UZEB documentary launches at Jazz Fest this weekend

UZEB en fusion, a documentary about Quebec's legendary jazz fusion group, premieres June 29, during the Festival international de jazz de Montréal, then hits select cinemas July 3.

Director Philippe Frenette-Roy, 37, spent more than six years developing the project. He started by exploring the broader fusion genre before narrowing his focus to UZEB—a band formed August 14, 1975, in Acton Vale (the name derives from Saint Eusèbe, the patron saint of that day). The 90-minute film traces the group from inception through their 1992 breakup.

The three founding members sit around a wooden table throughout the film: keyboardist Michel Cusson, known for his embrace of technology in service of music and later for three decades of film and television scores; drummer Paul Brochu, described as quiet but exceptionally skilled; and bassist Alain Caron, whose calm confidence made his instrumental-only output a limitation—as Caron himself notes, he wishes the group had used his voice.

"I was surprised Philippe wanted to do this. I didn't think we had that many fans," Brochu admitted. Cusson quickly corrected the modesty: the group won two Félix Awards for Group of the Year at the 1984 and 1989 ADISQ galas, sold roughly 200,000 records in Quebec alone, and performed hundreds of shows worldwide.

The film relies heavily on concert footage, showing UZEB in intimate venues like L'air du temps in Old Montreal as well as major stages across Indonesia and beyond. Their discography includes six live albums and five studio recordings, a testament to their reputation as a live act. Frenette-Roy's previous films—Louis! Louis! Louis! and Albert et Alma en seize temps—established his archival storytelling approach, evident in the documentary's layered visual history.