Volume 28 Issue 4 | February - March 2023

alance the horizontal flow.
This is most expansively expressed on
the concluding Morning Song 1 where the
tune’s forward motion is speckled with
shaking growls and toneless breaths from von
Orelli and scoops and stretches from Houle.
Eventually both intersect and resolve the tune
with connected but distorted high pitches.
Transitions aren’t always that abrupt, as dual
sweeps up and down the scale are sometimes
concluded with grace not suturing.
Other times, as on a track like Tandem, the
title is literally defined. Allegro cornet puffs
and calliope-like clarinet peeps move through
parallel shaking emissions only to finally
connect with tandem-animated narratives.
Overall, while each sequence allows for
individual technical expressions, all are
resolved with lockstep ambulation or rondolike
affiliations, leading to broken octave
linear motion. Without the need for electronic
technology or more partners, Houle
and von Orelli prove that together they can
auspiciously fuel a memorable musical flight.
Ken Waxman
Outside the Rain Has Stopped
Ig Henneman
Stichting Wig Wig 32
(abbaarsighennemanwig.bandcamp.com/
album/outside-the-rain-has-stopped)
! Canadians who
only know Dutch
violist Ig Henneman
from her collaboration
with the local
Queen Mab duo,
might not realize
that in recognition
of her lifetime
in improvised and composed music The
Netherlands made her a Knight of the Order
of Oranje-Nassau in 2021. This CD presents
many aspects of the 76-year-old’s extensive
career in many idioms.
The soundscape Bow Valley, which blends
improv with Alberta’s Rocky Mountain area
field recordings is one standout. While Anne
La Berge’s flute flutters and Ab Baars’ shakuhachi
trills are intertwined with rural sounds,
the bucolic texture is repeatedly interrupted
by passing freight train whistles and
radios blaring rock music. Meanwhile Galina
U, inspired by Russian composer Galina
Ustvolskaya, posits a contrapuntal challenge
between Ansgar Wallenhorst’s foghorn-like
organ drones and dynamic crescendos with
structured colouration from La Berge’s flute,
Baars’ clarinet and Henneman’s own viola.
Other compositions for pressurized solo
organ, spirited solo cello and poem or sound
poem embellishments and improvisations
are included. But the most impressive
demonstration of Henneman’s compositional
aptitude is the title tune. Here, dynamic interaction
among violins, viola and cello with
jagged arco slices, sul tasto pushes and whistling
glissandi, shatter the form then reach
an energetic crescendo that approaches Cecil
Taylor’s dynamic pianism.
Obviously, Ig Henneman is a name that
should be more recognized by sophisticated
listeners on both sides of the musical improvisation-notation
divide.
Ken Waxman
In a Summer Dream
Hannah Barstow; Mike Murley; Jim Vivian
Cornerstone Records
(cornerstonerecordsinc.com)
! There can be no
question that the
creative pairing of
pianist, vocalist and
composer Hannah
Barstow with saxophonist/composer
Mike Murley is
beyond inspired…
and the addition of eminent jazz bassist
Jim Vivian is not only the perfect complement
to Barstow and Murley, but also to the
superb, eclectic selection of rarely performed
tunes and the two original compositions
here. Barstow and Murley serve as producers,
innovatively arranging works from
such diverse artists as Johnny Mandel, Nat
Adderley, Johnny Mercer and Michel Legrand.
The program kicks off with Mandel’s Don’t
Look Back – which features a haunting,
delicate melodic line as well as masterful
playing from Barstow who has put her own
swinging stamp on this Broadway tune. Her
pitch-perfect, rhythmic jazz vocal style adds
another dimension to the meaningful lyric,
while Murley and Vivian eminently support
Barstow throughout. Barstow’s intonation,
tone, lyrical interpretation and respect for the
melody is worthy of a vocal master class – and
the sooner the better!
Who Are You comes from iconic trumpeter/composer
Kenny Wheeler. The tenor
solo opening gently segues into Barstow’s
stunning vocal line. Murley sings through his
tenor, effortlessly creating an aura of musical
intimacy, and Vivian’s skilled and moving
bass solo takes us deeper on the trip. From
the inspired minds of Legrand and Mercer,
comes Once Upon a Summertime, replete
with a sumptuous solo from Murley. Of
special note is Barstow’s original title track,
which calls to mind the vocal style and musicality
of the great Norma Winstone. By any
musical criteria, this is one of the finest jazz
recordings of the year.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
A Little Louder Now
Lauren Falls; David French; Trevor
Giancola; Todd Pentney; Trevor Falls
Independent (laurenfallsmusic.com)
! With her second
dynamic salvo,
gifted and accomplished
bassist and
composer Lauren
Falls has fired off
a fine recording
comprised almost
entirely of original
tunes. Joining her is a superb ensemble,
including Todd Pentney on piano, Trevor
Giancola on guitar, David French on tenor
saxophone and Trevor Falls on drums. First
up is New View – a languid, sensual trip,
grounded by Pentney’s perfectly insistent
chordal movement and Giancola’s incredible
touch and taste on guitar – which brings
to mind the great Jim Hall or Mundell Lowe.
French’s warm, substantial sound perfectly
parenthesises the almost hypnotic tonal
modalities of the composition.
The well-conceived title track absolutely
grooves with intent and prominently displays
the artistry of each musician. Falls is rock
solid, and her superb bass work not only
permeates the musical landscape, but it deftly
leads her group through this evocative tone
poem. Drummer Falls not only embodies
seamless, perfect dynamics, but additionally
manifests the ideal diaphanous support of his
sister’s gorgeous solo. Disagree to Disagree
is an outstanding effort, rife with emotional
content, exploring both longing and resolution.
French weaves his tenor in and out of
the composition, with clever improvisations
that underscore the contrapuntal aspects of
the tune.
Another standout is Take Me. This track lilts
along with pure joy, and the duet sequences
between tenor and guitar are almost breathtakingly
beautiful, as is Pentney’s piano
solo. The closer, Vincent Youmans’ venerable
Tin Pan Alley classic, I Want to Be Happy is
presented here with a fresh, contemporary
twist, featuring some interesting non-standard
chord changes that perfectly illustrate
the cognitive dissonance of the search for
personal happiness in a seemingly cold, rigid,
unforgiving world – just as it was in the Great
Depression.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke
HOME.S.
Esbjörn Svensson
ACT 9053-2 (actmusic.com)
! During the 28
years when he
was active, pianist
Esbjörn Svensson
(1964-2008) was all
the rage. The music
that he created with
his trio e.s.t. had an
thewholenote.com February & March, 2023 | 63