ANDRÉ 3000
@ MASSEY HALL, TORONTO
JUNE 28, 2024
André 3000 took the world by surprise with the release of his first solo album, 2023’s New Blue Sun. While a return to rap from the former Outkast member has been highly anticipated, New Blue Sun is an avant-garde jazz album starring André on the flute. The resulting album is a celebration of creativity for its very own sake. Now, André is currently in the midst of a global tour, making his first of two Canadian dates at Toronto’s Massey Hall, as presented by the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, feel like a truly once in a lifetime performance.
Humbly, about halfway through the night, André expressed, “Everything you hear on stage, we’re making it up as it happens. We don’t know where it will take us – it keeps us honest, keeps us fresh… Every night we soar because of the trust we have”. This was one of only three breaks throughout the show, otherwise, André – alongside percussionist Carlos Niño Surya, the creative instigator behind New Blue Sun on “everything from keys to leaves”, Surya Botofasina on synths, percussionist Deantoni Parks, and guitarist Nate Mercereau – performed seamlessly without pause. Rather than play songs, the band created soundscapes out of thin air while performing moods that were built upon ambient drums, lush synths, guitars that sounded like anything but a guitar, and André’s melodies. Their sparse lighting and use of smoke and colours further built upon the mystique of the evening. While there was a moment that felt reminiscent for “That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control… Sh¥t Was Wild”; however, I don’t believe that they performed anything else from New Blue Sun.
NEW BLUE SUN ALBUM REVIEW
André 3000 and his band ebbed and flowed between meditative and chaotic soundscapes as André pulled from a myriad of flutes, resulting in a rich pallet of colours for him to paint the space. Regularly, he would kneel at a blanket full of flutes, select another and, on numerous occasions, put that one down before deciding on a different option. This further speaks to the improvisational spirit of the night. Texturally, the tones of his melodies ranged from warm wood resonance to that of thinner and more metallic tones, and even electronic wind synths. As the music moved from mood to mood, the band remained in constant movement in an everchanging musical shape that could be stunningly serene, only to violently erupt without warning – both dynamics however proved to be equally cinematic and free.
To watch André 3000 embark on his latest creative voyage is to see a creative voice unleashed upon an audience in a truly unpredictable, and unprecedented fashion. This was, without a doubt, unlike anything else I have ever seen and likely will ever see again. The artistry of the night is only further appreciated when you really look at André’s artistic journey from underground hip-hop to here – this isn’t a jazz giant taking a turn towards the avant-garde, but rather one of the greatest voices in rap returning in a completely unexpected form – making this era truly something to marvel at. Much like New Blue Sun, there is something incredibly inspiring and revitalising; ultimately dem0onstrating that André 3000 is among the most vitally creative beings of our time.
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Main Photo Credit: Dexter Navy
