Jazz and Improvised

Second Wind - John Lee; Peter Washington; Kenny Washington

Second Wind
John Lee; Peter Washington; Kenny Washington
Cellar Music CMF121823 (johnleejazz.bandcamp.com/track/second-wind)

Second Wind is West Coast multi-instrumentalist John Lee’s sophomore album as a leader, providing a formidable, swinging continuation of his development as a musician. I had the pleasure of reviewing Lee’s debut album The Artist in 2022, and Second Wind offers a departure from this while staying true to its stylistic aesthetic.

Lee is adept at several instruments and his choice to play piano on this recording is an ambitious and intimate one. The piano work on Second Wind does not come across like “a bassist playing the piano,” in the same way that Lee’s bass playing on The Artist doesn’t sound like “a drummer playing the bass.” The only way Lee can be accused of “multi-instrumental privilege” might be the knack it gives him for finding the best personnel to surround himself with. In this case, it’s stalwart American rhythm section Peter and Kenny Washington.

The bassist and drummer share a last name but are unrelated biologically. I make the “biological” distinction because their musical relationship spans decades, and Lee notes that he has been enamoured with their work since he was a teen. This lineage may just be why the trio functions so well as a unit, sounding like they’ve played together far more than just one day in a Vancouver studio.

If you are looking for dense harmonies or quirky mixed-meter originals, Second Wind may not be your first choice, but the music is far from sounding stuffy or dated. Lee holds true to the jazz tradition, while bringing a fresh energy to it no matter what instrument he’s playing.

Tribute to the Groove - Brasstactics

Tribute to the Groove
Brasstactics
Independent (thebrasstactics.com)

Brasstactics bring the heat and punchy rhythms on their newest release, perfect for these end-of-summer, scorching days. Known for their complex rhythms, soaring horn melodies and driving bass lines, the group has been deemed “Edmonton’s premier party brass band.” The record has a lineup of both fiery original tunes penned by members of the group, as well as dance-worthy covers of popular songs, such as Bad Guy by Billie Eilish and Runaway Baby by Bruno Mars. Of course, a great album like this wouldn’t be possible without fantastic musicians, something this record definitely isn’t lacking, with renowned names like Audrey Ochoa on trombone, Jonny McCormack on tenor saxophone and Allison Ochoa on baritone saxophone. If you’re into the heavy brass-driven sound heard from the likes of the Heavyweights Brass Band, this is an album for you.

The energy that runs throughout each of these tunes is captivating and puts the listener in a good mood, no matter what kind of day you’re having. Take the aforementioned cover of Bad Guy for example: featuring a continuously raunchy bass melody and dynamic rhythm section, overlayed by flighty trumpet and trombone lines, the listener is immediately drawn along on a fun, lively musical ride. Their own compositions don’t fall short either; Dutch Angles sets the tone for an album of perfect, feel-good music with its groovy saxophone melodies and never-ending, hypnotizing beats.

The Sixth Dimension - Doug Wilde

The Sixth Dimension
Doug Wilde
Independent (dougwilde.com/new.html)

Opening ourselves to the previously unexplored is often what we need to reset and take on a refreshed perspective on life. Doug Wilde’s newest album allows us to accomplish just that, exploring unique tonal systems that are new to listeners’ ears and open up doorways to understand music in different ways than we have previously. Coming from the renowned contemporary music supergroup Manteca, Wilde is no stranger to introducing listeners to deeper meanings hidden within music and alternative melodies and rhythms. Featuring famed names like Paul Novotny on bass, Colleen Allen on saxophones and bass clarinet and James Ervin on horns, this is an album that will take you on an exciting musical trip through unexplored territory.

This recording could be interpreted as both an outward exploration of new sonic worlds and an introspective journey during which the listener can venture as far as they feel comfortable. Hexachords are the basis for the music – simply put, six-note scales as opposed to the typical seven. Each tune uses a different hexachord and the result is truly refreshing and captivating: there’s a certain mysticism and sense of the “unknown” within each piece that keeps the listener on their toes. It’s fascinating how this record manages to sound both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, and the combination and interplay of those two aspects reflected within these melodies is what makes this a fantastic addition to any music lover’s collection.

It’s Time - Paul Tobey

It’s Time
Paul Tobey
Jazzmentl Records (paultobey.com/product/its-time-by-paul-tobey-cd)

Paul Tobey’s grand (piano pun) return to recorded music is a focused, light and deeply enjoyable affair that sees him interpret the classics – both ubiquitous and personal – while conveying a love for improvising through every key stroke. Heavy on the ballads and equally chock-full of charm, the tracklist delivers hit after hit, while allowing Tobey immense expressive terrain to roam. With a selective yet emotive left hand and dazzlingly nimble right, each solo sounds like a seasoned mixologist meticulously curating their favorite flavours, with impeccable grace. Each actual jazz head is played with a grounding precision and faithfulness to the original melody, with each subsequent repeated chorus feeling like a response to the last, as the tunes gradually begin to soar and become something completely new.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes soothed my tabby cat to sleep with how wistfully and sensitively Tobey plays its intro, and then my cat awoke again at some point during the masterfully subtle transition into a buoyant double-time swing feel. Tobey’s own composition Caminar – The Walking Song feels almost like a sentimental centrepiece for the album, with each transition between sections marked by a space, coming across as reflective and a means of bringing the listener into the recording room, reminding us that all this beautiful sound is coming from one mouthpiece. In stretching time, condensing time and manipulating time, It’s Time embodies its title.

Flip Side - Lina Allemano’s Ohrenschmaus

Flip Side
Lina Allemano’s Ohrenschmaus
Lumo Records LM 2024-16 (linaallemano.bandcamp.com/album/flip-side)

Forget other recordings of wholly improvised music – not that this is better than Arve Henriksen, Nate Wooley and the rest – it’s merely that such comparisons are redundant. When the musicians of Lina Allemano’s Ohrenschmaus begin to improvise, you get the wondrous impression that they seemingly don’t believe the first bar of a work ought to herald its beginning, nor do they believe that works on this recording, Flip Side, need end with a rousing conclusion.

The result is a meta-work that creates myriad associations, resonances and new perspectives, not just between the lines and spaces of each work but also within the whole cycle of songs from Sidetrack (the recording’s opening salvo) to its explosive end, Sidespin.

In between this panoply of musical gestures trumpeter Allemano, bassist Dan Peter Sundland, drummer Michael Griener and accordionist Andrea Parkins (who also comes to the party with found objects and electronics) continuously let listeners know that they may have stepped into an ongoing dialogue. Sidetrack is initially mouse-like, creeping and scurrying, but subsequent creations do more than suggest that the musicians simply nibble at this ongoing feast.

Everyone contributes wonderfully to the heft of the music. Allemano is particularly engaged, drawing the other musicians into the frenzy of the improvisations. This is especially true of the whirligig velocity of such pieces as Sideswipe and Stricken, from where irruption bursts forth. Overall, this is a muscular, exhilaratingly voiced and lucidly inventive musical excursion.

What It Means - Bria Skonberg

What It Means
Bria Skonberg
Cellar Music CM072624 (briaskonberg.bandcamp.com/album/what-it-means)

Back in the second half of the year 2000 aficionados, jazz bandleaders and critics were busy extolling the virtues of a young musician from Vancouver. Her name was Bria Skonberg and she played trumpet and sang with seductive vulnerability. Two decades later Skonberg reminds us why so many fell in love with her music, returning to what Hugues Panassié rightly described as le jazz hot.

Skonberg’s 2024 installment – her eighth album, entitled What it Means – is red-hot indeed. As with her earlier recordings this one too is eloquent, enterprisingly and imaginatively programmed and reshapes classic repertoire as she propels “hot” charts into a whole new world of her music making.

In Skonberg’s playing, there’s the familiar virtuosity and refinement that marked her previous albums. She embraces the full resources of her trumpet to recreate classics such as Louis Armstrong’s Cornet Chop Suey and Sidney Bechet’s Petit Fleur. Her originals, In The House and Elbow Bump, show a native’s grasp of the New Orleans idiom and are a triumph of music-making. Her eminently captivating voice adorns John Lennon’s Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy).

Skonberg is helped along the way by New Orleans “royalty” including banjoist Don Vappie, drummer Herlin Riley and the adorable vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa.

Hello! How Are You? - Caity Gyorgy and her trio

Hello! How Are You?
Caity Gyorgy and her trio
Independent (caitygyorgy.com)

With Hello! How Are You? Caity Gyorgy continues on her path toward world domination of the vocal jazz scene. Jokes aside, since embarking on her career a few short years ago, the singer and songwriter has released two EPs and three albums – two of which have won JUNO awards – and completed a Master’s degree, all before turning 26. With her fourth album Gyorgy not only gives us her trademark brilliant vocals, but her songwriting just keeps getting stronger, too. All but three of the tracks were written by her, in the style of the Great American Songbook, yet they sound very fresh, as Gyorgy combines sophisticated lyrics with interesting musicality.

The album launches with the hard-swinging title track, showcasing Gyorgy’s scatting skills alongside her super tight trio of Anthony D’Alessandro on piano, Thomas Hainbuch on upright bass and Jacob Wutzke on drums. Standout tracks for me are Just My Luck, a slightly melancholy and totally gorgeous piece of writing and music-making, driven by sparse yet compelling rhythm section work. The sharp wit of Letter From the Office Of is a nice contrast. Being a sucker for a heartbreaking ballad, I’ll be listening to Familiar Face on repeat for the next while. I also really liked the rhythmic take on Rodgers and Hart’s It Never Entered My Mind, which manages to make the song’s already poignant lament even deeper.

With this accomplished album I predict yet more accolades in Gyorgy’s future. “Hello Grammy committee! How are you?”