Tavener – No Longer Mourn for Me
Steven Isserlis; Philharmonia Orchestra; Omer Meir Wellber
Hyperion CDA68246 (hyperion-records.co.uk/find.asp?f=CDA68246)

Some albums follow a linear and straightforward path through their conception, recording and release, while others take many years of behind-the-scenes planning and work before finally reaching a listening audience. Tavener: No longer mourn for me falls into this latter category, starting its gestation as cellist Steven Isserlis’ own passion project in 2013, thrown into disarray by Tavener’s death later that year and, after a long and labyrinthine journey, eventually unveiled seven years later, in October 2020.

As is the case with much of Tavener’s output, many of the works on this disc defy strict categorization, a reflection of the composer’s numerous and eclectic influences including the Orthodox Church, the Anglican Cathedral tradition, Catholicism, Islam, Tolstoy and Shakespeare. The two principal tracks, The death of Ivan Ilyich and Mahámátar, are fascinating and stunningly beautiful cross-cultural experiences: in Ivan Ilyich, Tolstoy’s text (sung in English by bass Matthew Rose) draws on Tavener’s influences to form a uniquely dramatic work resembling a one-act opera; Mahámátar features Sufi singer Abi Sampa, along with Isserlis and the Trinity Boys Choir, in a magnificent exploration of East-meets-West through Tavener’s eyes and ears.

The remaining works on No longer mourn for me are, although smaller in scale and performing forces, no less impressive, either from a compositional or interpretive perspective. Of particular interest are the two arrangements for eight-cello ensemble: Shakespeare’s Sonnet LXXI, No longer mourn for me; and the Preces and Responses, a sublime setting of the prayers traditionally sung at the Anglican service of Evensong, originally composed for choir.

John Tavener’s lengthy and highly regarded career resulted in an extraordinary range of material, as varied as the composer’s influences and inspirations. Although only a portion of his late works is represented on No longer mourn for me, their depth and breadth serve both as an introduction for those previously unfamiliar with Tavener, as well as a point of exploration and discovery for those seeking to delve deeper into this great composer’s eclectic and evocative style.

Nature
Fie Schouten
SOL Classics SOL010 (fieschouten.nl/en/discografie/)

Fie Schouten makes the bass clarinet ring with a gorgeous sound. Nature is a collection of contemporary pieces that refer to our environment. They’re cleverly ordered, drawing attention first to the earth and sea, to the sky, and finally to the moon and stars. 

Jonathan Harvey’s Cirrus Light is juxtaposed with Abîme des oiseaux, from Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps. Harvey’s piece, which is played on soprano clarinet, was written in the final year of the composer’s life, and sounds almost like an homage to the Messiaen. Schouten elects to present the Messiaen on basset horn, bringing more Abyss and less Bird to the performance. This is not all a bad thing: at a perfect fourth below the original pitch, desolation is powerfully rendered by the lower voice. Some of the sustained crescendi are marred by unintended timbre alterations, and I think the bird calls are more brilliant on the soprano instrument. Although it’s a fine rendering, on balance, I prefer the original. 

Oi Kuu, by Kaija Saariaho, is a duo for bass clarinet and cello that references the moon. It’s beautiful. George Aperghis’ Façade-Trio is also stunning. Written for two bass clarinets and percussion, it sounds like a dialogue of mad twins: two enraged geese, perhaps, arguing by the abyss. The extremely recent (August 2020) Mankind ReMix by Michael Finnissy is another solo bass clarinet piece, right in Schouten’s wheelhouse: singing tone and powerful expression.

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Once/Memory/Night: Paul Celan
Ensemble for These Times
E4TT (e4tt.org/discography.html)

Paul Celan was one of the 20th century’s most profound poets. To listen to this breathtaking recording of his poetry is to be drawn to its haunting beauty as if by gossamer strings. Elliptical, rhythmically spellbinding, each word obdurate and as inward as a geode, Celan’s poems embody a conviction that the truth of what has been broken and torn must be told with a jagged grace. And few – if any – recordings of his work tell their truth better than Once/Memory/Night: Paul Celan by Ensemble for These Times. 

This recording features almost an hour of poetry echoing with heart-aching emotion delivered in a kind of near-spiritual quietude. A unique atmosphere is created by the disc’s opening track: Libby Larsen’s 4½: A Piano Suite brought to eloquent life by pianist Xin Zhao. Then follows Die eichne Tür, the cycle of Celan poems set to music by David Garner. The Ensemble’s performance is both poised and haunting, and is raised to a rarefied realm by lustrous and soaring, songful recitatives executed by the inimitable Nanette McGuinness,

More of the transcendent beauty of Celan’s work unfolds in Jared Redmond’s Nachtlang before we are treated to the extraordinary recitation of another celebrated poet, Czeslaw Milosz’s A Song on the End of the World by Milosz’s son Anthony, followed by the disc’s dénouement: a rapturous performance of Milosz’s poem which unfolds with poise and sensual fluidity from the lips of the magnificent McGuinness.

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Albores
Dino Saluzzi
ECM New Series ECM 2638 (ecmrecords.com/shop)

Albores – meaning “daybreak” – is Argentinian bandoneonist/composer Dino Saluzzi’s first solo album in decades. Born in 1935, Saluzzi is renowned for his performances with his family band and orchestra, other ensembles and orchestras, and work with many jazz musicians such as Charlie Haden and Gato Barbieri. Here Saluzzi plays nine of his compositions on solo bandoneon, an accordion-like instrument popular in Argentinian folk music and tangos. Even though Saluzzi uses tango references, he also develops other styles in this emotional, storytelling music chronicling his life and musical adventures.

The opening track, Adiós Maestro Kancheli, is a reflective, mournful musical tribute to his late friend Georgian composer Giya Kancheli, highlighted by a high-pitched melody against a lower chordal accompaniment, reminiscent of a two-person conversation. Superb controlled bellows during held notes and volume changes makes the slow sparse Ausencias equally moving. 

Don Caye – Variaciones sobre obra de Cayetano Saluzzi pays homage to Saluzzi’s  bandoneonist father, who taught him about music from a young age, in a more traditional joyous tango with steady rhythms, arpeggiated melodies and a short, slightly dissonate slower section. Según me cuenta la vida –Milonga briefly alludes to Piazzolla-flavoured tango nuevo yet Saluzzi’s shorter contrasting melodies, dissonances and repeated notes make this contemporary milonga more his own.  

Throughout, Saluzzi performs on bandoneon with detailed personal musicality, conviction, dedication and thorough technical understanding. His compositional reflections awaken a lifetime of countless feelings from happiness to grief in his own personal sound.

The Nimmons Tribute Volume One – To The Nth
Kevin Turcotte; Tara Davidson; Mike Murley; William Carn et al
Independent n/a (nimmonstribute.ca)

Forgive the tired expression, but Phil Nimmons needs no introduction. As far as contributors to the Canadian music landscape go, it would be hard to find many as seismic as Nimmons. I am sadly too young to have appreciated him first hand, but his legacy at 97 is such that I can still get a sense of his transcendence both through his music and through his countless talented former students who constantly sing his praises. Case in point is this new tribute album that combines the best of both aforementioned worlds. Featuring an astonishing roster, spearheaded by Nimmons’ grandson and accomplished pianist Sean Nimmons, this album is a fitting tribute full of heart and brilliance. 

Sean’s arranging and production are a highlight, as this record’s pristine sound allows for a modern, yet faithful, interpretation of his grandfather’s music. Another bright spot is the sample of Nimmons’ work selected for these recordings. Some of his finest compositions are featured spanning across multiple decades, which goes a long way to showcase the sheer scope of his prolific output. The Sean Nimmons-composed track Rista’s Vista is the one outlier here, and serves as the album’s centrepiece. Dedicated to his grandfather, it’s a love letter to a man who continues to inspire.

Very Well & Good
Richard Whiteman
Cornerstone Records CRST CD 153 (cornerstonerecordsinc.com)

Multi-instrumentalist Richard Whiteman is one of the most in-demand and respected jazz pianists and educators in Toronto. In 2004, he began studying the double bass and quickly became an adept and experienced performer on this instrument. In 2012 he formed his “bass” quartet featuring guitarist Reg Schwager, pianist Amanda Tosoff and drummer Morgan Childs – the group that forms the backbone for this new recording. The quartet is augmented on several tracks by Canadian tenor saxophone giants, Pat LaBarbera and Mike Murley. 

The set kicks off with the catchy Whiteman-penned title track, based on the chord progression of the standard, Fine and Dandy. The lyrical Not So Early pays tribute to the late jazz pianist Bill Evans, a musical reply of sorts to his famous composition, Very Early. This song features thoughtful and inventive solos from Whiteman, Tosoff and Schwager. 

Pat and Mike pays tribute to LaBarbera and Murley, who both get a chance to ably stretch out in solos and trading on this minor blues. They are clearly enjoying playing with each other! Selohssa is a change of pace, an even-eighth, 32-bar form that features a strong and personal statement from Schwager.

Tosoff deserves special mention for turning in one sparkling solo after another. Childs also stands out for his propulsive swing, musical sensitivity and crisp cymbal work. All told, one of the finest acoustic jazz recordings of the past year.

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The Latest Tech
Dan Fortin
Elastic Recordings (danfortinthewebsite.com)

It seems to make sense that in the middle of a pandemic year, a solo upright bass album would be the perfect choice to record. Eliminating the band is a simple way to maintain physical distancing while exploring the many nuances of your instrument. 

Dan Fortin has played with many groups and recorded multiple albums as sideman and leader and he currently teaches bass in the University of Toronto’s jazz program. The Latest Tech pares away the other traditional jazz instruments and we can listen to the full, fat sound of acoustic bass. On the title song, a series of repeated ostinato patterns cycle through different tonal centres and slight alterations of rhythmic emphasis create an intriguing journey. Beautiful Psychic Dream has a loping and sustained minor-sounding melodic line which seems to hang and shimmer as it moves onward. Mega Wish opens with a faster series of repeated melodic fragments which become more dispersed and exploratory before picking up speed and ending with a final repetition of the opening phrase. 

The Latest Tech is a clean and meditative album produced during a time when we can all use some music that is calming and thought-provoking.

All the Little Things You Do
Rebecca Hennessy
Independent RH003 (rebeccahennessy.com)

Toronto-based trumpet player, singer and songwriter, Rebecca Hennessy, has released her second full-length album and it’s an interesting and eclectic mix of styles. Although Hennessy generally gets categorized as a jazz musician, All the Little Things You Do has shades of art song, country blues, New Orleans horn band and jazz-rock, all playing together nicely. A mandolin orchestra even makes an appearance on a couple of tracks.

All of the songs were either written by Hennessy or co-written by her with bandmates Michael Herring and Dave Clark (and others). Although her background is as a trumpet player, voice is her main instrument on this album and she has an endearingly unembellished singing style that suits the straightforward lyrics of the majority of the songs. 

Hennessy has gathered a renowned and eclectic mix of players for the album, including pianist Tania Gill, bassist Herring and drummer Clark. Guitarist Kevin Breit (who has played with Norah Jones and Cassandra Wilson) has a strong presence throughout the album with the inventive soundscapes he creates. And when he’s unleashed on a solo, it can be quite a wild ride. Other notable guests include Alex Samaras – a phenomenal singer who I keep seeing pop up on other people’s albums – and violinist and strings-arranger Drew Jureka, whose work on Eclipse is especially compelling. On the whole, All the Little Things You Do is an artful and thoughtful musical journey.

One Fine Morning
Denise Leslie
Independent (deniselesliesings.com)

With the release of her new recording, delightful contemporary jazz vocalist, Denise Leslie, has created a sumptuous journey through some of the most potent and skillfully composed jazz/rock/pop hits of the 1970s. Leslie has also included two of her own well-crafted tunes in the collection. Her fine crew includes gifted producer/arranger/guitarist Bob McAlpine; first call jazz bassist/arranger Pat Collins; the iconic Paul DeLong on drums; the Lighthouse Horns (Simon Wallis on tenor sax; Chris Howells and Bruce Cassidy on trumpet, Russ Little on trombone); Arturo Avalos on percussion; Don Baird on Hammond B3; and the Brass Transit Horns (Phil Poppa on tenor and baritone sax, Doug Gibson on trombone and Tony Carlucci on trumpet).

Things kick off with a funky cool reimagining of the Badfinger hit, Day After Day. Insistent, potent bass lines by Collins and thrilling drumming by DeLong are ensconced in a delicious vocal arrangement. Leslie is right in the pocket, bringing to mind (but not derivative of) another soulful gal, legendary British diva Cilla Black. Other highlights include Sting’s Driven to Tears, presented here as a bluesy, sexy, evocative lament that resonates easily with our contemporary chaos. Collins plumbs the lower depths here, while McAlpine lashes out with a spine-tingling guitar solo. 

An absolute standout is Little River Band’s tender reverie, Reminiscing, presented here with a stunning, succinct vocal arrangement; truly a compelling version of one of the loveliest contemporary pop ballads ever written. The tasty closer is a charming take on the Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields’ standard I’m in the Mood for Love, which cleverly segues into Eddie Jefferson and James Moody’s Moody’s Mood.

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Today Will Be a Good Day
Red Hot Ramble
Independent RHR003 (redhotramble.ca)

Hope springs eternal, musically and figuratively, right from the title of this disc. Today Will Be A Good Day is what everyone needs, to be reminded of what the pandemic of 2020 took away not only from all of us, but from wonderful artists like these who create music with such vigorous positivity. 

Red Hot Ramble may derive some of its spirit from the music of New Orleans, but the melodies and harmonies sing of stories that could be much more universal. Everything is brought to life magnificently in the vocals of the group’s frontwoman, Roberta Hunt. Her performance in the gloriously dark and sinister Marie Laveau, for instance, is just one example. 

Alison Young also dazzles not only with her versatility on various saxophones, but in the visceral energy (Liquid Spirit) and virtuosity (everywhere else) she displays on each variant. Jamie Stager’s mournful trombone growls its bittersweet way throughout; and Jack Zorawski’s bass and Glenn Anderson’s drumming create an appropriately immutable rhythmic power.

The roster of guest stars is a stellar one. Accordionist and organist Denis Keldie, clarinettist Jacob Gorzhaltsan, trumpeter Alexis Baro and guitarist Kevin Barrett are inspired choices. All told, each musician plays every heartfelt phrase as if his (and her) life depends upon it. This makes for music with unfettered emotional intensity, full of funkified soul and joie de vivre. An album to die for.

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Arcade
Griffith Hiltz Trio
G-B Records (gbrecords.ca)

Last week, a colleague who makes beats and electronic music sampled part of an ambient-sounding guitar piece I had shared online. During the COVID-19 pandemic I have been exploring home recording and this electronic reuse of my piece made me wonder what other sonic ideas I might probe. I am not the only musician currently investigating recording technology, nor am I alone in pondering electronic possibilities like beats and live-sound samples. A brilliantly original take on these electroacoustic explorations comes in the form of Arcade, the latest offering from the Griffith Hiltz Trio. 

Concept albums with unifying themes can, at their worst, sound cheesy or forced. Arcade avoids this trap while tackling a very unique underlying theme: the video games and movies of the 1980s. This theme is realized with a plethora of synthesizers that blend immaculately with the acoustic instruments present, making this a departure stylistically from other Griffith Hiltz Trio releases and other jazz albums in general. Nathan Hiltz’s signature employment of Hammond organ pedals alongside his guitar playing may be the most unique aspect of the group, but that is to take nothing away from the saxophone work of Johnny Griffith and drumming of Neil MacIntosh. The album was recorded remotely by the group and their ample recording/production experience gives the 13 tracks unifying quirks that never sound gimmicky. This is no easy feat and commands a listen!

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Ars Transmutatoria Rouge
Michel Lambert
Jazz from Rant n/a (nette.ca/jazzfromrant/in-production-2)

I find that multidisciplinary free music is often one of the most unfairly dismissed genres in jazz. Works like Anthony Braxton’s operatic forays certainly come to mind. They are branded impenetrable in many circles and people don’t even bother to offer them anything resembling serious consideration. I attribute this reluctance to fear. 

I’m going to be honest. This new Michel Lambert project is scary. It’s an amalgam of visual artworks (referred to as Lambert’s “visual scores”) and the band’s collective instinctual responses to them. The album is presented as an expedition of sorts, with both the band and listener travelling through 11 distinct audiovisual landscapes. Amazingly, it all works incredibly well. The improvisers not only know exactly how much space to leave for each other, but looking at the score, I was struck by how effectively the music evoked specific images on the score and vice versa with almost supernatural symbiosis. 

As I listened, it became apparent that the glue holding the affair together was the expressive poetry of vocalist Jeanette Lambert. It felt like she articulated and/or punctuated my thoughts perfectly, serving as a tour guide. What is a Transmutatoria? Not sure, but taking the journey there has been a real pleasure.

Tatouages miroir
Jean-Luc Guionnet et le GGRIL
Tour de Bras tdb90046cd (tourdebras.com)

Solo à la décollation
Jean-Luc Guionnet
Tour de Bras tdb9044cd (tourdebras.com)

French saxophonist, organist, composer and improviser Jean-Luc Guionnet has rare inventive powers. Among his activities, two bands demonstrate his range: Hubbub, a French quintet, looks like a conventional jazz group while improvising ethereal, symphony-length works of continuous sound through circular breathing on saxophones and bowing on cymbals and the strings of piano and guitar. The international trio Ames Room creates the most singularly intense, hard-bitten, minimalist expression ever developed by a stripped-down trio of saxophone, bass and drums. However, these recordings from Quebec performances show Guionnet’s inventiveness even without his saxophone.     

Tatouages miroir (“mirror tattoos”) is an orchestral composition realized by GGRIL (Grand groupe régional d’improvisation libérée), the highly exploratory improvising orchestra that has made Gaspé fertile soil for meaning-probing music. Here GGRIL is an 11-member ensemble of electric guitars and bass, strings, brass and reeds, stretching to include accordion and harp. Beginning with contrasting blasts of orchestral might and silence, the initial lead voice emerges unaccompanied, a tight metallic string sound – the harp – single notes plucked evenly with only microtonal shifts in pitch. In the background, a rich welling of winds plays a melodic pattern dominated by muted trumpet and baritone saxophone. Throughout there are contrasts between sound and silence, between small sounds magnified and rich ensembles moving from foreground to background, questioning their own status. It’s a rethinking of what orchestras traditionally do, foregrounding random incidental percussion – footsteps, perhaps – while crying-baby-trumpet and multiphonic flute and saxophone elide into silence, creating unexpectedly rich drama. During its course, the work ranges across approaches and meanings, inviting a listener’s reflection on the work’s burrowing depths and strange sonic redistributions, a seeming interrogation of its own processes. 

Solo à la décollation presents Guionnet as a church organist, though his performance is as remarkable as the L’Isle-Verte location: the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist and its traditional Casavant organ, described as “in need of love.” The traditional church organ is a special site, as much monumental architecture and domicile as musical instrument, and Guionnet is here to probe it and the church’s sonic nooks and crannies in a performance that is as much meditation as query, including the incidental percussion of interaction with the instrument. Divided into four segments, the 70-minute work begins in near silence, a kind of breathing of the pipes with only the subtlest infrequent blips that lead to extended drones, shifting oscillations, overlays of tones and sharply contrasting keyboards laid over and through one another. It’s improvisation as meditation, music exploring notions of sound as symbolic site of symbolic conflict, at once resolving and extending the voyage, with the kinks, fissures and vibrations of the particular instrument and church becoming key participants.

Scintillating Beauty
Cat Toren’s Human Kind
Panoramic Recordings PAN 18 (newfocusrecordings.com)

Aiming to express her ideas of hope, Vancouverite-turned-Brooklynite pianist Cat Toren, also a practitioner of sound healing, has composed a four-track album that is both cadenced and curious by drawing on multiple musical strands. 

On Radiance in Veils, for instance, she uses the modal outpourings of Xavier Del Castillo’s tenor saxophone, multiple-string chording from Yoshie Fruchter’s oud plus the textures of chimes, tuning forks, singing bowls, rattles and bells to outline spinning and soothing 1970s-style spiritual jazz. But on Ignis Fatuus she creates a slow-burning swinger built on Jake Leckie’s walking bass line, with Del Castillo shouting in full bop-bluesy mode. In between, Toren varies the program from one signpost to the other. Added to each of the four tracks are cross pulses from drummer Matt Honor and her own playing which expresses stentorian notated music-styled glissandi and snapping jazz vamps in equal measures. 

Besides Del Castillo, whose intensity and variations move towards multiphonics and squeaking split tones, but never lose control, Fruchter’s string set is the secret weapon. Skillfully, he sometimes plucks and shapes his strings into patterns patterns that could originate in the Maghreb, while on other tracks more closely aligned to a finger-snapping pulse, he replicates sympathetic rhythm guitar chording.

It’s unsure how COVID-19, which arrived after this CD was recorded, has affected Toren’s upbeat ideas. But she and her fellow humans certainly demonstrate resilience and adaptability in musical form on this disc.

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How to Turn the Moon
Angelica Sanchez; Marilyn Crispell
Pyroclastic Records PR 10 (angelicasanchez.com)

Currently residing in the Big Apple, famed composer, pianist and educator, Angelica Sanchez, has continuously left a resounding impression on the jazz community for the past 20 years with her unique sound. This latest release, from her and fellow pianist Marilyn Crispell, is a definite culmination of her innovative works that blur the lines between improvisation and composition. All tracks are penned either by Sanchez herself or along with Crispell and showcase both of their compositional talents superbly. It should be noted that what truly makes the auditory experience whole is the fact that each pianist is heard through separate channels, Sanchez through the left and Crispell in the right, allowing the listener to appreciate both melodies separately and together. 

The record begins with a whirlwind track Lobe of the Fly, within which the image of the flying insect is called to mind with the tinkling, expeditious riffs that both musicians coax forth effortlessly from the keys. It’s interesting to hear how both random and uniform aspects of composition exist within each piece, the interplay between structure and free expression is fabulous. Windfall Light is a piece which gives the listener a moment to appreciate just how in tune both pianists are with each other; it almost sounds at times as if one knows just what the other will play next. For those looking for a complete musical experience, this album would make a very worthy addition to your collection.