Cochrane’s Found Books opens their doors Sunday, Oct. 29 for a special concert event celebrating the release of Alberta Cree artist Jessica McMann’s latest masterpiece, Prairie Dusk.
This is a beautiful and important collection of compositions deeply rooted in the narratives of home, family and land, evoking the expansive landscapes of the prairie, foothills and Rocky Mountains.
"This album wasn't what I set out to record,” says McMann. “Prairie Dusk is so much more than I could have ever imagined. I allowed myself to be free from restriction and to write my own reality through my instrument,” she said.
McMann, a Cochrane flautist, plays classical music on a flute, alto flute, and bass flute.
“It is a vulnerable work, and I am so incredibly happy to those who stepped into this journey with me," she said.
She will be re-joined by original album collaborators, Navajo pianist Connor Chee (Arizona, USA), violist Holly Bhattacharya (Revelstoke, BC) and Cree Métis baritone Jonathon Adams (Calgary, AB).
This special event not only celebrates the release of McMann's sophomore album but also her 36th birthday, making it a double celebration for all in attendance.
“There will be cake,” she confirmed with a laugh.
On the 29th, McMann said, “people can expect to be taken on a sound journey through what it means to live in and be from the prairies.”
“A lot of the music is inspired by the landscape, including the album title, which I wrote out of watching the prairie dust go to the top floor of my home,” she said.
Jessica was born and raised in Calgary, though her people are from Cowessess SK.
She added that people attending the concert will feel the surrounding landscapes in the music.
“A lot of people like experiencing the outdoors and what it means to be from here . . . I have a song called “Mountain Prairie” which is basically written about this area – how close we are to the mountains yet we're still Prairie.”
A multi-disciplinary artist, McMann interweaves land, Indigenous identity, history, and language throughout her dance and music performance. A classically trained flutist, she holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Calgary and an MFA in Contemporary Arts from Simon Fraser University.
Her work fuses together traditional language and dance with her own contemporary experiences as an Indigenous woman and Two-Spirit person.
Prairie Dusk will be available on Spotify and Apple music, as is her first album Incandescent Tales, which was released in June of 2021. This Indigenous classical album won the 2022 YYC Music Classical Album of the Year and Gold Medals in the Global Music Awards.
"Too Good; That MAY Be", an immersive soundscape performance was shown at the Urban Shaman Gallery in Winnipeg as part of "The 60's Scoop; A Place Between" in 2017. Her compositions include “Muskwa's Mountain Home” (2021), “Inni” (2018) and soundscapes including “Beguiling the Land” (2020).
She is also co-founder and co-director Wild Mint Arts, an Indigenous arts company and is a Laureate of the Hnatyshyn Foundation REVEAL Indigenous Art Awards (2017).
McMann said concert goers can expect a quiet celebration.
“So the evening can be very calming and soothing, and there's also the celebratory because it will also be my birthday,” she said.
“Listen, it is definitely different, but I hope that people can find a sense of home when they listen.”
Doors open at 4:30 pm, concert is at 5. Tickets at the door, if available: $30.
