Jean-Michel Blais Aubades

aubades, the new album from Jean-Michel Blais, marks the Montreal-born artist's transition from pianist to composer as he writes for an ensemble for the first time in his career. Written during the pandemic and following a breakup, Blais has used his distinctive musical voice to create a defiantly uplifting record with glistening instrumental textures and warm major tonalities. The title refers to the "aubade," a Middle Ages morning love song about lovers separating at daybreak: a dawn serenade.