Jazz and Improvised

Dr. Purgatory – The Consumption: A Tragic Folktale in Six Parts - David Riddel; Aline Homzy; Colleen Allen; Conrad Glutch; Noah Lemish; Andrew Downing; Stefan Hegerat

Dr. Purgatory - The Consumption: A Tragic Folktale in Six Parts
David Riddel; Aline Homzy; Colleen Allen; Conrad Glutch; Noah Lemish; Andrew Downing; Stefan Hegerat
Independent (drpurgatory.bandcamp.com)

Dr. Purgatory is the nom de plume of Toronto guitarist and composer David Riddel who studied at the U of T and who has figured centrally into several exciting jazz and creative music fusions in this city over the last ten or so years.

Assembling a great band of Aline Homzy, Colleen Allen, Conrad Gluch, Noam Lemish, Andrew Downing and Stefan Hegerat, Dr. Purgatory’s second album, The Consumption (A Tragic Folktale in Six Parts) combines the influences of Reinier Baas (an Amsterdam-based guitarist and composer with whom I was unfamiliar until now), the French impressionist Maurice Ravel, and the Icelandic singer and composer Björk into an idiosyncratic, but always musically satisfying package. Over ten compositions, including a Prologue, Intermission and Epilogue, the group traverses what seems like every improvisatory chamber group subgenre. On Necropolis, exciting musicianship and well-executed unison lines between the strings and reeds are employed to great effect. Riddel’s guitar playing is marvelous throughout, and includes soaring single note lines, beautiful wide intervallic solo playing, such as the beginning of The Philistine, and genre-less musical improvisations throughout.

Included is a short novella that relates the folktale in prose,that is explored musically on the recording so Riddel can now add author to his already impressive list of credits. The head-spinning mix of genres represented here, from Aleister Crowley to Björk to Ravel, remind me of the post-Third-Stream teaching and music of Ran Blake, who, like Riddel and company, somehow managed to coalesce a dizzying list of disparate influences into an always impressive and unified whole. I am not sure if Riddel knows Blake, but I have a feeling they would find sympatico musical and philosophical ground. A creative and thought-provoking new recording.

Mi Hogar II - Rachel Therrien Latin Jazz Project

Mi Hogar II
Rachel Therrien Latin Jazz Project
Lula World Records LWR048A (racheltherrien.bandcamp.com/album/mi-hogar-ii)

Renowned trumpeter and flugelhornist Rachel Therrien’s newest release is a collection of tunes that contains spicy Latin and Afro-Cuban, jazz-fusion goodness. Her eighth release, a follow up to Mi Hogar I, brings together acclaimed, all-star musicians for an immersive, ear-catching musical experience that is sure to get your head bobbing and feet moving. The selection of songs features many original compositions by Therrien and a couple penned by her bandmates thrown into the mix. The album “continues her exploration of Latin jazz… reflecting Therrien’s deep connection to her musical community and the myriad influences that have shaped her sound.”

What stands out is the way in which each piece is a unique journey, evoking its own emotions and soundscapes, yet a cultural thread strings together and unites these separate “stories.” Take the tune Back Home: the listener gets a taste of various Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms, complemented by searing piano chords and sizzling trumpet melodies, with a mid-song lengthy bass solo that captivates and dazzles. The composition is a great example of the way in which “each piece reflects Therrien’s commitment to blending traditional Latin rhythms with contemporary jazz elements.”

Another piece to note is Beauty Free, which closes out the album on a mellow yet intriguing note, featuring beautiful vocals by Mireya and Andy Ramos. A tasty morsel that evokes the hopeful question: will there be a Mi Hogar III in the near future?

Kenny Wheeler Legacy: Some Days are Better - Royal Academy of Music Jazz Orchestra; Frost Jazz Orchestra

Kenny Wheeler Legacy - Some Days are Better
Royal Academy of Music Jazz Orchestra; Frost Jazz Orchestra
Greenleaf Music (glmstore.bandcamp.com/album/some-days-are-better-the-lost-scores)

Canadian Jazz trumpeter/flugelhornist Kenny Wheeler’s position is analogous to Norman Bethune’s: more famous abroad than at home. Toronto-born Wheeler (1930-2014), who moved to the UK in 1952 was equally proficient playing commercial studio gigs; big band jazz with Johnny Dankworth and others; and free music with the likes of Anthony Braxton. He also composed intricate scores, most of which were played only once for BBC radio concerts in the 1970s.

Not really “lost,” 11 of these scores are performed by 34 musicians drawn from Miami’s Frost School of Music and London’s Royal Academy of Music. Reconstitutions of these impressionistic, quietly swinging tunes are expanded when the ensemble(s) add veteran soloists who earlier collaborated with Wheeler himself.

The title suite for instance uses brass blasts to surround Norma Winstone’s wordless vocals both shredded and soulful, with Evan Parker’s circular breathed emphasis following contemporary electric piano jangling. Parker’s pressurized tenor saxophone is inventively matched with growls and flutters from trombonist Sam Keedy on C.P.E.P., as drum beats push the large ensemble forward; while flugelhornist Brian Lynch’s measured pitches face off with a three-saxophone choir blend on D.G.S.

Not every track is given over to the professionals however. Maria Quintanilla’s bel canto vocal coloration on a couple of tracks, bassist Nikolas Lukassen steadying swing throughout and Some Doors Are Better Open’s gentle duet of flugelhornist Etienne Charles and tenor saxophonist Emma Rawicz confirm younger players’ skills and the continued appeal of Wheeler’s music.

Wind Forms - Greg Burk; Michel Lambert

Wind Forms
Greg Burk; Michel Lambert
Tonos Records (gregburk.bandcamp.com/album/wind-forms)

This idea of putting Wind Forms to music is interesting, especially when you pair piano and drums and more especially when the musicians are as adventurous as Greg Burk and Michel Lambert. The “trick” (a word used with caution so as not to denigrate the musical gestures employed here) would be to astutely meld the majestic chordal power of the piano and extend its percussive possibilities.

This seems easy thanks to the intrepid technical ingenuity of Burk. Conversely it is the extension of Lambert’s facility as a percussion colourist by finding ways to turn the rolling thunder of the drums and the hissing of cymbals into the realm of melody and harmony. These strange bedfellows coalesce in a dynamic partnership.

The disc gets off to a fiery start with Scirocco, a searing desert wind that sweeps across the sand dunes that could scorch anything in its path. Other ingenious improvisations may be heard on Aeolian Awakenings (a clever little play on an ancient mode), the darkness of the play on Hamartian (Aristote’s fatal syllogistic flaw) in which piano and drums incessantly – but brilliantly – argue musically. And then there is the majestic Zephyrus, crafted as a wall of music to recall both the Greek demi-god and winds heralding the arrival of spring. The collision of intellectuality with poetic imagery makes for a wonderful study in improvised music.

Remnants - Roberto Occhipinti

Remnants
Roberto Occhipinti
Modica Music (modicamusic.bandcamp.com/album/remnants)

It’s not often that we get to take a closer, intimate look at the great musical mind of renowned bandleader, bassist and composer Roberto Occhipinti. But with this latest CD we get to do just that; featuring previously unreleased tracks, it feels like we are privy to a new, exclusive foray into unexplored musical territory. With a musician as in-demand as Occhipinti, it’s always great when an album featuring his own compositions is released. As is often the case with someone of the bassist’s calibre, the record features a star-studded list of musicians, among them Hilario Duran, Luis Deniz, Mark Kelso and Kevin Turcotte.

Remnants’ tracks are a mix of those penned by Occhipinti himself, as well as interesting takes on songs by greats such as Pat Metheny and Leonard Bernstein. With the first notes of title track Remnants, we’re taken into a sultry, mellow musical landscape where the woes and worries of the world and winter chills instantly melt away. In contrast, Occhipinti’s large ensemble arrangement of Brazilian Hermeto Pascal’s Os Guizos is just stunning, with flowing string melodies, a melodious bass solo and fluttering flute tune showcasing the fabulous musical imagination of the bassist. Featuring everything from rhythmic, catchy tunes to slower tempo passionate ballads, this is a great addition to any music lover’s collection.

Meeting Place: Convergence - OVK3

Meeting Place - Convergence
OVK3
Modica Music (modicamusic.bandcamp.com/album/meeting-point)

This album features an impeccable trio playing beautiful music where each musician shines individually, the air filled with distinctive sounds. Pianist-composer Manuel Valera contributes seven out of nine tunes here, each one being a piano trio’s dream. Left hand countermelodies and incredible rhythmic emphasis abundantly bring out the most dynamic of interactive tendencies within the group. OVK3’s sound embodies quietude, crispness and brightness in equal measure, skating briskly across the liberating open plane of Mark Kelso’s feathery ride cymbal, always in control, each hit bringing the picture into more life-like definition.

IKelso’s rhythmic gestures are open air and Valera’s ideas are the feeling of sudden lucidity while Roberto Occhipinti’s lines are pure butter, in the midst of a constant phase change each note placed in the most tender of places with an impossibly fluid throughline. There is the feeling of comfy tension where the listener ingests a meal numerous morsels at a time.

Occhipinti provides an original here, El Rey, and it is emblematic of something that never rests or ceases, and yet it leaves a firm, digestible imprint on the mind. The inclusion of Soul Eyes, track eight, made this Mal Waldron fan happy.

Tuesdays at La Rev - Peter Hill; Reg Schwager

Tuesdays at La Rev
Peter Hill; Reg Schwager
Independent (peterhill.bandcamp.com/album/tuesdays-at-la-rev)

On Tuesdays at La Rev, pianist Peter Hill and guitarist Reg Schwager pay tribute to the late Indira Nanavati Cadena, who provided them with the opportunity to develop a musical partnership. As the owner-operator of La Rev, a Mexican restaurant and live music venue in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood, Cadena was kind and generous to artists. She booked a weekly residency for Hill – best-known as an accompanist to countless Toronto singers – allowing him to stretch out with fellow instrumentalists. In genius guitarist Reg Schwager he found a kindred music spirit: both are men of few words, who know hundreds – if not thousands – of tunes, and who share an unwavering dedication to the jazz tradition.

The eclectic program includes some very pleasant surprises. The first of these is a lilting, lyrical take on Mexican composer Manuel Ponce’s famous aria, Estrellita, likely a nod to Cadena who was born in Acapulco. Other highlights include a sentimental reading on Un Canadien Errant; a bright version of the oft-forgotten Alice Blue Gown where Hill’s jaunty piano playing truly shines; and a Latin take on Cole Porter’s I Love You, Samantha, which was far less interesting when Bing Crosby crooned it in the film High Society.

This sophisticated and spirited recording will surely warrant repeated listening. On tunes such as Poor Butterfly, Oh, Lady Be Good and The Blue Room, words can hardly do justice to the tantalizing taste of these two Toronto treasures.