Pot Pourri

Under the Canopy

The Huppah Project

Independent HP0001 (www.thehuppahproject.com)

I first heard Aviva Chernick in concert with her band Jaffa Road, in the packed Brigantine Room at last fall’s Ashkenaz Festival at Harbourfront. That same weekend saw the release of her latest (and second) CD, “Under the Canopy”. Part of “The Huppah Project”, this CD is a collection of Jewish wedding music, sung entirely in Hebrew, with instrumental accompaniment. Many of the lyrics come from the Song of Songs or other liturgical texts, with either traditional music or music composed in our own era, and at least one song is from 1950s Israel. All are arranged by Chernick and/or ensemble members Aaron Lightstone, who plays ud, guitar and saz, and Jeff Wilson (drums, percussion, cornet). Chernick is the one who shines in this recording and is definitely one to watch on the Toronto music scene. She sings with a purity and clarity of vocal tone that carries this genre well, and to my knowledge is one of the only female vocalists in Toronto specializing in Jewish music of this sort (ie. non-klezmer, Hebrew based). Other back-up musicians include Ernie Tollar (ney) and George Sawa (qanun), who are featured in Heviani el Beit Hayayin (To the Vinyard’s house), a traditional Moroccan song. Visit www.avivachernick.com for more about this artist’s activities.

Karen Ages

Concert note: Aviva and her band Jaffa Road will be giving a CD release concert at the Lula Lounge, March 25 (see www.jaffaroadmusic.com).

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Musica Latina

Quartetto Gelato

Linus 2 70104 www.quartettogelato.ca

Quartetto Gelato returns with a soulful collection of Latin American selections. Both joy and tragedy have resulted in personnel changes for this much loved Canadian ensemble. Cellist Kristina Cooper has left for marriage and parenthood. The untimely death of founding member oboist Cynthia Steljes is extremely gripping – both as a musician and individual she was a bright light in the musical community and is deeply missed. It is with gratitude that we note the superb playing of these two on Meditango and BesameMMucho in this new release.

New QG members cellist Carina Reeves and clarinettist Kornel Wolak join violinist/tenor Peter De Sotto and accordionist Alexander Sevastian to continue the ensemble’s musical journeys. The tight ensemble playing, astute musicality and sheer happiness illuminate each track. The selections featured should be familiar to most listeners. Tico Tico is a rhythmic joy to listen to with Sevastian’s florid accordion work. Wolak melts the aural senses in Um a Zero while De Sotto charms his way through Manha De Carnival. I wish that cellist Carina Reeves could be heard in the forefront more often - her supportive playing is superb but her elegant performance as a lead instrumentalist is underutilized. A number of special guests are featured including the wonderful Penderecki String Quartet.

Quartetto Gelato’s music is extremely appealing. It is the choice of repertoire combined with an esoteric musical approach that makes the unmistakable sound so lovely. Yes, you have probably heard most of the tunes on “Musica Latina” thousands of times before. You just haven’t heard them the Quartetto Gelato way!

Tiina Kiik

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Like Light Off Water

Daphne Marlatt; Robert Minden;

Carla Hallett

Otter Sound OB 105 (www.LostSound.com)

Capturing the historical essence of a west coast fishing community, Daphne Marlatt’s long poem Steveston was published in 1974 as a much-acclaimed book with photographs by Robert Minden. For this recording, Marlatt reads passages from that work as well as the postscript added to the 2001 edition. With an evocative soundscape composed and performed by Minden and Carla Hallett, the images of a “boom and bust” town at the mouth of the Fraser River centered around fishing boats and cannery and the psychological states of its inhabitants are brought to life with qualities ranging from eerie trepidation to awestruck wonder. The quality and pacing of Marlatt’s voice is superb and a striking similarity between her speaking voice and Hallett’s singing makes for a beautifully seamless transition in the narrative flow. Minden’s photographic talent translates very well to the evocation of visual imagery through sound. The music is sparse but highly effective with mechanical noise set against the rippling and twinkling of water and light, together with haunting depictions of mysterious and erotic undercurrents mixed with the gentle beauty of the night sky. Pure poetry, pure sound, shifting the listener’s consciousness to the depths of pure feeling.

Dianne Wells

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The Toronto area boasts some of the finest talent representing non-Western and traditional music, and four recently released CDs attest to the rich diversity of the city’s cultural fabric. The Georgian vocal ensemble Darbazi has been around since 1995, performing music from the Caucasus region that bridges Europe and Asia. While director Shalva Makharashvilli hails from that region, the other nine or so members are primarily local, but you wouldn’t know it, listening to this CD entitled Vakhtanguri. This is folk music and vocal polyphony at its finest, and it’s easy to hear why Darbazi has been so well received during visits to Georgia. The ensemble and soloists deliver each number with that wonderful open-throated vocal style characteristic of Georgian music, good diction, and outstanding harmonic intonation. The title song, described as a table song, is one of the most intricate, and features yodelling from member David Anderson (of Clay and Paper Theatre fame). The dance song Kakhuri Satsekvao features Makharashvilli as melismatic vocal soloist. Some of the numbers are accompanied by traditional instruments; both plucked and bowed, expertly played by ensemble members. All songs are traditional, and include “toasting” songs, dance, love, and work songs, liturgical and epic poem settings, and songs about life in general. The CD is dedicated to the memory of ensemble member John Martin, who passed away in 2007. (www.darbazi.com)