Volume 24 Issue 4 - December 2018 / January 2019

that Ardelli has been a prominent member
of the Canadian jazz community for the past
ten years, this is his debut bandleader album.
The second: The Island of Form was recorded
in New York by engineer James Farber, who
has worked on albums by such jazz luminaries
as Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano and
Brad Mehldau; and was mastered by Greg
Calbi, whose clients have included Bill Frisell,
Aretha Franklin and the Ramones. The third:
it’s really good.
In addition to Ardelli, who composed
all eight of its songs, The Island of Form
features Luis Deniz on alto saxophone, Chris
Donnelly on piano and Devon Henderson
on bass. The album begins with the Afro-
Cuban-tinged Agua, which builds intently
before dissolving into a drum breakdown that
precedes Deniz’s confident solo. Thanks for
Something, which starts with a duet between
Ardelli and Deniz, contains a driving, percussive
contribution from Donnelly over the
song’s vamp; Henderson takes a beautiful solo
on Shangri-La Pearl. 5:55 AM, the album’s
shortest track, is mostly drum solo, and serves
as a fun, fiery feature for the bandleader.
All four band members are technically
gifted players, and Ardelli’s album has many
feats of compelling musical athleticism, but
The Island of Form privileges tone, texture
and melodicism, even during its wilder
moments. Overall: an excellent debut.
Colin Story
SymphRONica UpfRONt
Ron Davis
Really Records RR 18001
(rondavismusic.com)
!!
A unique fusion
of a jazz quartet
and a string
quartet, Ron Davis’
SymphRONica is
truly an ensemble
like no other.
Energetic, virtuosic,
charming,
worldly – the music on this album has flare
and style. Although most compositions have
a predominantly jazz feel, it is the crossover
of styles that makes this music excitingly
unpredictable and fresh. The elements
of classical, jazz, Brazilian, Hungarian, Italian,
klezmer, Latin and Québecois, meet and
part throughout the album in an easygoing
fashion, but it is the strong ensemble that
makes it all come together.
Composer and pianist Ron Davis is the
brain and the driving force behind this
project and one can feel his carefully crafted
influence in each tune. UpfRONt is a collection
of six original compositions of Ron Davis
alongside tunes by Mike Downes (a double
bass player and a producer of this album),
Louis Simão, Paolo Conte, Jack Pepper,
Samuel Lerner and Miles Davis. A lovely Drew
Bourée opens the album in a simple, understated
way, not giving away the virtuosity and
drive of WhirlyCurl that comes soon after
or surprise vocals by Daniela Nardi in the
arrangement of Conte’s Nina. My favourite
numbers on this album, Sashagraha and
Chance, both have cool, catchy tunes and are
fine examples of the fusion of styles.
SymphRONica is made up of stellar players
but violinist Aline Homzy is especially
impressive in her inventive solo improvisations.
Kudos to Ron Davis for continuing to
surprise us and to SymphRONica for a great
performance.
Ivana Popovic
Concert Note: SymphRONica + the Tap
Dancers Reunite! Thursday December 13 at
918 Bathurst Centre for Culture – 918 Bathurst
St.
Volume 3
Collective Order
Independent (collectiveorderjazz.com)
!!
Collective Order
is a prime example
of how art always
triumphs, even
when politicians of
every partisan hue
try and exploit the
term “diversity”
to suit whatever
agenda they seek to advance. For Toronto’s
ever-evolving, improvising large ensemble,
diversity is best expressed not in platitudes,
but in the expression of being a joyful cultural
voice: from Native-Canadian to every other
immigrant artist who makes up Canada’s
multicultural musical topography.
As with earlier recordings, the band’s
2018 release Vol.3 features music written by
various members of its ensemble. Each time
the composer decides who, or what permutation
of the Collective Order, will perform
the repertoire. Size composition of the group
varies, and with it the feeling and musical
expression of each piece is singular in nature.
Quite remarkably, there is a feeling that all
of this repertory belongs to one contiguous
unit. This speaks to how successfully the
group is able to fashion the individuality and
musicianship of its members into a characterful
unit.
The unifying theme on Vol.3 appears
to be a reverential homage (broadly
speaking) to the earth, and more specifically
to Toronto, Ontario and most of all to
Canada. We hear this right out of the gates
in Melanie Montour’s spoken word Land
Acknowledgement, continuing through
Theme for Lake Ontario. The proverbial
strength of the Universal Mother on I Hear
You, combining language, multilingual
spoken and sung lyrics is by far the disc’s
crowning moment.
Raul da Gama
Elements
François Carrier; Michel Lambert; John
Edward
FMR Records FMRCD501
(francoiscarrier.com)
!!
François Carrier
is a Quebecborn
alto saxophone
player with
a decades-long
history playing
free improvisation
with musicians
around the
world (including Paul Bley, Gary Peacock and
Dewey Redman). He has released over 30
albums recorded for many European labels
that specialize in avant-garde music. In 2001
Carrier won a JUNO for his third album
Compassion and has stated it is “important to
record as much music as possible. You learn
a lot just by listening to what you have done
together and since everything is improvised,
you will never do the same thing twice.”
Carrier and drummer Michel Lambert have
played and recorded together for years and
they have toured Europe, Asia and Canada.
Elements, released by UK label FMR records,
also includes British bassist John Edwards
and has three live performances by the trio:
Wilderness, recorded at the 20th Jazz Cerkno
festival (Slovenia 2015), and Elements and Roar
of Joy from Iklectick (London, UK, 2016).
Carrier and Lambert’s long history together
ensures their musical intuition is highly
attuned and their playing can change quickly
from staccato and aggressive to lyrical and
introspective. Edwards is an integral part of
these performances and it feels as if he has
played in this group for years. The first piece,
Elements, begins sporadically, with Edwards
playing notes off-rhythm and switching to his
bow (which he uses frequently and effectively
throughout the album). Carrier plays short,
aggressive bursts and then Lambert enters
with off-rhythm backing percussion. The
piece moves through several phases trading
solo parts, and around the four-minute mark
Carrier introduces more lyrical lines with a
sound reminiscent of Ornette Coleman. The
album captures the spirit and energy of their
live performances and repeated listening
reveals the complexity of their shifting
musical textures.
Ted Parkinson
Flow Vertical
Jasna Jovićević Sextet
FMR CD 475-0318 (jasnajovicevic.com)
! ! An indication
of the high
quality of music
in Toronto is this
CD of multifaceted
compositions by
Belgrade-native
Jasna Jovićević.
thewholenote.com December 2018 / January 2019 | 93