Volume 13 - Issue 10 - July/August 2008

ecaptured the prominence and recognition heenjoyed in Europe. Naxos has released aninteresting CD of some of his solo and chambermusic, performed by Spectrum ConcertsBerlin, in their American Classics series(Toch: Piano Quintet; Naxos 8.559324). TheViolin Sonata No.2 and Burlesken for Pianoare from Toch's Berlin years, and the PianoQuintet and Three Impromptus for Cello arefrom 1938 and 1963 respectively. All areperformed beautifully, with Daniel Blumenthal(Piano), Annette von Hehn (violin) andFrank Dodge (cello) outstanding in their respectiveroles.JAZZ AND IMPROVIZEDAll About Jazz, Volume One - The OctetBob ErlendsonIndependent(www .cdbaby .corn/cd/boberlendson)One may wonderwhy someone who'sbeen such an importantpart of thiscountry's jazz sceneas long as Bob Erlendsonhas is sopoorly representedon record. But thepianist/composer/educator is certainly notalone. Consider for example fellow pianistsWray Downes, Ian Bargh and Mark Eisenman.What little there is on record by thoseworthies has them mainly in the role of sidemen.It's been the same with Erlendson, onthe scene since 1952. Prior to this release the74 year old veteran had made only one otheralbum as a leader, a solo performance issuedin 1988 that, according to this set's notes,was "neglected into obscurity".All the music on this octet date was recordedat the Calgary C-Jazz Festival inAugust of last year. Al Muirhead is on trumpet,Dave Reid, trombone, Gib Monks, alto,Eric Allison, tenor, Gerry Hebert, baritone,John Hyde, bass, and John de Waal, drums,with the leader on piano and electric keyboards.All nine tunes are originals writtenby Erlendson over the past half century, in asome cases for other musicians with whomthe pianist worked, tenorman D. T. Thompsonand vocalist Jody Drake among them.Erlendson's music is as comfortable as anold pair of shoes. It's obvious that the octetwas a working group and the players soundcompletely at home with the material. I eagerlyawait Volume Two in what I hope willbe an ongoing series.Don BrownTales of Love and LongingSheila Cooper; Fritz PauerCandid panorama records 004(www .sheilacooper .corn)For her third album as vocalist, saxophonistand arranger, uber-talented and quirky Canadian-bornjazz artist Sheila Cooper has chosento express herself in duo format with theacclaimed Austrianpianist, Fritz Pauer- alternating betweensaxophoneand vocal duets. MsCooper has longbeen one of the jazzworld's best-keptsecrets. Residing inVienna since 2006,she previously spent a number of years inNew York City, recording, touring and performingwith her own quartet, as well as topinternational musicians such as Dave Liebmanand Renee Rosnes."Tales of Love and Longing" is a series ofintimately told musical stories (nine standardsand one original), and begins with a simpleand gorgeous arrangement of Hoagy Carmichael'srarely performed Winter Moon.Austrian piano icon Fritz Pauer has an impossiblyfacile and yet sensitive touch,matched only by Cooper's sonorous, multitexturalsaxophone sound. Her instrumentsings with a genderless human ache. As avocalist, Cooper is a no-nonsense, in-tunepurist in the mode of Julie London or thetechnically superior Helen Merrill in herfabulous prime. Every note is placed perfectly,with a knowing, sadder-but-wiser nuance.A stand-out is Tommy Wolf's I'm a Fool toWant You. With such a melodramatic lyric, asinger might be tempted to chew up the scenery.Not so for the ever-tasteful Ms Cooper,who wears her jazz vocal hat on this track.She has, instead, positioned the tune with anun-cluttered elegance, while rendering hervocal with a dollop of plaintive longing. Pauerconstructs another flawless solo on this tune.His prestigious piano chops are simplybreathtaking. By the way, Sheila Cooper canalso swing - as she does on Irving Berlin'sjaunty How Deep is the Ocean. This CD is a"must-have" for any jazz lover, as there's nodoubt that it will be a perpetual joy.Lily SwingsLily FrostMarquis 774718-1393-2-0Lesley Mitchell-ClarkeLily Frost is a Toronto musician whose singingand writing career has taken her to someinteresting places,both geographicallyand stylistically.Gigging in Canada,Cairo and Tahiti,and covering suchdiverse genres aslounge, country,and Latin, Frost hasdeveloped into aversatile performer with the experience to dojustice to her latest project, a tribute to themusic of Billie Holiday.With The Swinging Dukes (Clive "Pops"Jackson, bass fiddle; Steve Taylor, drums;Chris Dean, guitar and banjo; Jimmy Roypedal steel; plus Greg Shea and WaylenMiki, piano) backing her, "Lily Swings" hasa distinct alt-country feel and the live-off-thefloorrecording technique gives it an upbeat,Saturday night dance hall vibe as opposed to adark, smoky jazz club mood one might expect.Mercifully, Frost has chosen to honourHoliday without attempting to imitate her.That said, on some of the tunes Frost coaxesout the vocal qualities she shares with Holiday- bright horn-like timbre and fast vibrato- and delivers it all in a cool, controlled manner.Holiday was no helter, and was oncefamously appraised by Ethel Waters as singinglike her "shoes are too tight". So while Iwouldn't go that far with Frost - she and theband have a lot of fun with these tunes - Ifound myself wishing on a few occasions thatthey would let out the reins a bit more. Butthis is a record made by seasoned pros whohave no doubt been there and done the highoctane thing and have come to appreciate theunderstated power of being able to just plainSwing.Cathy RichesEXTENDED PLAY -EXPATRIATE (ANDHOMEBODY) SOUNDSBy Ken WaxmanEager collaborators, as much as geographicproximity, is responsible for the migration ofgifted Canadianimprovisers to theUnited States.One of the music'sdistinctive stylistswith profound effectson jazz's evolutionfrom the early1950s on was aMontreal-born pianist.No, not that one.. . but Paul Bley. Bley's associations withreedists Ornette Coleman and Jimmy Giuffreare well known. A reissue from 1990, 12+6In A Row (hatOLOGY 649,www.hathut.com) is not only a milestone inBley's evolution, but points out another developmentthe pianist helped to initiate: partnershipwith like-minded Europeans. Bley'sassociates here are Austrian flugelhornistFranz Koglmann and Swiss reedist HansKoch. The title's inferences to 12-tone rowsare realized with sparse contrapuntal harmonies,broken counterpoint and skittering runsfrom the pianist, tongue slaps and chalumeauvibrations from Koch's bass clarinet and chromaticlip burbles from Koglmann.Yet obtuse formalism doesn't overshadowjazz roots. Bley's Solo 2 includes righthandedbass syncopation, and there's anexcursion into waltz time on Duo 2. MeanwhileSolo 6 channels boogie-woogie forefatherJimmy Yancy, in a Europeanized fashion,with Bley bearing down on the keys whilesimultaneously tinkling higher pitches. Thepiano-less Duo 3 highlights intersectionsbetween Koglmann's brassy, triple-tonguingand overblown split tones from Koch's alto) ULY 1 - S EPT 7 2008WWW. TH EWHOLENOTE.COM59