Volume 27 Issue 3 - December 2021 / January 2022

Imaginary Structures
Levi Dover Sextet
Three Pines Records TPR-004
(levidover.com)
! In his debut as
a leader, Montreal
bassist Levi Dover
has concocted
something refreshingly
original while
also remaining true
to his post-bop
influences. From the
very moment they hit the listener’s ears it’s
apparent Dover’s compositions have a methodical
quality to them; every statement of a
tune’s central melody utilizes his entire sextet
to its full expansive potential. Each line trickles
into the next smoothly, as if the instrumentalists
are finishing each other’s sentences.
Musical phrases possess the easy flow of a daily
conversation between friends. Dover is a very
deliberate arranger, and one of his most interesting
creative decisions (that ends up being
greatly to the benefit of the music) is heavily
featuring two functionally similar instruments:
vibraphone and piano. Additionally, pianist
Andrew Boudreau and vibraphonist Olivier
Salazar are often playing the same material in
tandem, creating an incredible textural effect
that almost feels like an aesthetic marriage of
Andrew Hill and Bobby Hutcherson.
While a fair bit of Dover’s ornate writing
brings to mind vintage mid-60s Blue Note,
his personal progressive and classical leanings
also shine through on immensely electrifying
standouts like L’Appel du Vide and
Galapagos. Boudreau is more often than not
an effective mouthpiece for Dover’s vision,
grounding the band through the more
complex passages of rhythmic counterpoint
and constantly serving as the primary accompanist
for Dover’s own playing. Imaginary
Structures is beautiful, and Dover establishes
himself as an artistic force throughout eight
masterful ensemble performances.
Yoshi Maclear Wall
Galeanthropology
Darrell Katz & OddSong
Jazz Composers Alliance JCA1806
(darrellkatz.com)
! Any considered
exposé of Darrell
Katz’s oblique, still
under-appreciated
genius is always
welcome, especially
one that is inspired
by – and evocative
of – his late wife,
Paula Tatarunis’ poetry. Galeanthropology is
an elliptical metaphor that connects Katz’s
literary and musical pursuits, from the
conventional to the experimental, the mechanical
to the emotional. Making a leap from
that almost illusionary promontory, this
repertoire traces an evolutionary arc as if
falling off a proverbial cliff and is comprised
of elongated melodic, harmonic inventions
with the rhythmic aspect provided by
the radiant mallet percussion colours of the
marimba and vibraphone.
Tatarunis’ extraordinarily expressive poetic
canvas derives from life as a jazz cat and her
lyrical canticles come alive together with
Katz’s stylishly delivered instrumental contributions.
Making the most of Tatarunis’ deeply
elegant poems requires a particular sensitivity
to linear shape, lyrical articulation and clarity
of texture, not least in order to infuse it with
the pungency of the harmonic language that
this music breathes into it.
The most striking example of this
is certainly not restricted to the song
Galeanthropology with its quote from Charlie
Parker’s iconic, Ornithology. Katz’s ingenious
hipness comes alive on his especially
free-floating take on Charles Mingus’ Duke
Ellington’s Sound of Love, James Taylor’s
Sweet Baby James and the traditional I Am
a Poor Wayfaring Stranger; the latter being
a profoundly consequential musical experience
for the listener. The elegantly idiomatic
performance all around is fronted by
Rebecca Shrimpton’s lustrous, poignantly
executed vocals.
Raul da Gama
Beyond Here
Beth McKenna
Independent (bethmckenna.ca)
! Beth McKenna
really showcases
her versatility as a
bandleader, writer
and improviser on
her most recent
effort, Beyond Here.
Throughout the
record, the sextet
of McKenna on woodwinds, François Jalbert
on guitar, Guillaume Martineau on keys,
Oliver Babaz on bass, Peter Colantonio on
drums and Sarah Rossy on voice, manages to
generate a versatile sound that often borders
on the sublime. The album’s mood changes
significantly but never in a manner that feels
jarring, as the unwavering richness of the
arrangements and production helps maintain
cohesion.
McKenna’s care for her craft ensures
that the ensemble thrives as a unit, and her
graciousness as a bandleader allows the spotlight
to be evenly distributed among musicians.
Rossy’s talents are featured most
sparingly, but they are perhaps utilized most
effectively, often at the end of pieces when
the energy reaches its apex. McKenna and
Colantonio’s impassioned playing complements
the overall tone beautifully and adds a
fair bit of substance to the music. The overall
quality of improvisation is outstanding,
particularly with the breathtaking interplay
between members of the rhythm section in
tracks such as From Divided to One.
Yoshi Maclear Wall
What we're listening to this month:
thewholenote.com/listening
Songbook
Dizzy & Fay
Songbook - The debut album by
Canadian jazz songwriting duo
Dizzy & Fay. 12 original songs
written as a love letter to the
American Songbook.
Augmented Reality
Benjamin Deschamps
This album takes a more electric,
powerful and lyrical direction.
The sextet formation delivers
introspective, robust and
ingenious original compositions.
Worldview
Avatar
In an innovative marriage of
ancient and modern, jazz and
world music intersects with
cinematic atmospheres and
soaring melodies, creating fresh,
emotive sonic experiences.
Eberhard
Lyle Mays
Lyle Mays' final recording
"Eberhard" is a 13-minute, multimovement
work featuring 16
musicians, in tribute to the great
German bass player
Eberhard Weber.
thewholenote.com December 2021 | 49