Kalmunity

Kalmunity Vibe Collective is a group of musicians who jam together and pour their hearts out in an all improvised performance. The ever-evolving group has been part of Montreal’s vibrant music scene for almost 12 years.

Live, organic improv Tuesdays at Les Bobards (a basic watering hole on any other night) brings a crowd energy that is unmatched. On stage, the rich grassroots sounds come from a mix of jazzy sax, a talented flutist, some poetry, strong vocals complemented by a music loving crowd hanging onto every original note.

Witnessing the harmony of musicians feeding off each other is both unique and intense. Everyone lets loose, the beers are cheap and the musical expression is phenomenal.

Kalmunity Vibe Collective plays:

Tuesday at Les Bobards: 4328 St-Laurent at 21:45 – $ 10 after 21:00, $ 5 before 21:00.

Note: Cash only

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Kalmunity Vibe Collective Facebook Kalmunity Vibe Collective | Music | Entrance C$ 10
4328 Boul St-Laurent | +15149871174
Tue 21:45 - Spotted By Locals

Montreal’s legendary Kalmunity Vibe Collective got its name when KVC founder, drummer and artistic director Jahsun was driving to the collective’s first gig at Montreal’s Sablo Kafe 10 years ago.

“Our name came from my childhood friend RawNia who – during the car ride after I said I was looking for a [band] name that reflected unity and community – suggested ‘Kalmunity’ and I really liked it,” says Jahsun. “It’s about calm and unity from all walks of life, and so I changed the ‘C’ to a ‘K.’”

From KVC’s start at Sablo Kafe, the collective successfully developed cultural events throughout the city like their Intimate Sky performance series, Kalmunity Jazz Project Sundays, the Kalmunity Black Liberation Month Series, the Kalmunity Music and Poetry Workshop Program and their original series, Live Organic Improv Tuesdays which continues every Tuesday at Les Bobards (4328 St-Laurent).

The collective also headlines their Kalmunity Jazz Project every Sunday night at Dièse Onze (4115A St-Denis), and Jahsun estimates KVC – now one of Canada’s biggest artist collectives with 60-100 participating artists – have performed over 500 concerts, including three nights at the 2012 Montreal International Jazz Festival.

KVC founder, drummer and artistic director Jahsun
KVC founder, drummer and artistic director Jahsun
KVC’s musical style blends R&B, hip-hop, afrobeat, funk, reggae, soul and jazz, and their conscious lyrics give voice to those pushed to the margins of mainstream society. As their mandate states, “Our platform for expression is live organic improvisation, which incorporates music and poetic expressions in both French and English without any limitations on musical or poetic genres.”

“Our legacy really is the platform we’ve become for alternative stories and artist development, something which is very much missing in the [music] industry these days,” Jahsun explains. “We didn’t start off that way. We just wanted to create a new platform. But we’ve become this huge artist collective. It’s like church – it’s family!”

A who’s-who of Montreal musicians have performed with the collective, and at KVC’s 10th anniversary show some of the 45 featured perfomers will include Jonathan Emile, Sarah MK, Alan Prater, Lady Katalyst, Fredy V, Jjanice+, Malika Tirolien, Emrical, Fabrice Koffy, Wayne Tennant, Mark Haynes, Chris Cargnello, David Ryshpan, Vincent Stephen-Ong, Alexandre Dion, Jahsun, DJs Andy Couchman and Selectah Mo.

The KVC family 2013
The KVC family 2013
“There are still quite a few [performers] who have been with the collective since the very beginning,” says Jahsun, pointing out the theme for the KVC anniversary show is The Elements: Water, Earth, Wind and Fire. “Many of the old-timers will [also] join us onstage.”

Jahsun proudly adds, “I would love to see a lot of old faces in the audience too. For me, this is just a great celebration marking a positive collective that’s made a big difference in the arts in this city.”

The March 30 concert at Cabaret du Mile End (5240 Parc Ave.) begins at 9 pm and is expected to last over four hours. “There will be an intermission,” Jahsun says, “so the pacing will be easy-going.” - The Montreal Gazette

It’s not often we squeeze a three piece band with instruments into our little on-air studio but we managed to make it work this morning! The Kalmunity Vibe Collective from Montreal are in town as part of The Banff Centre‘s Spoken Word program and will be performing some free shows over the next couple of weeks.

I spoke with percussionist Jahsun about the group, followed by a performance of the original song So Long Ago with Malika Tirolien on vocals and keyboard and Mark Haynes on bass. - Mountain FM

Fondé en 2002 par Mr. Jahsun, Kalmunity anime la scène indépendante de Montréal. Le collectif aux couleurs internationales et aux allures de fanfare se compose de multi instrumentistes, de vocalistes et de poètes aux horizons multiples.

Cette unité s’est forgée à travers un spectre musical issu du r’n’b, jazz, reggae, néo-soul aux accents funk, et bien d’autres styles encore. Freedom, un leitmotiv qui réunit chacun des membres de ce collectif musical pour exprimer leur créativité. Cette grande famille compte des artistes d’ores et déjà connus des assises montréalaises en la matière. Jason dit « Blackbird », la figure de proue, anime parallèlement « Intimate Sky ». Ce trompettiste, producteur et poète est également associé au sein de productions multiples. Lady dit « Katalist », Sarah alias MK et bien d’autres entrent aussi dans la partie.

Installé depuis peu au bar Les Bobards, Kalmunity prend place dans une atmosphère feutrée, jazzy-groovy, et nous transporte dans un voyage épicé de free-music, free-style, free-spoken-word. Sans détour, la musique nous habite et éveille nos sensibilités émotionnelles.

Au commande de ce jam session, Jason Selman alias Blackbird, trompettiste local de renom, qui, sur un ton solennel, investit les lieux et nous offre sa prose humaniste et sage; s’ensuit Lady Katalyst, puis, Sarah MK, vous me pardonnerez l’expression : « une tuerie », elle nous transporte dans un chant épuré, teinté de vibes urbaines. Beats saccadés aux tonalités hip hop, aux assonances reggae et aux messages engagés sont aussi l’apanage du collectif.

La black music est ainsi à l’honneur chaque mardi soir aux Bobards (rue St-Laurent), et purement jazz chaque dimanche soir au Dièze Onze (rue St-Denis). Chaque interlude est animé par des dj’s aussi bien old school qu’urban style, un délice pour les oreilles, des souvenirs pour les amoureux de la musique soul et pour les puristes du funk. On n’en sort jamais déçu. Ils seront également sur la scène du M.A.I le vendredi 13 mai dans le cadre des soirées Intimate Sky avec l'excellent groupe Nomadic Massive.

Accordé au diapason urbain, ils évoquent avec passion, un mélange éclectique et musicalement éclairé. Le collectif rend hommage au multiculturalisme de leurs racines ainsi qu’à la croisée des genres. - Le Camuz

Kalmunity Vibe Collective begins celebrating 10 years of illness ‘n’ improv at Cabaret du Mile End on Saturday. I had a really great talk with KVC founder Jahsun the other day, which was at once eye-opening and levelling. I have spoken to several individual members over time, and the amount of respect and devotion they show to Jahsun particularly was something he quite humbly took in stride as a man with a continually evolving vision for how to make it happen and get it done in this town. That single conversation — our first actual interview, as it happened — will help make me a better reporter, and that’s not some “happy birthday” butt-kissing. That’s what his vision, energy and experience instills in people, and that is why Kalmunity at 10 can still celebrate youth and growth along with accomplishment and achievement. Huge love and congratulations to the entire KVC network, and thank you for giving us something to get extra-excited about this year! Expect artist features and special coverage on Cult MTL over the months ahead. - See more at: http://cultmontreal.com/2013/03/under-pressure-masta-ace-mook-life-kalmunity-the-hip-hop-fest/#sthash.CDYS4gdo.dpuf - CULT MTL

Cette première chronique, je l’ai dédié à un «band» qui me fait vibrer depuis quatre ans déjà, le Kalmunity Vibe Collective. «Qu’est-ce que ça mange ça en hiver?» Bon, de mon point de vue, le Kalmunity Vibe Collective est l’un des plus beaux cadeaux offert au monde musical underground de Montréal. Le KVC est un collectif d’artistes qui réunit sous le même nom des chanteurs, des poètes, des slameurs, des musiciens et des danseurs.

Fondé en 2003 par Jahsun qui dirige le bal selon les percussions de sa batterie, le KVC à aujourd’hui, gagné en expansion, en gagnant le cœur d’une audience en continuelle croissance. Ce qui différencie ce «band » des autres, c’est que la totalité de leurs prestations est improvisée. Pardon? Oui, vous avez bien lu, tout est improvisé et c’est ÇA qui rend admirable une soirée aux saveurs du KVC.

Chaque chanson, chaque expérience est unique et les artistes participants sont également en rotation.

Parmi les artistes qui font partie du projet, on trouve notamment le respectable Monk-e, le rappeur, peintre et poète ; la charmante Sarah MK qui, de sa voix séduisante, maitrise aussi bien le rap que le chant ; Sam I Am, une électrisante femme qui danse comme une déesse et dont la voix soul la différencie clairement des autres chanteurs de cette catégorie.

Bref, l’expérience singulière donne juste l’envie d’y retourner encore… et encore.

Petite parenthèse pour ceux qui désirent s’épanouir dans le groupe, le KVC organise des workshops ouverts aux artistes qui désirent «faire partie de la famille».

Acquérant une popularité fort méritée, une branche du collectif performe au Résonnance Café, les dimanches soirs et au Vétiver les mercredis. Il est également possible de vivre une expérience KVC lors de différents événements en ville, ou même lors du Festival international de jazz.

À travers les années, j’ai développé une fidélité (presque une addiction!) et une sincère admiration pour les soirées KVC aux Bobards. La complicité qui plane entre les artistes et les musiciens fait presque douter de la spontanéité de la prestation. Au bar, le staff est super cool, l’alcool n’est pas cher du tout et le monde qui s’y trouve est à la recherche du même vibe: un «soulful vibe ».

Aux Bobards, le spectacle commence à 21h30 et se termine aux alentours de 23h45. Au Résonnance Café, le spectacle commence à 21h, et le café ferme ses portes à minuit. Quand au Vétiver, le spectacle est à 19h.

Au montant de 8$, le KVC nous offre un pot-pourri de styles musicaux décidé selon l’ambiance et l’état d’âme de l’artiste qui s’empare du micro. On se laisse transporter sur de la soul, du funk, du reggae, du slam ou même de la simple poésie. Élévation garantie. - memyselfandmontreal.com

The Word IZ Bond spoken artists collective (you may know them from hosting the spoken word series Speak! at The Company House on the third Thursday of every month) and Montreal's Kalmunity Vibe Collective go way back, but it's been about a decade since they've performed in Halifax. "We have wanted to have them back but obviously with 11 members it's a big undertaking," says WIB member and spoken word artist, El Jones. "To put it simply," adds fellow member Reed "iZrEAL" Jones, "we do one show a month, about nine of them have featured guests from away. We cover flight payments and per diems and they usually stay with one of us, so we can squeeze in one more feature. That adds up. For one show with Kalmunity there are those same costs multiplied by 11...This show cost more than our whole year. It's impossible for us to bring Kalmunity without huge support and support like that usually only comes during Black History Month."

Described as a "live organic improv experience," Kalmunity Vibe Collective is bringing something truly unique to The Company House. "If you go to the show it is just an immense creative wave," describes El. "The band comes out and Jahsun the drummer might start laying down the beat and then the instrumentalists will come in and they will build a rhythm and sound and then when the vocalists are feeling the vibe a poet might jump on the mic and start spitting a verse, and then a rapper feels it so he or she comes up and joins in, and then the music makes its way to a singer, and everything flows into each other and out again." There's so much going on and the lineup changes from show to show, so it's hard to know exactly what to expect but Reed tries to sum it up: "People can expect music, hip-hop, R&B, jazz, pop music, hits, all of that, and singing and poetry and rapping, maybe in multiple languages blended together perfectly. The only reason you know it's improv is because you can see the poets, singers and rappers negotiating who is going to jump on what beat. Once they know, look out—they jump on and off the mic like double dutch."

"It's like no other poetry or music show you will see," adds El. "It is about feeling creative energy and feeding off the other artists and the audience to take everyone to the next level. In a world where so much now is corporatized and crowd-sourced and auto-tuned—returning to the idea of making music in an organic way is revolutionary."

It's not only revolutionary but innately socio-political in a city that only designates a month to Black History instead of actively promoting it all year. "I think every black person will tell you that February can't be the only month when black people become visible," says El. "If we're using this month as impetus to create long-term programs whether that be artistic, or employment programs, or education then it serves as a good foundation, but too often we are only recognized during this one month and then forgotten about the rest of the year. We need to be more than tokens."

It's an important issue to acknowledge. Even if it means looking in the mirror. "The fact is," says El, using The Coast as an example, "we will be covered for like maybe the second time ever in our 12 years of existing because we have this big Black History Month show, yet we are performing every month in this city and have won national championships and travelled all over Canada and bring in top artists, and have a Canada Council grant, and so forth, and yet we generally get less coverage than the white indie band that played for the second time at Gus' Pub." Racial biases seem to be alive and well in Halifax, seeding frustration that can't be contained by an official month or a bone or two—just take a look at Idle No More, a national movement sown from marginalization and the need to be heard. Even when funding appears, like WIB's TD Then and Now Black History Month show, it's with invisible strings. "One story we shared with some of the bank personnel at the launch of the series was how when we got the cheque from TD and went to the bank to put it in the WIB account, the teller looked at iZrEAL and said 'How did you get this?' And then we had to wait a week for the cheque to clear even though this is an account we have had for almost a decade," reflects El. "So that story makes the point about the racism that still exists in this city and why it's important for institutions to recognize the systematic barriers we still encounter and take responsibility for creating solutions and opportunities."

It's an uphill battle and reserving the right to talk about that struggle is vital. "One thing that is good [in working with the TD Then and Now Black History Month Series] is that we haven't been given any limitations," says El. "Nobody has asked us about what we are saying at the show or told us we can't talk politics, and we wouldn't take the money if it meant compromising the space that we provide to speak freely."

Along with bringing out KVC, in conjunction with TD Then and Now, WIB is organizing a youth workshop on Saturday from 1pm to 4pm at Centerline Studios (2439 Gottingen Street) and another show at the NSCC in Truro (36 Arthur Street, Friday, Feb 22, 7:30pm) for out of towners. "We always do youth workshops," says Reed. "I think that's just second nature. In the black community, you better give back to the community in the youth. That's just how it goes. When you stop giving back, the community stops supporting you. It's a two-way street."

"The workshops are open to all youth and we encourage everyone to come," adds El. "One thing that particularly motivated us was knowing that so often our youth grow up not knowing that jazz is a black art form, for example, or understanding where hip-hop comes from, or what the history behind it is. They participate so fully and creatively in a hip-hop culture without understanding its African roots and what the culture and music mean politically.

And of course every time there is a successful black expression, there is an effort to appropriate it so our youth really don't understand where they come from, or why what they listen to sounds the way it does, and why it doesn't sound like it sounded when Public Enemy were doing it and so forth. So the opportunity for them to work and vibe with these top musicians who are making a living off their creativity, but also to see how intelligently and thoroughly the approach their art, is so important for them in understanding what it means to make music and to live an artistic life that is accountable to the whole struggle of a culture to survive and flower."

Politics aside, once you get right down to it, Kalmunity Vibe Collective just put on an insane, un-missable show. "Aside from being my favourite show in Canada, they're good people and they deserve a global audience," says Reed. "Scotia is about to be blown away." - The Coast

sometime in the mid-2000s in the middle of winter, the middle of the week, close to the middle of the night, there was a blackout in little italy. all of the streetlights suddenly snuffed out. the kalmunity vibe collective was in sablo café, on the corner of st-zotique and st-dominique streets, about to start into a live set, when the room went dark. the audience murmured and wondered - sablo kafé was full - sweating room only - as it was every tuesday. so what? so what happened? the collective improvised, collectively. wicks were lit, the musicians ignored amplifiers in favor of acoustic ) live organic ( the vocalists disregarded microphones and projected direct into the air. the audience closed in to the bandstand. the collective captured the moment and created an ambiance from the darkness, and just as the rhythm began to move & breathe, the lights flickered, fluttered, and finally glowed.



calm. unity. kalmunity: a compound word coined by the collective's founder and riddim diversifier, jahsun. jahsun emphasizes that calm is a necessary precondition of unity. kalmunity: in the word itself, the calm precedes the unity.



it may seem odd to apply 'calm' to a full band whose rhythm is louder and more minutely syncopated than the rhumba & skank of a downtown rush-hour traffic-jam. but ::: deep, attentive listening demands an internal calm ::: . when the collective performs, each artist listens closely to the musical nuances, and strategically enters the music with their unique voice. the kalmunity sound is anchored by drums and bass, made brazen by a horn section, and vocalized. the audience resonates. the ensemble improvises on the rhythms of the afri-spora, nimbly shifting from reggae to funk / afro-be to soul // shape to ship /// arrival to arrival // sailing from harlem to lagos / spacing out the pace // ascending /// zionizing // soloing latin / percussing port-au-princely. the collective's rhythmic insistence can have a meditative effect, swaying people into balance with one-another, balancing people's thoughts and opening their minds to the vocalists' tickling articulations.



the kalmunity vocalists include rappers, singers, beatboxers, and poets. the poets are unique. they are able to function like musicians, entering the music on the om, the big bang, the one, alternating between verse and chorus, hanging back and gifting space to other instrumentalists, observing the strictures of the misc. their delivery mouths through the entire range of speech, from whisper to shout. it can be bird calls or a fleuve's flip ripples. the delivery can become fluid as a rapper's, cutting, a rapier's, or can take momentary wing in zong. the poets are also able to spontaneously (s)elect, then edit, then adapt their verses to the musical now. this is a rare ability, as most oral poets are solo artists familiar with being on stage alone, adhering to a text, and having near-complete artistic control of their performance. the kalmunity experience demands that a solo artist relinquish: relinquish text, control, and time. the solo voice must be balanced with the collective expression. the solo voice, no longer 0 or 1 alone, but



100110101010101010101010101010101010101011011010101010101010101...



et al, ad infinitum, the solo voice no longer dictates time, but responds as time is kicked out on the kick. poet must possess calm to accept, to relinquish, to swing into bigness with the band, to be collected by the vibration, to be un while being i, in unity. in this situation, a poet's entire poem, sophisticated as it may be, may not fit or find its pocket. the poet has to be mindful of how long she spends on the microphone, and of any sudden musical swerves.



this musical facility has been nurtured over 8 years, and has given kalmunity's poets a special performance toolkit, which includes: rhythm and sound; ability to be economical and to condense work to fit the dimensions of the music; understanding song structure and being able to work within and without it; understanding the uses and figures of repetition - repetition as it relates to words, but also to rhythmic units; ability to work in alternation with other instruments, sometimes pausing to let an alto saxophone or a trumpet solo; flexibility to embrace improvisation. poets like zibz black current and jason 'blackbird' selman have worked with the collective since its earliest days, and have a near-instinctive knowledge of this toolkit. others, like katalyst and fabrice koffy, have used these tools to tinker solo albums together. one newer addition, miss d-na, takes her kalmunity expertise onto the national slam stage.



many of the collective's senior musicians now have extensive experience working with poets. these collabs do not only take place on tuesday nights, but have found other forms and other venues. jason 'blackbird' selman, trumpeter and poet, has long hosted a series called intimate sky. intimate sky explores the relationship between voice and instrument, word and music, often doing so using small innovative combos. at a recent intimate sky event, the theme was 'double trouble,' and it placed vocalists in collaboration with two musicians who played the same instrument - two pianists, two guitarists, or two saxophonists, for instance. smaller-ensemble collabs have also taken place in the music studio, and have yielded a fruitful of recorded tracks.



wordswordswordswordswordswordswordswordswordswordswordswordswords



the collective's musicians have also worked with poets from outside the group. the list of poets is stellar, and it includes:



lillian allen

john akpata

klyde brooks

clifton joseph



//



naila keleta mae



//



greg 'ritallin' frankson

dwayne morgan

d'bi young

nth digri



while some of these collaborations have been brief on-stage it-ins, there have been full-length feature performances : ::: : with lillian allen at the 2005 festival voix d'amériques &w d'bi young at/on several occasions. collaborations with naila keleta mae resulted in two full-length albums (free dome and bloom), and work with d'bi young resulted in several recorded tracks.



even after 8 years, kalmunity continues to host its weekly live organic improv event. the event has moved from its early home at sablo kafé in little italy, to le consulat, right in the heat of downtown, to its present playhouse up along boul st-laurent, at les bobards, 4328 st-laurent. the regularity of the series has given new poets the chance to give 30+ performances a year. this has helped many artists to hone. & flex. their abilities - their comfort on stage, their vocal versatility, their understanding of how to work with musicians - have multiplied and grown nimble. this has also helped to bill & BUILD the nouns of poets unknown. this regularity has also kept oral -oetry at the heart of the uptown music scene, maintaining the art form's visi-via-bility and facilitating collaborating & x-crossing // splicing disciplines.



ca( ,,, en ,,, un ,,, er ,,, i ,,, g ,,, re ,,, ty ,,, en ,,, )lm



back in the early 000's, i used to help host a program called soulperspectives, on ckut radio, 90.3 fm. i don't remember the specific reason for kalmunity's visit - but why does there need to be a reason? as kalmunity has demonstrated for 8+ years, why not swing into the world & create the occasion from air, err, ear, and dare? be creation the occasion. in the on-air studio we had guitar, bass, drummms, percussion, trumpet, and several vocalists performing live. the sound engineer had to crawl under the desk to get in and out of the studio. once again, sweating room only. the bass drum was a secret, improvised implement. i was toasting the broadcast, but i never did get the chance to hear it. i've always wondered whether our listeners across the island, out in n.d.g., round about campbell park in burgundy, up in the funky flats of the plateau & mile end, down in the old port beside the fleuve, deep in the east, hochelaga maisonneuve, or up north in st-michel, where some of the world's best boxers are born ambidextrous, i wonder whether those listening could perceive the closeness, the heat, the ripe evolution of the moment. what about the communication? could they perceive the communion with one-another, with sound, with word, and with mo'real, the city whose bricks kalmunity syncopates every week? mm. musing. - litlive.ca (written by Kaie Kellough)

“We don’t practice any of this,” the man on stage shouts into the microphone. “It’s the feeling that we get… and we express it… through our instrumetsssss.” The drum picks up the beat and the fragments of a song begin to materialize. It’s 10 PM on a Tuesday night in the Plateau and Les Bobards is packed full – it’s Kalmunity night.

While the temperature outside sits at a cool -24°C, the shiny foreheads and matted hair found inside set a different tone. Not a single table or chair is left unoccupied and the small space before the stage showcases some of the more ardent Kalmunity fans, noses pressed against the fourth wall, heads nodding steadily to the beat.

This is my second time experiencing Kalmunity. Although I’m more of a sit-and-sip sort of music listener, the lack of available tables and the over-eagerness of the friends I came with finds me up against the stage, making direct eye contact with the performers, and blinding everyone around me with my camera. In retrospect, this is the most fitting way to fully take in the unique production that is Kalmunity. Despite the surprisingly heavy presence of fellow civvies around the bar, I had not heard of Kalmunity until this, my fourth year, and I find that many others are in the same boat. This article serves as an introduction and an invitation.

Kalmunity is a group of over thirty performers, with talents ranging from drums to poetry-readings, with dancers, beat boxers, singers, trumpet players, and several others thrown in between. The performers are not all on stage at the same time, or even all performing on the same night. The vocalists take turns on stage, either solo or in smaller ensembles, while the instruments carry on in the background. But it is not the sheer number of members that makes Kalmunity unique. What sets Kalmunity apart is that the band doesn’t practice any of its music; everything they present is pure, unadulterated, improvisation, cooked up on stage before our eyes. For me anyway, it is the first time I’ve seen anything like it.

The music they construct can’t be put under a clear-cut label, per say, but it tends to revolve around meshes of funk, jazz, blues, reggae, rap, and music genres I’ve probably never heard of. In one moment, the trumpet takes the spotlight with a solo, accompanied by many cries of encouragement from the audience. The next moment a bollywood dancer takes the stage, and the next, a rapper grabs the microphone. The performance keeps the audience glued to the stage – even a beer run is out of the question; if you blink you might miss something.

All in all, I would categorize Kalmunity under the must-see’s of Montreal. The show concludes at midnight with shouts of ‘encore’ resounding from every corner of the room. The band treats us to one more song and then it’s time to catch the last metro home – ideal timing for a Tuesday night.

Brigid Cami - The Plumbers Ledger

With April being National Poetry Month, it is a perfect time to celebrate The Banff Centre’s spoken word program’s upcoming event offerings.

The literary and musical showcases will offer a blend of spoken word with Montreal’s Kalmunity Vibe Collective musicians; a grassroots group of musicians, poets, dancers, MCs, and singers who tell the stories of the voiceless through original music rich with cultural, spiritual, and social content.

Kalmunity is an ensemble of around 30 artists that performs on a weekly basis in Montreal with an ever changing lineup that helps in creating an organic improvisational live act.

“There are three shows this year where it’s really about words and music,” said Banff Centre Spoken Word program faculty member Tanya Evanson. “The musicians are on stage and one of the musicians will start something and they basically jam and their level is so high that it sounds rehearsed whether its jam, funk, R&B, pop, reggae – they can do it all.”

Evanson explained the MCs, spoken word poets and storytellers are in the audience and let the music provided by Kalmunity dictate when they feel it is the right moment to go up to the mic to share their art.

“I was thinking how I could refresh the spoken word program at The Banff Centre. I’m already an interdisciplinary artist where I work with youth as a spoken word artist and I have for almost 20 years, so it’s just bringing my own love into the program here,” Evanson said. “I want to work with these guys so I’m always trying to create a program that I would want to attend.”

The event at The Banff Centre’s Maclab will include Kalmunity’s live organic improv, where they play and spoken word members are in the audience. Evanson has been working with 15 members in the spoken word program at the centre.

“They’ll have a workshop first with Kalmunity and some will have one on one sessions with them first, then I’m throwing them into the fire and I’ll get up myself,” Evanson said. “I’ve never worked with Kalmunity in this way and I want to work with them, so I’ll sacrifice myself first.

“It’s mainly geared towards people who are already doing spoken word, it’s mainly for spoken word artists to do and present work in a new and challenging way.”
Evanson is a 20-year veteran of spoken word and will play host to the events.

“I’ll host it so it doesn’t get out of control and leave spaces for my participants in the program to present work to show them this is possible and you can do it,” Evanson said. “The next is the faculty show that we have every year. Myself, Robert Priest and Ivy are the main spoken word faculty and we’ll have a musical set by Kalmunity at The Club for a night of words and music.”

The final event is called ANU Banff in the Eric Harvie Theatre, and it will be the 13th international installment of ANU.

“It was started in 2001 by an Iraqi-Canadian visual artist in Vancouver. It is a conceptual event and uses light and improvisation towards new creation and during the event there are usually a dozen interdisciplinary artists all on stage at once and for the duration of the event,” Evanson said.

KALMUNITY LIVE ORGANIC IMPROV
Thursday (April 2), 9 p.m.
Maclab Bistro, free
Thundering beats and earthy musical tones from Montreal’s Kalmunity Vibe Collective, laced with the fiery speech of inspiration from poets, MCs and lyrical participants in The Banff Centre Spoken Word program.

WAVELENGTHS
Saturday (April 4), 8 p.m.
The Club, Theatre Complex, free
Musicians and spoken word artists come together for an intimate night in The Club featuring multilingual words and soul music.

ANU BANFF
Friday (April 10), 8 p.m.
Margaret Greenham Theatre, free
An ensemble performance of words and music by faculty and participants from The Banff Centre Spoken Word program. - Rocky Mountain Outlook

First your veggies, then your bread, and now your music – everything is going organic these days. But if Kalmunity Vibe Collective is any indication, there shouldn’t be any problem with that. The group, a diverse array of local musicians, vocalists, and spoken-word poets, describes their collaborative performance style as “live, organic improvisation.”

Kalmunity isn’t new on the block; the group has been performing at the Sablo Kafé on Beaubien for the past six and a half years. They’ve developed such an impressive following that the group has outgrown its haunt. On October 6, Kalmunity is moving to the larger, more centrally located Le Consulat – and not without a bang. “It’s gonna be a huge party,” says Lady Katalyst, a hip-hop artist, poet and member of the collective.

Katalyst, whose real name is Katherine Blenkinsop, explains that one of the collective’s main objectives is “to bring improv music to Montreal, bring improv music to peoples’ minds.” She describes an artistic process that truly does sound organic: the performers hash out their plans in the wings during a show, “layering more and more ideas on top of each other.” The result is an international fusion of hip-hop, funk, jazz, soul, and spoken-word poetry. Since Kalmunity’s roster of performers is constantly in flux, rehearsals are a non-event. “We’re growing tracks right on the spot,” Katalyst says, with a hint of pride. “We really don’t know what we’re going to do.”

But Kalmunity’s project is social as well as musical. Katalyst declares that above all, “we want to communicate.” The collective functions as a forum for “people in communities who don’t normally have a place to bring forth their issues,” to initiate dialogue, and express hope for change. Though many of Kalmunity’s artists hail from the Caribbean, the collective allies itself with any group that feels marginalized within Montreal society. “We want to bring a voice to the voiceless,” says Katalyst, stressing that out of this comes “messages that are really uplifting.” The group’s ultimate objective is inherent in its name – besides a play on the word “community,” Kalmunity is a reminder that “you can’t have unity without calm.”

Possessing sheer talent and a social agenda, though, are not the only prerequisites for gaining entry into Kalmunity’s ranks. “Some people have an excellent message, but they just don’t get the vibe,” Katalyst explains. That vibe, it seems, contains an element of old-fashioned teamwork; within the collective, all artists are on a level playing field. “It involves a certain degree of letting go of your ego, and if you can’t do that then you can’t perform with us,” she says.

Katalyst has grand aspirations for the imminent change of venue. “We love [the Sablo Kafé],” she insists, “But we’ve pretty much hit the ceiling. This year we wanted to expand, so people can dance and move around.” The collective hopes not only to make room for its current devoted regulars, but to attract even more: “We want to allow more people to see what we’re doing…to get the audience who doesn’t know about Kalmunity yet.” The inaugural celebration at Le Consulat features a guest appearance by D’bi Young Anitafrika, an author, playwright, actress, poet. “She’s strong, gifted, and in your face,” says Katalyst. “One of the best poets in Canada, North America, and well – the world.” And if that isn’t enough to draw you, Katalyst assured that “it’s going to be pretty crazy.” - Mcgill Daily

Kaie Kellough and Kalmunity's Word Sound System communicate to the community at Voix d'Amériques

Local literary luminary Kaie Kellough is no newbie when it comes to Voix d’Amériques. The four-year-old bilingual spoken word festival has invited him to perform a few times already, denoting the continuing power of its vision. Every year the festival succeeds in electrifying the general public about its active literary performance scene, and the range and richness of its programming this year promise no different. But this is the first year Kellough has been in charge of shaping a stage show of his own. And it’s colour coded.
"February is Black History Month, which, despite the fact that it’s kind of an odd conception, is nevertheless worth honouring," says Kellough in his signature baritone. He was asked to draw together a night featuring some of Montreal’s best black performers, and to do so he called on his frequent co-performers to build Kalmunity’s Word Sound System, a night built around the themes of Poetry, Riddim, Memory.

ooo

"I thought of the title because these are ideas I was thinking about a lot," says Kellough. "How, say, the rhythms of certain kinds of music permeate poetry that comes from the Caribbean and from African America and the poetry of black Canadians, and how that is a way of opening a door to a historical memory."

Kellough’s recently published poetry book, Lettricity, is packed to the gills with urban flow and offers a rhythmic ride of its own. A homage to Montreal, the Calgary native’s adoptive city, the work comprises poems and accompanying visual flourishes that viscerally communicate the smell and taste of experiences like drinking at Miami until closing hour, shopping at Segal’s market or celebrating at Carifiesta. Even the beats of one’s heart are evoked. In some ways the book is a fixed version of Kellough’s now renowned stage performances, in which he plays with tone and phonetics to mould musical sounds out of poetry imagery.

"The first time I did oral performance was very shortly after I’d picked up a pen," Kellough remembers of his beginnings. "I was very nervous, my hands were shaking, and the only thing I could tell myself to keep my voice steady was to listen to the rhythm. That was my introduction to the relationship between the music, the written text and the oral delivery. They all came together."

Conversely, in writing the book, Kellough took pleasure in dismantling this trio for a change. "It’s nice not having [the energy of performance] to deal with," he says, laughing. "It’s wonderful! Because you can just deal with words. Sometimes, orally, there are different concerns – there are dynamics, volume, body… but the page is static, and it’s also silent. So there’s this attempt to put movement into a static medium, and sound in a silent medium. Those are wonderful challenges. Trying to make something appear that isn’t really there. It’s a fun game."

ooo

Part of what Kellough and his co- Kalmunity-ites are interested in creating for their Poetry, Riddim, Memory night on February 13 is a new context for the appreciation of spoken word – a more organic, freeform style of event than the usual ‘speaker, musical break, host introduction, new speaker’ type of deal.

"Part of what I’m trying to do is really animate the event, and set a structure for the event that is unique in spoken word," he says. His idea is to create "concepts challenging the form of your usual poetry and music event in order to help engage the audience in a different way, and to challenge the performers to give their best performance."

This he shares with Kalmunity events. The umbrella group, helmed by Josephine Watson, involves the participation of all sorts of spoken worders and musicians, like, in this case, musicians JahSun, Zibz Black Current and Neil "Bassone" Bensin, and speakers BLU Rva, Odessa "Queen" Thornhill, Steven Thomas, Toronto’s Lillian Allen, and Jason "Blackbird" Selman ("a multifaceted, multitalented artist who has an interest in theatre, plays the trumpet and is a poet").
Multiplicity of discipline and direction is the exciting feature of this sort of night, and in a way it justifies what may seem a sort of segregation. There is a definite flavour to Kalmunity nights, a freedom and inviting looseness and mood that differ from any others. So is it worth separating the black performers from others at Voix d’Amériques in the interest of stylistic distinction?

"If the black performers were more spread out," Kellough answers thoughtfully, "like we’ve had in the other editions of the festival, that gives you an interesting opportunity to show the broader connections that the forms you work in have with the forms of artists from different cultural communities. But when you’re together, the one advantage is that there is strength in numbers. You’re performing with members of your community and your close friends, and it’s a different kind of context. It shows the continuum of your work, say from the dub tradition to what we’re doing here, now. And it shows the relation between the music and the literary traditions."

The truth is, that classification is a necessity for a festival with as much to say as Voix d’Amériques. In this edition alone, the ‘little festival that could’ will offer three unique shows a night, every night between February 11 and 18, with tickets ranging from free to $10. It aims at investigating, in the most entertaining way, the state of bilingual artistry in a night called Full bilingue, the necessity to speak one’s mind in oppressive times in Combat contre la langue de bois, the best of feisty female words in Body and Soul, and so, so much more. In short, for eight days in the dead month of February there will be no better place to be for inspiration and creativity, no matter your creed or colour. - The Hour

Difficile de croire que certains artistes réussissent à produire des concerts musicaux basés entièrement sur l’improvisation. Le collectif Kalmunity Vibe, lui, en fait sa marque de commerce depuis déjà 9 ans. Un concept de soirée de jam modeste qui s’est rapidement transformé en un happening hebdomadaire couru par les mélomanes.

C’est dans un petit café du quartier Rosemont que la soirée a fait ses humbles débuts. Avec ses musiciens, ses danseurs, ses chanteurs, ses poètes et ses rappeurs, la formule rassemble divers amateurs de jazz, de hip-hop, de soul et d’afrobeat. Il faut préciser, Kalmunity n’est pas un spectacle chorégraphié, encore moins une pratique de groupe devant public. Le concept est définit comme étant du live organic improv, où l’instinct naturel artistique prend toute sa forme, et où la chimie du moment assure la coordination entre les musiciens.

Jahsun, fondateur du Kalmunity Vibe, en assure la direction musicale. Derrière sa batterie, il est l’axe principal qui relie les musiciens aux vocalistes. C’est par son leadership et son oreille musicale affinée que l’ambiance reste fluide du début jusqu’à la fin. Un peu comme l’énergie provenant des églises gospels, l’expérience musicale est unique et mérite d’être vécue !

Grâce aux neuf années d’improvisation du collectif, ses performances sont à leur meilleur. Que ce soit par ses nombreuses mentions « meilleur de l’année » du journal culturel The Hour ou, encore, par ses trois soirées dans le cadre de l’édition 2012 du Festival international de jazz de Montréal, son nom circule de plus en plus autant dans la scène anglophone que francophone. Plus de 100 artistes et musiciens ont participé à ces soirées, comptant parmi eux des collaborateurs réguliers comme Monk.e, Sarah MK et Jahnice.

Outre des soirées hebdomadaires, le collectif offre également des ateliers pour les musiciens et les artistes désirant approfondir leur talent d’improvisateur. Tentez votre chance ! - Redbull.ca

Kalmunity. It’s one of the most soulful, ethereal, and damn right awesome things the Montreal arts and music scene has to offer. This isn’t your average live show: it truly is an experience. At its core Kalmunity is a platform for soul expression. Musicians, poets, and artists alike gather onstage to perform 100% live organic jazz and hip-hop. What does that mean? It means that what you witness is spontaneous composition in the truest sense. No fancy lighting, stage props, or auto-tuning—it’s just been artists connecting with the audience through music and positive vibrations for over ten years.

The KVC headlines two successful weekly series: the Kalmunity Live Organic Improv every Tuesday night at Les Bobards (4328 St-Laurent), and the Kalmunity Jazz Project every Sunday at D Dièse Onze (4328 St-Laurent). But the influence and legacy of the KVC stretches beyond the stage; since its inception, it has created a large network of artists, dancers, MC’s, poets, and musicians in Montreal and abroad. In addition to their live performances, they also have successfully developed artistic and cultural events throughout the city and community such as the Sky performance series, the Kalmunity Black Liberation Month Series, and the Kalmunity Music and Poetry Program Workshops and even youth mentoring.

Jahsun notes that the name “Kalmunity was inspired by the idea of calm and unity from all walks of life to create a community.” Today, the KVC has evolved precisely to just that; it is more than just a musical performance—it is an experience, a family, and a community all in one at the forefront of modern live music.

The weekly shows started off as an alternative approach to fusing poetic expression and music for both French and English audiences without any limitation in genre in the local music scene. More than ten years ago, Jahsun, the founder, drummer, and artistic director of the KVC wanted to take a new approach to performing live music after years of being in various rock, reggae, and R&B bands. “I recognized that being in these bands didn’t really lend the opportunity to cross-pollinate different sounds. After leaving that scene, I sat back and had a moment to think of opportunities to create a space where all those musicians of different backgrounds can come together and get back to playing music for the reason music was created in the first place: as a form of expression of the untangible, of the unthinkable and of the soul.” Combined with his love of storytelling, Jahsun wanted to incorporate poetry and spoken word as a central element to the live performances to express issues that people were experiencing or wanted to share as food for thought. The result was a platform where musicians and artists could share their many different walks of life.

The beauty of the Kalmunity Vibe Collective lies in the central element of improvisation. Unlike other live music performances, the musicians and artists on stage have to spontaneously compose songs from scratch and craft musical art pieces, as each musician and artist layer their sounds. The drummer for instance may start off and drop a beat; then the other musicians feel out the sound and add on top of it with their own instruments, layering the sound until it becomes a full-fledged rhythm and melodic groove. Singers and spoken word artists then join them on stage to sing hooks or recite poetry ranging from anything to love and positivity to the government or social issues. The best part about it is that no two performances are ever the same. It is precisely this improvisation that accounts for the KVC’s ever-expanding popularity. Jahsun notes that the “improvisational nature of each performance feels uninhibited and intimate, as neither the audience nor the performers know what sound they’re going to create. Watching the performers build something from scratch feels vulnerable, but it’s that vulnerability that warms the audience and makes people feel connected.” The musical styles blend reggae, soul, R&B, afro-beat, funk, hip-hop, and jazz and the lyrics provide alternative perspectives to the mainstream; not one category nor label can truly define the KVC’s sound and essence, making them musical pioneers in their own right.

Their effect is stunning and almost evangelical. Each song crescendos into a mind-blowing gospel-like performance with audience members on their feet dancing and sweating, losing all sense of inhibition. Once the music takes over everyone seems completely enchanted by the spellbinding effect of the positive energy in the air, the bass and sangria. Just take one look at the audience and you’ll see people from all races, backgrounds, orientations and interests dancing and singing together. I believe that that alone is testament to the universality of music that the Kalmunity Vibe Collective embodies.

-Linda Sarvi, a U4 student in McGill with studying Sociology and Political Science

-Photo by Melika Dez - Graphite Publications

Every Tuesday at Les Bobards, Kalmunity Vibe Collective plays a show that is beyond the experience of just standing and listening: you get to witness the exciting process of the construction in-the-moment. Their evenings of “live organic improv” combine elements of jazz, hip-hop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, afrobeat, and soul, along with spoken word and MCing in French and English, blend to make for nothing less than an electrifying evening out.

Drummer Jahsun founded KVC in 2003, and remains its general manager and creative director. Since their first show at (the now closed) Sablo Kafé, the collective has grown into one of the largest of its kind in Canada, with 60-100 participating artists. Calling itself “la Crème de l’Underground,” the collective prides itself on providing non-mainstream forms of expression and on the diversity of its voices. It aims to make a positive social and cultural as well as musical contribution to the city, promoting grassroots community engagement and social harmony through performance.

The atmosphere at Les Bobards as the group started to get going was as smooth as the humid evening air outside: as a heavy gold sunset descended on the plateau, the music warmed up fast. The lyrical refrain for the opening number was ‘love,’ and love was clearly felt, as Dave Francois’s bass pumped out palpable good vibes and Anh Phung’s funky flute loops fluttered on top.

Moving from slow, soulful grooves to more frantic rocked-out jams, this week’s musical menu featured spoken word, rappers both local and from further afield, a handful of dazzling singers, and a virtuosic ensemble of guitar, bass, drums, percussion, flute, sax and keys. Though each member was able to shine, for me one star glittered extra bright: Sam I Am’s charisma and sweet and spicy vocals blow my socks off every time.

KVC’s performers are full of the lovin’ they sing about: for music with positive messages, for storytelling, for creating magical noise. Embodied, genuine, and supercool, this is soul food that goes down easy. - YUL BUZZ

In late January 2007 member of Montreal's Kalmunity Vibe Collective performed at Cafe Toc Toc on the corner of Parc Avenue and Van Horne. The performance took place as part of a cultural event focused on the current situation in Haiti only two years after a violent coup d'état, which saw President Jean Bertrand Aristide removed from office by a violent uprising supported by Canada and the U.S.

The Kalmunity Vibe Collective, an ever-expanding performing arts crew, has become an important cultural force in Montreal, bridging various cultural communities and Montreal's flourishing arts scene. This performance included traditional Haitian percussion, violin, acoustic guitar and free-style vocals.

Recently Kalmunity released a book entitled Talking Book, published by the local Cumulus Press and edited by collective members Kaie Kellough and Jason "Blackbird" Selman. The book includes poetry in an array and mix of French, English and Creole poetry from the collective. - Midnight Poutine