Fatrasies François
Fatrasies François Houle; Kate Gentile; Alexander Hawkins Victo cd 137 (victo.qc.ca) ! Three masters of the improv craft from three different countries confirm not only creative music’s universality but also how so-called abstract music can be as definitive as any other. Each of the five instant compositions blend American Kate Gentile’s restrained drum pops and rumbles, the UK’s Alexander Hawkins’ refractive pianism ranging from meditative to mauling and Canadian François Houle’s output from two clarinets and electronics that encompasses textures ranging from hissing trills to bagpipe-like drones. Used sparingly to amplify tones, electronics underline Houle’s versatility since by playing both clarinets at once or dismantling them for extra timbres he produces distinctive sounds from the near opaque to free-flowing. Not to be outdone, Hawkins creates immediate responses to either player’s musical thrusts. For instance on La petite bête he doubles his speed to intersect with the clarinetist’s rappelling up the scale. On Tart ara mon cueur, as blowsy basset clarinet tones widen and intensify, the pianist moves from gentle clinks to splayed percussive pedal action. Gentile responds quickly as well and hard thumps plus cymbal colours join the piano patterns to properly frame Houle’s dual clarinet output so that it becomes moderate and linear. There are numerous instances of the interaction flowing the other way such as electronic whizzes meeting piledriver piano runs or hollow-sounding reed flutters extending an a capella piano introduction. The (so-far) shared democratic heritage of these countries could serve as a metaphor for how well these three interact. Ken Waxman Crayonnage Brûlez les meubles Tour de bras/Cicrum Disc 900070cd/ microcidi 035 (tourdebras.com/album/ crayonnage) ! Proof that quiet improvising can be as compelling as faster, louder music comes from this Québecois quartet. Based around the harmonies and broken-chord narratives of guitarist Louis Beaudoin-de la Sablonnière and electric bassist Éric Normand, Jonathan Huard’s vibraphone pings further embellish the 12 tunes while drummer Tom Jacques’ whaps and slaps keep the pieces fluidly linear. Reflective and relaxed are the adjectives applied to most tracks as guitar strings soar, echo and frail, matched in lockstep by bass strokes. Nonetheless calm shouldn’t be confused with casualness. Tunes like sous les assauts du soleil reveal the drama and emotion that goes into such systematic strategy. Ringing guitar/bass chords showcase and then relax the pressure that initially creates this mixture of light and dark tones. Regardless, it’s the brief empattement which fully defines the entire band’s sympathetic connection. While initial guitar twangs and thumping bass responses suggest the group is heading towards Metal, Jacques’ use of midrange clips not backbeats confirms the quartet’s creative non rock music stance. The concluding extended group improv estompes substantiates this. Atmospheric and expressive, Normand’s use of electronics for backing rustles and a looped pulse allows Beaudoin-de la Sablonnière to add a sitarlike echo and ratcheting frails to his tone variations, as the vibist and drummer speed up the backing with temperate textures that are decorative without being delicate. The moderation expressed on Crayonnage may draw in and be a pleasant surprise for those who eschew improv. Ken Waxman Accidentals Don Fiorino; Andrew Haas Independent (american-nocturne. bandcamp.com/album/accidentals) ! Don Fiorino (guitar, glissentar, lap steel, bass, banjo, lotar, mandolin and more) has collaborated for over two decades with Andrew Haas (saxophone) and Accidentals is their third album. Each of the relatively short pieces is a freeform investigation of experimental sound collaborations. Talismanic has percussion (could be a pot banging) with a stringed instrument (could be a bass or low tuned guitar) and the saxophone uses mostly the altisimo range. But it really grooves and its trance-like determination drags you along. Phat Flutter contains a lot of fluttering saxophone sounds with a few multiphonics thrown in over percussive strings. All the pieces successfully create unique universes in their short durations and also include humour. They seem to be implying: life is short so push the envelope. Obscure fact: Haas, who spends most of the album using only extended techniques, is the same saxophone player who can be heard on the 80s hit Echo Beach (by Toronto’s Martha and the Muffins). He has expanded his playing in amazing ways over those decades. Fiorino comes up with a truckload of sounds from a wide assortment of stringed instruments and constantly provides esoteric but infectious grooves. Accidentals is inventive, fascinating and very deliberate. Ted Parkinson Concert note: Andrew Haas performs with bass player Mike Milligan at Sellers and Newel Second-Hand Books on November 24. Heart Trio William Parker; Cooper-Moore; Hamid Drake Aum Fidelity AUM118-2 (aumfidelity.com) Cereal Music William Parker; Ellen Christi Aum Fidelity AUM119-2 (aumfidelity.com) ! The words “ancient to the future” may sound like a Zen Koan to those befuddled by their meaning. However, it describes William Parker perfectly because of all the musicians alive today – and many no longer with us – no one but Parker seems to travel back and forth through the music continuum; an earthling making music in a glorious arc between earth and sky traversing back and forth between Mother Africa and the Americas, Europe and the near and far east. Indeed, Parker is a musician unlike any other, cut from an artistic cloth, both ancient and modern. I have listened to these two recordings – Heart Trio and Cereal Music – intermittently for several weeks, and the capacity of Parker’s music to linger – to evolve inside the inner ear once the sounds themselves have breathed their last – leaves a nourishing post-listening afterglow. As a card-carrying, dyed-in-the-wool member of the William Parker (the composer) fan club I confess to also being a longtime subscriber to his belief in Universal Tonality (also a two-disc recording dedicated to this concept, released on Centering Records in 2023). In notes to that recording that are characteristically enigmatic and mystical, Parker writes that “When a feather falls and touches the ground music begins. Nothing is said. There are no keys, no chord changes, modes, or notations… we speak different languages, but we feel each other. The music guides us. All we have to do is listen. All we have to do is feel. The sky, mountains, and trees all understand Universal Tonality and they always have.” He also sees “…many musicians carrying all kinds of musical instruments. From all over the world.” And so on, as he lures you into his musical manifesto. Parker also “plays” – as he puts it – “inside the rainbow.” This is far from delirium. It is 50 | September 2024 thewholenote.com
the voice of a griot and a shaman rolled into one. His music poses existentialist musical questions such as those raised by John Cage’s 4’33”, Parker’s music privileges active listening over hearing. As multi-instrumentalist and poet who often recites his verses, Parker’s recording Heart Trio includes two like-minded musicians. One is the percussion colourist Cooper- Moore (playing ashimba and hoe-handle harp), and the other is the frame drummer Hamid Drake, who also sits in on a drum set. The resulting music is the epitome of Parker’s conception of Universal Tonality. Employing the West African doson ngoni (a stringed instrument made of wood or calabash) that stands in for the bass, a bevy of flutes and the double-reed bass dudek, Parker weaves often amorphous melodic, harmonic and rhythmic lines into the colourful percussive sounds issued by Cooper-Moore and Drake. Thus, we meet Five Angels by the Stream, wraith-like and ephemeral. The blaring cityscape in Serbia co-exists with the glacial quietude from its countryside. We also meet personalities such as Japanese trumpeter Toshinoro Kondo and legendary drummer Rafael Garrett in portrait pieces. The celebratory Afri-centric Processional brings this remarkable recording to a close, but not before we might feel the music pulsating from inside the heart itself. The recording Cereal Music is a metonymic feature for Parker and Ellen Christi, both of whom recite – Parker also chants bringing his velvet tenor to bear on his idiomatic poetry – and both serve up the music as if on an edible table of plenty. Parker also returns to playing the contrabass, and an array of flutes. The portraits of the late tenor saxophone player Kidd Jordan and Sonny (for the retired tenor saxophone titan, Sonny Rollins) are timeless. Parker’s recitation and instrumental connective tissue melts into Christi’s atmospheric sound design. Elsewhere on this 15-track set, on Birth and Death chromatic notes sigh, but the harmonic cushioning rarely falls where you anticipate. The pinnacle – to my mind – is We Are Very Civilised with his Afri-centric rhythms, propelled by the shimmering chimes of the Moroccan qraqeb – a large iron castanet-like musical instrument primarily used as the rhythmic aspect of Gnawa music into which the musicians expertly gravitate. By now, we realise that Parker is also immersed in the gnawa tradition of Morocco, drawing a very willing Christi in his wake. Raul da Gama 7th Avenue South Jon Gordon ArtistShare ASO229 (artistshare.com/ projects/experience/?artistID=64&project Id=533) ! There are precious few first call jazz artists who have not only paid their professional dues, but who have also developed their own unique sound, compositional skill and a style that is informed by (but not derivative of) the giants of jazz that have influenced them. Jon Gordon is one of those amazing individuals and is one of the leading lights of the alto and soprano sax. Gordon’s latest offering is a love letter to the vibrant Greenwich Village jazz scene of the early 80’s, a time where you could saunter down the street to the Village Vanguard, Sweet Basil, Bradley’s, the Knickerbocker and, of course, the Brecker Brothers’ 7th Avenue South. This fertile area was ground zero for the jazz world. Young Gordon was a witness to this seminal scene, and it shaped and molded the skilled saxophonist that he was then and is now. Additionally, the personnel on this recording has been well selected, and every track is exquisite. Aside from two tunes, all compositions here were written and arranged by Gordon – who now influences young jazz musicians as a professor at The University of Manitoba. The opener, Witness, draws the listener in with a contrapuntal vocal section, which turns into an almost melancholy motif, rife with emotion. Will Bonness on piano and the thrilling work of percussionist Fabio Ragnelli and bassist Julian Bradford complete the haunting intro, which segues into the title tune, a complex, swinging arrangement involving the entire complement. Also outstanding are Ed’s Groove and the thought-provoking Visit. Gordon’s alto solo here is luscious and complex, as is the work of exquisite trumpeter John Challoner. The boppish Spark is also a treat, as is the brilliantly written and executed reprise of the title tune. A triumph! Lesley Mitchell-Clarke Hendrik Meurkens – The Jazz Meurkengers w/Ed Cherry; Nick Hempton; Steve Ash; Chris Berger; Andy Watson Cellar Music CMR080824 (hendrikmeurkens.bandcamp.com) ! There’s just something charming and captivating in the mellow, reedy timbre of the harmonica that instantly reels in the attention of the listener. Renowned harmonicist Hendrik Meurkens shows his incredible skills once again on his latest release. Not only does his very apparent love for the instrument shine through clearly, but his compositional talent is also showcased on several of the tracks. This record is also special because it is the debut of his new project “The Jazz Meurkengers,” featuring longtime musician friends such as Ed Cherry on guitar, Steve Ash on piano and Chris Berger on bass. Supported by a stellar band, the album is full of refreshing energy and creativity where each musician has the opportunity to show their talents. What really makes this record unique and interesting is the mellow, sultry tone within the tunes. Achieving a completely smooth, connected sound from the harmonica is a truly tough endeavour; legendary Toots Thielmans and Meurkens are among a small group of jazz harmonicists that have ever been able to achieve that feat. Adding to the quiet energy and allure of the album are the pleasant riffs of Cherry and soaring saxophone melodies of Nick Hempton overlaying Andy Watson’s driving rhythms. The record also features a touching, bluesy tribute to Thielmans in A Tear for Toots, where the sadness felt for the loss of the celebrated musician is thoroughly expressed in Meurkens’ sorrowful harmonica line. Kati Kiilaspea Time Again Benjamin Koppel; Brian Blade; Anders Koppel Cowbell Music 89 (cowbellmusic.dk/ products/koppel-blade-koppel-time-againcd) ! Sunny midsummer days call for scorching rhythms and sizzling melodies to get your feet moving. This latest release by famed group Koppel- Blade-Koppel brings just that to the table, a perfect musical accompaniment to vacations and parties alike. Featuring the all-star musical father-son duo of organist Anders Koppel and alto saxophonist Benjamin Koppel with the addition of renowned drummer Brian Blade, each piece is elevated to new musical heights. With the exception of one, all tracks are penned by the Koppels, making this a delightful compilation of new tracks. If you’re on the hunt for fresh music that gets you grooving and also delves into your emotions, this is the album for you. The record is incredibly multi-faceted, with both thoughtful pieces interspersed with rhythmic tunes and a certain contagious energy running throughout. Right away, the first song Puerto Rican Rumble starts with an infectious bass groove that doesn’t thewholenote.com September 2024 | 51
