Volume 16 Issue 9 - June 2011

mesmerizing touchand effortlesslyimaginative ap-commissioned himto compose musicbased on the work ofDutch graphic artistChris Donnelly –Metamorphosis (Alma ACD32212 www.chrisdonnellymusic.com)-There are ten movements, with the musicworking as a concert with minimal interrup-zlingYou enter the fountain, the invigoratingIn the chimera of notes, the percussive Youhear the voice and the bustling Saying youare the azure. *The Dixie DemonsFossil Fuel won theout Jeff Healey’s Last Call and the VicDickenson–Jim Galloway Quintet’s Live InToronto are co-leaders Dan Douglas (trombone)specializes in classic and traditional jazz, onSomething in the Air | Big Band ReduxMband era, improvising musiciansstill organize large ensembles totake advantage of its wider scope and rangearrangements possible with large bands asthese sessions demonstrate, that each soundscompletely unique while maintaining theOver nearly 71 minutes on TotallyGone (Rai Trade RTP J0021www.italianinstabileorchestra.com), theall-star aggregation of 17 of thecountry’s most accomplishedplayers who make up theItalian Instabile Orchestra demonstrate the combination oftechnical skills and rambunctiousgood spirits that has keptUnsurprisingly the climatic track,Ciao Baby, I’m Totally Gone/It Had to beYou, is a case-in-point instance of the band’sdissonance from squeaky spiccato stringsand snoring brass slurs on one hand withsibilant, staccato section work that couldhave migrated from Fletcher Henderson’sclearest when a sequence of pure air forcedfrom Sebi Tramontana’s trombone turnsto plunger polyrhythm as he’s backed byKEN WAXMANharmonized reeds and strings, and ends withhim vocalizing the second half of the titlebacked by Fabrizio Puglisi’s key-clippingpiano and Gianluigi Trovesi’s undulatingexpressed on No Visa, a jazzy hoedownfrom violinist Emanuele Parrini, funkytenor saxophone vamping from DanieleThis doesn’t mean that compositionalseriousness isn’t displayed alongside theGargantella, for instance is asHere closely-voiced and massedhorns and strings move adagiobeneath strained brass notes anda snorting, altissimo showcaseis completed by polished, string movementsgiven shape by the clattering cymbals andwood block pops of percussionists VincenzoFor an indication of how a 12-pieceMontreal big band led by Pierre Labbé,Pierre Favre’s 10-piece Swiss ensemble andBig Band provide further contemporarytakes on the big band sound, see the magazine’swebsite: www.thewholenote.comAlways find more reviews online at thewholenote.comPOT POURRIDe la nuit au lever du jourAzam AliTerrestrial Lane Records 013111(www.azamalimusic.com) shouldn’t be surprisingthat a collectionof lullabies isn’t aterribly upbeat al-also has an unexpectedsolemnitydaycute little bedtime ditties, at least not toof Middle Eastern cultures, plus a few ofher own compositions, and sings them inUnless you understand these languages (orthe French the lyrics are translated into inthe liner notes), you’re free to enjoy thesesongs from a purely musical standpointand her comfort with the quarter-tone arealso apparent in some of her compositions,such as Tendresse, written for her son, andthe Kurdish Lai Laimusicians from each of the regions to accompanyher on traditional instruments, suchas oud and saz, as well as the contempor-—Cathy RichesDanse des BresloquesFanfare Pour PourMonsieur Fauteux m’attendez-vous?MFMV? 18 (www.actuellecd.com) Listen, laughand dance to theThis is happy musicfrom an eclecticof 20 performers well versed in musicalidiosyncrasy, style, wit, and technicalknow-how (not to forget a superb taste instyles range from French waltzes to jazzto Klezmer-like tunes to tango and sambabeats to everything in between played ontrumpets, saxophones, clarinets, guitars,banjo, accordions, violins, percussion,euphonium, and musical saw, plus vocalUnder the direction of Jean Derome andNemo Venba, the players are a smorgasbordJune 1 – July 7, 2011 thewholenote.com 55