UZEB en fusion screened in Gatineau as part of Ciné Jonction

Drazen Seslija

The documentary UZEB en fusion was screened on September 21 at 8 p.m. at Salle Jean-Despréz in Gatineau as part of the Ciné Jonction programming. Among those present was director Philippe Frenette-Roy, who spent several years tracing the history of the Quebec jazz fusion band.

Directed and produced by Frenette-Roy, the film traces the history of UZEB and its three members: Alain Caron, Michel Cusson, and Paul Brochu. From their early days in Quebec to their success on major international stages, the documentary looks back at a musical journey that left its mark on Quebec's jazz scene.

The film project began in 2019 and ultimately took seven years to complete. The director conducted more than 55 interviews and delved into a vast amount of archival material to reconstruct the band’s history. Among these were some 200 cassettes provided by Michel Cusson, which Frenette-Roy digitized and analyzed.

The sheer volume of material collected also required a significant amount of curation. The director began by producing a six-hour version before editing it down to the final 96minute runtime.

The film also focuses on the memories of UZEB members and certain defining moments in their careers—one of which was the 1992 performance at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, in front of a crowd of more than 100,000 people.

In theaters since July, UZEB en fusion arrives just as the group celebrates its 50th anniversary. In Gatineau, the screening organized by Ciné Jonction also gave the public the opportunity to discover this documentary dedicated to an important chapter in Quebec’s musical history.