Ken Waxman
2017 Guelph Jazz Festival Striding confidently towards its 2018 silver anniversary, the Guelph Jazz Festival was invigorated this year with choice concerts from U.S. and European artists—but nonetheless, two of the most notable performances were from Canadian bands. Montreal trio[...] Read more
Philippe Lauzier. A Pond in my Living Room. Exploring the sophisticated capacities of overdubbing, Montreal-based bass clarinettist Philippe Lauzier has created a multilayered program, which emphasizes not only the reedy tones but also the consolidated air currents emanating from his instrument. Like an action painter who works in[...] Read more
Harris Eisenstadt Canada Day. On Parade in Parede; Harris Eisenstadt. Recent Developments. Having reached a comfortable maturity in his playing and composing, Toronto-born, Brooklyn-based percussionist Harris Eisenstadt isn’t averse to showcasing his talents in varied settings. With On Parade in Parede, the drummer has created a spirited post-bop session with his Canada Day[...] Read more
Lisa Cay Miller. 682/681 Recorded in one day-long session, this CD has Vancouver composer and pianist Lisa Cay Miller matching tones and techniques with ten Amsterdam-based improvisers in duo or trio configurations. Although the twenty-two [!] meetings confirm her ability and adaptability, the few extended tracks[...] Read more
Jim Denley & Éric Normand. Plant. Working the sweet spot where noise communication decisively rubs up against textural experimentation are the verdant improvisations that make up Plant, the new LP from Rimouski-based electric bassist Éric Normand and Australian alto saxophonist and bass flautist Jim Denley. Don’[...] Read more
Just Got Death. Miella Totomi. A power trio gone rogue, Montreal-based Just Got Death (JGD) matches the ingot-hard guitar flanges of Sam Shalabi with the surging bass thumps of Jonah Fortune and the nimble percussion accents of Michel F. Côté in a program of seven originals that ricochets between punk-metal[...] Read more
Darcy James Argue Secret Society. Real Enemies. Its title meant to be taken satirically, Real Enemies is an extended multimedia meditation on paranoia and conspiracy theories—and you can dance to it. Created by Vancouver-born composer Darcy James Argue and interpreted by eighteen of New York’s top improvisers, the thirteen[...] Read more
Anne-F Jacques & Tim Olive. Tooth Car. Creating music that’s like the soundtrack for a building-site documentary, sound artists Anne-F Jacques of Montreal and Kobe-based Canadian ex-pat Tim Olive use magnetic pickups and amplified rotating surfaces to generate industrial-style improvisations. It’s ironic that the work[...] Read more
Lerner, Filiano, Grassi. Live at Edgefest. Although a tale of two cities—three if you count the Ann Arbor, Michigan, recording location—this CD confirms that Toronto pianist Marilyn Lerner has cemented a mutually beneficial musical relationship with bassist Ken Filiano and percussionist Lou Grassi, both based in New York[...] Read more
Nick Fraser Quartet. Starer. Known for powering—literally—jazz or improvised ensembles from behind his kit, Toronto drummer Nick Fraser brings his compositional talents upfront on Starer. Like a gracious host who ensures each of his guests is properly included in party discourse, the[...] Read more
Michael Blake. Fulfillment. Program music that’s more music than program, New York-based Canadian saxophonist Michael Blake’s eight-part suite Fulfillment is a reimagining of 1914’s Komagata Maru incident, when Canada’s exclusionary racial laws wouldn’t allow a ship carrying several[...] Read more
François Carrier / Steve Beresford / John Edwards / Michel Lambert. Outgoing. Like a peripatetic Old West gunslinger, Montreal alto saxophonist François Carrier roams extensively to challenge himself alongside the planet’s best improvisers, and so far has gone head-to-head with players from Poland, Russia, France, and the United States. Now it’s the[...] Read more
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