Whitney Biennial 2014 It would have been easy to walk into the Whitney Museum, head for the ticket counter and on to the elevators, while entirely missing the first of the pieces by more than one hundred artists in the 2014 Biennial. The sounds drifting down from the ceiling in the American composer-and-[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Kurt Gottschalk Issue 119

Ryan Driver Quintet Plays The Stephen Parkinson Songbook. Since 1999, the Ryan Driver Quintet (as well as his Sextet and Quartet) has been serving up a unique, cooked take on jazz balladry—especially at its monthly residency at Toronto’s Tranzac venue. Ryan Driver Quintet Plays the Stephen Parkinson Songbook, its first studio recording[...] Read more

Review Spotlight Nick Storring

Susanna Hood, Scott Thomson. The Muted Note: Songs Based on Poems by P. K. Page. The songs on The Muted Note are an outgrowth of work made by trombonist Scott Thomson and singer-dancer Susanna Hood as part of The Rent, a Toronto quintet that was initially dedicated to performing the music of the late saxophonist and composer Steve Lacy—including his extensive[...] Read more

Review Spotlight Stuart Broomer Issue 118

Rob Power. Touch. Percussionist Rob Power, based in St. John’s, Newfoundland, is a musical jack of all trades, although contrary to the conclusion of the popular saying, he is seemingly a master of all of them. In addition to teaching at the percussion faculty at Memorial University, he performs with[...] Read more

Recordings Jamie Drake Issue 118

Marc Sabat and Lorenzo Pompa, Wave Piano Scenery Player; Chiyoko Szlavnics, Gradients of Detail. Maria De Alvear is a consistently intriguing composer whose World Edition label also releases recordings of music by unique composers of concert music—most recently, Berlin-based Canadians Marc Sabat and Chiyoko Szlavnics.    While Sabat is perhaps best[...] Read more

Review Spotlight Nick Storring

Harry Partch’s Delusion of the Fury. A resonant boom rippling through your body—that is the impact of the Marimba Eroica, arguably the lowest-pitched percussion instrument in existence. Four thick slabs of wood up to eight feet long—each placed over a sizable resonator—make you feel rather than hear its[...] Read more

Concerts and Events René van Peer Issue 118

Zacht Automaat. Zacht Automaat. Since forming in 2010, Zacht Automaat (the duo of multi-instrumentalist Carl Didur and Oxford resident Michael McLean, mostly guitar and bass) have released no fewer than eleven albums in various limited formats. Now they’re given the deluxe treatment with a sort of best-of double LP ([...] Read more

Recordings Nick Storring Issue 118

GGRIL. Combines. The GGRIL (Grand Groupe Régional d'Improvisation Libérée) is one of Canada’s few large improvising ensembles, a feat made more improbable by their location in relatively isolated Rimouski. From a population of 46,000, bassist Éric Normand has managed to[...] Read more

Recordings Stuart Broomer Issue 118

Juan Blanco. Nuestro Tiempo / Our Time. Through most of the twentieth century, Cuban composer Juan Blanco (1919–2008) was an active and collaborative creator and cultural leader in his homeland—primarily, though not exclusively, through his work in electroacoustic music. “No Cuban composer epitomized musical[...] Read more

Recordings Jennie Punter Issue 118

Bart Plantenga. Yodel in Hi-Fi, From Kitsch Folk to Contemporary Electronica. Yodelling is one of those “always wanted to know but were afraid to ask” topics. While deejaying at the independent New Jersey radio station WFMU, music writer Bart Plantenga stumbled upon a staggering variety of people engaging in yodelling. He discovered that the technique had[...] Read more

Books René van Peer Issue 117

Jazz em Agosto, 30th edition. Jazz em Agosto’s thirtieth edition added a few more performances than usual, but stuck to what it’s done so well for so long. The festival is presented by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, sponsor of a symphony, a concert hall, a major museum, and a modern art gallery, all in[...] Read more

Concerts and Events Stuart Broomer Issue 117