Dapper Toronto imprint All-Set! Editions may be a newcomer to the subterranean ecosystem of experimental music distribution, but it already has a clearer sense of self than other more established labels. It’s spearheaded by a trio of composer-players, multi-instrumentalist Mike Smith, bassist Pete Johnston and pianist Ali Berkok. Its identity can’t easily be articulated inContinue reading “All-Set! Editions: Essentially Not Jazz”
Genre Archives
Just Got Death. Miella Totomi.
A power trio gone rogue, Montreal-based Just Got Death (JGD) matches the ingot-hard guitar flanges of Sam Shalabi with the surging bass thumps of Jonah Fortune and the nimble percussion accents of Michel F. Côté in a program of seven originals that ricochets between punk-metal energy and sophisticated improvisation. Like a lapel flag-pin that subtlyContinue reading “Just Got Death. Miella Totomi.”
Darcy James Argue Secret Society. Real Enemies.
Its title meant to be taken satirically, Real Enemies is an extended multimedia meditation on paranoia and conspiracy theories—and you can dance to it. Created by Vancouver-born composer Darcy James Argue and interpreted by eighteen of New York’s top improvisers, the thirteen tracks delve into all manner of twentieth- and twenty-first-century conspiracy theories, ranging fromContinue reading “Darcy James Argue Secret Society. Real Enemies.”
Sixth Dither Extravaganza.
Despite its name, the guitar quartet Dither means business. The New York-based group made waves with the 2015 Tzadik release John Zorn’s Olympiad Vol 1: Dither Plays Zorn, with the foursome playing some of Zorn’s less-heard game pieces. But even before that, they were hosting an annual, daylong festival of spirited and eclectic music. TheContinue reading “Sixth Dither Extravaganza.”
The Musical Worldview of Nick Dourado
IT’S A DREARY WINTER NIGHT IN TORONTO. It’s already super late—the last of four bands has already played, and the makeshift bar within the makeshift venue has been closed for a good half hour. Although things are winding down, a healthy crowd is hanging out, chatting, and enjoying the warm, dry indoors. Suddenly, there’s aContinue reading “The Musical Worldview of Nick Dourado”
The Musical Lightness of Éric Normand
The world of improvised music has spawned a core of musician–organizers who have built scenes and networks and record labels to support and extend the music. Few, however, have achieved what Éric Normand has, creating a hotbed of free improvisation in the relatively isolated little city of Rimouski, more than 500 kilometres northeast of MontrealContinue reading “The Musical Lightness of Éric Normand”
Electric Eclectics 2016.
THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE AT ELECTRIC ECLECTICS IS THAT YOU’RE NEVER REALLY BALANCED. The three-day midsummer festival of weird music and art takes place at Gordon Monahan and Laura Kikauka’s Funny Farm in Meaford, Ontario, which has hardly any level ground. The ground in front of the stage slopes away from it, not towardsContinue reading “Electric Eclectics 2016.”
Lerner, Filiano, Grassi. Live at Edgefest.
Although a tale of two cities—three if you count the Ann Arbor, Michigan, recording location—this CD confirms that Toronto pianist Marilyn Lerner has cemented a mutually beneficial musical relationship with bassist Ken Filiano and percussionist Lou Grassi, both based in New York. Like a contemporary auto that doesn’t stint on speed and comfort just becauseContinue reading “Lerner, Filiano, Grassi. Live at Edgefest.”
Not the Wind, Not the Flag. Vermillion.
STALWARTS OF THE TORONTO MUSIC SCENE, guitarist / saxophonist Colin Fisher and percussionist Brandon Valdivia—who collaborate as Not the Wind, Not the Flag—have diverse avant-garde credentials. They have played everything from rock to new music to free jazz, in ensembles of every size. Vermillion, the duo’s first LP after eight years of live shows, cassettes, and CDs,Continue reading “Not the Wind, Not the Flag. Vermillion.”
Ida Toninato. Strangeness Is Gratitude.
There are few Montreal venues Ida Toninato hasn’t shaken with her thunderous saxophone. She is renowned, both locally and abroad, for her powerful tone and her passionate involvement in avant-garde music. In recent years, her practice of improvisation has morphed into composition, in particular using locations with an exceptionally long reverberation time. She now regularlyContinue reading “Ida Toninato. Strangeness Is Gratitude.”