Montreal-based pianist Jean-Michel Blais will release his debut album Il next month, and he's teased its arrival with an accompanying video for the track "Nostos."
The clip was directed by Jason Rodi and features drone footage compiled by Antoine Leger that captures stunning landscapes of cliffs by the sea, vast expanses of water and, finally, sunlight breaking through the cloud cover.
"In Greek literature nostos is a theme whereby the hero returns home by sea following a series of trials," Blais explained in a statement. "The final section of James Joyce's epic Ulysses is also titled 'Nostos' wherein the protagonist returns to a home he imagines hasn't changed, or has it? Thematically, nostos represents a longing for the past, a nostalgia. In our times of climate change, when our environment is quickly becoming unfamiliar to us, what has become of that home? Oceans are raging, icebergs melting, sea levels rising… Is our longing for home, for a 'return to the same,' even possible? What are we longing for?"
Il is due out on April 8 through Arts & Crafts, and in support of the new record, Blais will perform residency-style at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto on April 8, 15 and 22. Following that, he'll perform in New York on April 28.
Scroll past the list of upcoming shows to watch the brand new video for "Nostos" in the player below.
Tour dates:
04/08 Toronto, ON – Art Gallery of Ontario
04/15 Toronto, ON – Art Gallery of Ontario
04/22 Toronto, ON – Art Gallery of Ontario
04/28 New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2
The clip was directed by Jason Rodi and features drone footage compiled by Antoine Leger that captures stunning landscapes of cliffs by the sea, vast expanses of water and, finally, sunlight breaking through the cloud cover.
"In Greek literature nostos is a theme whereby the hero returns home by sea following a series of trials," Blais explained in a statement. "The final section of James Joyce's epic Ulysses is also titled 'Nostos' wherein the protagonist returns to a home he imagines hasn't changed, or has it? Thematically, nostos represents a longing for the past, a nostalgia. In our times of climate change, when our environment is quickly becoming unfamiliar to us, what has become of that home? Oceans are raging, icebergs melting, sea levels rising… Is our longing for home, for a 'return to the same,' even possible? What are we longing for?"
Il is due out on April 8 through Arts & Crafts, and in support of the new record, Blais will perform residency-style at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto on April 8, 15 and 22. Following that, he'll perform in New York on April 28.
Scroll past the list of upcoming shows to watch the brand new video for "Nostos" in the player below.
Tour dates:
04/08 Toronto, ON – Art Gallery of Ontario
04/15 Toronto, ON – Art Gallery of Ontario
04/22 Toronto, ON – Art Gallery of Ontario
04/28 New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2