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Bell is afflicted withdelight in sonorityand fascinated bythe physical fact ofconsonance, usingan effective range ofdissonance as a foil.He expresses a kindof gratitude to theworld around him in all these works. He is astrongly visual composer; in one piece soundscreate images of falcons rising on thermalsabove the prairie or cascades of watertumbling into pools. In Field Notes he beginswith a depiction of two rivers meeting andfinishes with a sunset. Sweetgrass wrapspaired contrasting images of the prairiearound a still central movement that takes apage out of Béla Bartók.The album title derives from the final workon the disc. Trails of Gravity and Grace,for clarinet cello and piano, was commissionedby Toronto’s Amici ensemble. Asgood as the title is, it is the weakest part of astrong collection. The limited palate doesn’tsuit the composer, and I must confess thatat times I found Mr. Campbell’s intonationquestionable.Apart from that, the playing is solid andcommitted; I especially enjoyed Sweetgrass,(written in 1997, the earliest of these pieces)for a sextet requiring three guests: Calgarymusicians flutist Mary Sullivan, Ilana Dahlon clarinets and Kyle Eustace on percussion.Bell is wise to write for some commongroupings in the contemporary idiom: hereit’s “Pierrot plus percussion.” Field Notes iswritten for the same group as Quartet for theEnd of Time.Both Bartók and Olivier Messiaen couldbe fellow travellers with Bell. They shared asimilar mystical regard for the natural worldand made efforts to incorporate that worldinto their music. Bartók’s Contrasts and theMessiaen Quatuor would ride alongside FieldNotes quite comfortably.—Max ChristieWoman Runs with WolvesBeverley JohnstonCentrediscs CMCCD 18913!!This new releaseby Canadian superstarpercussionistBeverley Johnstonhas everything alistener loves — stellarperformances, strongcompositions andclear sound quality.The title track, Woman Runs With Wolvesby Alice Ho, is based on the myth La Lobafrom Women Who Run with the Wolves byClarissa Pinkola Estes. It is a dramatic work,with Johnston vocalizing a text of an inventedlanguage while playing hand-held percussioninstruments. The work also involvesacting and movement but Johnston’s preciserhythmic patterns and surprising range ofvocal colours make it moving even withoutthe visuals.Christos Hatzis’ In the Fire of Conflict is atwo-movement solo marimba and audio playbackversion of an earlier work also featuringcello. The marimba part adds a contrapuntalmelodic line to the haunting rap tracks byBugsy H. (aka Steve Henry) and tape effects,while the rhythmic component breaks downthe boundaries between classical and popmusic. Hatzis’ Arctic Dreams also featuresflutist Susan Hoeppner and soprano LaurenMargison in a soundscape of jazzy marimba,trilling flute and lush vocals against a wilderness-evokingtape part.David Occhipinti’s moving marimba soloSummit, and three duets with pianist PamelaReimer — Tim Brady’s rhythmically drivenRant! (based on a Rick Mercer “Rant”),Micheline Roi’s Grieving the Doubts ofAngels and the film score-like Up and DownDubstep by Lauren Silberberg — add compositionalcontrast and colour.Johnston’s sense of phrase, tone colour andrespect for the composers shine throughoutthis perfect release from a perfect musician.—Tiina KiikJAZZ & IMPROVISEDWomanChildCecile McLorin SalvantJustin Time JTR 8580-2justin-time.com!!When theAmerican singerCécile McLorin Salvantwon the prestigiousThelonious MonkInternational JazzVocal Competition in2010, the buzz aroundher was massive.Relatively young and coming seemingly outof nowhere, she impressed the judges withher poise and talent. The praise then andsince has been effusive (on a recent cover ofJazz News she was referred to as simply “TheVoice”) and it’s all well deserved.The sounds of many legendary jazz singerscan be heard in Salvant’s voice — most apparentlySarah Vaughan — in particular in thepure, horn-like quality that is one of the hallmarksof a great vocal talent. Confident andsure-footed in both traditional and modernstyles, she gets basic and loose on the bluesySt. Louis Gal and the New Orleans-styleNobody, then edgy and outside the boxon the title track, WomanChild, her owncomposition. Her sophistication quotient goesup even a few more notches when she singseasily and naturally in French on Le FrontCaché Sur Tes Genoux.The overall feeling of the album is masterfuland that owes a lot to Salvant’s band mates.She has chosen to work with some veryexperienced players — like Rodney Whitaker,bass, Herlin Riley, drums, and James Chirillo,guitar and banjo — who bring a steady handto the mix, while piano player Aaron Diehlis, like Salvant, a rising star in the jazz world.For fans who may worry about the artform’s future, this album is a sign it’s in verygood hands.—Cathy RichesOur Second SetJohn MacLeod & His Rex Hotel OrchestraIndependentjohnsjazz.ca!!Further proof — ifindeed it isneeded — of the astonishingquality of musiciansin Toronto canbe found on this, thesecond CD by thisorchestra, recordedJanuary 3 and 4, 2013,at the Humber College recording studio. Thearrangements, all by John MacLeod exceptfor Melancholy Baby which is by RickWilkins, are works of art and the program is acomfortable mix of standards and originals.The standards are a high energy Indiana,a richly textured arrangement of EverythingHappens To Me, what MacLeod describes asa “mash up” arrangement of O Pato and TakeThe A Train and the lovely Wilkins arrangementof Melancholy Baby mentioned above.The originals are beautifully played by whatcan truly be described as an all-star gathering.The musicianship throughout is exemplary,the soloists are at the top of their respectivegames and I would hardly be able to singleout any one of them. Having said that I wouldbe remiss if I didn’t take my hat off to leaderJohn MacLeod who is the catalyst providingthe chemistry that brings it all together.Running a big band involves a lot of time andeffort, especially if you are also doing the bulkof the writing.If you like big band jazz you need to addthis recording to your collection.—Jim GallowayDa Bang!Billy BangTum Records TUM CD 034tumrecords.com! ! Billy Bang cameof age amidst theCivil Rights movementand free jazz.Having studied violinas a child, he returnedto the instrumentafter combat duty inVietnam, a harrowingexperience later revisited in recordings likeVietnam: Reflections. From his first recordingsin the late 70s, he emerged as themost compelling jazz violinist of his day,combining the robust swing of 1930s violinistslike Stuff Smith and the visionary powerof John Coltrane.thewholenote.com September 1 – October 7, 2013 | 65