Four hands, one piano. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Not
Exactly. The pno duo, consisting of Trevor Hewer and Rosano Coutinho, are at
the forefront of the free jazz movement (if you couldn’t tell from our previous
posts, we here at The Canadian Jazz Review love free jazz). Perhaps a little
explanation of what these guys are all about is needed. The pno duo was created
as an attempt to escape from musical norms, and to cross as many musical boundary’s as
possible by way of the piano and improvisation. However these guys take improv
to the next level…All of their songs are composed and played spontaneously
without any discussions about musical direction beforehand. We know…we thought
it was pretty cool too. Their most recent release, “Hold Your Breath”, is
collaboration between this spectacular duo, and Mike Romaniak, who adds to the already unique sound with the alto sax and sopilkas (Ukrainian woodwind
instruments in the flute family). The record is made up of three compositions,
“Testing the Waters”, “Passing Tides”, and “Reflections”. Each piece takes you
down a different musical road, allowing the listener to experience various
themes and styles offered in both the classical and jazz idioms, through
various movements. While Hewer and Coutinho have an unspoken chemistry,
Romaniak, rather un-sheepishly, perfectly places himself in the musical blend,
even adding in percussion on “Reflections”. We can only imagine how badly you
all are yearning to listen to this album right now. Well we have some good
news…”Hold Your Breath” has been generously donated by the ensemble, so a free
download is available below! Check it out, and we hope you enjoy it as much as
we do. Take a listen to the album bellow!
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Friday, 30 March 2012
The October Trio: "New Dream"
For todays feature, we're going to introduce you to an extraordinary group of musicians, hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia. First, a bit of history. The trio includes Evan Arntzen on the saxophones, Josh Cole on the bass, and Dan Gaucher on the drums. This talented act met when its three members were studying jazz at Capilano College in 2004. Since then, their work has been astounding, including three critically acclaimed albums, and a Western Canadian Music nod for best jazz performance. There most recent release, "New Dream", continues along the band's path of exploring free jazz. One song to note on the album is "Imagine It". This compositions begins with a fast paced tempo. As the song progresses, the listener both hears and experiences each member's individual musical journey. As the piece reaches its climax, vocals join in on this already unique sound, making you want more and more. The next song to note on the album is "Do Your Thing". This tune, while exploring the theme of free jazz, also characterizes itself with middle eastern influences. Each member, once again moving along their own respective paths, come together to create one amazing sound after the other. The October Trio will be touring extensively with this album, including tours in eastern and western Canada, followed by a supporting tour in the United States. Can't wait to see whats next from this unique trio! Take a listen to the album bellow!
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Julian Nalli: Self Titled Album (For Now)
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Susie Arioli: "All The Way" (feat. Jordan Officer)
Susie Arioli
Purchase "All The Way"
Tesseract: "Impossible Images"
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Nicolas Ladouceur: "Pequod"
Nicolas Ladouceur's Myspace
niiic
Buy "Pequod"
Monday, 26 March 2012
The Worst Pop Band Ever: "Sometimes Things Go Wrong (and other songs we shouldn't play) live at The Cellar"
This year, The Worst Pop Band Ever (abbreviated WPBE) released their third record, "Sometimes Things Go Wrong (and other songs we shouldn't play) live at The Cellar", featuring both covers and originals, recorded live at The Cellar in Vancouver, British Columbia. The group includes: Chris Gale on the saxophone, Drew Birston on the Bass, Tim Shia on the drums, LEO37 on the turntables, and both Dafydd Hughes and Adrean Farrugia on the keyboards. Some songs to note on the album are "High and Dry", and "If You Want Me to Stay" (both covers). In regards to the former, WPBE joined the likes of other jazz musicians, such as Brad Mehldau, by covering a song by British alternative rock band Radiohead. While the cover follows the original structure of the composition, it features both keyboard and saxophone solos that allow WPBE to make the song their own. The second song noted, "If You Want Me to Stay", is also a cover, as made famous by the popular 60's 70's and 80's group, Sly and the Family Stone. Once again, WPBE made the song their own, featuring a unique solo on the turntables by LEO37. Not only does the album feature these great covers, however some intricate compositions as well. This critically acclaimed Canadian jazz group just finished off a year long tour, and will be playing a show this weekend at The Rex in Toronto! Hope to see you all there!
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Sarah Troy: "A Dozen Hearts"
Purchase "A Dozen Hearts"
Sarah Performing "Snow in July" on the morning show
Sarah Troy
Friday, 23 March 2012
Jamie Ruben: "Groove*O*Ly*O*Scene"
"Groove*O*Ly*O*Scene" Download
Jamie Ruben
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Brian Dickinson and Ted Quinlan: "around the bend"
We are going to start our reviews off with Brian Dickinson and Ted Quinlan's "around the bend". Released by Addo Records in the fall of 2010, once you put this album in your car, its never coming out. Featuring Dickinson on the Piano, and Quinlan on the Guitar, the album presents compositions by both musicians respectively. One of our favourite songs on the album is "Vibrolux", a composition by Quinlan, originally featured on his debut album "Streetscape" (review to come). Despite our love for the original recording, Dickinson adds a whole knew element to the piece with his piano playing. Like all the songs on the album, "Vibrolux" is well organized with Quinlan and Dickinson taking turns soloing and playing the rhythm. Another song on the album to note is "Love theme from "Sparticus"", a song originally composed by master pianist Bill Evans. Our favourite part of the song is the introduction, which begins with Dickinson on the piano. As the piano progresses, Quinlan joins in on the guitar creating a beautiful harmony that you may have to stop and rewind to listen to over and over. We believe that this album should be added to any jazz lover's "must have" list. A link to the album on itunes can be found below. Ted and Brian, you two truly know how to make beautiful music.
Welcome to The Canadian Jazz Review!
Ladies and Gentleman!
Welcome to the Canadian Jazz Review! We are a team of jazz lovers, just like you, and we are here to highlight Canadian jazz. There are so many Canadian jazz albums out there that are amazing, however are never even talked about. On this site, we will feature reviews of Canadian jazz albums, both known and unknown, and our goal is to turn you on to music you may never have even stumbled upon. Not only will we talk about the professionals, however we are going to feature works by Canadian jazz students as well. Anyways, we hope that you all enjoy, and get as much out of this site as we do.
Sincerely,
The Canadian Jazz Review
Welcome to the Canadian Jazz Review! We are a team of jazz lovers, just like you, and we are here to highlight Canadian jazz. There are so many Canadian jazz albums out there that are amazing, however are never even talked about. On this site, we will feature reviews of Canadian jazz albums, both known and unknown, and our goal is to turn you on to music you may never have even stumbled upon. Not only will we talk about the professionals, however we are going to feature works by Canadian jazz students as well. Anyways, we hope that you all enjoy, and get as much out of this site as we do.
Sincerely,
The Canadian Jazz Review
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