Volume 24 Issue 7 - April 2019

sonorities, some bright, some bell-like, others
more delicate and subdued. Rhythmic motifs
and patterns recur, producing an incantory
and hypnotic quality.
Varispeed’s experience as improvisers
makes their presence felt in this tactile articulation
of Cage’s driving rhythms and percussive
“ungrooves” with uncommon perfection
ranging from the lyrical to the difficult and
disturbing.
Raul da Gama
JAZZ AND IMPROVISED
Moments
Cynthia Tauro
Independent (cynthiatauro.com)
!!
There can be no
doubt that emerging
jazz pianist
and vocalist Cynthia
Tauro is a stunning,
talented
breath of fresh air.
Her debut CD is a
clever juxtaposition
of interesting standards, and Tauro’s original,
irresistible compositions. With a musical
pedigree that goes back generations, Tauro
has a wealth of musical technique, as well
as a recognizable and appealing vocal sound
– alternatingly soft as velvet and sharp as a
razor. On her debut recording, Tauro has put
together a talented ensemble, led by eclectic,
brilliant and intuitive producer/composer
George Koller on bass and A-list jazz players
Ted Quinlan on guitar, Davide DiRenzo on
drums, Perry White on tenor saxophone
and Colleen Allen on soprano sax, clarinet
and flute.
The CD kicks off with Tauro’s original
tune, Dancin’ On My Own. Interesting
chord changes, superb musicianship and a
no-nonsense lyric make this track a standout
(including Perry White’s Hank Mobley-esque
solo). Another excellent choice by Tauro is
her version of 1937’s Someday My Prince Will
Come. Tauro’s pitch-pure soprano sails over
the lyric, imbuing it with a contemporary
emotional edge, while her piano work is both
substantial and swinging.
Without question, Cara Valente is
sung with skill and precision in luscious
Portuguese. Tauro’s deep, innate rhythmic
feel, as well as her vocal timbre and fluidity
are nothing short of breathtaking – bringing
to mind the late Elis Regina. The CD’s bilingual
closer, One Note Samba, is a triumph.
Despite her jazz ingénue status, Tauro is
already a fully realized pianist, songwriter
and vocalist, and it will be fascinating to see
what’s next for this talented artist!
Lesley Mitchell Clarke
Late Bloomer
Fuat Tuaç
Independent (fuattuac.com)
!!
With the release
of his debut CD,
Turkish/Canadian
vocalist, Fuat Tuaç
has presented
an intriguing,
multicultural
jazz recording,
comprised of
freshly arranged,
under-trodden standards and Tuaç’s original
title track. He is joined here by a superb
group of musicians, including Paul Shrofel
on piano, Dave Watts on bass, Richard
Irwin on drums and Dave Turner on saxophone.
Tuaç is equally comfortable singing
in English, French, Turkish, Portuguese and
Italian – easily capturing the lyrical essences
of each language.
Manha de Carnaval (A Day in the Life
of a Fool) is a standout. The rich, rhythmic
arrangement is enhanced by Turner’s warm,
mellifluous alto lines, which soon metamorphose
into a gymnastic and powerful
solo; Tuaç’s acoustic, unvarnished, exotic
sound is beautifully complemented in this
Luis Bonfa classic. Another highlight is
Ellington’s Caravan. Profound, throbbing
bass lines from Watts and Eastern rhythmic
patterns succinctly executed by Irwin define
this interpretation, as Tuaç seamlessly segues
between straight ahead bop and heady pentatonic
vocal motifs. The scent of exotic spices
and the sight of auburn-tinged Bedouin tents
are almost palpable here.
Two additional highlights include a
vigorous and contemporary rendition of
Chick Corea’s Spain, in which Shrofel’s
luminous musicianship and Irwin’s inventive,
Iberian and rock-steady propulsion are
featured; and also the cinematic Rendezvous
vers huit heures (Drault), which is
an elegantly performed possible movie theme
in search of a black and white French film
– Tuaç is reminiscent of the late Charles
Aznavour here... musical, mysterious, evocative
and très sensual!
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
Lotus Blossom
Dave Young
Modica Music (daveyoung.ca)
!!
Lotus Blossom is
a fine disc that was
recorded immediately
after One Way
Up, the acclaimed
previous album by
Dave Young and
his band. I enjoy
hearing these top
Canadian jazz artists in fine form, interacting
and supporting each other with spontaneity
and precision. At the centre is distinguished
acoustic bassist Dave Young, whose playing
I would not label a harmonic and rhythmic
foundation because from high-up thumb
position to the lowest bass tones his style is so
melodic. In Dexter Gordon’s Fried Bananas,
his solo is richly lyrical, followed by the fluent
playing of guitarist Reg Schwager. Terry
Clarke accompanies with a wet cymbal wash
preceding his own dry turn on the theme.
On the jazz waltz title track, Young’s plaintive
bass and Clarke’s cross-rhythms are affecting
for me while pianist Renee Rosnes displays a
mastery of touch and tone, creating a pensive,
languorous mood in dragging the tune’s
return. The tasty interplay between Schwager
and her on Modinha, along with Clarke’s
playful drumming and Young’s convincing
solo, make this track a highlight.
By contrast to Rosnes, pianist Bernie
Senensky’s energetic style on Bolivia and
I Thought About You is chord-rich, with
blazing riffs and hard swinging in the latter
that evoke Oscar Peterson (who Dave Young
played with regularly). Finally, trumpeter
Kevin Turcotte and tenor saxophonist Perry
White join in with able two-part counterpoint
on Softly as in a Morning Sunrise. Highly
recommended.
Roger Knox
Sudoku pour Pygmées
Jean Derome
Ambiances Magnetiques AM 242 CD
(actuellecd.com)
! ! Composer, saxophonist
and flutist
Jean Derome has
been a central
voice in Quebec’s
musique actuelle
movement for
decades, along the
way creating works
that fuse improvisation with larger structural
forms. Here he leads his quartet Les
Dangereux Zhoms and nine other musicians
in a cross-country retrospective of works
commissioned by Canada’s landmark mixedmethod
contemporary ensembles.
The title track, originally performed by
Halifax’s Upstream in 2010, uses the idea
of the Sudoku puzzle to create polyphonic
canons of pentatonic scales in a way that
suggests Pygmy vocal music. It’s a scintillating
work, leavening its complexity with
sonic transparency and some brilliant reed
soloists, most notably Derome on baritone
saxophone and André Leroux on tenor. 7
danses (pour ), originally performed by
Toronto’s Hemispheres in 1989, demonstrates
Derome’s longstanding interest in creating
hybrid works, juxtaposing popular and
serious genres that mingle Bernard Falaise’s
rock-inspired electric guitar with abstract
harmonies.
The concluding 5 pensées (pour le caoutchouc
dur), composed for Vancouver’s Hard
Rubber Orchestra in 2001, encompasses
78 | April 2019 thewholenote.com