Volume 17 Issue 8 - May 2012

modern & contemporaryWachner, Julian – Triptych;Concerto for ClarinetScott Andrews; McGill Chamber Orchestra;Julian WachnerATMA ACD2 2319Sparked bymultiple talents ofcomposer-conductorJulian Wachner, thisdisc succeeds on allfronts! In Triptych,commissioned forthe 100th anniversaryof St. Joseph’sOratory, organist Philippe Bélanger andMontreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain offer anexciting, insightful performance. Out of orchestralchaos the organ enters with chordalgrandeur in the introductory “Logos.” Anintrospective two-part organ passage plus itsaggressive string response become the basesfor the following allegro. I was especiallystruck by the quiet return of the organ passageover a pedal note, now continued effectivelywith chimes. Bélanger and selectedinstrumentalists are beautifully reflectiveagain in the middle movement “Agape,” theviolins serene and inspired in the closingmelody. The organist shines in the final“Angelus,” building steadily with the orchestrathrough tricky metre changes to a great,moving conclusion. Himself a virtuoso organist,Wachner has created long sonorities,repeated chords, and busy passages that arestatic harmonically to suit the highly reverberantspace. Producer Johanne Goyette andengineer Anne-Marie Sylvestre deserve specialmention for the sonic results.On a lighter plane, Wachner’s eclecticConcerto for Clarinet and Orchestra receivesloving treatment from St. Louis Symphonyprincipal clarinettist Scott Andrews andthe McGill Chamber Orchestra. Andrews’clarinet manages to be Coplandesque,jazzy, klezmerish and more in the expressiveintroduction and motoric allegro.Highly recommended.—Roger KnoxJAZZ & IMPROVISEDMe, Myself & IKenny WernerJustin Time Records JUST 248Kenny Wernerhas been aroundfor a long time, is abrilliant pianist, accompanist,composerand educator, andyet somehow hasnever received thepublic recognitionhe deserves. This album was recorded at theUpstairs Jazz Bar & Grill in June 2011 aspart of the Montreal Jazz Festival and thechoice of music ranges from such standardsas Round Midnight, Blue in Green and GiantSteps, to Joni Mitchell’s classic I Had a Kingand the pianist’s own gem, Balloons. Thereis an ethereal quality to the music right fromthe opening bars of the first cut which is sustainedthroughout the album.Balloons is literally inspired by the lifeand death of helium balloons. Balloonsbought for his daughter’s birthday wouldfloat up and touch the ceiling, but eventuallythey’d come down. So the tune is sort of amusical joke — a balloon from the party toits end. If you recognize something familiarin the performance of Balloons, it has therecurring strain of Barbara Allen, a 17thcentury Scottish ballad inserted a couple oftimes, perhaps because the Werner originalis about the life and death of a helium balloonand the ballad is about the death of ayoung love.Giant Steps turns into a flight of fancywhile A Child Is Born is a delicate, introspectivevoyage of sensitivity taken withhaunting simplicity. There is nothingnegative to say about this CD. I have been aKenny Werner fan for many years and I havenever heard him play better than he does onthis recording.—Jim GallowaySilent MovieMelissa StylianouAnzic Records ANZ-0036www.melissastylianou.comOn this, herfourth album,Toronto-born, NewYork-based vocalistMelissa Stylianousings with endearingsensitivityand ample heart.Pleasing to the ear,her voice is higher in range than most jazzsingers, occasionally soaring majesticallybut for the most part remaining understated,focused on the words she sings rather thanthe sounds she produces. Stylianou’s eclectictaste for repertoire here blends standardsand originals with a range of contemporarymaterial: James Taylor, Paul Simon,Johnny Cash, avant-garde folk singer JoannaNewsom and Brazilian pop star Vanessa daMatta. Brilliantly arranged to suit Stylianou,these covers provide some exquisite musicalmoments.Perhaps the only downside to recordingsuch excellent covers is that the artist’s ownoriginals do not shine quite as brightly. Butthe album has numerous highlights includingSimon’s Hearts and Bones, da Mata’sOnde Ir, Newsom’s Swansea and a stunningtake on one of jazz’s most sentimentalstandards, The Folks Who Live on the Hill,delivered here with supreme sincerity. Allfour tracks benefit greatly from the vibrantwork of multi-reed player Anat Cohen, appearinghere on clarinet, bass clarinet andsoprano saxophone. Guitarist Peter McCannis a sympathetic asset throughout, and cellistYoed Nir is a nice added touch on a fewtracks. That said, the entire band cushionsStylianou admirably throughout this beautifullyproduced, refreshing recording.—Ori DaganHeart FirstHalie LorenJustin Time JTR 8573-2Singer HalieLoren’s Heart Firstis what I think of asget-out-the-hammockmusic. The evocationof lazy hours onthe porch in a sultrylocale hasn’t somuch to do with theorigins of the recording — Loren and creware based in Eugene, Oregon — as with theeasy, back-pocket singing style and lightlyswinging support of the band. Gifted witha sometimes breathy, sometimes throatyand always gorgeous voice, comparisons toNorah Jones are unavoidable. I even hear abit of Aaron Neville in the way Loren playswith the break in her voice, in particular onher pretty take of Bob Marley’s Waiting inVain. It’s in these covers of newer standardsand remakes of pop hits that the disc shinesbrightest, but Loren’s own songs fit in cozilywith the classics and overall breeziness. Theonly time Heart First even comes close towhat could be described as edgy is on thereharmonized All of Me, which cleverlyblends tremolo guitar (William Seiji Marsh),malleted drums (Brian West) and a minorkey for a Willie Nelson-goes-voodoo kindof vibe. Loren also occasionally unleashes abit of French and Spanish to kick up the sexappeal a notch, but not so much to make youfall out of your hammock.—Cathy RichesOpusjazzJulie LamontagneJustin Time JTR 8570-2I’ve never beena big fan of the“crossover” — operadivas singing jazz;rock stars performingopera; classicalartists playingHendrix — ouch. Tomy ear, it usuallyhasn’t worked all that well (unless you’reKeith Jarrett playing Bach). So, it was withsome trepidation that I approached pianist/composer Julie Lamontagne’s third and latestalbum, Opus Jazz.Turns out I needn’t have been so trepidatious.Lamontagne’s efforts in “revisiting”66 thewholenote.com May 1 – June 7, 2012