 87
  • …
  • Next page Next ›
  • Last page Last »

CEO/PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF
SANDY GRAHAM

email:sandygrahamemg@gmail.com 

Canadian Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Don Graham
email: dongrahamwriter@gmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Lisa Hartt
email: lisahartt87@hotmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada 
Michael Williams
email: greydread@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

International Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Malin Osth
email: malin@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Jonas Tancred
email: jonas@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - USA
Rob Durkee 
email: rockster2746@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web Developer/Technical Support
Chris Wardman

email: info@chriswardman.com
website: chriswardman.com

Cashbox Cover Design and Graphic Artist
Jain McMillan

email: jainmcmillan@gmail.com

Contributing Photographer 
Tracey Savein - South Paw Productions
southpawproductions@rogers.com

 

 

 

Footer menu

  • Home
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Archive
  • Issue Archive
  • Past Covers