Murmurations
Kate Wyatt Trio
Independent (katewyatt.bandcamp.com/album/murmurations)

It’s truly beautiful when you can almost hear an artist’s thoughts unfolding within their compositions. Pianist and composer Kate Wyatt’s latest release takes influence from nature, specifically the murmuration of starlings, an elaborate, unifying behaviour. It unfolds like a living organism, constantly shifting shape while maintaining an inner logic. 

The album captures the beauty of collective motion – ideas circling, separating, and reconvening – without ever losing its sense of purpose. All pieces are penned by the members of the trio; Wyatt, bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Louis-Vincent Hamel. 

Central to the album are Wyatt’s piano melodies, agile and conversational. She lets the phrases breathe and take on a life of their own. Vedady and Hamel round out the compositions perfectly, encouraging the music to soar to new heights. Instead of spotlighting virtuosity for its own sake, the record emphasizes interaction. 

Coming back to the concept of murmuration, the music has a communal feel to it, shaped by trust and a shared curiosity. The trio feels as if it’s truly breathing as one being, ebbing and flowing as nature does, progressing through the pieces together. Sonically, a satisfying balance between warmth and clarity is achieved, with each note and nuance crystal clear, bringing the emotion and feeling within the music to the forefront. 

Murmurations is thoughtful, elegant, and quietly adventurous, reflecting a mature artistic voice confident enough to let the music evolve naturally, on its own terms, with utmost grace.

Haunted Melody
Peter Campbell; Various artists (including Kevin Turcotte; Bill McBirnie; Adrean Farrugia et al)
Independent (petercampbellmusic.com/music)

A good album is characterized by many different elements, one of them being when it manages to transport us into the mind and deepest feelings of the musician. American Canadian vocalist and producer Peter Campbell’s fourth release is just that – an emotionally charged musical journey where all is bared to the listener. Built on introspection rather than spectacle, the record feels intimate and deliberately restrained, inviting the listener into a quiet, vulnerable space. It lingers long after the final note fades, like the echo of a song drifting down an empty hallway. 

Campbell has been influenced by Brazilian and Portuguese music on this album which featurest three pieces by Brazilian composers. This influence is especially prevalent in a tune like Lost in a Summer Night, where a soft, reverberant guitar melody is layered over bossa nova rhythms and keyboards shimmering faintly in the background. The arrangements throughout the record leave plenty of breathing room for the music and emotions to play out in their own ways, nothing feels rushed. One of the most satisfying aspects is the amount of warmth and space that are present, perfectly conveyed by Campbell’s emotionally direct, beautiful vocals, adding just the right amount of reflection to the tunes. 

This album is for late nights, quiet rooms and listeners willing to listen beginning to end. In embracing subtlety and sincerity, Campbell delivers a haunting, thoughtful work that resonates precisely because it refuses to shout.

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Grant Stewart – Next Spring
Grant Stewart; Tardo Hammer; Paul Sikivie; Phil Stewart
Cellar Music CMF110223 (grantstewartjazz.bandcamp.com/album/next-spring)

Toronto-born, New York City based Grant Stewart is a masterful tenor saxophonist, composer and producer. Additionally, he is the Director of the revolutionary and free-thinking Tribeca Jazz Institute. With over 20 CDs to his credit, this is Stewart’s fifth album for Cory Weeds and his impressive Cellar Live label. This well conceived project was beautifully recorded at the iconic and legendary Van Gelder Studios. Stewart’s collaborators here are three of the most refreshing and creative jazz artists on the scene today – pianist Tardo Hammer, bassist Paul Sikivie and (brother) Phil Stewart on drums.

The intriguing material on the recording includes rarely performed jazz standards, as well as five original compositions. Stewart was a student of the late, great Barry Harris, and although bop and post bop modalities are wonderfully present in Stewart’s writing and soloing, this is a cutting edge, technically thrilling, contemporary jazz album – rife with emotional depth and totally devoid of any over-trodden licks or trite modalities. 

First up is Next Spring by Marvin Jenkins. Stewart’s rich, warm tenor sound is a delight, and the quartet is tight. Hammer takes a dynamic solo here, not only displaying his technical chops, but also his superb choices and lush harmonic ideas. Sikivie and tasty, skilled drummer Stewart are deeply locked in, the bass solo fluid and facile. Wayne Shorter’s immortal, Nefartiti is also stirring, with the ensemble donning a sensual, languid and deeply swinging motif. 

A stand-out of this thoughtful programme is Harris’ composition, Father Flanagan, which was written in tribute to genius jazz pianist Tommy Flanagan. Stewart’s sonorous tenor sound, and the depth of sensitivity of the players here is stunning. This inspired recording is nothing short of a master class in the art of the jazz quartet. Every note has been created with skill, creative intention and taste.

Curtains of Light
Whitney Ross-Barris; various artists
Independent (whitneyrb.bandcamp.com/album/curtains-of-light)

Jazz vocalist, pianist and composer, Whitney Ross-Barris’ latest recording is a triumph of musical genre-blending and considerable artistic spelunking into the emotional depths of the things that make us human – including our innate ability to re-emerge into life following adversity through love, connection, creativity and community. A stellar cast was assembled for this project, including Amy Peck on saxophones, Rebecca Hennessy on trumpet, Drew Jurecka on violin and viola, Kevin Fox on cello, co-producer Michael Shand on keyboards/guitar, Eric St. Laurent on guitar, Lauren Falls on bass and Ben Wittman on drums/percussion. All 13 compelling tracks were composed by Ross-Barris and arranged by Shand and Jurecka. 

Every offering here is like a meticulously fashioned rare gem, but some clear highlights include the uplifting opener Bourgeois Reverie. Presented with a tasty horn arrangement, this song was inspired by punitive pandemic restrictions and is a reflective idyll on the little niceties of life and the personal connections that we were denied. An engaging and soulful blues, Up in the Night is a masterpiece of Ross-Barris’ technical skill, style, grace and understated elegance, supported by Shand’s B3 as well as supple, and pure backing vocals from Alex Samaras, Gavin Hope, Miku Graham, Mary van den Enden and Yvette Tollar. 

Other stand-outs on this unique and delightful recording include the breath-taking, a cappella Sunrise that boasts a superb vocal arrangement by Ross-Barris which seamlessly segues into There You Are, on which Jurecka’s inspired string arrangements are a thing of special, luminous beauty. The closing title track is another stunning ballad, fully realized with sumptuous strings, superb rhythm section and ensemble work, as well as superb and evocative vocals from Ross-Barris.

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Heart’s Pace
Joshua Rager Quartet
Bent River Records BRR-202503CD (joshrager.bandcamp.com/album/hearts-pace)

It’s a mark of excellence when a recording with a guest artist achieves the band dynamic of a group that’s been together for decades. Montreal based pianist Josh Rager, bassist Alec Walkington, and drummer Rich Irwin, certainly have this lineage. The aforementioned guest is New York guitarist Peter Bernstein. 

Heart’s Pace doesn’t go out of its way to sound cutting edge, but it also resists any nostalgic trappings of neo-traditional jazz. This aesthetic makes Bernstein a perfect guest, as he has a grounded “old school” sensibility that he brings to 21st century playing. Rager arranged standards like I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face and Henry Mancini’s Dreamsville in an original way, and his original compositions hold their own alongside these classics.  

The quartet is captured beautifully at Montreal’s legendary Studio Pierre Marchand, a space revered by local and visiting musicians alike. The sounds are crisp without being sterile, which serves to further elevate and highlight the musicians’ individual artistry. I seldom pick “favourite” tracks when reviewing, but Fathers and Sons encapsulates a lot of what’s great about Heart’s Pace to me. There is complex moving harmony, brilliantly navigated in solos by Bernstein and Rager, placed atop a rock-solid swing feel from Walkington and Irwin.  

Occasionally I’d like to hear a take with longer solos by the band, but that’s a common paradox when recording improvisatory music. If anything, that’s just further impetus to hear these great musicians live, and in the meantime, give Heart’s Pace a listen!

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Words Underlined
Patrick Smith; Lowell Whitty; Dan Pitt
Lit Soc Records 001 (litsocrecords.bandcamp.com/album/words-underlined)

Saxophonist Patrick Smith has been a mainstay on the Toronto music scene for several years, carving out a creative and sustainable niche for himself. Words Underlined isn’t commercial or “mainstream,” but Smith is a consummate professional in those worlds, influencing his more adventurous creative playing in a positive way.  

Toronto is full of great musicians, but an easy place to get pigeon-holed. Some “creative” players lack a visceral approach gleaned through commercial work, while many commercial players prioritize a well pressed suit over the ability to improvise. Toronto’s historically successful and respected players (Doug Riley and Moe Koffman come to mind) straddled that fine line, and I think Smith is carrying that torch in his own way.  

Words Underlined features Dan Pitt on electric guitar and Lowell Whitty on drums. This bass-less format brings to mind drummer Paul Motian’s trio, but influenced or not, Smith’s Words Trio sounds unique. Pitt uses guitar effects in a tasteful way, never over-saturating his sound. Whitty contributes ample groove and embraces sparser moments too. Tracks like Hazel and As Years Go By utilize the intimate nature of the trio format, while parts of Banff demonstrate you don’t need a bassist to rock out.  

A versatile group needs a versatile venue, and Sellers and Newel was the perfect place to bring this music to life. I look forward to hearing what’s next from the Words Trio and fledgling Lit Soc Records!

Standard Elegance
Bill Coon
Cellar Music CMF121225 (billcoon.bandcamp.com/album/standard-elegance)

Bill Coon is a Vancouver based jazz guitarist and composer with an over 30-year history playing with many well-known jazz artists including Jimmy Heath, Sheila Jordan, Bucky Pizzarelli and Hugh Fraser. He has also performed on more than 50 recordings and has won “Guitarist of the Year” from the National Jazz Awards. Coon has written works for orchestras from the National Arts Centre, Vancouver, Norwegian Radio and Jill Townsend, as well as big bands and small jazz ensembles. 

Coon’s multifaceted activities serve in contrast to Standard Elegance, an exquisite album of jazz classics played on solo guitar. These 13 standards are treated warmly and introspectively by Coon on electric archtop and nylon string guitars. All the Things You Are shows off Coon’s beautiful chord melody skills and he also throws in some contrapuntal lines to contrast with the melody. The Nearness of You begins with some harmonics and sparingly harmonized melody and then slowly progresses through some beautifully arpeggiated chords before ending with the same harmonics. Here’s That Rainy Day has some delightful combinations of arpeggiated chords with just a hint of some bossa nova rhythms. 

Standard Elegance is both relaxing and engaging. It is a pleasure to listen to a fine musician displaying his craft.

Northbound to Finch
Maria Kaushansky; Paul Gill; Anthony Pinciotti
flat 6th records FS-1001 (mariakaushansky.com)

This is New York City-based jazz pianist Maria Kaushansky’s debut album. She was born in Russia, and her family emigrated to Israel. In the early 1990s they moved to Toronto when she was a young girl, where she grew up and went to university. All compositions are by Kaushansky here with nine main tracks and six alternate takes, each being her musical reflection and tribute to growing up in Toronto. She is joined by New Yorkers Paul Gill on bass, and the late Anthony Pinciotti on drums.

Opening title track Northbound to Finch is inspired by the Toronto Transit Commission’s Finch subway station, which was Kaushansky’s home stop. An opening loud repeated piano melody is supported by bass and drums. Happy ”almost home” jazz flavoured piano lines followed by louder sounds from the rhythm section. Sudden soft and slow tight playing is followed by solo piano to silence, like the station stop. Windchill -30, Kaushansky’s music about Toronto winters is so interesting. The solo “low temperature” bass start, then faster with drums, descending bass line like falling down, and piano “shivering” trills express Toronto’s extreme winter temperatures. 

Tight trio performances and beautiful creative playing paint a sonic portrait of Toronto. Each listener will have their own story based on listening to the tracks, whether or not you are from or live in Toronto. 

Kaushansky has also released a companion album, Northbound to Finch: Music for Ballet Class which has the compositions here adapted for ballet exercises.

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hORs TempS
Geraldine Eguiluz; Michel F. Côté
ambiences magnetiques am284 (actuellecd.com/fr/album/6813-hors-temps)

Reversed tape loops, strummed micro gestures and percussive elements sourced from increasingly esoteric places encircle something less akin to a pulse than some greater subtextual unifying logic. The source of these seemingly endless subtle sonic events – be it primary or found – does not grab you as much as the question of their seamless coexistence. 

This is music that journeyed quite a ways to get here; somehow all that you are hearing is born from the early 1990s when Géraldine Eguiluz was in Paris, and recorded some sounds on cassettes. Returning to one’s work after a prolonged span of time can perhaps come with an inherent freshness  and Eguiluz warped, molded, deconstructed, recontextualized and eroded the sounds on these tapes through collage which is another category of introspective creation. Take Territoires perdus #3 for instance, where from a handful of vocal tracks stem harmonies that feel like they are only attained through this medium, as sustained breathy backgrounds envelop heavily edited streams of gibberish, creating a unique atmosphere of uncanniness and one of the many inscrutably hyper specific feelings achieved throughout this project. 

Adding Michel F. Côté ostensibly adds an entire additional process to the creative mix, as he is another universe in himself with all the audial information he is able to generate through countless means. Around track five, the “how” becomes less enthralling than the “what.”

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Music is Life
Joe Bowden
Independent (theurbanyoda.com)

Delightfully infectious fusion outing from Joe Bowden’s ludicrously stacked band, every track demands repeated listening, just by virtue of how catchy the grooves are, how expertly mixed the elements are, and how every solo is a standout. An incredible midpoint has been found between dazzlingly complex metrical wizardry and fundamentally bouncy accessible songcraft, a breath of fresh air to say the least. This is music that works in the foreground, works in the background (the blissful Spacing Out is aptly named), works at work and works when one is feeling overanalytical. 

It could be said the band operates in two different capacities throughout the album: one being the Rich Brown iteration and one being the Mike Downes iteration. This is a little reductive, as other variables are not beholden to which bass player is present, but there is a welcome shift in sonic identity every time one swaps in for the other. Bowden’s drums are always driving and propelling proceedings forth, but how the elements of the kit synergize with Brown’s electric and Downes’ acoustic playing is a subtle difference that makes a world of difference when it comes to the expressive depth of this project. Not so coincidentally, both bassists have absolutely showstopping solos at various points. Other key members include Warren Wolf (vibraphone) and Manuel Valera (piano). Overall, this is a band that allows the nuances in the music to speak the loudest. Plenty of rewinding, head-shaking and exclamations of “how did they…” will ensue.

Impact
Steve Holt Jazz Impact Quintet
Independent IMD108 (steveholtmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-steve-holt-jazz-impact-quintet-impact)

Truly brimming with life, this release delivers on its album art and audacious title with a sound that is not grandiose or bombastic per se but makes an enduring impact on the listener. The intangibles that come with being a great bandleader may not necessarily be immediately apparent in many recordings, but this one feels like an exception. These songs have a real, ever-present sense of direction to them, and to say that everything about the quintet’s approach to these tunes feels airtight would be an understatement. 

Steve Holt’s keyboard playing is very prominent in the mix and this emphasis on harmonic information and rhythmic interplay serves as an anchor for everything that ensues within these intricate compositions. The B section of Second Voyage, when Holt briefly doubles what Kevin Turcotte and Perry White have in the melody, is a moment that conveys real heft, beyond just being extremely pretty. Meanwhile, the head of The Unveiling is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hail of countermelodies and shots, with Holt’s left-hand doubling of Duncan Hopkins’ bass pedal feeling as essential an aspect of the piece as anything else. 

Owing to the precision and grace of the playing, this music is always fleet-footed (even the ballads) yet there are moments of tenderness prevalent throughout. Again, this album delivers on its title in a very holistic, diverse and abundant sense.

No Kings!
No Kings!
JACC Records 59 (jaccrecords.bandcamp.com/album/no-kings)

Recorded in 2022, before the U.S. anti-Trump No Kings protests, the 78 minutes of creative sounds by this quartet exemplify the freedom totalitarians abhor. Americans, tenor saxophonist John Dikeman, bassist William Parker and percussionist Hamid Drake, plus Portuguese trumpeter Luís Vicente are perfectly in sync as they propel sound variations ranging from brass portamento and staccato triplets, the reedist’s renal growls, elevated screams or multiphonic shredding and powerful ambulating bass and drum action, without one overwhelming the others’ assertions as President Donald Trump has done to other U.S. government branches.

Despite a mid-point tempo acceleration the quartet vigorously maintains a steady pulse of drum backbeats and walking bass lines. This takes place even with unexpected interjections from Parker’s gimbri strums or wooden flute peeps that are matched by Vicente’s bell shakes and bamboo flute whistles and Drake’s frame drum vibrations. Together these interjections neatly intensify the exposition of stretched staccato trumpet smears and hearty reed scoops and honks. 

The group groove attained remains even after a pause for prolonged audience applause followed by a brief recapitulation of brass tongue flutters and ascending reed tongue twists. Modulating among free-form exploration and carefully positioned narratives, this group of No Kings! defines effective and perceptive group interaction while metaphorically suggesting what pre-MAGA American democracy used to resemble.

Vibrations in the Village Live at the Village Gate
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Resonance Records HCD 2081 (rahsaanrolandkirklive.bandcamp.com/album/vibrations-in-the-village-live-at-the-village-gate)

When Rahsaan Roland Kirk died after his second major stroke at 42 in 1977, jazz lost a major sound innovator who was also an unabashed entertainer. But Kirk, who overcame the impairments of blindness and a 1975 stroke which forced him to play with one arm, always performed without compromising or condescending. Naturally ebullient, on this 77-minute gig, he not only plays a music store’s collection of instruments, including tenor saxophone, stritch, manzello, flute, nose flute, whistle and oboe, often two or three simultaneously, but also vocalizes a sly anti-racist blues.

Although backed by Sonny Brown’s tough backbeat drumming, Henry Grimes’ bass pulse and three different pianists, Jane Getz, Horace Parlan or Melvin Rhyme, who are alternately bluesy, minimalist or highly rhythmic, the set is rightly focused on Kirk’s work. He creates an unsentimental, throbbing flute version of the ballad Laura with the same ingenuity he brings to tricky chord and pitch changes on swift originals like Ecclusiastics and Three For the Festival. He dexterously appends quotes from other tunes, playing two reeds at once, whistles for emphasis and once duets with himself on transverse and nose flute. He even uses the oboe’s snarky vibrato to originate a double-time, nearly unaccompanied blues groove.

Recorded in 1963 at the height of Kirk’s communicative powers, it’s easy to ignore the occasional audience cross talk, even when there isn’t a bass solo, to appreciate comprehensive sounds that would never be heard again.

Ruta De La Clave
Joaquin Núñez & Habana Safari
Lula World Records LWR051A (lulaworldrecords.ca/joaquin-nunez-habana-safari)

Five years in the making, noted JUNO-winning, Cuban-Canadian percussionist, composer and producer, Joaquin Núñez has produced an exquisite, contemporary Latin-Jazz recording. Núñez’s partner here is sizzling New York City-based Cuban pianist, Dayramir Gonzalez. All of the superb compositions were penned by the pair, and are a celebration of the essential heartbeat of Afro-Jazz, the “clave” rhythm, which can be found in nearly every Latin-Indigenous culture positioned along the Caribbean slave routes from West Africa.

Although incorporating motifs from a number of Latin musics – this CD is clearly a New York project, infused with Cuban cultural identity, but also baptized in that special energy, creativity and magic that can only be found in one place. Núñez’s gifted colleagues here, include Gonzalez on piano/keyboards, Roberto Riveron and Paco Luviano on bass, Alexander Brown on trumpet and flugelhorn, Jeff King on tenor sax, Luis Deniz on alto sax, Bill McBirnie on flute, Colleen Allen on clarinet, Esteban Vargas on violin and viola, and vocalists Marta Elena, Joanna Majoko and Dyalis Núñez-Machado.

Things kick off with the incendiary Afrocubanos, which features thrilling percussion from Núñez, potent bop-infused horn lines and a face-melting tenor solo by King, as well as a ridiculous trumpet solo by Brown. The listener takes a deep dive into Afro-Cuban mysticism on Mi Changui, supported by dynamic vocals and an exquisite solo from Deniz on alto as well as a volcanic percussion-infused coda.  Other stand out tunes include the stirring title track Ruta De La Clave, which boasts a skilled arrangement with plenty of Cuban flavour, and the magnificent Una Guajira En NY (Cuban country girl in New York), which is loaded with fine bop-centric soloing and continued reverence to the sacred “clave” itself!

This Thing Called Love
Liona Boyd
Moston Music 471603 (lionaboyd.com)

Internationally renowned, multi-award-winning Canadian musician Liona Boyd blends her classical guitar with folk, pop and Latin music, her singing, and song/lyrics writing skills here. This surprisingly memorable 14-track release, Boyd explains, “covers” her full range of lifetime emotional experiences. It marks her 50-year career, which has included more than 30 recordings.

The first two tracks are covers. The Everly Brother’s Bye Bye Love has Boyd singing with Mark Masri (of The Tenors) in an upbeat rendition with guitar strums and solos. Producer and longtime collaborator Peter Bond’s bass supports Boyd and Srdjan Givoje vocals in Jamaica Farewell. Two of Boyd’s earlier collaborative compositions/recordings are reimagined here. Gordon Lightfoot, a tribute to the late musician’s classics, includes Ronnie Hawkins vocals. Boyd also revisits her collaboration with the late Olivia Newton-John on lead and harmony vocals, with classical instrumental touches in Summer Dreams.

The other tracks are Boyd compositions. My Dog (Dedicated to all animal lovers) is a heartwarming song about pets, in duet with Andrew Dolson, who also plays steel string guitar here. Guitar melody phrasing is perfect. Nice woof-woof like guitar plucks at the ending. My Canada is a rambunctious patriotic work featuring a full orchestra arranged by Mark Lalarna, choirs and numerous Canadian vocalists. Boyd passionately expresses her personal feelings in the instrumental This Thing Called Love, a moving Boyd/Dolson classical guitar duet. Introspective My Life Alone, and high-pitched Living on Borrowed Time are heartbreaking storytelling songs about the ups and downs of Boyd’s life.

Thanks to this iconic artist for sharing her personal emotions and this marvellous music.

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