The “Four” in Lina Allemano’s band’s moniker is apt. Live at the Tranzac starts with a geometric four-note figure on “Flummox,” and throughout the album, the Toronto trumpeter demonstrates a penchant for rectangular shapes in her cool contemporary post-bop. To “flummox” means to perplex or bewilder, and that title is perhaps less apt, as these seven pieces gradually bewitch, even as they structurally perplex the casual listener. Live at the Tranzac, the band’s fifth recording since 2003, is indeed recorded live at the Toronto creative-jazz hotspot, and thanks to crystal-clear recording by Fedge, you might swear you were in a vintage Blue Note studio, until you hear the intimate smattering of applause between pieces, at which point you can practically taste the draft beer and imagine the musicians’ tip jar headed your way. Allemano is joined by some of the long-time stars of that scene: Brodie West (Eucalyptus, Drumheller, Getatchew Mekurya & The Ex) on alto with the ever-prolific pairing of Andrew Downing on double bass and Nick Fraser on drums. Though there are plenty of contemplative moments throughout, the band really cooks together about a third of the way into “Atomic Number 22,” with Downing slashing at single chords while Allemano and West wail away with dueling horns that make you wish you were sitting there at one of those delightfully grimy bar tables.
