01-live_in_rio Live in Rio

Diana Krall

Eagle Vision EV 30273-9

www.eaglerockent.com

 

When I first heard that Diana Krall had released a DVD of a concert in Rio de Janeiro, I marvelled at the chutzpah it takes for a girl from Nanaimo, B.C. to perform bossa nova for an audience in the country of its birth. Then I thought, if any non-Brazilian is qualified to sing the music known as "a whisper in the wind" it's Krall. With her laid-back, breathy delivery and ability to maintain energy and groove on very slow tempos, she seems born to bossa. And the Rio audience on the DVD apparently agrees, as it's the bossa standards like So Nice and Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado) that get the biggest response of the evening.

 

But "Live in Rio" is not all Brazilian beats, as it opens in full-on jazz mode with the quartet - long-time compatriots Anthony Wilson, guitar, John Clayton, bass, Jeff Hamilton, drums and Krall on piano and vocals - swinging hard through I Love Being Here With You. With so much attention paid to Krall's singing talents, it's great to see her stretch out on piano, since her first ambition was to be a jazz pianist, before she discovered she had a voice. A full orchestra conducted by Ruria Duprat joins the band on many of the down tempo numbers and with Claus Ogerman's arrangements the gorgeousness factor on those songs goes through the roof.

 

Masterfully shot and edited, the camera work allows long looks at Krall, mostly, but also frequently cuts to the rest of the band and lingers on the musicians' hands during solos. Footage of adoring glimpses of Rio - beaches, parks, mountains, with the grittiness and slums discreetly left out - are interspersed to break up the concert footage. At a little over two hours running time, with an extra of interviews with Krall and the band members talking about their affinity for bossa nova and Rio, this is a satisfying and intimate visit with one of the most deservedly popular and genuine jazz singers performing today.

 

Cathy Riches

 

02-gorman-brand new day Brand New Day

Kathleen Gorman

Independent KG0801

www.kathleengorman.com

 

The self-produced debut CD by Torontonian Kathleen Gorman is a polished gem that offers solid songwriting, thoughtfully presented. Plenty of dedication is on display here, from the catchy songs to their tasteful arrangements to the leader's strong delivery on both vocals and keys. If forced to categorize it, this is a poppy-jazzy-bluesy-soulful collection of songs, most of them about hard-learned lessons in life and common concerns surrounding love. The blues-infused No More Room is a strong opener, the tender ballad Far Too Late a memorable standout, while the optimistic title track is especially radio friendly. Brand New Day would fit well on a "smooth" jazz radio program because it is easy on the ears, light on the heart and an excellent showcase of Canadian talent. Aside from composing accessible songs, singing them and playing the piano, Gorman has also written some great charts for top-drawer Canadian players including Colleen Allen, Henry Heillig, Alan Hetherington, Rob Piltch and many more. In addition to Gorman's piano and Rhodes, the instrumentation includes basses, guitars, saxophone, Hammond B organ, drums, percussion, flute, and cello. On the two instrumental pieces, Gorman's fingers do the singing, especially on the radiant Rialto. The songs on "Brand New Day" appear to come from a deep place; thankfully, Kathleen Gorman has succeeded in conveying their universality.

 

Ori Dagan

 

03_JoelMiller Tantramar

Joel Miller; Mandala

ArtistShare AS 0072

www.joelmillermusic.com

 

Montreal-based saxophonist Joel Miller, a native of Sackville, N.B., succeeds by translating into sound the relaxed feel of the Tantramar marsh near his home town as well as other images. Aiding him is a quintet of top-flight multi-instrumentalists and a trio of guests. Miller, who composed the 10 evocative tunes, deserves kudos for his arrangements that not only take full advantage of everyone's talents, but also avoid the trap of using Amelia McMahon as a "girl singer" - instead harmonizing her lilting voice with his own soprano saxophone lines or grace notes from Bill Maher's trumpet.

With many of the pieces written in cannon form with folk music intimations, the most notable back-up player is Kenny Bibace on acoustic and electric guitars. Throughout, his contributions range from super-charged near-rock licks to light-fingered chromatic runs. More concerned with evocative scene-setting than extended soloing, Miller and fellow reed player Bruno Lamarche impress by ignoring solipsism for call-and-response obbligatos and riffs. Furthermore, although concerned with inducing traditional aural images, "Tantramar" doesn't ignore modern techniques. Miller enlivens a few tracks with understated electronics including sampled fowl sounds on Chickadee's Other Song.

If the CD does have drawbacks, it's that everything is too laid-back. Even Boogie Gaudet, a quasi-blues with snapping guitar runs, flying tenor saxophone honks and plunger trumpet lines only flirts with emotion. When it seems as if the band has worked up a full head of steam, the tune solidifies into restrained pleasantness.

 

Ken Waxman

 

 EXTENDED PLAY - Columbia's LEGACY 50 years on

By Jim Galloway

Three of the most important contributors to jazz in the late ‘50s are highlighted in a series of recent double album re-issues on Columbia Legacy. This was a very fruitful era of recordings and the music presented here represents pivotal works by Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis and Charles Mingus.

01_mingus_ah_um Mingus Ah Um (Columbia/Legacy 8869748010 2) gave us at least three compositions which stamped him as one of the most expressive voices in jazz - Better Git It In Your Soul, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, a homage to Lester Young, and Fables Of Faubus. Jelly Roll, a rewrite of Mr. Jelly Roll Soul, recorded earlier for the "Blues and Roots" album, is a nod in the direction of a perhaps unlikely hero for Mingus, Jelly Roll Morton. Fables of Faubus is an example of the Mingus who was also known for his activism against racial injustice. It was written as a protest against governor Orval E. Faubus of Arkansas. If you have the original LP it is probably well worn by now and in addition this CD has three numbers not included on the LP. An important aspect of the music on this album is the use of group improvisation which was an essential ingredient at the start of jazz in New Orleans but which had largely disappeared when the emphasis later switched to individual soloists.

Mingus Dynasty, the 2nd disc of this Legacy Edition, acknowledges his debt to Duke Ellington with the inclusion of very personal interpretations of Things Ain't What They Used To Be and Mood Indigo. There is a blistering version of Gunslinging Bird, the original title of which was If Charlie Parker Were a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats. The album as a whole has a more formal feel to it than the "Ah Um" collection but gives us further insight into the creative working of Mingus' mind. If you don't know this music, this is your opportunity to hear a great jazz original, one of the most important composers and performers of jazz, and if you do have the old LPs, there are enough alternate takes and unedited material (much of the original release was heavily edited) to make this a worthwhile purchase.

02_sketches_of_spain Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain (Columbia/Legacy 88697 43949 2) with the hauntingly beautiful arrangements of Gil Evans was almost like a new-found revelation for me. I have all the original LPs in this set of CDs but had not listened to the Miles album for years and from the opening bars of Concierto de Aranjuez (Adagio) I was transfixed by the beauty of Gil Evans' orchestration. It sets the tone of an album which showcases Miles Davis at his creative best. There are very interesting and informative notes by Gunther Schuller in the accompanying booklet. The 2nd CD has eleven tracks consisting of alternate takes including a live performance of Concierto de Aranjuez (Adagio) from a 1961 Carnegie Hall concert which Schuller considers to be superior to the version on the original LP. An added bonus is a quintet recording of Teo, originally from the "Someday My Prince Will Come" album of 1961.

03_time_out The Dave Brubeck Quartet was formed in 1951 and had a long residency at the Black Hawk club in San Francisco. Paul Desmond was in the original group and Joe Morello joined in 1956 followed by Eugene Wright who became a regular member in 1959. It is this formation which is featured in the Legacy Edition reissue of Time Out (88697 39852 2) whichhas, in addition to 2 CDs, an accompanying DVD of an interview with Brubeck explaining how the album came about and giving his insight into how the compositions, all originals, evolved. It is an educational and entertaining look behind the scenes of the album that introduced Take Five, which of course was to become one of the biggest hits in jazz history. Blue Rondo a la Turk, Strange Meadow Lark and Kathy's Waltz are among the other treasures of this recording. The second CD is of previously unreleased music recorded by the quartet at the Newport Festival in 1961, 1963 and 1964 and has the group in full flight with some soaring playing by Paul Desmond in particular. In fact, the purity of sound made by the alto saxophone of Desmond is an absolute joy throughout the proceedings on both CDs. Dave Brubeck is the only member of that original quartet who remains active, but 50 years later he is still thrilling audiences - and still getting requests for Take Five.

 SPECIAL MENTION - Oscar Peterson's SONGBOOKS, 50 years on

By Bruce Surtees

01_petersonThe recordings by Charles Mingus, Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck reviewed above are not the only seminal jazz releases to be celebrating their half century this year. 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of Oscar Peterson's second set of Songbooks, available ina new boxed set from Universal (VERW3933072), exclusive to Canada, at $39.95. Peterson's earliest recordings were made in Montreal by RCA from 1945 to 1949 with a trio, not including Ray Brown but with one Bert Brown on bass. In 1949, impresario Norman Granz, on his way to the airport in Montreal, heard a live broadcast of Peterson playing in a local club. The rest is jazz history: Carnegie Hall, Jazz at the Philharmonic, etc., etc. The first group of "Songbooks" was recorded during 1952/53/54 in Los Angeles with Ray Brown and Barney Kessel. Some have been re-issued on Verve but all of them are available on Mosaic Records, priced at US$ 119.00 plus shipping, and duties. This second set was recorded during July and August 1959 in Chicago with Peterson in his usual (usual for him that is, unusual and impossible for others) freewheeling style accompanied by Ray Brown and an energized Ed Thigpen on drums. There are 108 tracks on five discs with songs by Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, George Gershwin, Harry Warren, Vincent Youmans and Jimmy McHugh. The original tunes are never obscured so that even if the listener has not heard them that shouldn't diminish the impact. This set is a must-have for just about anyone with a CD player.

 EXTENDED PLAY - 40 Years of MEV

By Ken Waxman

01a_ElectrnicaVivaConsisting of a nucleus of academically trained composers who promoted free improvisation and group interaction, Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV) was the sort of musical aggregation that could only have been born in the 1960s. MEV 40 (New World Records 89675-2 www.newworldrecords.org) is an absorbing four-CD set of MEV performances - from its beginning in 1967, to its 40th anniversary - which prove the group's triumphs are musically sophisticated as well as sociologically notable. Willingly subsuming the vaulted tradition of a single composer into group interaction, MEV's most notable pieces added the smarts of jazz improvisers and the sonic versatility of increasingly complex electronic instruments to the compositional stew. Furthermore, the group has survived all these years because it never allowed electronics to submerge its initial humanistic and populist approach.

01b_MEV1967Founded in Rome by three American composers studying in that city: Alvin Curran (b. 1938), Frederic Rzewski (b. 1938) and Richard Teitelbaum (b. 1939), MEV members were at that time some of the few so-called serious musicians performing for young hippies and politicos in that city's coffee houses, universities, factories and open-air plazas. Audience participation in these free-form extravaganzas was a norm, although the first-class tracks on this set showcase only professionals. For more than 30 years, probably the most important MEV fellow traveler was expatiate American soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy (1934-2004). Paris-based Lacy's experience in first Dixieland and then Free Jazz not only added a lyrical construct to the group's performances but replaced a reliance on electronics with masterful acoustic techniques. Another valuable associate was trombonist Garrett List (b. 1943). An American though Belgium-based, List is more affiliated with theatre pieces and New music than jazz, but his erudite instrumental control strengthens the performances still further on the pieces in which he's featured.

Ironically, Stop The War, recorded in 1972 without Lacy but with percussionist Gregory Reeves and Karl Berger on marimba as well as List, Curran, Rzewski and Teitelbaum, is the most jazz-like - as well as the most programmatic - track. Commenting on the Viet Nam war, the output from the synthesizers used by Curran and Teitelbaum is almost visually descriptive. There are fortissimo allusions to explosions, jagged beeps, watery whooshes and short-wave-like static. Meanwhile List honks and slurs, Berger whaps his wooden keys to produce full-force reverberation, Reeves taps out an intermittent marital beat and Curran's piccolo trumpet asides add to the contrapuntal timbres that underlie the performance. Among the broken octaves and split tones, Rzewski provides his own commentary with metronomic piano chording. Among the recognizable melodies he plays are a sardonic When Johnny Comes Marching Home and a concluding Taps.

Lacy, who appears on tracks recorded in 1982, 1989 and 2002, gives even more focus to the proceedings. By that point the core trio had graduated from using such jerry-built instruments as a home-made synthesizer, a thumb piano attached to a motor-oil can and an amplified glass plate with springs, to using poly Moogs, modular synthesizers and microcomputers. Yet during a more-than 87-minute performance from 1982, stretched over the first tracks on two discs, the soprano saxophonist's straightforward acoustic exposition encourages everyone to substitute shape for self-indulgence.

Tentatively and authoritatively affiliated staccato timbres from saxophone and trombone (List) not only provide obbligato reflections of one another, but are captured and processed by the electronics. Added to this is Rzewski's processional prepared-piano chording. Eventually the aggressive thumps, clanks and pulsated textures from the blurry synthesized flutters are pushed to one side and the trombonist's braying plunger work and the saxophonist's concentrated split tones join Curran's rowdy piccolo trumpet for a definite, raucous finale.

Even more breath-taking is Lacy's final recorded appearance with MEV in 2002. By this time samplers and Max/MSP real-time digital manipulating programs were the norm for Curran and Teitelbaum. Yet the shimmering wave forms still don't dominate. The acoustic side, which includes Lacy's soprano, List's trombone and Rzewski's piano is further strengthened by the addition of George Lewis (b. 1952), equally proficient on trombone and computer. Meanwhile the other two use the electronic interface and programmed applications to create unique sampled and reprocessed sounds. At one point, dexterously harmonized horn parts share space with sampled snatches of cantorial chants and a loop of vernacular street phrases. Soon Lacy's discursive reed outlines the double-stopped theme as Rzewski kinetically vibrates cadenzas with sympathetic soundboard echoes. As the electronics shimmer in wave-modulated bursts, the pianist's burlesque arpeggios turn serious, backing up interaction among Curran's braying shofar tones, chirping soprano saxophone trills and arching trombone slurs. By the time the head is recapped at a slightly slower tempo, List has even movingly growled the lyrics of You Are My Sunshine.

Completing the set are a quiet, almost completely electronic track by the core trio from 2007 and a 30-minute free-for-all from 1967 that added a vocalist and tenor saxophone. Every track balances anarchy and formalism to create something more than improvised, electronic or so-called serious music. MEV performs sui generis modern music period.

 

 


 

02_tjoThe  Path

Toronto Jazz Orchestra

Independent TJO003 (www.thetjo.com)

The Toronto Jazz Orchestra’s third release coincides with the 10th anniversary of its existence. Founding Artistic Director and Conductor Josh Grossman’s baby initially began as a rehearsal band of friends and peers from U of T, Humber College and York University; the grown TJO has gone on to perform with numerous high-profile jazz artists including Phil Nimmons, Seamus Blake and Kurt Elling. While they have performed various tributes to big band heroes of American yesteryear, a great deal of the Canadian big band’s appeal lies in its decidedly modern arrangements, compositions and interpretations. One such example is the funky, futuristic Cereal Blocks by Finnish composer Johan Pyykkö; otherwise, “The Path” abounds with mostly home-grown compositions. The meticulously scored i love you on the microphone by Montreal-based composer Moiya Callahan is an intriguing, challenging commission.

Another outstanding track is The Call, an inspired composition by David Braid arranged by Andrew Jones. Grossman contributes three of his own, including the adventuresome title track, the sparkling Chazz and the comical TJO. The director’s intelligent arrangements of Amazing Grace and Vince Mendoza’s Esperanto are commendable for balancing freshness and accessibility; the latter is one of two tracks featuring immensely talented vocalist, Sophia Perlman. There are more than a few memorable solos, including wonderful reed work by Mark Laver and Terry Quinney and pianist Ali Berkok. The eighteen-piece ensemble breathes as one throughout. All in all, the Toronto Jazz Orchestra is on an admirable path.

 

Ori Dagan

01_borbely Hommage à Kodály

Mihály Borbély Quartet

Budapest Music Center Records BMC CD 155 (www.bmcrecords.hu)

 

Perhaps only Hungarians can capture the nuances implicit in the compositions of their countryman Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967). At least Budapest-based multi-reedist Mihály Borbély demonstrates that on this CD where he integrates Kodály’s themes with his own jazz compositions. Borbély, who also plays in the Magyar folk tradition that influenced Kodály, doesn’t imitate the composer. Instead the quintet which plays his themes extends the folkloric style while staying within the parameters of improvised music.

For instance, Balázs Kántor’s reading of Kodály’s Sonata for Solo Cello with double-stopping plucks and Roma romanticism foreshadows the contrapuntal Borbély composition which follows it. Tilinkós, Kodály’s own, features the reedman’s buoyant and lyrical soloing on tilinkós or shepherd’s pipe mixed with tremolo slides from Kántor, tough drum beats from Istávan Baló, high-frequency modal runs from pianist Dániel Szabó, and conclusive Orientalized trills from Borbély’s saxophone – which recall that the Turks ruled Hungary for centuries.

Similarly, the dramatic equal temperament Szabó brings to his playing on Kodály’s Sonatina is as kinetic as the cascading note choruses he displays on the saxophonist’s The Shepherd of Hope. Although Baláczs Horvath’s walking bass line plus the supple tongue-fluttering and aviary chirps from Borbély’s soprano saxophone may have disconcerted Kodály, he would have appreciated the lullaby-like finale here that reflects his own work.

With the band sounding like a swinging jazz combo at times – albeit one where Borbély’s strident extensions are sometimes also expressed on tárogato – and a sympathetic chamber ensemble elsewhere, this homage to Kodály impresses with originality as well as empathy.

 

Ken Waxman

 

 

03_mingus_epitaphCharles  Mingus - Epitaph

Orchestra; Gunther Schuller

Eagle Eye Media EE-39171-9

On June 3rd, 1989 New York’s Alice Tully Hall was the scene of a monumental tribute to the late, great Charles Mingus, who had died a decade earlier. 30 musicians, including the cream of New York’s jazz community directed by Gunther Schuller, gave the first performance of Epitaph, an 18 movement work composed over a number of years by Mingus which had never seen the light of day. Some sections, “Better Get It In Your Soul” and “Freedom” for example, are known in other versions performed by smaller groups, while some pieces were composed for a legendary disastrous concert at New York’s Town Hall in 1962. There hadn’t been a chance to rehearse it properly and the copyists were, indeed, even still copying some of the music – it wasn’t even fully ready and so eventually the concert was aborted when the union stage crew said, ‘It’s midnight, we’ve gotta stop this.’ The other pieces on this recording would seem to have been written for the full orchestra.

It can certainly be described as Mingus’ magnum opus and runs well over two hours. If you’re a fan this is not to be missed, but if you are not familiar with his music I would suggest that you listen to some of his albums – “Mingus Ah Um” or “Blues and Roots” - before plunging in at the deep end with this ambitious undertaking.

Composer and arranger Andrew Homzy who discovered the 500 page score, some of it in very poor condition, while cataloguing Mingus’ work, deserves a vote of thanks for his restoration of this significant aspect of the creative spirit that was Charles Mingus.

An interesting footnote is that the composition had no finale and according to Schuller he and the band improvised one, using Mingus as an inspiration.

Jim Galloway

 

 

04_sophie_milmanTake  Love Easy
Sophie Milman
Linus 2 7010 8
(www.linusentertainment.com)

buy
At Grigorian.Com

Following closely on the success of her Juno-winning “Make Someone Happy”, Russian-born Toronto resident Sophie Milman has released her third studio recording. In contrast to her previous albums that were mostly older standards, “Take Love Easy” is an inviting mix of covers by modern songwriting icons such as Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon combined with tunes by the likes of Cole Porter and Duke Ellington. Milman has a warm, sultry delivery that is best on the moody down tempo numbers while on the few faster tempo tunes that call for more precision, she gets left in the dust somewhat. But the killer band is in complete control throughout, nimbly navigating through the various styles here. The rhythm section - Paul Shrofel, keys, Rob Piltch, guitar, Kieran Overs, bass and Mark McLean, drums – swings gently on the title track, stretches out on That Is Love, then eases their way through the bossa nova-tinged My One and Only Love, with sublime accordion playing by Tom Szczesniak. The whole ensemble, including lush horns, does a gorgeous rendition of Bonnie Raitt’s I Can’t Make You Love Me.

Cathy Riches

Concert Note: Milman performs at the Montreal and Vancouver TD Canada Trust jazz fests in July.

 

 

05_terra_hazeltonGimme Whatcha Got
Terra Hazelton
Independent
(www.myspace.com/terrahazeltonandhereasyanswers)

Best-known for singing with Jeff Healey’s Jazz Wizards for 6 years, Terra Hazelton can today be found singing with Toronto bands such as The Hogtown Syncopators, The Jivebombers, and Jaymz Bee’s Royal Jelly Orchestra. Her sophomore release is a departure from the Healey-produced debut “Anybody’s Baby” which was recorded live-off-the-floor. “Gimme Whatcha Got” is a musical metamorphosis from cocoon to butterfly, a product of Hazelton’s own musical vision guided by producer/pianist John Sheard and supported by a collection of this country’s finest jazz musicians. The benevolent rhythm section features Sheard on piano, George Koller on bass, Jesse Barksdale on guitar and Mark Mariash on drums. A welcome abundance of special guests include William Sperandei on trumpet, Shawn Nykwist on tenor, Ross Wooldridge on clarinet and Danny Douglas on trombone. Chris Gale’s spine-tingling solo on Julia Lee’s Gotta Gimme Whatcha Got is the kind that beckons to be transcribed; same goes for the five tracks graced by vivacious violin virtuoso Drew Jurecka. Tasteful duets with Alex Pangman (Don’t Let Your Love Go Wrong) and Russell DeCarle (Two Sleepy People) plus a trio with Jason and Sheldon Valieau (I’m an Old Cowhand) add some spice. Hazelton’s compelling delivery captures the essence of every song, whether it’s romantic (I Like it ‘Cause I Love it), naughty (Gotta Gimme Whatcha Got), droll (Ev’rything I’ve Got Belongs to You) or tragic (Smoking My Sad Cigarette). This radiant singer has never shone brighter.

Ori Dagan

 

 Extended Play:

Alexander Von Schlippenbach

and his band mates

By Ken Waxman

 

01_VonSchlippenbach A European jazz pacesetter since the late 1960s, German pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach’s groups showcase different aspects of his broad interests. Together for over 35 years, his trio with saxophonist Evan Parker and drummer Paul Lovens features improvisers attuned to each other’s thinking. Predating that, The Globe Unity Orchestra herds outstanding Continental soloists into cooperative big band arrangements. His Monk’s Casino quintet – filled out by German players about 25 years younger than Schlippenbach, 71 – offers a unique take on Thelonious Monk’s oeuvre. Its members also score on individual projects, like these CDs.

Able to display the quirky kernel of Monk’s moods elsewhere, on Friulian Sketches (psi 08.07; www.emanemdisc.com/psi.html), Von Schlippenbach personalizes jazz chamber music, seconded by American cellist Tristan Honsinger and Italian clarinettist Daniele D’Agaro. The 20 inventions are airy and pleasant, and never do the bel canto flourishes trump innate creativity. For example on Capriccio skewed Monkian tropes give way to broken-octave chording and strummed cadenzas from the pianist – both formalist and funky. In contrast the cellist’s tremolo squeaks open up into multi-string exhibitionism, while D’Agaro’s reed quivers with lyrical currents. Moderato throughout, tunes are frequently jolted by the clarinettist’s high-pitched glissandi or liquid portamento. Take Antifonia where D’Agaro’s tones are matched by the pianist’s organic patterning plus a stop-time interlude from Honsinger. Altering their instruments’ tessitura as they play, the three keep the restrained sounds from becoming simplistic by including rhythmic plunks from cello strings and key fanning from the piano.

02_Toot Simplicity doesn’t enter the equation on TOOT’s Two (Another Timbre At14; www.anothertimbre.com). Here the Bebop chops trumpeter Axel Dörner exhibits in Monk’s Casino are transmogrified into disembodied brass sound pulses, the better to meld with the quivering wave forms and undercurrents from Thomas Lehn’s synthesizer and the cries, retches and mumbles which make up the unconventional oralization of British vocalist Phil Minton. Minton’s style of anti-singing, which encompasses duck quacks, yodeling, basso growls and strangled yelps, reduces vocal expression to its most basic. So does the trumpeter, whose expression mostly consists of flat-line air forced through the horn’s body tube, reductionist breaths and circumscribed grace notes. Abstract on their own, Lehn’s sound envelopes hold the improvisations together with pulsating signals and electric-piano-like sprinkles. Evolving chromatically or contrapuntally, Toot’s soundworld is pointillist, but not cynosure. Despite Minton’s strident throat extensions, his gibberish spouting is put into context when mated with the others’ outpourings. Purring timbres and ring modulator-like whooshes from the synthesizer create a connective undercurrent, while Dörner’s excursions into muted grace notes confirm the in-the-moment status of the improvisations.

03_GoodBoys Even more instantaneous is Aki and The Good Boys’ Live at Willisau Jazz Festival (Jazz Werkstatt JW 049; www.records-cd.com). One “good boy” prominent on this CD by Aki Takase – the Japanese-born, Berlin-based pianist – is bass clarinettist Rudi Mahall, who shares the front line in Monk’s Casino with Dörner. Serendipitously enough, Takase is Von Schlippenbach’s wife. Looser than the other CDs’ programs, “Live” cannily subverts American jazz and German folksongs. Takase’s compositions are harmonically and melodically sophisticated. They also have sufficient space for her keyboard forays ranging from high-frequency tinkling, to metronomic pulsing. Added are flutter-tongued, altissimo and vamping exchanges between Mahall and Amsterdam-based reedist Tobias Delius.              Scattered among the tunes are four Mahall-composed miniatures which lighten the mood and extend the color palate. Dreimal Durch for instance, conflates an uneven pulse, spidery piano arpeggios and unison horn trills. The bass clarinettist’s reed bites, spetrofluctuation and tongue slaps help define Takase compositions such as Today’s Ulysses, which also showcases her metronomic patterning and contrasting dynamics. Here Mahall scooping concentric notes from his horn’s bottom causes Delius to unleash responsive honks and slurs.

04_JanRoder In contrast to these exercises in group interaction, bassist Jan Roder – whose solid rhythm is the rock on which Monk’s Casino rests – goes it alone on Double Bass (jazzwerkstatt JW 037; www.records-cd.com), unveiling multiple strategies as his modulated plucks alternate with metronomic inventions plus abrasive bow scratches. Nau captures slaps, pulls and thumps. Ses deals with staccato, strident and subterranean double-stopping – one texture resembles pooch barks, another is airily melodic. Then there’s Kvar, which uses crumpled paper placed among the strings to create rattling noises that upticks to sul ponticello creaks. The piece concludes with adagio note clusters executed with guitar-like facility.

 

Concert Note: Each musician excels as a stylist on his own. Toronto can experience them together as Monk’s Casino at the Church of the Redeemer as part of the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival on June 26.

 

 

sarah_vaughanSarah Vaughan Live in Japan:

The Complete Edition

Sarah Vaughan

Jazz Lips JL758

Sarah Lois Vaughan (1924-1990) branded a singular singing style that will never go out of style. Whether the song was traditional or modern, dramatic or humorous, at the core of each performance was an exquisitely controlled, astonishing voice that spanned over four octaves. For her operatic instrument she was called “The Divine One” whereas “Sassy” was a moniker for her personality before, during and especially after the gig. “Live in Japan” is a worthy re-issue which finds the Divine One in heavenly form, backed by her swinging trio: Carl Schroeder on piano, John Gianelli on bass and Jimmy Cobb at the drums. Pushing fifty, she was in supreme voice and apparently a jovial mood to boot. At the Sun Plaza Hall in Tokyo in September of ’73, the audience ate it all up and craved more. The Nearness of You is a rare 7-minute treat with Vaughan accompanying herself on the piano, while Summertime is treated like a true aria and the last note of Over the Rainbow inhabits 17 seconds. Similarly, the ballad renditions of ‘Round Midnight, I Remember You and My Funny Valentine show off Sassy’s masterful approach to vibrato. Musically very savvy, Vaughan was a smart improviser: There is No Greater Love begins with three separate scat duets with drums, bass and piano; memorable wordless choruses make up I’ll Remember April, All of Me and The Blues which showcase the rhythm section. The requested encore Bye Bye Blackbird is a surprisingly joyous, swingin’ blast. In 2006, the Library of Congress honoured this album by adding it to the United States National Recording Registry. Formerly a costly ebay item, the complete edition retails for $40 including good liner notes, an interview, photographs and a bonus track. Alternately, one can find this concert on iTunes, issued under Mainstream Records.

Ori Dagan



Extended Play

Sampling Soundscapes

by Ken Waxman

Creating musical sounds without instruments has become widespread ever since the availability of first the portable tape recorder and then the lap top computer. Melding oscillations created with software plus amplifications of so-called found sounds, often re-mixed, these soundscapes are notable for their subtle mixture of foreground and background.

02_VictoSonoreCanadians – especially Québécois – have been particularly proficient in this sort of composing, as these CDs demonstrate. So have Europeans, which is why Habitat (Creative Sources CS 105 CD), by the German dis.playce duo provides an interesting contrast to the Canadians’ work. For comparison, both that CD and Victoriaville Matière Sonore (Victo cd 0113) created by eight sound designers – Francisco López, Louis Dufort, Chantal Dumas, A_Dontigny, Steve Heimbecker, Mathieu Lévesque, Hélène Prévost and Tomas Phillips – are audio portraits of specific places.

01_bagagesGeographical reflection is also involved in Bill Gilonis’ and Chantale Laplante’s Zürich-Bamberg (AD HOC 22) and Éric Normand’s Vente de Bagages - Volume Un (Tour de Bras TDB 3001), but these collaborations expose another electronic music variant. Montrealer Laplante and Londoner Gilonis, then living in cities which give the disc its title, collaborate on sound collages by tweaking individual audio files sent to one another. Rimouski-based Normand follows the collaborative pattern, although the found sounds he alters originated in different European cities and in Montreal.

Hélène Prévost, one of Normand’s audio pen-pals, is the only person represented on two CDs; and that’s appropriate. One of the doyennes of auditory creation, her contributions fit individual situations in which they are placed. Matière Sonore’s VSM for instance, suggest a story line with muffled male and female voices, a ticking clock and sirens intermingling with rumbling hisses, blurry rustles and reverberated intonation traceable back to computer programming.

On Vente de Bagages however (www.tourdebras.com), the bed track of static intonation and hiss from her side is reconfigured with audio effects and stutters created and equalized by the noises produced with a microphone held in Normand’s mouth. This overt physicality and evident sonic building blocks is what distinguishes Normand’s sound postcards from the other discs. On another track, his circular cackles, cries and cock-a-doodle-doos expand the quicksilver squeaks and tremolo flutters produced by the brass mouthpiece and valves manipulation of Toulouse-resident Sébastien Cirotteau.

Organized by Spanish sound artist Francisco López to create an audio portrait of Victoriaville, Quebec, Matière Sonore’s soundscape is more anonymous and selfless (www.victo.qc.ca). Sequentially panning across the aural landscape of the city which hosts an annual experimental music festival, private and public spaces are exposed and transformed. Particular starting points are mixed electronically and are simultaneously linked and divorced from sources. Louis Dufort’s materio _***, for example, features snatches of gull caws and dog yelps, followed by slithery organ-like riffs and otherworldly shrills, and preceded by ring modulator echoes, plus swelling blurry thumps. Meanwhile Chantal Dumas tells her story on s/t w/t 2 with intonation from spectral railway-crossing peals, thunder claps and people shouting, plus radio dial twisting that locates and loses snatches of recorded music. She ends with door slamming sounds.

03_zurichCoincidentally Zürich-Bamberg (www.chantalelaplante.com) begins with the sounds of a door opening, follow by quivering piano strings. Completed by a couple of tracks of solo Laplante that alternate prolonged silences with fortissimo, stop-time abrasions and echoes, the CD’s key manipulated collages are These 12 Minutes and the title track. Undulating, intermittent oral gasps top an undercurrent of foot steps on the former. Eventually the textures are redirected together as backwards-running beats. Slivers of English, French and German phrases stud the title track as these disembodied voices philosophize, hector and promote. Also audible are intercut disconnected waves of melodic, hard-rock and Arab music that occasionally reveal simple guitar licks or drum patterns. Surmounting this are further processed sounds which originate in falling rain, whistling birds, draining sinks and idling engines. The result is both descriptive and disconcerting.

04_habitatSo too is Habitat (www.creativesourcresrec.com). Created by German electronics manipulators Maximilian Marcoll and Hannes Galette Seidl to be site-specific, the tracks rely on recordings made in Frankfurt or Karlsruhe of the scratches, yowls, squeaks and cries that reflect those cities’ passing streetscapes. Panning across the sonic panorama, found sounds are captured at close range or at a distance, sometimes drawing away from the mikes as definition is established. As electronics distort the actualities with soothing watery squishes, flanged woodpecker-like clatter or rumbling cheeps and buzzes, the process becomes nearly hypnotic in its regularity.

Very much of its own place and style, this European CD confirms Canadians’ invention and pre-eminence in this particular version of sonic art.




 
01_john_stetch

TV Trio

John Stetch

Brux Records BRUX 14112

(www.johnstetch.com)

 

John Stetch was born in Edmonton, Alberta and was exposed to the sounds of jazz at an early age through his father's record collection. He began as a reed player before switching to piano, earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Montreal and built a reputation touring across Canada before re-locating to New York in 1993.

For this CD John has chosen a dozen themes from TV shows and transformed them into jazz performances. I have to make a confession. I was only familiar with six of them, (a prize if you can guess which six), but that certainly didn’t prevent me from enjoying the music.

John is extremely imaginative in his concepts of the various themes and has technique in abundance with which to express his ideas. Of the dozen titles only “The Flintstones”, which John chose to put into the minor, giving it a somewhat dark character, has been frequently played by jazz musicians although on listening to this album it seems to me that, for example, “The Waltons” and “Bugs Bunny” and “The Mighty Hercules” could well be adopted by others.

With the exception of “All My Children”, which is a brief but beautiful solo piano performance, Stetch is ably supported by Doug Weiss on bass and Rodney Green on drums.

Jim Galloway

 

 02_live_orbit_roomLive at the Orbit Room - The Ultimate Jam

Tony Monaco & his Toronto Trio

Chicken Coop CCP 7012

(www.b3monaco.com)

 

According to any dependable jazz cookbook, the recipe for a tasty live recording requires an appetizing artist, a hungry audience and a venue that allows for passion to sizzle. Established in 1994, the unpretentiously hip Orbit Room in Toronto’s Little Italy is a happening hang frequented by avid music lovers and musicians alike. The upper level performance space is armed with a B3 organ and offers nightly live acts including roots, R&B, rock and reggae, as well as jazz.

On June 22nd of 2007, critically acclaimed Columbus, Ohio native jazz organist Tony Monaco played the Orbit Room as part of the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival, joined by two of our city’s extraordinary resident jazz musicians: guitarist Ted Quinlan and drummer Vito Rezza. Supported generously by both Torontonians on this particular night, Monaco’s playing is rich with meaty musical chops and incontestable enthusiasm. The sidemen consistently listen, react and enhance the musical experience. Quinlan is quintessentially on top of his game, delivering spirited solos that tell exciting stories and Rezza is not only supportive, but soulful. On every track, especially ’Sbout Time and Slow Down Sagg, the trio grooves contagiously and the audience eats it up. From appetizer to dessert, “The Ultimate Jam” follows the live recording recipe flawlessly. Let it be a model for capturing some of the delectable jazz entertainment served regularly in Ontario’s capital.

Ori Dagan

 

 03_TrovesiOperaAll’opera Profumo di Violetta

Gianluigi Trovesi

ECM 2068

 

Emphasizing the streak of romanticism which characterizes nearly every Italian instrumentalist – no matter how avant-garde – multi-woodwind player Gianluigi Trovesi interprets a series of familiar operatic airs. Backed by the wind and percussion Filarmonica Mousiké, the veteran improviser fashions an original take on 17th, 18th and 19th Century themes by Monteverdi, Cazzati, Pergolesi, Verdi, Puccini, Rossini and Mascagni without jazzing up or burlesquing them.

Making full use of the luscious crescendos and cushioning timbres available from the 54-piece orchestra, the only additions are cellist Marco Remondini and percussionist Stefano Bertoli to enhance the rhythmic impetus. Taking the role of operatic vocalist, Trovesi produces a fantastic series of glissandi, portamento runs and just plain beautiful playing, using at different junctures all his horns – piccolo and alto clarinets plus alto saxophone. Nearly always playing legato, he emphasizes the emotional and melodic undercurrents of these pieces without ignoring their poignant roots.

Mixing world famous and obscure parts of the opera repertoire, these arrangements interweave the popular airs – which the clarinettist has loved since his childhood near Bergamo – with improvisational freedom. Listeners familiar with standards such as Verdi’s E Piquillo un bel gaglardo and Rossini’s Largo al factotum will marvel at how Trovesi’s re-interpretations refresh them. More remarkable is how well Trovesi’s own compositions – such as Salterello amoroso with him spluttering smooth Johnny Hodges-like timbres atop contrapuntal orchestra lines, or Vesponse, a big-band swing piece enlivened with reed split tones and shrills – fit among these traditional tunes without disruption.

Ken Waxman

 

 04_McBirniePaco Paco

Bill McBirnie Duo/Quartet

Independent EF04

(www.myspace.com/billmcbirnieextremeflute)

 

Anyone who has heard him knows that Bill McBirnie is a wonderfully gifted flautist. This CD finds him in the company of three of his favourite players on six of the twelve tracks, the others being duo performances with Bernie Senensky.

It is one of those CDs where I find it difficult to choose favourite numbers. The entire album is a joy to listen to, not only for Bill's beautiful playing, but, as one would expect, the musicality and sensitive contributions from pianist Senensky, Neil Swainson on bass and drummer John Sumner.

As is his wont, Bill has shown a preference for playing standards, ranging from Keith Jarrett's My Song to Bright Mississippi, Thelonious Monk's variation on the changes of Sweet Georgia Brown via the hymn Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus which becomes something of a march for Jesus! The one exception to familiar material, although fans of the Moe Koffman Quintet might remember it, is the album's title piece, a tour de force called Paco Paco, composed by Bernie Senensky.

I don't know how widely distributed this recording will be, but if you have trouble finding it you could send an e-mail to
billmcb@idirect.com. Say that Jim sent you!

Jim Galloway

 

 

 EXTENDED PLAY:

The “Other” Peggy Lee

By Ken Waxman

 

Established in Vancouver for nearly 20 years following extensive musical study in her native Toronto, Peggy Lee has become one of the most in-demand cellists in both improvised and New music. Occasionally working with her husband, drummer Dylan van der Schyff, but more frequently on her own, Lee’s string prestidigitation is prominent in meetings with Canadian, American and European musicians.

Recent discs show the range of her talents. Spiller Alley (RogueArt ROG-0016 www.rougart.com) features her as part of a trio completed by Bay area saxophonist Larry Ochs and New York koto player Miya Masoka. Meanwhile Escondido Dreams (Drip Audio DA00206 www.dripaudio.com), is a trio with other Lower Mainlanders guitarist Tony Wilson and saxophonist Jon Bentley. Wilson, Bentley and van der Schyff are also on the cellist’s New Code (Drip Audio DA 00318 www.dripaudio.com) along with other West Coast luminaries – trumpeter Brad Turner; guitarist Ron Samworth, trombonist Jeremy Berkman and electric bassist André Lachance. On Continuation (Cryptogramophone CG 140 www.cryptogramophone.com), percussionist Alex Cline gathered a similar group of California-based improvisers – violinist Jeff Gauthier, pianist Myra Melford, bassist Scott Walton to play his tunes. Lee is the only non-American.

01_AlexCline Alex Cline’s writing has an Asian feel to it. Scene-setting gong resonations color nearly every track, with Melford’s winnowing harmonium drone sometimes adding to the Far Eastern emphasis. Eclectic in execution, most of the compositions bounce from near-syrupy melodies usually advanced by the fiddler, to modern swing propelled by thumping bass and the pianist’s dynamic patterning. In between, Lee’s malleable timbres join with Gauthier’s brusque lines for thematic elaboration, or add staccato runs and spiccato jumps to advance the rhythm. On the Bones of the Homegoing Thunder is the most spectacular tune. It manages to wrap an exposition and recapitulation of temple bell peals and mournful cello runs around walking bass lines, kinetic piano runs plus string-clipping and triple-stopping from cello and violin.

 

02_PeggyLeeBand 

 Lee’s octet CD is less formalized, though no less eclectic, but democratic in its soloing. Both guitarists are partial to folksy twangs as well as Hard Rock-like distortions; the horns produce R&B-like vamps plus processional harmonies; Turner on flugelhorn is the languid melodist; and van der Schyff constantly pumps parts of his kit. Meanwhile the cellist personalizes the material. On Tug her angled sweeps tug apart into spikier runs the horns’ ceremonial grace notes. On Not a Wake Up Call flanged and distorted guitar licks shatter into jagged and ricocheting slurs as Lee’s spiccato multiphonics help gentle the theme so that it runs into the calming Floating Island – complete with muted trumpet – which follows. Dealing with a tune as familiar as Bob Dylan’s All I Really Want To Do, her mordant modal interjections halt a conventional, C&W-styled reading, and encourage agitato horn shrills on top of Byrds-like guitar strumming and a vocalized saxophone obbligato.

 

03_WilsonLeeBentley Bentley’s woodwind arsenal has more space on “Escondido Dreams”, proving adept at both speedy and languid tempi. Man and Dog plus Monkey Tree/Just Stories demonstrate this. On the first, the saxophonist defines the Impressionistic theme, along with Lee’s cello obbligato. After descriptive unison passages first with the cellist, then with the guitarist, sax trills dovetail into slurs as Wilson strums mandolin-like chords and Lee sweeps across the sound-field. Tougher and animated, the latter is a roller coaster of a tune built on contrapuntal reed bites and electrified guitar interjections. Following a raucous call-and-response section, the guitarist’s chromatic patterning and Lee’s spiccato runs reintroduce the note-dangling theme.

 

 

04_SpillerAlleyVeteran  Ochs uses more advanced techniques than Bentley on “Spiller Alley”, while the multi functions of Masaoka’s many-stringed koto negate the need for drums. Ironically, despite the textures of the venerable Japanese instrument, and unlike “Continuation”, this CD has almost no Asian reflections. Expert in rasgueado and chromatics, Masaoka treats her koto as if it is a combination harp, 12-string and six-string guitar. Bringing out node striations as well the sounds of the notes struck – as does Lee – the string duo attaches and detaches timbres to mutate the program as Ochs enlivens his work with wide octave jumps, staccato blasts and circular breathing. Climaxing the session during the 18 minute title tune, the three criss-cross each other’s lines and runs, off-setting or cushioning when needed. With Ochs peeping and shrilling arpeggios, Masaoka unleashes a torrent of cascading tones and Lee exposes multi-string runs. The cumulative consequence showcases imperfectly formed but not unpleasant, textures from each. Operating in triple counterpoint, blurry interaction comes into focus, with the end result trilled, swept and resonated into a stripped-down mutual rapprochement.

While each musician’s skill melds to produce these notable CDs, each would be unthinkable without Lee’s talents and interactive expertise.

 Mombâcho

Mike Janzen and Friends

Signpost Music SP43-102 (www.mikejanzen.ca)

 

Michael Janzen completed his Masters in Composition at the University of Toronto in 1997. Under the first name Mike, Janzen is a gifted composer, jazz pianist, organist, vocalist and heaven knows what else. This self-produced sophomore release is a work of art with respect to all musical processes from start to finish: composition, personnel, performance, and having a John “Beetle” Bailey’s killer mix doesn’t hurt. Every tune is a winner, from Where it Goes to Swankometer. It’s obvious that Janzen considered his band carefully, and he had his work cut out for him with such a deep pool of talent to choose from on the Canadian scene. Bass-wise, one can’t go wrong with the luminous George Koller, the only musician other than leader to appear on every track. Drum duty primarily belongs to Ben Riley with guests Davide DiRenzo and Larnell Lewis. Special guesting are Phil Dwyer on tenor saxophone, Kevin Breit on guitar, Alan Hetherington on percussion and a 13-piece string section led by Lenny Solomon on the deservingly titled Beauty. The sweet Almost Tango is an 8-minute suite of sheer amusement, with another highlight being the romping instrumental rendition of Mrs. Robinson. Besides playing the piano, organ and Rhodes on “Mombâcho”, Janzen lends his voice to Bruce Cockburn’s All the Diamonds and his own Masaya. While singing the odd tune is not unusual for an instrumentalist, having a voice as velvety as Janzen’s certainly is.

Ori Dagan

01_mombacho
02_alex_ernewein

 

 Alex Ernewein

With Terry Clarke; Kelly Jefferson;

Jake Langley; Keiran Overs

Independent TAERCD08 (www.alexernewein.com)

buy
At Grigorian.com

When this CD was recorded in May of 2008 at Canterbury Sound Studio in Toronto, Alex Ernewein was 14 years old and quite the debut album it is. Wise enough to surround himself with four of the top musicians on the scene who give him all the support he needs, and then some, this is a very impressive display by any standards. There are eleven selections, wisely mostly familiar, ranging from the Rodgers & Hart standard My Romance to Monk’s Straight No Chaser and there is one original, a piano solo called Improv Suite One. The line-up varies throughout the album and Ernewein moves comfortably from piano to Fender Rhodes to Hammond B3.

The music was improvised on the spot and any imperfections are a worthwhile trade-off against the spontaneity of the music. You will hear more of young Mr. Ernewein.

Jim Galloway

 

 After Hours

Jeff Dyer; Bill Brennan

Independent 0209135

(www.myspace.com/jeffdyerbillbrennanduo)

Pour yourself a drink, put on “After Hours” after hours and you will enjoy an eclectic, varied program of choice standards and genuine originals. Newfoundland’s Bill Brennan is a pianist, percussionist, composer and producer who can be heard on some 80 albums to date. Wonderfully warm and very witty, Brennan’s work proves he is the consummate accompanist; no wonder, considering he has previously backed up Cab Calloway, Placido Domingo and Dizzy Gillespie.

Apart from five vocal/piano duets, seven tracks feature the superb Jim Vivian on bass, Michael Billard on drums and Patrick Boyle on trumpet and flugelhorn. But the spotlight is on Jeff Dyer’s full-bodied, emotionally raw singing style that suggests a natural, experienced talent. The baritone’s larger-than-life voice is not technically faultless, but this does not get in the way of the singer’s captivating, earnest delivery. Fans of the old standards will enjoy authentic readings of Lucky to Be Me and the like, but even more intriguing are Dyer’s spicy originals. Iona is a haunting, poetic ode to a Newfoundland ghost town, whereas the sentimental Time is a Dragon is a “smooth jazz” offering. In contrast, Nicaragua is a composition devoid of words but rich with intensity, trumpet doubling the voice. Dyer’s musical setting of John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields is inspired and respectful. Come to think of it, any time is appropriate to relish this recording, a healthy marriage of traditional and contemporary vocal jazz.

Ori Dagan

03_afterhours

 

 

Extended Play – FACE OFF

By Ken Waxman

 

Sonic battles involving musicians who play the same instrument facing off against one another are part of a tradition that goes back to Kansas City jam sessions. This sort of competition isn’t unique to jazz. Probably the first cutting contest took place when one medieval troubadour restrung his lute to best others playing Greensleeves.

Now that improvised music is international however, players can test themselves against musicians from other countries. That’s what four Canadians do here. Two, former Torontonian reedist Quinsin Nachoff and ex-Burlington trumpeter Darren Johnston do so in group situations. Two others – both Montrealers: guitarist Antoine Berthiaume and drummer Michael Lambert – go mano a mano.

 

 Results are particularly spectacular in q’s case. On Base (Ambiances Magnétiques AM 178), his partner is New York guitarist/composer Elliott Sharp whose instrumental prowess involves equal facility in blues, noise, rock, jazz, improvised and notated music. Raging over 11 free improvisations, the two use the tactile capabilities of guitars’ attachments and properties as much as its strings to tell stories. In cahoots not conflict, Sharp and Berthiaume crunch, crash and pan across the sound field, combining watery flanges, slurred fingering and twanging resonation into pulsations that are simultaneously wedded to electronic distortion and acoustic elaborations. When Sharp’s bottle-neck facility is mixed with clawing oscillated tones, Station could be Delta Blues on Mars. Freed on the other hand, manages to work inchoate fuzz-tone delay and dial twisting into lyrical sprays of sound. The duo’s essence is best expressed on Essence. Here one intermittently plunks bass strings alongside jagged resonation created by scratching strings below the bridge, until the piece concludes with throbbing drones reaching needle-in-the-groove concordance. (www.actuellecd.com) 01_base
02_meditation  Similarly blending rhythms so there is no perceptible transition between one and another’s improvising on Meditations on Grace (FMR Records CD 256-0108) are percussionists Michael Lambert and Boston’s veteran Rakalam Bob Moses, both of whom are also visual artists. Overlaying a Pop-Art-like jumble of beats they reference ethic rhythms as frequently as those associated with conventions of so-called legit music and jazz. Cunningly blending in double counterpoint the throbs and tinkles available from cross patterning and inverted sticking, octave jumps, staccato runs, march tempos and sudden rebounds, they understate, but never abandon heart-beat rhythms. Meanwhile bell trees are sounded, maracas shaken, ride cymbals scratched, steel pans popped and tension lugs tightened and loosened to produce multi-colours. Subtlety is the watchword here with whisks and brushes in use more than sticks and mallets. Cognizant of each other every second, one drummer produces rim shots when the other ratchets; or one bluntly whack the bass drum when the other pounds Indian tom-toms. Chromatically shifting the tonal centre, they advance left-and-right in tandem. Gauge the joy in the proceeding, by noting the ecstatic shouts frequently heard from the participants. (www.fmr-records.com)
 This joy is also apparent on In Between Stories which features Darren Johnston’s United Brassworkers Front (Evander Music EM 040). This Bay- area band of two trumpets, two trombones, tuba, guitar, bass and drums plays mostly Johnston’s compositions, while echoes of Balkan marches, brass chorals, Dixieland and mariachi music abound. As burbling tuba provides the pedal-point bottom, shuffle drum beats and walking bass lines add an R&B feel. Johnston is surprisingly expressive and romantic on the sardonic Long Live the Yes Men, yet breaks up the initially stately In Between Stories with splattering triple-tonguing, jazz shakes and rubato slurs. Chunky rhythm guitar licks and half-honk/half-hip-hop from tuba adds to the transformation. Elsewhere Johnston’s arranging skills showcase polyphonic undulations, ensuring the massed brass braying is neither protracted nor gratuitous. (www.evandermusic.com) 03_united_brass_works
04_nachoff

 Brass band-inflected jazz is also the raison d’être on Quinsin Nachoff/Bruno Tocanne Project’s 5 New Dreams (Cristal CD 0824), although clarinetist/tenor saxophonist Nachoff’s co-leader is a French drummer, as are the two trumpeters and another saxophonist. Eschewing chordal instruments the unbridled power of Tocanne’s drumming manages makes the band evoke drummer Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. With nearly every tune a foot-tapper, Tocanne’s ruffs and flams encourage doubled brass triplet, so that the trumpeters often sound like an intertwined Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard. Lionel Martin often confines himself to ostinato slurps from the baritone saxophone, except for some flutter-tongued exchanges with Nachoff. Otherwise space is left open for the Canadian who makes good use of it. On Soulèvement he plumbs his tenor saxophone’s depth with a wide vibrato and irregular diaphragm breaths, buzzing upwards into waves of altissimo before Tocanne’s press rolls surgically cut off the exposition. In contrast, Goodbye Lullaby benefits from the baritone saxophone’s bass undercurrent as Nachoff shades the andante melody with coloratura and moderato clarinet obbligatos. (www.imuzzic.net)

While cutting contests may be a relic of the past, international musical cooperation continues to set high standards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Phénix

Les Poules

ambiences magnétiques AM 176 CD

Sampling everyday sounds while electronically mixing them with extended and unusual techniques; the Montreal-based Les Poules produces music that is both subtly feminist and sonically expressive. On their own, each of Les Poules (“the hens” in English) – alto saxophonist Joane Hétu, percussionist Danielle Palardy Roger and sampler-manipulator Diane Labrosse – also composes for dance and theatre companies and performs with such associates as guitarist Fred Frith (Roger); pianist Marilyn Lerner (Labrosse) and saxophonist Jean Derome (Hétu). Arriving at their second decade as a trio however, “Phénix” is an unbeatable demonstration of their interactive prowess.

Over the course of 24 miniatures, lasting from barely a minute to slightly less than three, the trio creates unique juxtapositions that for example contrast the percussiveness of bass drum thumps and a sewing machine motor; or alternately compare approximations of infant cries, the power of a passing freight train and the rattling of a bell tree. Mostly narrowing her focus to timbres scraped and scratched on cymbals, Roger’s abrasions dovetail with the shrill reed bites, unattached mouthpiece peeps and wide-vibrato growls that Hétu forces from her horn. Meantime Labrosse’s ring-modulator flanging, droning loops of buzzing static and motor-driven grinding underline or connect the shifting tonal centres.

With each woman vocalizing a babble of nonsense syllables, gargles, scat singing, snores and juicy quacking, the jocular result is as much musique de maison as musique concrète. In short Phénix is one hen party you’d be well-advised to attend.

Ken Waxman

Concert Note: Diane Labrosse will join Marilyn Lerner in “Seconde Nature” at The Music Gallery on February 20.

01_poules
02_willie_weeper

 Willie the Weeper

Patrick Tevlin’s New Orleans Rhythm

New Orleans North CD-008

Some of the delights of any art form lie in the rich diversities to be found. Jazz has evolved into a multi-faceted sophisticated culture, but the simple joys of the music in its early form can still be heard, thanks to small, dedicated groups of musicians all over the world.

This recording features three stalwarts of the Toronto traditional scene: Patrick Tevlin on trumpet, Roberta Hunt on piano and Colin Bray on bass, all of them members of the popular Toronto group, The Happy Pals. They are joined by Brian Carrick one of England’s leading New Orleans style clarinet players with a strong George Lewis influence.

This music is unpretentious and sincere and, in truth, at its most enjoyable when heard live. That’s the case with any music, but none more so than traditional jazz with its direct emotional communication with the audience. That is not to detract from the listening pleasure to be found in this CD which is a collection of mostly familiar traditional themes like the title song, Willie The Weeper, I’m Confessin’ and Martha along with a few lesser known pieces such as the old rag, Trombonium, the 1924 Armand Piron Bright Star Blues and, adding a Jamaican touch, the 1925 Sly Mongoose.

The musicians convey an infectious enthusiasm and lovers of traditional jazz will find much to enjoy in this recording.

Jim Galloway

 

 Extended Play – LOCAL JAZZ

By Ori Dagan

 

 

 

 

01_ron_davis

 The artistry of Ron Davis is revealed not solely by his playfulness on the piano, but all the more by his creative decisions as leader. Davis has achieved critical acclaim for his pristine presentation of, and devotion to, the jazz tradition. On The Bestseller (Minerva/Davinor 233377), his sixth recording, he has pared it way down. Aside from two solo piano tracks, this is an entire album of piano/clarinet duets with Sasha Boychouk, a formidable Ukrainian musician who has recently relocated to Canada. Playing with remarkable virtuosity and a fine sense of humour, Boychouk is an ideal musical match for Davis. In addition to nine collaborative interludes, the original material is mostly penned by Davis, with several gems worth citing: Rhythmaron plants a fresh twist on the Gershwin standard I Got Rhythm, Allelujah is a luminous, pensive waltz and Street Stomp is the Klezmer answer to Dancing in the Streets. For good measure, a few covers, including the Sesame Street/Muppet Show anthem Manha Manha. Humorous, bold, engaging and energetic, “The Bestseller” is a sure-fire winner. (www.rondavismusic.com)

 Known for his fiery tone and flair for burning tempi, Juno award winner Kirk MacDonald is one of Canada’s pre-eminent jazz saxophonists. Since the release of his first album nearly twenty years ago, MacDonald has gradually gravitated towards the strength of his own original compositions. Family Suite (Romhog Records 116), MacDonald’s sixth album as leader, is a personal affair. The poignant opening and closing theme, Dark Autumn, refers to the fall of 2002, an arduous time in which MacDonald lost his mother while still mourning the deaths of long-time collaborators Jerry Fuller and Joe Bendzsa. Each movement in the suite is meaningfully titled and dedicated. One of the liveliest, Four Shades of Light, features an electrifying tête-à-tête between the leader and Barry Romberg on drums, as well as Romberg trading fours with the exquisite Brian Dickinson on piano. Along with bassist Jim Vivian, the sensitive rhythm section is as good as it gets. Musically multifaceted as always, MacDonald delivers a highly rewarding, emotionally raw performance on this unquestionably cathartic recording. (www.kirkmacdonald.com) 02_kirk_macdonald
03_michael_occhipinti  A first-rate guitarist, composer and arranger, Michael Occhipinti is best-known for co-leading the spirited NOJO (Neufeld-Occhipinti Jazz Orchestra) and has also previously released four titles under his own name. His 2000 release, “Creation Dream”, offered jazz renditions of Bruce Cockburn’s music. Conceptually similar, Occhipinti’s ambitious fifth outing The Sicilian Jazz Project (True North Records TND 516), pays tribute to his roots by reinventing traditional Sicilian folk repertoire. The selected material is tastefully steeped in jazz without sacrificing its authentic folk flavour. Occhipinti’s arrangements emphasize strings and percussion, along with Kevin Turcotte on trumpet, Louis Simao on accordion and Ernie Tollar on saxophone and flute. Five of the nine tracks feature heartfelt vocals by Dominic Mancuso and Maryem Tollar, both impeccable storytellers. Brother Roberto Occhipinti lays down the bass and wears the producer’s hat. Ultimately what comes through in this recording is a deep dedication to the material. Extensive liner notes effectively introduce the listener to each song’s meaning, origin and the leader’s intention. If one is of Sicilian lineage, this recording is essential; for everyone else, it is a recommendable labour of love. (www.michaelocchipinti.com)
 The elder brother of Michael and a cousin of guitarist David, Roberto Occhipinti has enjoyed a productive career primarily as bassist, secondarily as producer. Initially mentored by Joel Quarrington and Dave Young, he spent decades as an orchestral player and sideman before releasing his first album as leader at the turn of the century. Occhipinti’s fourth release, A Bend in the River (Alma Records ACD11182), showcases his refined skills as player, producer, arranger and composer. The core personnel consists of pianist David Virelles, drummer Dafnis Prieto, Occhipinti on bass and Luis Deniz on alto saxophone. Collectively the group outlines each composition’s shape, but the canvas is splashed with many other colours, including guest appearances by flautist Les Allt, bass clarinettist John Johnson, trumpeter Kevin Turcotte and a full string orchestra on three of the seven cuts. The title track is a memorable standout for its logically flowing melody, sweeping harmonic movement and a rhythmically inventive saxophone solo by Deniz. Occhipinti’s string arrangements, especially those featuring the Globalis String Orchestra, create a lush lyricism that lingers long after the disc plays out. (www.robertoocchipinti.com) 04_roberto_occhipinti

 

 Extended play – VOCAL JAZZ

By Cathy Riches

 

 

 

01_yvette_tollar

 A passel of new discs by Canadian singers – some relative newcomers, others more experienced – ended off 2008 in style. The first, and most notable, is by Yvette Tollar, an independent release entitled Ima (ROM 10). The Tollar name may be familiar to some, as brother Ernie is an established woodwind player in Toronto who lends his talents to this collection of Canadian songs. Most are written by local players like keyboardist Dave Restivo (the gorgeous Prayer for Human Kindness appears twice on the disc, once with just piano accompaniment and the other with nimble tabla playing by Ravi Naimpally), guitar guru Kevin Breit and Tollar herself, but Joni Mitchell’s Edith and the Kingpin is also here and given a funky but reverential treatment. Tollar sings with a jazz sensibility underpinned with a gospel/soul sound that makes for a rich, appealing combination. But what is most compelling is her complete lack of affectation. She is a singer who has chosen and written songs that have a lot of meaning for her and while she takes care with her craft, it’s apparent her main aim is to get the songs across rather than to sound a certain way. Having some of the heaviest and most inventive players in Toronto collaborating on your disc helps too – the aforementioned Kevin Breit and Dave Restivo, piano player Robi Botos and Tollar’s husband and phenomenal bassist, Rich Brown, played and co-produced. It all adds up to one of the most genuine and moving discs from a local talent in 2008. (www.yvettetollar.com)

 Montreal-based Susie Arioli and partner Jordan Officer have released their 5th CD Night Lights (Spectra Musique SPECD7806). Officer’s steady acoustic guitar comping and agile soloing along with Arioli’s light touch on snare, gives it a Hot Club of France sound, while the blend of sophisticated nostalgia and French and Latin tinges reminds me of the hip, Oregon-based “little orchestra” Pink Martini. The clever way that Arioli’s breathy alto is recorded — close-up, with no reverb — gives the songs an engaging intimacy, as if she’s sitting just over there on the couch doing a few numbers just for you. The phrasing is straight and unadorned on standards like I Can’t Get Started, Blue Skies and You Go to My Head with Officer’s original Basswalk (featuring bassist Bill Gossage) rounding out this breezy, satisfying record. Arioli and Officer are playing several dates in Quebec in February and March and info can be found at www.nuland.ca/arioli. 02_night_lights
03_rose_tatoo

 Daniela Nardi first graced the Toronto music scene with her personal songwriting style and smooth, earthy voice in 2003, but took a hiatus to nurse her mother through cancer. So it’s no surprise that her second CD Rose Tattoo (MIN003) is rife with self-examination and introspective lyrics. Produced by Greg Kavanagh, the disc is polished and richly arranged — lots of percussion, backing vocals, horns and subtle electronica — but never loses its earnest intensity. Rich Brown and George Koller share bass duties, Davide Direnzo drums and Nardi does the keyboard work. Ranging from the urban funkiness of 485 to the Calabrian folk singing that precedes the touching ballad Rosetta, to the Middle Eastern bluesiness of Longest Road, the record covers diverse musical and emotional ground. (www.danielanardi.com)

 Two discs with similar offerings — standards played with traditional jazz treatments and instrumentation (no djembe or oud here) and straight forward vocal interpretations — round out the latest batch of releases. First is Molly Johnson’s Lucky (Universal 0251786014). Johnson is a popular singer in Toronto not only for her performances but also her fundraising work and, lately, radio hosting on CBC 2. Her mature, chesty voice imbues the songs on “Lucky” with a world-weariness that makes Lush Life and I Loves You Porgy utterly believable. While swingy, up-tempo treatments — courtesy of backing trio Phil Dwyer, piano and sax, Mike Downes, bass, and Mark McLean/Ben Riley, drums — take the normally sombre Mean to Me and Ode to Billie Joe (which could be renamed Ode to Killer Joe for the debt the arrangement owes to that song) to new, light-hearted places. (www.mollyjohnson.com) 04_lucky
05_kristy  Founder of Alma Records and bass player, Peter Cardinali, produced his daughter Kristy’s debut My Romance (Alma Records ACD11082) and for it enlisted Robi Botos’ sensitive support on piano. Kristy croons her way matter-of-factly through such familiar tunes as I Remember You, Taking a Chance On Love and, incongruously for one of such tender years, In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, with guest bits from renowns Don Thompson on bass, Guido Basso on flugelhorn and Kevin Breit on guitar. The standout track is the almost a capella version of A Sleeping Bee. Uber arranger Dylan Bell’s sumptuous, complex voicings, sung by fellow Cadence members Kevin Fox, Carl Berger and Ross Lynde, add a dash of verve to an otherwise straight forward record. (www.almarecords.com)

 

 Extended play – AIMToronto

By Ken Waxman

 

 

 Barely four years since its founding, The Association of Improvising Musicians Toronto (AIMToronto), has raised the profile of local improvisers, while nurturing the scene. This almost 200-member, non-profit collective helps find venues in which to hear improvised music – most prominently Somewhere There in Parkdale – presents concerts featuring visiting musicians interacting with locals, and has organized a large improvisers orchestra. One of AIMToronto’s highest profile gigs took place at the Guelph Jazz Festival in 2007, where 18 AIMToronto members played the music of the American improv guru Anthony Braxton with the composer on soprano saxophone. The result was Creative Orchestra (Guelph) (Spool Line SPL 130). It showcases the AIMToronto members following the ever-shifting tonal centres in five Braxton compositions. Throughout these sequences and intervals it’s evident that overtones and undertones are as audible as the melodies, so the aural coloration takes on a 3-D-like effect. Germane to these tracks are the bravura contributions of vocalist Christine Duncan, who personifies the program not only with guttural or bel canto warbling plus inflated or truncated syllables, but also with parlando declarations. Another connecting thread is percussive – with strokes, vibrations and rattles apparent in varied pitches and pressures from Nick Fraser’s and Joe Sorbara’s drums and Brandon Valdivia’s clattering xylophone. Most characteristic of the pieces is Composition 307, a variation of sprechstimme, with Duncan’s falsetto dramatics sharing space with antiphonal vamps from the horns or gong-ringing and rim shots from the percussion. As the resonance arranges itself architecturally, slurs, syllables and sequences peep from the layering, with particularly noteworthy contributions from tenor saxophonist Colin Fisher, growls from Ronda Rindone’s clarinet and Scott Thomson’s shaggy trombone triplets. (www.spoolmusic.com)

01_braxton
02_brenders

 The Orchestra’s artistic director, saxophonist Kyle Brenders, studied with Anthony Braxton at Wesleyan University and his recording Flows and Intensities suggests one of Braxton’s solo outings. Each of the eight compositions – all but two by Brenders – is oriented around a specific theme or motif played on soprano or tenor saxophone. Working with extended reed techniques and circular breathing, the results are alternately pretty or gritty. Not conventionally “pretty” however, since the modus operandi involves chunky air blown through the horns’ body tubes, echoing ghost notes, adagio pitch-sliding plus extended meditative and undulating textures where audible air intake alternates with flutter tonguing. Repetition of selected clusters or tones are part of the strategy as are times where Brenders seems to be playing two parallel reed lines – one consisting of puffing notes, the other ornamenting them with ghost tones. (www.aimtoronto.org)

 Another alumnus of the orchestra’s Guelph foray is guitarist Ken Aldcroft, whose solo guitar lexicon on VoCaBuLaRy (Trio Records TRP-SS01-008) is as varied as Brenders’ is for saxophone. Using diverse tunings, the guitarist’s distinctive flattish tone makes full use of flanging and reverb. Some tracks become exercises in controlled feedback, others are built around metallic micro tones and snapping flat picking. Sometimes his spiky runs reference Monkish licks; other times, loops, claw-hammer banjo tones or serrated rock-music extensions are present. Like Brenders he creates a call-and-response pattern as if a guitar duo is present. However his repeated phrases often fade into silences or transform themselves into patterns that form a combination of slack-key and microtonal slurs. These spidery, interlaced textures reverberating back onto one another are most accessible on Sterling Road Blues, which matches a non-showy blues progression that emphasizes the bass, with hesitant string-clumping, finally downshifting into ringing, but not reverberating timbres. (www.kenaldcroft.com) 03_aldcroft_solo
04_Trolleys

 Bringing this game plan to group improv, Trolleys (Trio Records TRP-009) finds Aldcroft’s Convergence Ensemble meandering between group and solo work. Trombonist Thomson, alto saxophonist Evan Shaw, drummer Joe Sorbara and bassist Wes Neal join Aldcroft here for an outing where pauses are as much a part of the sound as polyphony, though there are points at which disconnect is evident between soloists and band. Individually each player impresses, especially Sorbara with drum stick nerve beats, thick ruffs and distinct hi-hat bops; Shaw, who undulates accentuated lines with a wide vibrato and snorting obbligatos; plus Thomson’s tongue-blurring plunger work and staccato grace notes. At points the trombonist’s blustery braying corrals the others into a bluesy stop-time amble which moves forward for a period until all the players disperse on individual paths. A rubato near-ballad, Apples showcases the most co-operation, involving multilayered counterpoint from each player. Shaw’s irregularly shaped reed osculation makes common cause with Aldcroft’s rhythmically sophisticated echoing fills, while walking bass propels the intersection of burbling trombone runs and ringing guitar licks. Before the climax, Sorbara gooses the tempo as the piece speedily double then triples in time, adding discursive riffs from Thomson and Shaw.

Impressive as part of an orchestra, AIMToronto members are just as estimable individually.

 

 

 

 

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