Jazz Articles
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Philippe Cote / Francois Bourassa: Confluence
by Dan McClenaghan
Confluence, on its surface, may come off as a minor work of art. It is the juxtaposition of just two instruments--saxophone and piano--braiding sounds together in what seems an improvisational mode. Francois Bourassa stays in the piano chair. Philippe Cote's seating arrangement shifts between tenor and soprano saxophones, piano and prepared piano. But the limitation of instrumentation in the hands of these Montreal-based artists contains mysterious depths--intricate swirls of silts appearing beneath the surface of crystalline water. Influences of modern ...
read moreMelissa Pipe Sextet: Of What Remains
by Hrayr Attarian
On the enchanting Of What Remains, her debut as a leader, Canadian saxophonist and bassoonist Melissa Pipe delightfully blurs the boundaries between jazz and western classical music. Pipe leads a cohesive sextet on seven of her haunting originals, on the theme of time, and an arrangement of Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits' “Puudutus." For instance, “La Part Des Anges" opens with Pipe playing the main motif on her airy bassoon, with support from drummer Mili Hong's effervescent beats. After ...
read moreMelissa Pipe Sextet: Of What Remains
by Dan McClenaghan
Montreal-based multi-reedist Melissa Pipe's artistic vision is fully formed. Her debut recording, Of What Remains, features a sextet which explores darkness with deep tones--Pipe plays baritone sax and bassoon here--by delving into temporality, the shifting of time and being, via chamber music reveries and jazz grooves. Noir is a word which comes immediately to mind on the disc's opener, “Complainte du vent," and its follow-up, “La part des anges." a pair of somber tunes which may evoke a ...
read moreMontreal Jazz Trio: Montreal Jazz Trio
by Dan McClenaghan
We had the Modern Jazz Quartet, sometimes tagged MJQ, from 1952 until--after a stop and start or two--the early 90's. They were a class act, playing in formal attire, playing classically-influenced jazz with a dollop (sometimes more than a dollop) of the blues. Restraint and laid back complexity was the name of the game. Now we have the Montreal Jazz Trio (we could call them MJT, though there is no indication that they have ever claimed that title) ...
read moreJacques Kuba Seguin: Migrations
by Dan McClenaghan
Montreal-based trumpeter/composer Jacques Kuba Sequin's Migrations celebrates people from a wide array of cultural communities in Quebec, Canada. The exploration of those multicultural groups results in Sequin's dynamically sculpted sound that is cohesive, celebratory and anthemic. His investigative interviews of the people he is celebrating here reveal a conglomeration of unabashed optimists, glowing with the joy of life. The music doesn't lie. The instrumentation--a sort of Modern Jazz Quartet rhythm section--vibes, piano, bass, drums--paints an understated backdrop for ...
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