Dominique Fils-Aimé: Jazz as Freedom, Healing, and Connection
Montreal vocalist and composer Dominique Fils-Aimé discusses music as if it were vital—indispensable, calming, and communal. In conversation, a few themes repeatedly emerge: freedom fueling jazz, music as a healing force for the body, and connection—among people, across generations, and through histories—as the subtle foundation that enables songs to flow. These ideas aren’t just abstract symbols for her; they shape how she writes and how she assembles a live set—especially in intimate venues like SFJAZZ’s Joe Henderson Lab.
When asked what she hopes people hear when they call her music “jazz,” she responds immediately: “Freedom.” She adds, “Freedom. It’s the number one thing... that’s what I hope [listeners are] inspired to seek for themselves... I believe that jazz has a way of resonating with us that reminds us to pursue freedom in all its forms.”
Fils-Aimé didn’t enter music by following a technical checklist. She describes a process that starts with an impulse and shifts into a meditative focus, where repetition and breath open a door to meaning. “There is definitely a meditative aspect to even the creation process… there’s always this notion of repetition that comes in… similar to breathwork,” she says. “It always begins with just a random impulse… and then from that point, it’s as if I start a meditative process that can last for hours.” That mindset helps explain why her studio and stage work feel grounded yet open: melody leads, the human voice is at the core, and groove, harmony, and sound design support the message.
Two recent touchstones capture that blend. “Our Roots Run Deep” frames growth through an ecological lens. “The whole album itself and this song specifically were inspired by nature… the color green is associated with the heart chakra… I’m being a little more open with my heart and sharing the messages and the lessons that I keep learning from my plants,” she says. She connects that to a forest’s underground network: “All the roots are actually connected… with the older ones feeding the younger ones. This felt like a clear metaphor… our ancestors are also feeding us… We are all connected, even if we can’t see it with our eyes the same way.” The takeaway is patient, practical: “Even if there is a tiny little leaf, we cannot expect to be a tree tomorrow.”
“Freedom [is] what I’m hoping listeners are inspired to seek for themselves… jazz reminds us to seek freedom in all its forms.”
Her single “Keep On Shining” (with producer/keyboardist Jaron Marshall) carries that same gentle insistence. “There is definitely the idea of mantras… I feel like it’s similar to water… I want it to be something soothing and uplifting. Part of the messages I want to leave behind in my music is for people to allow themselves to shine their full light,” she says. The song also holds space for loss and continuity: “Just like the people who leave us physically, I feel their light remains through their actions, words, and every memory we hold of them.”
For SFJAZZ concertgoers, the most revealing aspect of Fils-Aimé’s approach is how she transforms the room into a collaborator. Instead of trying to replicate every layered vocal from her albums on her own, she spreads those patterns across the audience and band. “Instead of layering my voice excessively, I let the audience take part. They are the ones who play some of the repetitive loops found on the albums… they make the music better because they make it their own,” she explains. It’s a simple design choice with a powerful effect: listeners don’t just receive the music; they help carry it.
Technology subtly influences the feel and always serves it. “There is a bit of looping because I now have a looper, but it’s very sparse, allowing more room for the musicians to contribute. And even the sound man is a musician… he creates atmospheres and delays… which makes the show another dimension altogether.” That team includes Étienne Miousse (guitar), Danny Trudeau (bass), David Osei-Afrifa (keyboards), and Harvey Bien-Aimée (drums), players who can shift from whisper-like textures to a deep groove without losing focus.
Photo credit: Cecilia Baguerre Martinez
So, what, specifically, can fans look forward to in the Joe Henderson Lab?
Expect shared authorship. Fils-Aimé clearly states what makes the live experience different from the studio: the collective energy in the room becomes part of the band. She describes that space as “magical” because “imperfections” turn into “humanity being present,” and improvised choices can steer the set in real time. This approach suits a space like the Lab, which is acoustically honest, where small details—such as how a note lands, where a consonant blooms, and when a drummer leans back on the beat—are visible from the first row to the back wall. “A live show is us creating together—from me, the band, the choir, to the energy of the people who are present,” she says.
Second, expect each set to tilt differently. If you’re the type to catch an early and a late show, you’ll hear variations. “Often, before stepping on stage, we’ll say, ‘Okay, I want everyone to do something they’ve never done before.’… It keeps us on our toes… we have to stay in sync so that we can keep up,” she says. That might mean a re-voiced vamp, a new call-and-response cadence, or a shift in dynamics that reframes a familiar song. The effect isn’t randomness; it’s responsiveness.
Thirdly, expect the material to connect the dots between healing and history without preaching. “Our Roots Run Deep” will likely emerge as both a song and a lens—the forest network serving as a metaphor for community and ancestry. You’ll hear that idea in the arrangements: drones that feel like a hum underfoot, vocal lines that braid into each other, rhythmic figures that suggest steady care. You’ll also hear it in the way Fils-Aimé talks between songs—patient, grounded, and intent on making the room a little kinder to itself by the end of the night.
Finally, expect a broad, quietly surprising set of influences to filter through the phrasing. Fils-Aimé traces her listening from Nina Simone and Billie Holiday to B.B. King, Erykah Badu, Bob Marley, and the close-harmony urgency of System of a Down. That range doesn’t flatten into a mash-up; instead, it reveals a sense of timbre, space, and layered voices. “When I started making music, I was just creating whatever felt right… It sounds good to me. That’s what it’s going to be,” she says—a reminder that intuition, not category, is the point.
If you’re new to her work, Live at the Montreal International Jazz Festivalprovides a good glimpse of her live performances. It’s less about a greatest hits collection and more about capturing a night that “will never be the same again.” That’s the goal she’s aiming for: not just replaying the record but seizing a moment.
For jazz listeners who value presence over polish, that attitude should be immediately apparent in the Lab. And for anyone who wants to feel the room lighten and become more transparent as the set progresses, the blend of mantra-esque songs like “Keep On Shining,” audience loops, and a band designed for conversational risk provides precisely that. In Fils-Aimé’s words, the goal is straightforward and sincere: to pursue freedom—in phrasing, in form, and, if the music does its job, within us when we step back out onto the street.
Ticket Info
Four shows over two nights, September 18–19 (7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. each night)—tickets via SFJAZZ.org. More music and tour info can be found at Dominique Fils-Aimé’s official site.
