Biography
Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Olivier Grenier-Bédard records and performs as Oli Astral, an award-winning guitarist and composer whose sonic world merges the textures of contemporary jazz guitar with digital production tools and projected imagery. Under his given name he contributes to the Montreal collective LEAF, while the stage name identifies his own trio, which issued its first leader project, From the Astral, in 2022.
Grenier-Bédard grew up in Montreal and studied at the University of Montreal, where John Abercrombie, Jonathan Kreisberg, and Mike Moreno served as his mentors. He earned the International Montreal Jazz Festival scholarship in Jazz Guitar in both 2012 and 2013, then completed a bachelor’s degree in music in 2014. The year prior to graduation he co-founded LEAF, a quartet that continues to explore modern jazz, prog, and electronic music alongside keyboardist Eric Kappauf, bassist Jonathan Arseneau, and drummer Dave Croteau. While working with the ensemble he collected multiple honors, among them first place in the Montreal International Jazz Festival’s La Musique Change des Vies Competition in 2015. LEAF released its self-titled debut album in 2017, receiving widespread praise throughout Canada, and in 2019 the group received the Audience Award at the Rimouski International Jazz Festival as part of the LOJIQ Grand Prix.
In 2021 the 32-year-old Astral assembled the performing and recording trio that bears his stage name, enlisting double bassist and modular synthesist Frédéric Alarie and drummer William Régnier. Although the ensemble leans heavily on digital technology and the timbres generated by Alarie’s modular synthesizers, its approach remains grounded in jazz principles, prioritizing melodic improvisation, collective interplay, and bold risk-taking in both live and studio settings. The trio captured From the Astral during the autumn of 2021; afterward the musicians collaborated with Argentinian visual artist Bruno Scabini, who supplied hand-drawn animations and cinematic effects that accompany the music onstage. Additional video projections further integrate with the performance, turning each concert into a multi-sensory experience. The album appeared in January 2022.
Grenier-Bédard grew up in Montreal and studied at the University of Montreal, where John Abercrombie, Jonathan Kreisberg, and Mike Moreno served as his mentors. He earned the International Montreal Jazz Festival scholarship in Jazz Guitar in both 2012 and 2013, then completed a bachelor’s degree in music in 2014. The year prior to graduation he co-founded LEAF, a quartet that continues to explore modern jazz, prog, and electronic music alongside keyboardist Eric Kappauf, bassist Jonathan Arseneau, and drummer Dave Croteau. While working with the ensemble he collected multiple honors, among them first place in the Montreal International Jazz Festival’s La Musique Change des Vies Competition in 2015. LEAF released its self-titled debut album in 2017, receiving widespread praise throughout Canada, and in 2019 the group received the Audience Award at the Rimouski International Jazz Festival as part of the LOJIQ Grand Prix.
In 2021 the 32-year-old Astral assembled the performing and recording trio that bears his stage name, enlisting double bassist and modular synthesist Frédéric Alarie and drummer William Régnier. Although the ensemble leans heavily on digital technology and the timbres generated by Alarie’s modular synthesizers, its approach remains grounded in jazz principles, prioritizing melodic improvisation, collective interplay, and bold risk-taking in both live and studio settings. The trio captured From the Astral during the autumn of 2021; afterward the musicians collaborated with Argentinian visual artist Bruno Scabini, who supplied hand-drawn animations and cinematic effects that accompany the music onstage. Additional video projections further integrate with the performance, turning each concert into a multi-sensory experience. The album appeared in January 2022.
Albums