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Oli Astral (Olivier Grenier-Bédard) is an award-winning guitarist and composer from Montreal, Canada. His musical universe is a fusion between the sound of modern jazz guitar, digital music technology, and visual projection. He records and performs under his birth name as a member of the Montreal collective LEAF; his stage name serves as the identifying moniker of his recording and performing trio. With the latter he issued
From the Astral, his leader debut album, in 2022.
Grenier-Bédard was born and raised in Montreal, and attended the University of Montreal. During his academic career, he was mentored by
John Abercrombie,
Jonathan Kreisberg, and
Mike Moreno. He distinguished himself during his time at the university by winning the International Montreal Jazz Festival scholarship in Jazz Guitar in 2012 as well as in 2013 before graduating with a bachelor's degree in music in 2014. A year before graduation,
Astral helped to form LEAF, an ongoing modern jazz, prog, and electronic music quartet with keyboardist Eric Kappauf, bassist Jonathan Arseneau, and drummer Dave Croteau. During his tenure with the group,
Astral won several prizes and distinctions, including the Montreal International Jazz Festival's La Musique Change des Vies Competition in 2015. LEAF issued its eponymously titled debut album in 2017 to critical and popular acclaim across Canada. In 2019, they took home the Audience Award (2019) at the Rimouski International Jazz Festival, as part of the LOJIQ Grand Prix.
In 2021, the 32-year-old
Astral put together his eponymously named performing and recording trio with double bassist and modular synthesist
Frédéric Alarie and drummer William Régnier. Relying heavily on digital technology, the group's sound, while heavily reflective of the sounds created by
Alarie's modular synthesizers, offers musical values and strategies deeply rooted in the jazz tradition: strong melodic improvisation, group interaction, and risk-taking are the core creative tenets of their process whether playing live or in a studio. They recorded their debut album
From the Astral during the fall of 2021. After recording, the group worked with Argentinian artist Bruno Scabini to create a visual element for the stage that would make concerts more immersive experiences. He illustrated and animated the music with creative drawing techniques and cinematic effects. In addition, there are projected video images that merge with the music on-stage, transforming the concert experience into a journey of sensation.
From the Astral was released in January 2022. ~ Thom Jurek