Split Cycle
Thursday, May 16, 2013
GigSpace Performance Studio

Split Cycle, a group split between Montreal and NYC, performed Thursday in Ottawa on GigSpace’s new stage. They played tunes from their new self-titled CD, and some brand-new tunes written right before the tour. They played intricately woven modern jazz that swung and that rocked, that softly brushed, grooved in time, and freely escaped the constraints of time.

The band played music they are passionate about, music that was intense harmonically, melodically, and especially rhythmically. The collective of musicians would take turns counting in their own tunes, while the others buried their faces in their music stands.

The night started off with the leaping intervallic melody of “Samuraikatagi”, before falling into its 13/4 groove on which guitarist Aki Ishiguro soloed as bassist Nicolas Letman-Burtinovic and drummer Martin Auguste swung behind him. After returning to its melody and deceptive non-ending, saxophonist Samuel Blais took an unaccompanied alto solo that caused the band to slowly erupt, returning to the 13/4 groove and then ending with a pretty and new melodic section.

Read more: Split Cycle plays intricately-woven modern jazz (review)

Jeff Johnston Trio
Friday, April 26, 2013
GigSpace Performance Studio

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It was a night where the music flowed out over the audience, and they responded with rapt attention.

After an absence of many years, pianist Jeff Johnston brought his trio to Ottawa April 26. The occasion: the release of his new album, the first in more than a decade.

So long-time fans of the Newfoundland-born, Montreal-based pianist, some of whom had already heard the album, were anticipating the concert even before it started. And Johnston, bassist Fraser Hollins, and drummer Rich Irwin did not disappoint them.

The show consisted of originals from the new album, Returning, plus several interesting standards, played intensely and melodically in a way that made full use of the quietness and excellent acoustics of GigSpace.

Johnston started alone on the piano, introducing “How Deep is the Ocean”. He carefully took the song apart and arranged it in new patterns – before the bass and drums joined in for a an assured recounting of the standard. You could hear immediately that this trio had experience playing together: they smoothly switched places and easily supported one another.

The remaining songs in the first set were all originals from Returning, each of which used resonance and echo to add drama and interest to the music. In “At You”, Johnston and Hollins traded the lead but each built up the strong tune. “What” began with ghostly effects on drums and bass, with a few reverberant notes on piano following. Unlike the other songs in the set, it stayed sparse and somewhat jagged, increasing in intensity and speed until finally resolving to a still-sparse melody, with repeated fast runs of notes on both piano and bass.

Read more: Jeff Johnston Trio enraptures the audience (review)

Big Mama!
National Arts Centre Theatre
April 27 to May 11, 2013

The story of the blues parallels the story of jazz for many years. Both originally came out of the black experience, both were referred to as race music for many years, and both heavily influenced each other.

So the story of Willie Mae Thornton, the blues singer, born at the beginning of the jazz era and living through almost the entire 20th century – that's a story that jazz fans can enjoy and understand, especially as portrayed by Toronto jazz vocalist Jackie Richardson.

Richardson's characterization of Thornton was full of charm and rage. With a voice that could blow off barn doors and an intense physical presence, she was mesmerizing. From the moment she strode on stage at the matinée performance I attended, she had the audience wrapped up in her story and in her music.

Dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and a worn checked over-shirt, she was Big Mama Thornton, a force of nature. And for the next 90 minutes she told Thornton's story, from her birth in 1926 as one of seven children of a Baptist preacher until her death in 1984, and sang the songs that made her famous.

Richardson is an actress, with a long list of credits at the NAC, in Toronto, and across Canada. She's also a well-known jazz singer, who has played with Canadian jazz musicians ranging from Joe Sealy to Peter Appleyard to Oliver Jones to Guido Basso. (Those who saw Sealy's Africville Stories show in Ottawa in 2012 won't easily forget her; her voice easily filled Christ Church Cathedral and brought Sealy's lyrics to blazing life.) The role of Thornton was originally written for her by playwright Audrei-Kairen in 1999, and then expanded and toured across Western Canada. The play was revived last year by the Belfry Theatre in Victoria, whose production came to the NAC.

Read more: Big Mama heals through the blues

Michael Blake's Variety Hour
Fred Hersch Trio
2013 Ottawa Winter Jazz Festival
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Dominion Chalmers United Church

It was too bad the Dominion Chalmers United Church wasn't even half-full for the first night of the Ottawa Winter Jazz Festival. Those who weren't there missed an inspired concert by pianist Fred Hersch, preceded by intricate compositions well-played by Michael Blake's Variety Hour.

Blake has been living in NYC for the last 25 years, but was raised and educated in Vancouver. For this concert, and for his 2012 album, In the Grand Scheme of Things, he teamed up with three musicians well-known on the Vancouver scene: JP Carter on trumpet and electronics, Chris Gestrin on Fender Rhodes electric piano and Moog Micromoog synthesizer, and Dylan van der Schyff on drums.

Their 70-minute set essentially recapitulated the first half of the CD: the same five originals by Blake in the same order as on the CD.

The group opened with “Road to Lusaka”, which featured several contrapuntal duets between Blake and Carter. It opened quietly, in a muted mode, but quickly built up in speed and loudness, with the drums below rolling like thunder. It introduced several features common to Blake's compositions: many textures layered on each other to create considerable depth of sound; and significant electronic alterations in the sound, particularly on synthesizer and trumpet. This was no surprise to the observant listener; you could see up-front that electronic processing was going to be important to the show, with the variety and number of gadgets that Carter was using, completely filling the music stand in front of him.

Read more: Fred Hersch Trio: fluid, melodic music for the heart and mind (review)

Hamid Drake and Jesse Stewart filled GigSpace with sound – and people – on Friday night.

The two renowned percussionists – one from Chicago, one from Ottawa – have known each other for a decade, and as Stewart mentioned in his introduction, have had long discussions about music whenever they've met. But this was their first chance to actually perform together.

They played two concerts, each about 75-80 minutes long, each completely improvised. But both are well-known improvisers in many different contexts, and there was no hesitation or jerkiness in the music. They listened, they interposed, they moved smoothly from instrument to instrument as inspiration occurred.

Each started out on a standard drum set, but also included other instruments: a waterphone, a handheld marimba, a string of bells, and a bass harmonica for Stewart, and a frame drum for Drake. They both also played the shared congas, and used a small bronze bowl at different times to produce a lovely singing tone which filled the room.

Read more: Hamid Drake and Jesse Stewart fill GigSpace with complex sounds

Molly Johnson
NAC Presents
Friday, March 8, 2013
Studio, National Arts Centre

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A few bass notes sounded, followed by the piano: a quiet ballad intro for a few bars. And then Molly Johnson slipped onto the stage of the NAC Studio, opened her mouth, and the whole energy level of the room hopped up by several orders of magnitude.

The stage was simply dressed with a few Paisley rugs; the lighting was static and unobtrusive. The audience's whole attention was focused on the musicians, and the vibe was intense.

It was Johnson singing jazz standards and her greatest hits. It was an audience with a large percentage of her long-time fans. And, combined with a great backing trio, it was a concert to remember.

Most of the songs came from her 2011 best-of collection, The Molly Johnson Songbook, and covered her entire career. They ranged from ballads to blues to sassy up-tempo numbers, and all were delivered in her uniquely husky and expressive voice.

She was well supported by a trio of Toronto musicians who really know how to swing – and how to lightly accompany quieter numbers. Johnson noted that bassist Mike Downes had been playing with her for 20 years; pianist Robi Botos and drummer Larnell Lewis are more recent additions, but all four were clearly comfortable and copacetic together.

Johnson began with the Gershwin standard, “But not for me”, a swinging number which she ended with a vocal flourish – a style she'd repeat several times that evening. Then came a jazzy version of the country hit, “Ode to Billie Joe”, where the piano mimicked the cadences of her voice as she told the story, and in which she scatted on repeated individual words in the song. “Let's waste some time” was delivered as a confessional ballad, with seductive overtones.

Read more: Molly Johnson ups the energy and vibe at a sold-out NAC show

Roddy Ellias Ensemble with Yadong Guan, John Geggie, and Guy Pelletier
Roddy Ellias Concert Series
Saturday, February 23, 2013
GigSpace Performance Studio

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Opposite Diana Krall on Saturday night was a much more intimate concert at the small venue inside Alcorn Studios: the GigSpace. It was a quiet concert of intricately-arranged pieces of music, music that ensemble leader and composer Roddy Ellias described as “chamber jazz”. 

The music had an enhancing complexity, not the kind that was complicated just to be nerdy. The pieces recalled the sounds of compositions by Claude Debussy and Wayne Shorter with their rich harmonies and their Oriental tint, but found a nice middle between their levels of improvisation and composition. The instrumentation, to my knowledge, was one of a kind; with Roddy Ellias on classical guitar, John Geggie on double bass, Guy Pelletier alternating between flute, bass flute and alto flute, and Yadong Guan on pipa.

The concert started with Roddy Ellias introducing the ensemble members, who were hidden behind their individual music stands on a stage that was just big enough for all four of them. Yadong Guan described her instrument to the audience, mentioning that it is tuned to A, D, E, A and has more than 2000 years of history in China. It was surprisingly loud for an instrument that lacked a sound hole and wasn’t amplified. She played it with five plastic nails to protect her fingers and she held the instrument vertically as it sat on her lap.

The first piece was a composition by Ellias in four movements, although the fourth was not played this evening. The first movement, fittingly named “Calm”, began with improvised sounds that were reminiscent of Lenny Breau’s solo guitar playing. Then the pipa and guitar played a melody in unison while the guitar also played accompaniment, like a piano playing the melody with the right hand and accompanying itself with the left.

Read more: Roddy Ellias Ensemble plays an intimate concert of intricate music

Diana Krall
NAC Presents
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Southam Hall, National Arts Centre

Partway through Diana Krall's Saturday concert an old image of Krall's Great-Aunt Jean was projected on the extra-large video screen behind the musicians. Her great-aunt was in her (fairly plain) skivvies and standing in front of a piano.

Which of course brings up the substantially more sexy picture of Krall on the front of her latest album, Glad Rag Doll, which is supposed to evoke the same era. In fact, the photo of Great-Aunt Jean was not salacious at all, and she looked extremely cute and primarily interested in the piano.

The same could be said for the first night of Krall's two-night stint at the National Arts Centre. The Krall we saw there was not a sexy siren, but rather a working musician who joked with her bassist, had fun talking to and teasing the audience, and played piano and sang with clear ebullience.

The music was primarily the 1920s and 30s songs from Glad Rag Doll, music which Krall has said she learned from old family 78s. But she also resurrected several Nat King Cole tracks, including “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” from her 1996 album, All for You, and included more modern pieces by Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. The overall sound had a 1920s feel – or at least Krall's reimagination of that feel – generally syncopated, bright instrumentals, but showcasing lyrics often on the melancholy side.

Krall was accompanied by bassist Dennis Crouch (who also appears on Glad Rag Doll), Aram Bajakian on electric guitar, violinist Stuart Duncan (who doubled on guitar and ukulele), Karriem Riggins on drums, and Patrick Warren on keyboards and hand organ.

Read more: Diana Krall invokes the spirit of the Glad Rag Dolls (review)

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On Sunday, February 10, Ottawa composer Ryan Purchase presented the first public performance of his nine-movement suite titled "Morphology of a Lover".

Performing with him were many of the musicians who contributed to the improvised composition and recording of the suite, soon to be released on CD.

The four core musicians: Purchase on trombone, Joel Kerr on bass, Mike Essoudry on drums, and Yoni Kaston on accordion and clarinet were joined for individual songs by Craig Pedersen on trumpet, Mark Molnar and Raphael Weinroth-Browne on cello, and Linsey Wellman on alto sax.

Purchase stated up-front that the music played that night could be very different from the CD because much of it would be improvised, even though it shared the same basic concepts.

It was an evening of intricate interactions among the instruments. The sound moved from quite sparse and quiet for the first three movements, to much denser and louder near the end. The fourth movement, "Her Neck", which also featured Pedersen, had all five instruments vibrating, each in a different manner: buzzing trumpet, roughly-bowed bass, clattering drums, resonant accordion, and fast hard riffs on trombone -- and ended with a drum roll.

Read more: "Morphology of a Lover": Intricate instrumental interactions (review)

Roddy Ellias and Gene Bertoncini
Roddy Ellias 2012-13 Concert Series, #5
Saturday, January 19, 2013
GigSpace Performance Studio

The next show in Roddy's concert series is this Saturday, February 23: the Roddy Ellias Ensemble, with pipa, flutes, bass, and guitar.

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One of the joys of hearing two master guitarists play together is their unpredictability. They have the whole ocean of jazz and jazz standards to splash around in, and they needn't just grab from the shallows, or keep to the pre-planned course.

If they want to ad-lib: well, the audience is there to hear them, not any one particular song.

Guitarists Roddy Ellias (Ottawa) and Gene Bertoncini (NYC) played two back-to-back concerts mid-January in the intimate confines of GigSpace. The 7 p.m. show was not only sold out but oversold; we heard the last few minutes, which were very quiet and intense. OttawaJazzScene.ca attended the 9 p.m. show, which was less packed and a bit more relaxed.

Ellias and Bertoncini have played together at least once before, in the first “Roddy and Friends” invitational series at Café Paradiso in 2009. They were at ease with each other, having fun playing, trading stories, and sharing the joy of the music.

Read more: Melody into places far afield: Roddy Ellias with Gene Bertoncini (review)

John Geggie / Jean-Nicolas Trottier / Frank Lozano / Thom Gossage
Geggie Concert Series 12/13, #1
Saturday, February 16, 2013
National Arts Centre, Fourth Stage

One of the joys of John Geggie's long-running Invitational series is how he introduces local audiences to fine musicians they may not have heard before.

For this show, it was Montreal trombonist Jean-Nicolas Trottier, who, alone and in conjunction with saxophonist Frank Lozano, produced rich and intricate sounds which easily melded with Geggie's firm bass and Thom Gossage's playful drumming.

The concert, the first in this year's somewhat abbreviated series, attracted a full house. Geggie noted it was “great to see so many familiar faces”, with many fans from previous years in attendance.

The musicians each contributed originals to the set list for two 45-minute sets. The songs ranged from relatively melodic to fairly free, but not on the extreme edge in either direction.

The first set opened with “Acid Bunny” by Trottier: a flowing piece with Lozano on soprano sax and Trottier on trombone first playing a strong groove in unison. Trottier then produced a rich yet clear and controlled solo, followed by Lozano's soprano curlicuing upwards, as the bass and drums maintained a steady blues-tinged beat with occasional ornamentation.

Read more: 2012-13 Geggie Series: In rich harmony (review)

Elizabeth Shepherd
Friday, February 8, 2013
National Arts Centre Fourth Stage

Elizabeth Shepherd produced a night of bittersweet music for a full house, at her NAC debut on February 8.

The show opened dramatically with “Love for Sale” by Cole Porter, the first song from her latest CD, Rewind. As on the CD, the Montreal-based vocalist emphasized the irony and the contrast between the light, romantic melody and the bleak lyrics. Singing in a slightly distanced manner, she first gestured with her hands and then used the piano to emphasize the syncopation in the melody.

The show's setlist ranged across Shepherd's career, with the jazz standards from Rewind fitting in well with originals from previous albums. If there was one defining characteristic, it was the contrast between her clear, smooth soprano and the strong underlying beat. One could enjoy the concert as a piano trio, as a collection of jazz songs, or as a combination of both.

Shepherd, playing piano and singing, was supported by two long-time musical compatriots, Ross MacIntyre on double bass and Colin Kingsmore on drums. Neither was a mere accompanist. For example, “Midnight Sun” (by jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton) began with MacIntyre's supple bass riff against strongly accented piano from Shepherd and hand-clapping from Kingsmore. Shepherd and McIntyre later continued in a duet, his bass echoing her melodies and fast rhythms on piano; then Shepherd and Kingsmore traded individual notes, his on cowbell and drums. Shepherd changed her vocal phrasing throughout the song as well, adding extra space as she repeated lyrics – and the whole was greeted by strong applause at the end.

Read more: Elizabeth Shepherd plays bittersweet music for a full house (review)

John Scofield Trio
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
La Maison de la Culture, Gatineau

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The opening night of the John Scofield Trio’s tour of Quebec began in the dimly lit, brilliant acoustics of the theatre of La Maison de la Culture de Gatineau, where its attentive audience barely made a whisper – when they weren’t cheering enthusiastically.

Scofield grooved with his mouth open, at times singing his parts and bending his knees dancing to the music. Drummer Bill Stewart demonstrated his prowess when holding down the groove, occasionally unleashing his ferocious mastery with the full force of his body. Bassist Scott Colley had his eyes focused on both Scofield and Stewart when he wasn't trancing with his solos, complementing both Stewart and Scofield as if he could read their minds.

It was a night of group interplay, hard swing, country ballads, blues, atmospheric soundscapes and, of course, groove. With this trio, Scofield demonstrated that he isn’t just a funk rock or jazz fusion guitar player, as he is popularly known. He reaffirmed to local audiences that he is more than capable of playing straight-ahead jazz without losing the trademark Scofield-isms that he’s known and relished for.

Read more: John Scofield at la Maison de la Culture (review)

Cory Weeds Quartet with Steve Davis
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
National Arts Centre, Fourth Stage

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Mid-way through his Ottawa concert, saxophonist Cory Weeds slowed down the blues and bop to acknowledge the three unexpected losses from the Canadian jazz community this month.

He first remembered Ottawa's Jacques Emond and Toronto's Del Dako, but it was clearly the death of Vancouver saxophonist Ross Taggart which had hit him the hardest. Taggart had been both his mentor and his close friend, and a musician he'd played with many times.

In remembrance, the band played Taggart's composition, “Thinking of You”. Weeds opened with a slow, sad line on tenor sax, and Steve Davis similarly responded on trombone. It was a reflective ballad, with strong piano chords underpinning it (Taggart played both piano and sax professionally), and attracted strong applause.

Although quite different in style from most of the repertoire that night, it showed off the strength of the group Weeds had assembled for this cross-continent tour. It was a collaboration of east and west: Weeds, pianist Tilden Webb, bassist Ken Lister, and drummer Jesse Cahill, all from Vancouver, and trombonist Steve Davis from New York City.

Read more: Cory Weeds Quartet with Steve Davis: remembering music and musicians past

Holly Cole Christmas
Thursday, December 20, 2012
National Arts Centre Theatre

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CBC Radio will broadcast selections from this concert on Christmas Eve at 6 p.m. (Radio 2, 103.3 FM) and on Christmas Day at 6 p.m. (Radio 1, 91.5 FM).

It's a difficult task to pick songs for what's billed as a Christmas concert. Unless you want to remind your audience of school auditoriums, you don't want to go "All carols, all the time" or even all seasonal songs.

Vocalist Holly Cole solved that by salting her concert Thursday night with just enough seasonal music – all impeccably jazz – to justify its Christmas billing, while also including favourite hits and a selection of songs from her latest CD, Night.

During her decades-long career, Cole has gathered many fans, and the enthusiasm was evident in the sold-out theatre even before the music started. Parents had brought their children (some dressed in Christmas finery); others were clearly there for a date night. The concert was being taped by CBC Radio, and announcer Meg Wilcox asked the audience to preview three levels of applause to allow the technicians to calibrate recording levels. You could hear the anticipation, as the loudest applause level reverberated around the NAC Theatre.

Read more: Holly Cole Christmas at the NAC (review)