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Volume 30 Issue 3 | December 2024 & January 2025

  • Text
  • Thewholenotecom
  • Concerto
  • Conductor
  • Choir
  • Arts
  • Festival
  • January
  • December
  • Orchestra
  • Theatre
  • Toronto
Our 30th annual "turning of the year" December/January issue, Janus-like looking back and ahead at a world on edge: think of every listing in this magazine as a potential crumb of consolation – the opportunity to congregate for any and all reasons from the sacred to the just plain silly. Find some peace however you can. And thanks for reading. Viva la musica.

POT POURRICrazy

POT POURRICrazy TalkHoward GladstoneSonic Peace Music SP000221(howardgladstone.bandcamp.com/album/crazy-talk)! Toronto-basedsinger-songwriterHoward Gladstone’seighth release is a12-track recordingshowcasing hismature clear vocals,poetic storytellinglyrics in jazz toworld to folk to rock music. He is joined byhis core band members bassist Bob Cohenand guitarist/co-composer/co-producer TonyQuarrington, frequent pianist/vocalist LauraFernandez and six other musicians.Title track Crazy Talk, co-written withQuarrington, is a subtle tribute to PatsyCline, the Beatles and Robbie Robertson. Thislighthearted, jazzy country tune features aQuarrington guitar solo, Cohen bass solo,Fernandez back up vocals and Gladstonesinging his witty lyrics like “That’s crazytalk… but then again, I’m crazy too.”Latin/world music references resonatein Little Bird where Jacob Gorzhaltsan’s birdlikeflute trills, tweets and high pitchedmelodies accompany Gladstone. Oh, theWaters is multi-section with colourfulguitar and accordion echoing. Irish Rain is arollicking Irish drinking song held togetherby drum taps and Gladstone’s classic vocals.Longtime fans and new listeners alikeshould enjoy this hopeful, timelessGladstone release.Tiina KiikDigno, Sophisticado Y EleganteJay DanleyIndependent (jaydanley.bandcamp.com/album/digno-sophisticado-y-elegante)! Canadiancomposer andmusician Jay Danleyis a multi-instrumentalistwith apassion for Cubanmusic. He hasperformed withJane Bunnett,members of Buena Vista Social Club, and canbe heard on recordings by Hilario Duran.On Digno, Sophisticado Y Elegante, Danleytakes you in spirit to eastern Cuba, where19th century Spanish and African-influencedmusic and dance come together in a collectionof original compositions that feature thetres, a three-course string instrument centralto the Son Cubano tradition. On this ambitiousself-produced instrumental recordingDanley plays all the instruments.In the slow dance opening track, AdiósAl Ayer (Goodbye to Yesterday) the delicatesound of the tres almost whispers as itrecalls times past, and is reminiscent of theache felt when listening to Duran’s interpretationof Mirame Así (Look at Me Like This), onwhich Danley plays. El Pasado Seacabo (ThePast Is Over) takes us further into rural Cubacharming us with its graceful melody. This issmall-setting music that is never rushed norcalls attention to itself.On Guapachou Danley exceeds expectationsby featuring the tres with a jazz improviser’svirtuosity. The tres follows multiplelines flying chromatically over the slowmovingchords. The single take tres solo ismasterful. At the same time, amidst all thismusic mastery, one is left nostalgic for a timewhen the limitations of sampled horns andmultitrack home recording was not requiredto bring engaging new music to the world.Edwin GailitsKanzafula – Afro Iraqi Sufi MusicAhmed MonekaLula World Records LWR042A(ahmedmoneka.com)! Since beingforced to fleeBaghdad as arefugee after actingin a gay rightsfilm in 2015, Iraqiactor and artistAhmed Monekahas continued toshare his bright light in film, art and music.His first album Kanzafula reflects his African,Iraqi-Arabic history to his eventual landingin Toronto, using poetic lyrics to describehis journey through three wars in Iraq andhis continued activism. With his smokey,expressive vocals, Moneka gives his all tothese songs, a flavourful collection of Arabicmelodies infused with Afro grooves, soul,jazz and rock. The album wishes for love andpeace during the often-fraught experiencesfrom home countries at war, but even withthe heaviness of some of the lyrics, the albumremains joyous and uplifting.The song Aman opens the album with arock/funk vibe, asking us to keep safety andconnection to our hearts, and to spread hopeand love. Chil Mali Wali is a traditional Iraqisong in a melodic maqam, a protest song ofBritish colonization from the 1920s. The songSea is inspired by Afro-Arabic rhythm thatdefies sitting still. Khitar: ‘The Guest’ is asong dedicated to Indigenous Canadians andfeatures Moneka’s silky bass vocals and jazzflavouredchorus and solos from the band. 90Days shares Moneka’s love of his home Iraqwhen he returns for a short period to workand is a gem of solo voice and instrumental.Oh Mother is a great blend of Maqam androck and feels like party music, where TreedTrooh? is a funky slow meditation on separation.The album closes with Sidi Mansure, atraditional Tunisian ecstatic trance song thatreally drives one to dance.Each track of the album is captivating, evenwithout the lyrics, but the reward of readingthe translations only deepens their reach, andsolos from the top-notch band really bringthem home.Cheryl OckrantMichael Cloud Duguay – SucceederMC Duguay; Various ArtistsWatch That Ends the Night(michaelcloudduguay.bandcamp.com/album/succeeder)! Glorious andgorgeous, Succeederlives up to its nameas it includes acommunity ofmusicians to makeMichael CloudDuguay’s songwritingandcompositions explode in sonic splendour. Theliner notes on Bandcamp (and on the artist’swebsite) provide a fascinating history of thesesongs and Duguay’s musical and life journeyand I will not attempt a summary except tosay it all makes for a rich and diverse backgroundto this unique production.A Very Fine Start begins the album withthe rhythm section and a warm pedal steelproviding a beautiful backdrop along with afemale background singer. Amidst the lyricsabout family and circumstances instrumentsare added, including a fine baritone sax solo,over the evocative soundscapes. SomeoneElse’s Blues has a funkier and soulfulup-tempo beat with a horn section andharmony vocalists. Port Hope begins moredelicately with a tremolo guitar, pedal steeland arpeggiated piano backing things up.There are 17 performers listed and the instrumentsinclude drums, bass, piano, vocalists,pedal steel, saxophones, percussion, guitar,flutes, jaw harp, accordion, hurdy-gurdy andpocket trumpet to list only a few. I wouldlike the vocals to be mixed more clearly, butit is also fascinating how they blend into theorchestration and emerge as spots of insight.The artist’s website declares “the albumcontinues to mine the sumptuous, expansiverootsiness of Duguay’s earlier albums,yet also gestures toward the more outwardexperimentation of several of his upcomingprojects through its careful, yearning ambiences.”I cannot improve on that descriptionbecause the feeling of Succeeder with itsevocative ambiences, its blending of folk, jazzand experimental idioms, and the joy of thePeterborough musicians who helped createthis work are all important to its expansiveness.Please sit in a quiet place and letthis album embrace you for a sumptuous45 minutes.Ted Parkinson60 | December 2024 & January 2025 thewholenote.com

Global CanvasRon KorbHumbledragon Entertainment HD2024(ronkorb.com/globalcanvas-cd)! Flutist, RonKorb, has madea brilliant career,performing onnot only the usualBoehm flute butalso on an array offlutes and relatedinstruments fromother cultures, which is what makes himsuch an extraordinary musician. I can saywithout exaggeration that he has mastered anextraordinary number of instruments, all ofwhich are of the flute family, but which areall different and present unique problems.In addition to the usual flute and bass flute,which figures prominently on this recording,Ron plays an oriental bamboo flute andseveral other oriental instruments.Korb is joined by 19 musicians playing anassortment of western and oriental instruments,which add an extensive and highlyunusual orchestration in which contrast hasa striking role, as in track eight (Kindness),which begins with Ron playing the melodyon the bawu, a side-blown Chinese reedinstrument that sounds a bit like a clarinet,after which this same melody is repeated onthe erhu, a 2- string Chinese bowed stringinstrument. In track three, (Desire), Korbbegins with a contemplative melody on thebass flute and is joined unexpectedly by thetabla (Indian drum). He even delves into theabsence of orchestration in track 16 (PeaceFlute), an unaccompanied bass flute solo, inwhich the resonant bass sonority provides allthat is needed.Also featured are several Latin jazz trackson which Korb uses a Boehm flute and towhich Cuban-Canadian pianist Hilario Duranmakes significant contributions.Allan PulkerConfluence of Raga GuitarsJoel Veena; Matthew GrassoIndependent (bit.ly/ragaguitars)! It’s probablethe guitar wasfirst introduced toSouth Asia in the16th century viathe Portuguesecolony of Goa. Thenext guitar waveto arrive there wasthe Hawaiian (lapsteel) guitar, a key sound in the commerciallysuccessful and influential touring Hawaiianmusic and dance troupes of the 1920s andlater decades. In the 1960s Brij BhushanKabra adapted the guitar to play Hindustani(North Indian) classical music, lap steel style.Performing concerts and releasing numerousLPs, Kabra and his students’ innovationshave long been accepted by the Hindustanimusic world.Confluence of Raga Guitars showcases thelatest evolution of Indian guitar constructionand its related raga-based music performancepractice. Eloquently played by MatthewGrasso (Tantrakari guitar) and Joel “Veena”Eisenkramer (Indian slide guitar), twoAmerican guitarists who have dedicatedthemselves to playing in the Hindustani classicaltradition, the album explores three ragas.Their presentation has several novelfeatures. While the ragas are rendered in atraditional way, each focuses on an alaap(where the outline of the raga is melodicallyexplored without meter), and jor (wheremelodies pick up speed and rhythmicactivity). Typically, the following section isthe gat (bandish) which introduces a themewithin a tala, usually accompanied by tabla.Interestingly, however, the musicians havechosen not to include a gat section. Thiskeeps the listener’s attention tightly focusedon the dialogue between the two guitars,highlighting their distinctive approachesto melody, tone production and timbraldiversity. For example, Grasso’s Tantrakariguitar uses nylon strings, plus steel sympatheticstrings and a specially tuned fingerboard.On the other hand, Eisenkramer’snew Indian slide guitar is an evolution ofthe instrument design long ago adopted intoHindustani music. His glissando microtonalornaments and expressive affect contrastmarkedly with Grasso’s more Spanish guitarsoundingfingerstyle approach, dramaticallyenlivening the album’s dialectical duet(jugalbandi).Andrew TimarSomething in the AirStriking the Right Balancewith Keyboard ExtensionsKEN WAXMANAlthough a rudimentary version of the modern piano was built in the late 17th century,keyboards of some sort go back a few centuries before that, and the polyphonic potentialof the keyboard has been of interest since that time. The 21st century has multipliedthe number of keyboards and techniques that can be used, with processing, sampling andelectronics adding more avenues to explore. While centred on single keyboards of many kinds,each of these discs captures unique variations on this idea and practice.Probably the most traditional of these non-traditional sessions is ABody as Listening (Clean Feed CF 664 CD cleanfeedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-body-as-listening)by Portuguese pianist JoanaSá. Adding electronics, samples and objects to her keyboard improvisationsshe uses the add-ons cannily, never allowing them tosupersede the acoustic themes, but allowing them to amplify herplaying. From the first notes, which create a careful theme elaboration,her instrumental command means that at the same timeas she’s advancing variations with adagio low-pitched echoes andhigher pitched prestissimo tinkles, signal processed beeps and peeps become more audible.As a backdrop these intermittent wave forms may permeate the exposition, but never muteadvancing new simple melodies. Busier and stinging, the additional sound samples reinforceher strategy of alternating pedal-point pressure, amplified full keyboard crashes and elevatednote jangling. Completing the session with A Body as Listening III the narrative includes othertimbral deviations, both electronic and acoustic, encompassing foot tapping, forearm keyboardcrashes as well as pre-recorded bell-ringing and vocal choir fragments. These outline quieterand more enigmatic piano variations that define this modern modification of a piano concerto.Taking the idea of keyboards as mini orchestras still further, Briton Paul Taylor created a morethan 59-minute program for the Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised music withInterludes (New Jazz and Improvised Music NEWJAIm 18 paulstephentaylor.bandcamp.com/album/interludes). The work not only harmonized his improvisations on piano, organ andother keyboards with programmed and live timbral interludes, but also added JonathanBradley’s carillon score interpretation. Those bell-like reverberations are integrated orthewholenote.com December 2024 & January 2025 | 61

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