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Dr. Purgatory: The Consumption: A Tragic Folkale in Six Parts
by Dan McClenaghan
Guitarist David Riddel}, aka Dr. Purgatory mixes up the influences of Dutch guitarist Reinier Baas, Maurice Ravel and Bjork and more. “Everything I compose is essentially influenced by her (Bjork's) 2001 album <em>Vespertine</em> (Elektra)," Riddel says. Under those influences, he has produced a futuristic, chamber jazz, {{m: Herbie Hancock-esque fantasy soundtrack of sorts with The Consumption: A Tragic Folk Tale In Six Parts. His septet, featuring his guitars, two reed players, a violin, piano, bass, and drums, makes ...
Continue ReadingCarn Davidson 9: Reverence
by Jack Bowers
The Carn Davidson 9 is a Toronto, Canada-based nonet co-led by trombonist William Carn and saxophonist Tara Davidson whose fourth studio album, Reverence, encompasses a pair of four-part suites, one written by Carn, the other by Davidson. What is most interesting --over and above the depth and quality of the music--is that the suites are not performed sequentially but interspersed, with the first two of Davidson's themes followed by a pair of Carn originals before alternating on the remaining four ...
Continue ReadingLina Allemano Four: Pipe Dream
by Troy Dostert
Recorded in the winter of 2021 during the heart of the COVID pandemic, it is understandable that Pipe Dream, the latest offering from the Lina Allemano Four, has an air of ominous foreboding. Indeed, much of the album is devoted to the “Plague Diaries," a suite inspired by some of the darker themes of that period (with song titles like “Hunger and Murder" and “Doom and Doomer" giving an indication of what is in store). But like all of Allemano's ...
Continue ReadingCarn Davidson 9: The History of Us
by Jack Bowers
From north of the U.S. border comes The History of Us, a warm-hearted album by the Carn Davidson 9, a Toronto-based nonet co-led by trombonist William Carn and saxophonist Tara Davidson. The album consists of a pair of three-part suites, one by Carn, the other by Davidson, separated by Carn's amiable composition, “Goodbye Old Friend," a fond salute to his late and dearly loved cat, Murphy. Carn's “Finding Home" suite, which leads things off, was inspired by ...
Continue ReadingLina Allemano Four: Vegetables
by Troy Dostert
Trumpeter Lina Allemano is one of those artists whose boundless creativity requires numerous outlets for its adequate expression. Her Ohrenschmaus trio is a hard-driving unit that possesses a tenacious energy but somehow leaves room for adventitious excursions. The group's Rats and Mice (Lumo Records) was one of 2020's most intriguing releases. She's also an intrepid innovator on her instrument, particularly renowned for using a range of mutes that expand the options available for her artistry, heard to fine effect on ...
Continue ReadingAndrew Downing: Otterville
by Dan McClenaghan
Canada's Downing clan hails from the Ontario tobacco belt town, Otterville. Andrew Downing--bassist/cellist/composer--home-ported in Toronto now, celebrates the familial stomping grounds with a two CD set laid down by a sextet, plus guests, of an unusual instrumentation. It's an immersion into the simplicity and tranquility of the out-of-the-way, small town experience. Each of the tunes takes the baton from one of the great American tune-smith's--Gershwin, Mercer, Dizzy Gillespie, Jerome Kern, and more--by borrowing bits from classic songs and ...
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