Joane Hétu

Joane Hétu functions as saxophonist, vocalist, improviser, composer, and record-label director while counting among the central figures in the Montreal experimental-music community anchored by the Ambiances Magnétiques collective. Petite yet fiercely persistent, she began building a livelihood from nothing at age 19 and eventually became both a capable entrepreneur and a singer marked by an unmistakable personal approach. Recordings document her work with Wondeur Brass, Justine, Les Poules, Castor et Compagnie—formed with her husband Jean Derome—and under her own name.

A lifelong Montreal resident, Hétu entered music in 1977 by teaching herself alto saxophone without any theoretical instruction. Two years afterward she entered a brief relationship with pianist Pierre St-Jak, who brought her into contact with the unconventional circle surrounding Pouet Pouet Band and L'Enfant Fort, the latter project later developing into Fanfare Pourpour. These artists solidified her existing musical outlook. With keyboardist Diane Labrosse and drummer Danielle P. Roger she founded the feminist avant-rock band Wondeur Brass, acquiring basic musicianship through rehearsal. In 1985 the three women joined the recently formed Ambiances Magnétiques collective, established by Robert M. Lepage, René Lussier, André Duchesne, and Jean Derome, the last of whom became her enduring personal and principal artistic partner. Wondeur Brass issued two widely praised albums in the mid-1980s, Ravir and Simoneda, Reine des Esclaves. Hétu, Labrosse, and Roger also took part in the related ensembles Les Poules and Justine, touring throughout North America and Europe.

By 1991, when the collective’s volunteer framework had grown onerous for its participants, Hétu founded DAME (Distribution Ambiances Magnétiques Etcetera), a label and distribution company created to unite independent local avant-garde imprints. Her persistence persuaded federal and provincial agencies to extend modest additional support to experimental music, enabling steady growth of the Ambiances Magnétiques catalog. In 1992 she formed her own group, Castor et Compagnie, writing a body of unconventional erotic songs and appearing in projects by other collective members. In the late 1990s her emphasis moved from experimental songwriting toward free improvisation through Nous Perçons les Oreilles, a duo with Derome, and the solo album Seule dans les Chants. The refined Musique d'Hiver further displayed her skills as a composer.