On June 15, around 40 arts enthusiasts from the Pontiac and beyond gathered at Venturing Hills Farm in Luskville for an intimate set of quasi-improvised, jazzy piano, masterfully delivered by a British jazzman.

The special act that got people to drive down a rocky, muddy gravel road to an old remote horse stable to see was London based jazz phenomenon Kit Downes, an ECM Records award winning solo recording artist.

Pontiac Enchanté’s director Tait Becke opened the show with a word of welcome, which included a brief introduction into Downe’s career, his connection to Pontiac Enchanté and a short snippet on his latest album Obsidian.

With everyone seated in the audience, sipping wine and ready for the show, the well-combed Downes, decked out in a black dress-shirt, blue jeans and black socks, walked between benches of the audience members towards the large black piano located at the front of the room.

For about an hour, Downes wowed the crowd with his unique sound and style featuring a mixture of partly-freestyled tunes on the keys.

Plus, with a miniature organ from the 1800s on site, specifically for the special occasion, Downes ended the show by playing a song with the ancient instrument, to the delight of those who attended.

As the recipient and nominee of multiple musical awards and accolades including the BBC Jazz Award and the Mercury Music Award, Downes’ presence in the Pontiac attracted people from far beyond the outskirts of the region.

For Montreal based musical composer Phillippe Côté, the opportunity to see Downes play live was one he wouldn’t miss for anything, especially in such a unique setting.

As an avid jazz musician himself, he’s a big fan of a number of musicians with the same label as Downes and after listening to his music for the first time around a year and a half ago, Côté fell in love.

“I follow pretty much everything that comes out of ECM Records,” he said. “So, his record came out and I was like ‘That’s a very special record.’ It made me like the organ which I normally actually hate. So, I was like ‘Wow’. And I checked out his older records and he’s a great musician. So, I wanted to see him in concert.”

A long-time friend and colleague of Pontiac Enchanté’s Co-Director Carson Becke through his time attending various boarding schools in the United Kingdom, Downes found out about the the opportunity to make the stop in the Pontiac after hearing about Carson’s own music festival set in an exclusive concert hall located on a beautiful farm in Luskville.

In the midst of a North American tour with a string of shows in Canada for the next couple of weeks, Pontiac Enchanté’s board of directors were fortunate enough to book him for a special show.

Considering the connection they had and everything they’d been through together, the chance to perform at his friends’ festival on the farm made the show feel more special for Downes.

“It’s super nice and so are the people that put it on,” he said. “Carson is a friend of mine. So, there feels like a real reason to be here and not just doing an ordinary gig set.”

According to Becke, hosting Downes at the stable was a unique event for the organization as it provided a change of atmosphere in a concert hall that typically plays host to classically trained musical acts.

“We have limited contacts within the jazz world,” said Tait. “It’s really special for us to get outside that sometimes. So, this is new for us to kind of go into the whole jazz world at all actually.”

Set in a room framed with old fashioned wooden walls that you’d typically expect from any barn, the concert hall was initially built as a recording studio by Becke’s father Peter.

According to Downes, one of the most enjoyable aspects about performing in a concert hall like the one at Venturing Hills Farm is the unique type of connection he forms with audience members that you don’t find at your typical club or music festival.

“I know this isn’t someone’s home,” he said. “But it’s very connected to that. It’s always nice to play these kinds of house concert type things. There’s a very intimate, personal feeling to the whole night.”

The purpose of Pontiac Enchanté’s annual concert series was initially intended as a showcase for local artists to demonstrate their talents, the opportunity to bring in a special, foreign talent like Downes to the Pontiac was one that the board of directors simply couldn’t pass on.

“It’s always a pleasure to kind of broaden those horizons,” said Becke. “We’re very lucky to be contacted with many world-known musicians and people that aren’t from Canada.”

All the money raised from the concert goes back to the festival to improve it for next year, Becke said.

The next event on Pontiac Enchanté’s 10th annual series of concerts calendar will be their 2019 Summer Gala Evening set for July 20. The event will feature a buffet dinner accompanied with music played by Eric Abramovitz on the clarinet, Thierry Begin-Lamontagne pulling the guitar strings, Maithena Girault on the violin and Pontiac Enchanté’s very own Carson Becke on the piano.

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