Volume 30 Issue 2 | October & November 2024

premier party brass

premier party brass band.” The record has a lineup of both fiery original tunes penned by members of the group, as well as danceworthy covers of popular songs, such as Bad Guy by Billie Eilish and Runaway Baby by Bruno Mars. Of course, a great album like this wouldn’t be possible without fantastic musicians, something this record definitely isn’t lacking, with renowned names like Audrey Ochoa on trombone, Jonny McCormack on tenor saxophone and Allison Ochoa on baritone saxophone. If you’re into the heavy brass-driven sound heard from the likes of the Heavyweights Brass Band, this is an album for you. The energy that runs throughout each of these tunes is captivating and puts the listener in a good mood, no matter what kind of day you’re having. Take the aforementioned cover of Bad Guy for example: featuring a continuously raunchy bass melody and dynamic rhythm section, overlayed by flighty trumpet and trombone lines, the listener is immediately drawn along on a fun, lively musical ride. Their own compositions don’t fall short either; Dutch Angles sets the tone for an album of perfect, feel-good music with its groovy saxophone melodies and neverending, hypnotizing beats. Kati Kiilaspea The Sixth Dimension Doug Wilde Independent (dougwilde.com/new.html) ! Opening ourselves to the previously unexplored is often what we need to reset and take on a refreshed perspective on life. Doug Wilde’s newest album allows us to accomplish just that, exploring unique tonal systems that are new to listeners’ ears and open up doorways to understand music in different ways than we have previously. Coming from the renowned contemporary music supergroup Manteca, Wilde is no stranger to introducing listeners to deeper meanings hidden within music and alternative melodies and rhythms. Featuring famed names like Paul Novotny on bass, Colleen Allen on saxophones and bass clarinet and James Ervin on horns, this is an album that will take you on an exciting musical trip through unexplored territory. This recording could be interpreted as both an outward exploration of new sonic worlds and an introspective journey during which the listener can venture as far as they feel comfortable. Hexachords are the basis for the music – simply put, six-note scales as opposed to the typical seven. Each tune uses a different hexachord and the result is truly refreshing and captivating: there’s a certain mysticism and sense of the “unknown” within each piece that keeps the listener on their toes. It’s fascinating how this record manages to sound both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, and the combination and interplay of those two aspects reflected within these melodies is what makes this a fantastic addition to any music lover’s collection. Kati Kiilaspea It’s Time Paul Tobey Jazzmentl Records (paultobey.com/ product/its-time-by-paul-tobey-cd) ! Paul Tobey’s grand (piano pun) return to recorded music is a focused, light and deeply enjoyable affair that sees him interpret the classics – both ubiquitous and personal – while conveying a love for improvising through every key stroke. Heavy on the ballads and equally chock-full of charm, the tracklist delivers hit after hit, while allowing Tobey immense expressive terrain to roam. With a selective yet emotive left hand and dazzlingly nimble right, each solo sounds like a seasoned mixologist meticulously curating their favorite flavours, with impeccable grace. Each actual jazz head is played with a grounding precision and faithfulness to the original melody, with each subsequent repeated chorus feeling like a response to the last, as the tunes gradually begin to soar and become something completely new. A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes soothed my tabby cat to sleep with how wistfully and sensitively Tobey plays its intro, and then my cat awoke again at some point during the masterfully subtle transition into a buoyant double-time swing feel. Tobey’s own composition Caminar – The Walking Song feels almost like a sentimental centrepiece for the album, with each transition between sections marked by a space, coming across as reflective and a means of bringing the listener into the recording room, reminding us that all this beautiful sound is coming from one mouthpiece. In stretching time, condensing time and manipulating time, It’s Time embodies its title. Yoshi Maclear Wall Flip Side Lina Allemano’s Ohrenschmaus Lumo Records LM 2024-16 (linaallemano. bandcamp.com/album/flip-side) ! Forget other recordings of wholly improvised music – not that this is better than Arve Henriksen, Nate Wooley and the rest – it’s merely that such comparisons are redundant. When the musicians of Lina Allemano’s Ohrenschmaus begin to improvise, you get the wondrous impression that they seemingly don’t believe the first bar of a work ought to herald its beginning, nor do they believe that works on this recording, Flip Side, need end with a rousing conclusion. The result is a meta-work that creates myriad associations, resonances and new perspectives, not just between the lines and spaces of each work but also within the whole cycle of songs from Sidetrack (the recording’s opening salvo) to its explosive end, Sidespin. In between this panoply of musical gestures trumpeter Allemano, bassist Dan Peter Sundland, drummer Michael Griener and accordionist Andrea Parkins (who also comes to the party with found objects and electronics) continuously let listeners know that they may have stepped into an ongoing dialogue. Sidetrack is initially mouse-like, creeping and scurrying, but subsequent creations do more than suggest that the musicians simply nibble at this ongoing feast. Everyone contributes wonderfully to the heft of the music. Allemano is particularly engaged, drawing the other musicians into the frenzy of the improvisations. This is especially true of the whirligig velocity of such pieces as Sideswipe and Stricken, from where irruption bursts forth. Overall, this is a muscular, exhilaratingly voiced and lucidly inventive musical excursion. Raul da Gama Editor’s note: The group’s name, Ohrenschmaus, roughly translates as “feast for the ears.” What It Means Bria Skonberg Cellar Music CM072624 (briaskonberg. bandcamp.com/album/what-it-means) ! Back in the second half of the year 2000 aficionados, jazz bandleaders and critics were busy extolling the virtues of a young musician from Vancouver. Her name was Bria Skonberg and she played trumpet and sang with seductive vulnerability. Two decades later Skonberg reminds us why so many fell in love with her music, returning to what Hugues Panassié rightly described as le jazz hot. Skonberg’s 2024 installment – her eighth album, entitled What it Means – is red-hot indeed. As with her earlier recordings this one too is eloquent, enterprisingly and imaginatively programmed and reshapes classic repertoire as she propels “hot” charts into a whole new world of her music making. In Skonberg’s playing, there’s the familiar virtuosity and refinement that marked her previous albums. She embraces the full 80 | October & November 2024 thewholenote.com

esources of her trumpet to recreate classics such as Louis Armstrong’s Cornet Chop Suey and Sidney Bechet’s Petit Fleur. Her originals, In The House and Elbow Bump, show a native’s grasp of the New Orleans idiom and are a triumph of music-making. Her eminently captivating voice adorns John Lennon’s Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy). Skonberg is helped along the way by New Orleans “royalty” including banjoist Don Vappie, drummer Herlin Riley and the adorable vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa. Raul da Gama Hello! How Are You? Caity Gyorgy and her trio Independent (caitygyorgy.com) ! With Hello! How Are You? Caity Gyorgy continues on her path toward world domination of the vocal jazz scene. Jokes aside, since embarking on her career a few short years ago, the singer and songwriter has released two EPs and three albums – two of which have won JUNO awards – and completed a Master’s degree, all before turning 26. With her fourth album Gyorgy not only gives us her trademark brilliant vocals, but her songwriting just keeps getting stronger, too. All but three of the tracks were written by her, in the style of the Great American Songbook, yet they sound very fresh, as Gyorgy combines sophisticated lyrics with interesting musicality. The album launches with the hardswinging title track, showcasing Gyorgy’s scatting skills alongside her super tight trio of Anthony D’Alessandro on piano, Thomas Hainbuch on upright bass and Jacob Wutzke on drums. Standout tracks for me are Just My Luck, a slightly melancholy and totally gorgeous piece of writing and music-making, driven by sparse yet compelling rhythm section work. The sharp wit of Letter From the Office Of is a nice contrast. Being a sucker for a heartbreaking ballad, I’ll be listening to Familiar Face on repeat for the next while. I also really liked the rhythmic take on Rodgers and Hart’s It Never Entered My Mind, which manages to make the song’s already poignant lament even deeper. With this accomplished album I predict yet more accolades in Gyorgy’s future. “Hello Grammy committee! How are you?” Cathy Riches Pita Parka Pt. 1: Xam Egdub Dun-Dun Band Ansible Editions 007 (kunudusuvuntu. bandcamp.com/album/pita-parka-pt-ixam-egdub) ! When the music, instrumental credits (i.e. Craig Dunsmuir on single line electric guitar and P___r P____r, Colin Fisher on the “Hahahacksaw” Jim Duggan, Mike Smith handling keyboard transcombobulations), themes and textures defy categorization, why bother trying to categorize them? Pita Parka, Pt.1: Xan Egdub is the latest from Dun-Dun Band, which is an incredible improvised music project that has yielded truly unique odysseys across the sonic spectrum. As a ten-piece outfit sporting an impressive lineup of perpetual experimenters on their respective instruments, it is astounding to witness the places they go throughout this album, and perhaps even more inspiring to experience long stretches of restraint. Leader Dunsmuir’s influences include elements of minimalism and post rock, which is manifest in the strong devotion to repetition and atmospheric build throughout these compositions. No.1 in particular has hypnotic qualities to it, with the cyclical nature of its primary sequences continuously hooking and holding the listener in a trance, daring their ears to become lost in minute detail rather than any overt changes to each steadfast rhythmic pattern. Throughout, there is a tangible sense of interconnectedness and deep listening between musicians, primarily evident in magical instances where a sound or idea crawls to the forefront, and the rest of the ensemble immediately uplifts it on a whim. Why bother trying to categorize all this? Mileage may vary, but one thing is for certain: however you try, categorizations won’t stick. Yoshi Maclear Wall Live in Vancouver Ryan Oliver Quartet (ryanoliverquartet.bandcamp.com/album/ live-in-vancouver) ! Toronto saxophonist extraordinaire Ryan Oliver’s sizzling new release takes us on a journey back in time to the 60s and the world of jazz at the time. The record is full of Oliver’s unique and catchy takes on classic tunes, such as John Coltrane’s Equinox and the American traditional folk song The Wayfaring Stranger, covered by many famous artists such as Johnny Cash and Burl Ives. Elevating the tunes to new heights is a group of star-studded musicians, some of Canada’s best: Brian Dickinson on piano, Neil Swainson on bass and Terry Clarke on drums. Oliver has this to say about the idea for this record: “I wanted to showcase compositions from the jazz lexicon associated with some of my influences while also adding in original music and new takes on existing repertoire.” A notable aspect of this album is that it is recorded live, from a two-night stint that Oliver and company had at Frankie’s Jazz Club in Vancouver a year ago. Live records always have a certain magical quality to them, the raw emotions portrayed in the songs and the musicians’ talents, personalities and styles of playing come to the forefront, there’s less of a “polished” quality to the tunes. Take The Wayfaring Stranger for example, where the loneliness and ruggedness of the journey through life is expressed and heard directly through Oliver’s wailing saxophone melody. For an immersive musical experience, check out this album. Kati Kiilaspea Spirit Stronger than Blood Frank London; The Elders ESP Disk 5099 CD (espdisk.com) ! While much music is a celebration of life and birth, a subcategory exists dealing with death and dying. However, few creations approach eventual demise with the same combination of remembrance and defiance as this disc by New York trumpeter Frank London’s quartet. Recently diagnosed with myelofibrosis, a rare and fatal blood cancer, London’s compositions celebrate other artists who have died from cancer. Aiding him are veteran improvisers, New Yorkers drummer Newman Taylor Baker and bassist Hilliard Greene, Toronto pianist Marilyn Lerner, and on four of the six selections, the trumpeter’s long-time associate and now ordained rabbi, tenor saxophonist Greg Wall. Despite the topic the tracks are anything but downers, instead they usually move with relaxed bounces or swaying swing. They also inhabit the juncture where freylekhs meet funk, with the instrumental language and rhythms often as much Latin as Ladino. Sound tapestries include cymbal sizzles, thick string pulses, chiming keyboard patterns and reed bites and squeezes. As well, when not playing in unison with Lerner or Wall, London’s tone is much closer to Garbriel than the graveyard. He tongues triplets, projects half-valve and bent notes with davening intensity and moves from meditative respiration to guttural growls that push The Elders into sounding like a Judaic Jazz Messengers. A common medical-philosophical theory is thewholenote.com October & November 2024 | 81