Jazz and Improvised

Horizon Song - Scott Grant 5

Horizon Song
Scott Grant 5
Cellar Music CMR221123 (scottgrant5.bandcamp.com/album/horizon-song)

Horizon Song by the Scott / Grant 5 offers tasty twists to a detail-oriented listener, while being palatable and polite enough to put on over dinner. A friend described a track they’d heard on the radio as “smooth,” but this was a positive nod to the group dynamic rather than an accusation of innocuousness.

The album is right at home within the Cellar Music Group catalog, and with excellent casting. Scott and Grant are guitarist Andrew Scott and trombonist Kelsley Grant, with Amanda Tosoff, Neil Swainson and Terry Clarke rounding out the quintet. This rhythm section gives Horizon Song’s nine tracks the ample swing and groove they require, while sounding current and interactive enough to appeal to a contemporary audience. This might just be the through-line of the album: embracing classic aesthetics, but never trapped in a time capsule.

All of Horizon Song’s tracks are originals, with Scott penning seven tunes and Grant contributing two beautiful waltzes. The tracks go together seamlessly and feature each member of the quintet. The album’s title track might just be the aforementioned “smooth” sounding piece, and there’s plenty of contrast from the snappy Punctuality to the groovy The Problems of Your Future.

Scott breaks up his guitar sound with nylon-strings on a few tracks, and Tosoff doubles on electric keyboard, all captured beautifully at the Gordon Wragg Recording Studio in Toronto. I have critiqued an album or two from this studio for sounding “cold” while precise, but there is grit and warmth to Horizon Song that brings to mind recordings from the 60s and 70s. Whatever your usual listening tendencies, you’ll find something here to enjoy.

Live! In Harmony - Samuel Bonnet Trio

Live! In Harmony
Samuel Bonnet Trio
Divertissement Mercier (samuelbonnetguitar.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-harmony)

Samuel Bonnet is a jazz guitarist currently living in Montreal. Born in Israel, he studied classical and jazz guitar in France, graduating in musicology at the University of Paris. In 2009 he moved to Montreal to study classical guitar. Bonnet’s unique jazz sound relies on using a nylon stringed classical guitar amplified to produce a rich and nuanced sound. Jazz has a history of including classical guitar: for example in the bossa nova tunes of Carlos Jobim and the legendary New York guitarist Gene Bertoncini who, decades ago, studied classical guitar to reinvent his jazz playing.

Live! In Harmony is Bonnet’s second trio recording and the performances are from the Jazz Room (Waterloo, ON) and Rucher de Bolton (Quebec). This album shows jazz at its essential elements: a clean amplified acoustic guitar, upright bass (Jonathan-Guillaume Boudreau) and drums (Simon Bergeron) playing unique arrangements of eight standards. All the arrangements are thoughtful and original. For example, the Nardis cover is quite beautiful beginning with a swishing drum intro which introduces the delicate guitar melody, where Bonnet throws in a few harmonics, and includes a contrapuntal interplay with the bass. The audience’s applause on all tracks adds to a sense of immediacy. The trio’s performances of these and other tunes can also be found on Bonnet’s YouTube Channel.

Listen to 'Live! In Harmony' Now in the Listening Room

Particules Sonores - Alain Bedard Auguste Quartet

Particules Sonores
Alain Bedard Auguste Quartet
Effendi FND174 (alainbedardauguste.com)

For the nearly 20 years, in six albums and numerous tours that have taken this ensemble throughout the globe, Alain Bédard and his storied Auguste Quartet have been considered one of Canada’s most prestigious quartets. Now, with their latest release, the ensemble helmed by bassist/composer Bédard explores the nature of particle physics and music. The compositions have been penned by quartet members Bédard, Marie Fatima Rudolph and Michel Lambert The quartet is comprised of these stellar, primarily Quebec-based musicians, along with Mario Allard on saxophones.

There are ten envelope-pushing tracks here, all at once challenging, innovating and thrilling, including Bédard’s inveigling Profumo Chaneleone. It features a visceral, facile piano solo from Rudolf and superb drumming from Lambert, while Bédard’s solid bass lines anchor what chooses to be anchored and propels the rest through this complex, modal composition. Also, Lambert’s A Goose Story captures both the delight and horror of fairy tales, incising us with percussive arrows and mesmerizing us with his dynamic percussion.

Another delight is the light-hearted Il Cappello de mia Sorella (My Sister’s Hat), which steps out of the stratosphere for a bit, bringing us a thoroughly lovely track, filled with the highest possible musicianship. Celestes (adapted by Bédard) deep dives into bebop heaven, replete with a ridiculous tenor solo from Allard and another dose of stirring piano from Rudolf. The closer, Bis du Gras Mollet (Bédard) is another example of divine quantum entanglement and the power of music-driven sound particles to communicate, calm, thrill and amaze within the organized chaos of jazz.

Breath of Fresh Air - Diane Roblin & Life Force

Breath of Fresh Air
Diane Roblin & Life Force
Zsan Records ZSAN2415 (dianeroblin.com)

Diane Roblin is one of our most gifted and creative jazz pianists and composers. She is well respected on both electronic and acoustic keyboards, as well as for her penchant for genre blending, and expressing her ideas through compositions and motifs that cover the gamut from free, avant-garde jazz modalities into the realms of soul, fusion, rock and everything in between. Her latest salvo (produced by composer/bassist extraordinaire, George Koller) finds Roblin in an expansive musical wonderland, drawing on her many diverse influences, and performed by her expert, dynamic ensemble featuring Kevin Turcotte on trumpet and flugelhorn; John Johnson on soprano and alto sax; Jeff LaRochelle on tenor sax and bass clarinet; George Koller on acoustic and electric bass and Tim Shia on drums.

First up is, Ladyfinger, funky cool, rhythmic and chordally complex. Roblin never over-plays here and is always focused on the conversation with her ensemble, while Koller provides a lush spine for Roblin to slide up and down. A tight, sibilant horn arrangement is the perfect contextual partner, as well as the beautifully rendered and articulated solo from Johnson. The title track has Roblin’s pianistic dynamism and facility at the forefront, while Turcotte’s trumpet moves sinuously throughout – his lovely tone infusing every note with musical eloquence, segueing into a fine tenor solo from LaRochelle.

Another gem is Drifting into Dreamland, again underscoring Roblin’s special skill for constructing challenging melodic lines. On Renewed on Thanksgiving Day, LaRochelle’s bass clarinet intro seems to carry a veil of nostalgia and melancholy which is also reflected by the arrangement. This superb recording closes with Cadenza – a solo offering from Roblin that takes the listener on a trip through the vistas and valleys of her pianistic skill as well as her natural communicative abilities. A breath of fresh air, indeed.

Listen to 'Breath of Fresh Air' Now in the Listening Room

Russ Brannon: Sojourn - Russ Brannon; Various Artists

Russ Brannon – Sojourn
Russ Brannon; Various Artists
Independent (russbrannon.com)

Cruising, nocturnal, tasteful, groove-laden, melodic and velvety in equal measure, Sojourn is a pleasure to sit through, and then sit through again, and then again. The ensemble Russ Brannon recruits here is on the larger side, and yet rather than a wall of sound, what greets the listener is more like a warm breeze.

Consisting entirely of Brannon’s original compositions, the subtleties are what arrest and surprise the most here. Pauline’s shuffling beat gives way to a buoyant waltz, one that feels lighter than air while also being on the looser side, hanging back nicely in the beat. Thistle Street moves effortlessly through unison lines between the guitar and saxophone, into more open sections that give the piece time to breathe. Soloing is nicely paced, while the actual blowing has a feeling of palpable intent (not to be mistaken for sounding contrived, there is still much freedom here) behind it, as if each catchy melody was contending with the others for real estate in the listener’s mind.

When the band arrives in a spot together, it feels like second nature, even down to every last premeditated rhythmic hit. Adding considerable richness to these arrangements are a full string section and Lori Cullen’s voice; the former uplifting numerous sections with ambient swells while the latter provides a unique ethereal quality to the more harmonic passages. To sojourn is to stay temporarily, but Sojourn will remain with you for a while.

Sam Broverman: Memories of You - Sam Broverman; Morgan Childs; Jacob Gorzhaltsan; Peter Hill; Leslie Huyler; Drew Jurecka; Jordan O’Connor; Tony Quarrington

Sam Broverman – Memories of You
Sam Broverman; Morgan Childs; Jacob Gorzhaltsan; Peter Hill; Leslie Huyler; Drew Jurecka; Jordan O’Connor; Tony Quarrington
Independent (brovermusic.com)

Toronto-based, Winnipeg-born jazz singer and songwriter Sam Broverman is back with 11 original songs written alone or in collaboration with others, and two covers. Broverman, perfect and inspirational in his musicianship, has performed worldwide. He also has a Ph.D in math and is Professor Emeritus in Actuarial Mathematics at the University of Toronto.

Broverman sings about the ups and downs of love relationships in a positive reflection. He is joined by seven A list musicians. The title track is upbeat rhythmical storytelling. He sings his memorable melodies with clear phrasing and colour, with instrumental solos midstream. The heart wrenching lyric “now a ghost of you is all I have” becomes positive with the held note “memories” at the ending.

Broverman’s voice is emotional and controlled in the cover Have a Heart by DiNovo and Mercer. Tony Quarrington’s guitar performances give powerful support to Broverman’s vocals here, with a beautiful jazzy solo. Broverman and Quarrington’s unforgettable jazz composition I’ll Still be Loving You features great Quarrington solos and Broverman’s passionate clear, emotional singing. Their composition As a Matter of Fact opens with a drumkit solo. Broverman’s upbeat singing gives a positive feel and encourages singing along. Jordan O’Connor’s bass solo with Peter Hill’s virtuosic piano accompaniment are both so musical.

Perfect songs, singing, instrumentals and production are simultaneously jazzy and contemporary: it is impossible to feel depressed while listening to Broverman.

Ilya Osachuk: The Answer - Ilya Osachuk; Tyler Henderson; Donald Vega; Kai Craig; Billy Drummond

Ilya Osachuk – The Answer
Ilya Osachuk; Tyler Henderson; Donald Vega; Kai Craig; Billy Drummond
Independent IOM01 (ilyaosachuk.com)

It is always exhilarating to hear the upright bass harnessed as a melodic instrument to the extent that Ilya Osachuk does on his delightful debut album. It is even more satisfying when it is in a piano trio (or perhaps, bass trio in this case) format, as the bass is allowed more space to breathe in the higher registers, and there is infinite potential for musical interplay. It helps even further then, that the trios on this album are just about the tightest and most dynamic on planet Earth. Piano duties are shared by Tyler Henderson and Donald Vega, with drums provided alternately by Kai Craig and Billy Drummond.

Osachuk’s intricate, labyrinthine original works are a joyful listen, particularly when played with such clarity and verve. The rhythmic hits on Lviv Perspective are incredibly lively without ever once masking the melody, which itself brings to mind the Geri Allen Trio with how seamlessly all the mini-sections are weaved together; moments of pure synchronicity between bass and piano occurring organically yet also selectively. February and its intro have their own music video, which among other things offers an incredibly moving glimpse into the moments of real quietude in the studio, particularly leading out of Osachuk’s spellbinding solo, when there is a glance shared, a head nod, but that second of true silence also finds a profound moment of rest. It is a beautiful thing when music can afford to do that, fill the air with an abundance of gestures that all come together perfectly, and then catch its breath.