Volume 9 Issue 3 - November 2003

successful. It is difficult to see the
large picture of each composer which
is located on the inside of the sleeve
containing the package and the CD
is held by a folded piece of glossy
cardboard with a tab. Even though
the bilingual liner notes are well written,
informative and thorough, the
small print on the production details
section of the liner notes is difficult
to read. (I recently had my eyes
checked so I don't think it is me!)
But once again, the music is
great. Both first-time and seasoned
electroacoustic listeners are well advised
to check out both discs.
Tiina Kiik
JAZZ
Cafe Varze Jazz - Music of Don­
. aid Anthony\ Varze
Sandro Dominelli Quintet
Varze Records VRCDOI
has lovely alto ~ork by Kent Sangster,
elsewhere heard on tenor and
soprano. Throughout, bassist Mike
Lent is solid, both in the ensemble
and soloing. Percussionist Tilo Paiz
enhances the bossa, salsa, calypso
and samba tracks.
. It's all very well recorded, and
Varze's compositions are easily
accepted and repetition-friendly.
As a small label, this CD could be
hard to find in shops. Try
www.varzejazz.com on the internet.
Ted O'Reilly
Blue Browne
Brian Browne Trio
Seajam Recordings SJ 1012-2
From out of Canada's West
comes ... LatinJazz? Well, that's what
Donald Anthony Varze composes,
for the most part, so that's what's
played by the band-for-hire, the Sandro
Dominelli Quintet. But both the
music and the band are flexible, so
this Edmonton se~sion is not just
Latin, nor just a quintet.
The non-playing composer/producer
offers 11 originals totalling a
generous 73 minutes, with 5 tunes
from the Latin genre and the
remainder ranging from a lilting jazz
waltz to anothet more formal '.J4 tune,
and a sort of Nouveau-Dixie-Swing.
While I hadn't heard of the drummer/leader
Sandro Dominelli previously,
he proves. himself to be a
talented musician, comfortable in all
settings and time signatures.
I know the work of most of the
others via recordings, and standout
Toronto pianist David Restivo from
many situations. He's very effective
on tlie last selection, a quiet trio tune,
Primo 's Waltz. (Chris Andrew replaces
him on three of the selections.)
Bob Tildesley is on trumpet and
flugelhorn, and sounds wonderful,
espeeially on his quartet feature Blu~s
Plus Four, a tribute to Miles Davis.
When Roses Bloom was written with
Pierre Trudeau's lapel in mind, and
N OVEMBER 1 - DECEMB ER 7 2003
Brian Browne can sure get in a
groove! That's been the Montrealborn
pianist's forte over the years,
and it's a talent that has never failed.
This new release also shows another
of his strengths: take material from
all over, and mould it into earthybut-sophisticated
bluesy jazz.
The title track's an original blues,
as is a delightful little solo Here's
Your Hat; What's Your Hurry -
otherwise it's somewhat familiar
ground, but with Browne's own
harmonic touch the music is
redefined. Scarborough Fair and
Just The Way You Are sound fresh
in his hands, and Baubles, Bangles
and Beads, usually played by jazzers ~
at a bright tempo is slowly caressed
in a piano-and-bass version. Of the
nine tunes, only Georgia (On My _
Mind) seems a bit tired, though the
very slow tempo may add to that
feeling.
Brian Browne has had an interesting
and wide-ranging career, with
youthful time spent in Ottawa, then
Toronto, Peterborough and New
York, returning to Ottawa 'about five
years back. "Blue Browne" was
recorded in Toronto about a year
ago, with drummers Archie Alleyne
or Barry Elmes, and bassist/prcxiucer
Paul Novotny.
Novotny's warm and intimate liner
notes remember that Browne was the
first major pianist the 19-year-old
musician played with, in his native
Peterborough, and became his mentor.Twenty-four
years later, it's still