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Modus Factor: The Picasso Zone
by Dave Wayne
Versatiity is the key to the musical success of The Picasso Zone by the multi-national, polystylistic electric jazz trio Modus Factor. Based in Toronto, Modus Factor is comprised of Canadian drummer (and putative bandleader) Chris Lesso, trumpeter Brownman Ali--originally from Trinidad--and Uganada- born bassist Ian De Souza. Clearly, these guys' diverse origins contributed to their abiding ...
Snaggle: The Long Slog
by Dave Wayne
In the art world, labeling oneself as “the next (fill in the blank)" or “(name of country)'s answer to (fill in the blank)" is a risky ploy that may reap short-term benefits in terms of quickly generating a fan base, but may actually be detrimental in terms of creative sustainability. The : Toronto-based jazz-funk- rock sextet ...
Badbadnotgood Is Truly Goodgoodnotbad
by Dave Wayne
Among the pleasantest surprises of 2016, a year replete with many notably unpleasant surprises, was the appearance of IV by the poly-stylistic jazz / instrumental hiphop quartet BadBadNotGood. IV came hot on the heels of Sour Soul, their remarkable 2015 collaboration with Ghostface Killah. If you still bristle when you see the words “jazz" and “hiphop" ...
Modus Factor: The Picasso Zone
by Dan McClenaghan
Modus Factor, a trio based in Toronto, says it creates “Electro ambient improvisational bedlam." An accurate description of their sound except, perhaps, for the bedlam part (for the most part). Featuring a drums/bass/electric trumpet line-up, with effects, the comparisons that come to mind are Nils Petter Molvaer's spacey approach on sets like Switch (OKeh Record, 2014) ...
Shirantha Beddage: Momentum
by Dave Wayne
The fact that Momentum is only Shirantha Beddage's third album as a leader since 2007 suggests that he's either putting a lot of thought into his music, or that he has a lot of other stuff going on. One thing he has going on is composing music for the FX television series Fargo. Still, it's kind ...
Autobahn: Of the Tree
by Dave Wayne
Not to be confused with the band of the same name from The Big Lebowski (or the similarly-named British indie- rock / emo band, for that matter) this Autobahn is a trio of jolly Canadians who play 21st Century jazz. Not “swinging" jazz in the traditional Blue Note sense, the music of this bass-free trio of ...
Parker Abbott Trio: Elevation
by Dan McClenaghan
It's hard to imagine a musical palette with more sonic possibilities: It's a bunch of 88s: two pianos, combined with an array of electric keyboards: Moogs, MicroKorgs (sounds like small aliens from the planet Korgon), glockenspiels, melodicas, a Hammond B-3 organ, a Nord Electro, a Microbrute (a diminutive schoolyard bully?), a Moog Sub Phatty. And throw ...
Guelph Jazz Festival 2016
by Frank Rubolino
In the small college town of Guelph less than an hour's drive west of Toronto, a significant festival has occurred each September since 1994. Recently retired Artistic Director Ajay Heble prided himself on featuring the very best in improvised music, culling his program from the ranks of the best international purveyors of this music. By combining ...
Elizabeth Shepherd's Trio: Start to Move
by Rokas Kucinskas
It's hard to categorize Elizabeth Shepherd's music--much like a windmill with its stable parts, less and less visible in a motion. Yet a sense of direction isn't absent, and Shepherd offers a wide spectrum of textures ranging from musical complexity to lyrical musicality. The singer-songwriter's debut release Start to Move is full of hidden treasures for ...
Jennifer Gasoi Releases The Storybook-Music CD "Blue And Red Make Purple" On October 1, 2016
This new book with CD, published by The Secret Mountain, offers young listeners a musical journey through the different colors of Jennifer Gasoi’s multi-layered and playful jazz-infused music. The colorful picture book, featuring original illustrations by Steve Adams, highlights the history, instruments and unique characteristics of each musical genre along with listening suggestions accompanying each song. ...
