Volume 23 Issue 5 - February 2018

CD LAUNCH
DRUMMER,
COMPOSER,
BANDLEADER
Nick Fraser
at the Rex
STUART BROOMER
Tony Malaby and Joe Hertenstein at
Downtown Music Gallery, NYC, October 2016
JOHN SHARPE
BRETT DELMAGE
Nick Fraser has become a key figure in Toronto jazz
since moving here from Ottawa two decades ago, an
inventive and inspiring drummer who invigorates
any music he touches.
He’s played across the spectrum, but he’s been most notable as a
creative force in some special groups, like Drumheller, a quintet that
set a standard for free jazz in Toronto for its decade-long existence.
Then there’s the chamber jazz supergroup Ugly Beauties, with pianist
Marilyn Lerner and cellist Matt Brubeck, as well as his membership in
the fusion quartet Peripheral Vision, the Lina Allemano Four, as well
as Allemano’s edgy electronics-driven improv project Titanium Riot.
Lately, though, Fraser has been taking steps to raise his international
profile as drummer, composer and bandleader. His most prominent
Nick Fraser
association is with saxophonist Tony Malaby, a central figure in New
York free jazz who first established his credentials working with
Charlie Haden and Paul Motian.
Fraser’s connection with Malaby goes back 20 years: “Tony and I met
in 1996 at a jazz retreat in Idaho that was run by Gunther Schuller. I was
20 years old and Tony was in his early 30s and I was really impressed
with his sound and his demeanour. We’ve kept in touch over the years
and have worked together fairly regularly since 2012.” They’ve worked
in a trio with Canadian-expatriate pianist Kris Davis, but February
offers a chance to hear them in Fraser’s unusual quartet project that’s
launching its third CD, Is Life Long?, on Clean Feed, the world’s most
active free jazz label. The configuration of the group, with cellist
Andrew Downing and bassist Rob Clutton, has an inspired flexibility,
with Downing moving freely between lead and rhythm roles.
Fraser’s vision as a bandleader/ composer is to open the music’s
possibilities. “I’m interested in music that allows the musicians to
occupy a number of spectra. The quartet music allows us to occupy
extremes of the dynamic range, or to juxtapose traditional musical
language with more experimental gestures, or to swing between
collective improvisation and solo-oriented action. Of course, this is
true of all “free” music, but having compositions allows for, in addition
to those things, a range of intentionality in the music.”
Fraser initially describes his compositions as numbered “Sketches,”
later sometimes assigning titles. On Is Life Long? individual sketches
sometimes merge into spontaneous suites. “They’re all vehicles for
group improvisation and they’re not finished until they’re performed.
Even then, they’re only finished until the next performance. As for the
specific musical content, often it’s just a melody, sometimes with a
given harmony line, bass line or rhythmic structure ... it varies.“
Every performance is an adventure. As Fraser remarks of the band
members, “Tony is a very powerful, special musician and I cherish
each time we get to play together. That said, I think the same thing
about Andrew and Rob. Each of the people in the band offers me an
amazing model of artistic growth.”
The quartet launches Is Life Long? at The Rex Jazz and Blues Bar,
February 5 and 6, 194 Queen St. W.; therex.ca; (416) 598-2475.
Stuart Broomer writes frequently on music (mostly improvised)
and is the author of Time and Anthony Braxton. His column
“Ezz-thetics” appears regularly at pointofdeparture.org.
84 | February 2018 thewholenote.com