GREENHOUSE ENSEMBLE

MEZZANINE

Independent Label

Christophe Magnan-Bossé, piano/Fender Rhodes/melodica; Louis-Martin Ruest, guitars/effects; Benjamin Lavoie-Doyon, upright & electric bass; Simon Desrosiers, drums/percussion; Roxane Reddy, vocals; Camille Brousseau, violin; William Lussier, trumpet/flugelhorn.

Greenhouse Ensemble is a seven-member group that reunited in July of 2025. Based in Quebec, Canada they present a unique body of work that embraces contemporary jazz, infused with traditional Quebec folk music and European classical music.  Their collective voice is both cultural and entertaining.  They incorporate acoustic jazz and electronics into their mix, adding the bright, soprano wordless vocals of Roxane Reddy and Camille Brousseau’s violin that sometimes captures the sound and joy of a fiddle, like during their presentation of “Variations sur une Turlute.” That translates to “variations of a musical instrument or popular song.  Their arrangement sounds very folksy.

For this latest release, the Greenhouse Ensemble spotlights their collaborative composing.  A ladder is propped against a wall of spacy blue on the album cover.  A bright light shines on it from the floor, seems to picture growth, or symbolizes the climb towards higher heights.  Blending their local traditional songs with a global perspective, Greenhouse Ensemble creates a soundscape totally unique to them. This is world music, glowing in the light of international appeal. Their first album release was the foundation for their multi-talents.  This one seems to represent the ‘floor above.’  Their musical elevator is rising.

On a song like “A Whole Step Away” they add Fusion jazz to this production.  The funk drums of Simon Desrosiers tap out the beat, tickle my brain, and the trumpet does a dance with the violin, keyboards, and guitar, coming off like a jazz band horn section. Louis-Martin Ruest is featured on an improvisational guitar solo that’s out of this world.  Lavole-Doyon’s electric bass walks and stomps under this aggressive solo, spurring him on.  As always, the drums are king!  This tune shows off the ensemble’s playful side.

Here is an album that personifies the Greenhouse Ensemble’s cohesive soundscape, perpetuated by each talented individual musician. The music exemplifies their collaborative, fresh compositions, all mixed together with French Canadian and Quebec culture. This is a great example of how jazz crosses all borders.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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