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a special guest with Jones’ trio on about halfof Just for My Lady (Justin Time JUST 251-2justin-time.com) and the warmth of herviolin adds a special touch, whether it’s to theforceful Josée’s Blues, the luminous balladryof Lights of Burgundy (a Jones compositionfrom 1985) or the delightful swing of Lady BeGood. Elsewhere Jones, bassist Eric Lagaceand drummer Jim Doxas are at their usualconsummate level, consistently elegantwhether reflective or joyous.Bill King is another veteranpianist with a Peterson connection,first coming to Canadaas a teenager in the 1960s tostudy at the Advanced School ofContemporary Music in Toronto.King has had a long career inToronto as composer, publisher,bandleader and mentor to a hostof vocalists, but on Cinemascope:Orchestrations for Piano (SlaightMusic slaightmusic.com) hegoes it alone at the keyboard ofa Steinway grand, improvisingon themes with cinematic inferences.There’s a strong thread ofEllington’s particular impressionismhere, whether King isreflecting on Audrey Hepburnin Audrey in Silk or Duke’swriting partner in Strayhorn.King’s darkened-theatre reveriescan recall a host of landscapesand genres, but they all seem toglow with the special luminosityof memory.Another alumnus of the Peterson schoolis drummer Don Vickery, who was alreadyactive in Halifax jazz circles before herelocated to Toronto in 1959. Vickery is 74now, but he’s lost none of his springy, propulsivebeat, amply demonstrated on his firstCD as leader, Alone Together (CornerstoneCRST CD 139 cornerstonerecordsinc.com).The music here is mainstream modern jazzof the first rank, with Vickery fitting handin-glovewith his partners. Pianist MarkEisenman’s relaxed rhythmic phrasing andfeel for the blues always suggest something ofthe late Wynton Kelly, while Neil Swainson isa genuine melodic bassist, whether soloingor playing the melody on Johnny Mandel’sseldom heard Close Enough for Love. There’snever a sense of a superfluous note here, andit all seems to float on air, wafted aloft onVickery’s detailed punctuation. Other highlightsinclude Hampton Hawes’ Blues theMost and Henry Mancini’s Dreamsville, alsoimaginative repertoire choices.The Carn Davidson Nine (Addo AJR014addorecords.com) debuts a mid-sizeensemble led by Toronto alto saxophonistTara Davidson and trombonist William Carn.The band is a fine outlet for the co-leaders’compositions and arrangements, allowingfor voicings and dynamics that are unavailablein the typical quintet or quartet. Whilethe name may recall Phil Nimmons’ groundbreakingnonet, this Nine’s structure includessheer heft (consider the brassy force ofDavidson’s opening Battle Scars) as well asnuance, complementing the leaders withsaxophonists Kelly Jefferson on tenor andPerry White on baritone (always forcefulpresences), trumpeters Jason Logue andKevin Turcotte, and bass trombonist TerryPromane, with bassist Andrew Downingand drummer Fabio Ragnelli. Thesubtlety comes via the doubling,with flutes and flugelhorns comingto the fore on Carn’s airy WhenYou Least Expect It. With arrangersincluding Promane, Logueand Reg Schwager and high-levelsoloists (Davidson is delightfullyabstract on her South WesternView), the Carn Davidson Nine couldbecome a significantinstitution.Last yearMontreal saxophonistPatrickLampron releasedWalking theLine and Ottawatrumpeter CraigPedersen put out Dayslike These, both CDs ofexceptional promise.That promise has beenfulfilled in record timewith the release of Livein Silence (craigpedersen.com),the endproduct of a NorthernQuebec tour by Pedersen/Lampron/Gobeil/Kerr/Thibodeau,essentially Pedersen with the bandfrom Lampron’s CD: guitarist,Dominic Gobeil, bassist Joel Kerrand drummer Eric Thibodeau.While Pedersen’s band conceptionusually falls in the overlappingorbits of Ornette Colemanand John Zorn’s Masada, here the collectiveinspirations are the ECM label’s Nordic cool,open harmonies and spacious, lyrical modaljazz, complemented by influences fromWayne Shorter and Tomasz Stanko. The bandis cohesive, with Pedersen bringing anotherdimension, nowhere more apparent thanin Lampron’s compelling and concludingObrigada, a composition that the quintetsustains with developing interest for nearly 17minutes of music.A similar Ontario/Quebec connectionappears in the quintet of free improvisersMartin, Lozano, Lewis, Wiens, Duncan on theCD at Canterbury (Barnyard Records BR0332barnyardrecords.com). The style is deliberateand focused, with ideas clearly developingas they’re passed around the group. SingerChristine Duncan and guitarist Rainer Wiens,doubling on theremin and mbira respectively,can create backgrounds of a rain forestdensity while trumpeter Jim Lewis andsaxophonist Frank Lozano are deft musicalarchitects, marking lyrical trails through thesoundscape, all of it enhanced by Martin’sexpansive store of adroitly distributed sounds.There’s an often uncanny senseof form here, and it’s too bad thatWiens and Lozano reside 500 kilometresfrom the rest of the band.Montreal saxophonist FrançoisCarrier and drummer Michel Lambertare regular ambassadors to the worldof improvised music, intrepid travellerswho have matched inspirationswith similarly open creatorsthroughout Europe and partsof Asia. On Overground to theVortex (Not Two MW904-2nottwo.com), another segment intheir extended chronicle, the twoappear at London’s Vortex withtwo outstanding representatives ofthe British school of free improvisation,bassist John Edwardsand pianist Steve Beresford.The trio of Carrier, Lambertand Edwards are heard firstwith Edwards’ complex bassactivity matching up perfectlywith Lambert, creating a forcefield of percolating rhythmicdetails that Carrier negotiates withthe zeal of an urban explorer facing a newmetropolis. The full quartet assembles forArchway, an extended musical arc consistingof constantly shifting moods and densities,highlighted by Carrier’s controlled passionand Beresford’s playfulness.Something in the AirModern Rhythms and New JazzAs the rhythmic base of jazzhas changed over the pasthalf century, adding emphasesbesides pure swing to improvisation,the role of the percussionisthas changed as well. No longer justa time keeper the modern drummermust be conversant with varied beatsKEN WAXMANfrom many genres of music. Thisfamiliarity with other cultures isalso why many non-Americanshave become prominent. Casein point is Norwegian percussionistPaal Nilssen-Love, whoplays with the Euro-Americanband Lean Left at the Tranzac90 | June 7 – September 7, 2013 thewholenote.com