Recording: Emily Denison Septet

Artist: Emily Denison Septet

Songs: Crazy [composer: Willie Nelson] + And So It Goes [composer: Billy Joel]

Recorded at The Emmet Ray, July 29, 2018.

Emily Denison Septet - Crazy

Emily Denison Septet - And So It Goes

Though currently based in Montréal, trumpeter Emily Denison makes fairly frequent forays to her old stomping grounds — and this busy Sunday saw a flurry of activity. This group — a fairly ambitious undertaking for a late afternoon slot at a quiet bar — was probably as much as anything a chance for Denison to flex her muscles as an arranger and have a chance to perform with some old comrades. Bringing soft lushness to both pop and jazz tunes meant that the likes of Sam Amidon and Thelonious Monk were rubbing shoulders and fit in equally in Denison's aesthetic of niceness ("only the most wholesome music that sounds as sweet as honey"). It was also a good opportunity to hear Laura Swankey as a song-singer, given most of the places we cross paths hew towards improvisation. The group also included Nelson Moneo (viola), Beth Silver (cello), Patrick O'Reilly (guitar), Victor Vrankulj (double bass), and Mark Ballyk (drums).

[Emily Denison will be back in town — and back at The Emmet Ray — as part of Nick Fraser's "new(ish)" quartet next week (Monday, September 24th) and the same group will be at The Tranzac the following night.]

Recording: Bellwether4

Artist: Bellwether4

Song: Suite [in two parts] [composer: Anthony Argatoff]^*

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), April 18, 2018.

Bellwether4 - Suite, Part 1

Bellwether4 - Suite, Part 2

Having all the members of Bellwether4 in town at the same time meant it was necessary to grab a slot at The Tranzac, even if it was an unusual extra-early one. That gave Emily Denison (trumpet), Anthony Argatoff (alto saxophone), Victor Vrankulj (double bass), and Andrew Miller (percussion) a chance to take a spin through their book with pieces coming from all members (as well as one by past honoured guest Joe Sorbara). Moving from amped-up études to groovy bumblebee flights it was rewarding to get an increasingly-rare chance to see the band in action as they slide away to other cities and other scenarios.

^* This was called out with just the generic title "Suite". It may have a more complete name — please leave a comment if you know it!

Recording: Farewellwether 4

Artist: Farewellwether 4

Song: Anthropologie

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), July 26, 2017.

Farewellwether 4 - Anthropologie

Yet another playful renaming from the Bellwether 4 crew not only signified a different guest drummer (Nick Fraser, this time 'round), but marked the occasion of the group's last "regular" show at The Tranzac before Anthony Argatoff and Emily Denison decamped to Montréal. As such, there was a bit of tristesse beneath the usual good-natured ribbing and bonus snacks. We were told that these talented young players will be back in the city on a regular basis, but Montréal's gain is definitely a loss for the local community.

Recording: Smellwether 4

Artist: "Smellwether 4"

Song: Something Else^*

Recorded at Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), April 26, 2017.

Smellwether 4 - Something Else

This somewhat-whimsical re-naming of Bellwether 4 was meant as an acknowledgement that regular drummer Andrew Miller was out-of-town for this one, and not as a comment on Joe Sorbara, who was serving as his fill-in. Sorbara plays with some of the members of this band on the regular in other projects and fit in quite nicely over two sets as Emily Denison (trumpet), Anthony Argatoff (alto saxophone), and Victor Vrankulj (double bass) each provided some compositions from the group's rapidly-growing book.

^* I do believe that this was the title called out for this one, but I'm not totally sure. I also think it segues into another piece, but I didn't catch the name of that one. Please leave a comment if you can clear this up!

Recording: Bellwether 4

Artist: Bellwether 4

Songs: My Epitaph [composer: Ola Belle Reed; arr. Victor Vrankulj] + GF Goodrich [composer: Andrew Miller]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), January 18, 2017.

Bellwether 4 - My Epitaph

Bellwether 4 - GF Goodrich

Another outgrowth of that young cadre (composed mostly of recent-ish U of T music grads) that has been making lots of great music in the local creative music scenes lately. This particular unit features Emily Denison (trumpet), Anthony Argatoff (alto saxophone), Victor Vrankulj (double bass), and Andrew Miller (drums), each kicking in some of their own compositions and tackling a couple standards. A run through Ornette Coleman's "Latin Genetics" captured their penchant for galloping playfulness that really shines on their recent HAVN-released album. They were competing with a raucous tribute band belting out the tunes of Janis Joplin in the Main Hall (a show that had been rescued from the shuttered Hugh's Room), but the quartet managed to crank things up into some tasty zones. Riffing off each other both in music and conversation, they were at their best when that playful element was at the forefront and they let the tunes breathe and wobble a bit.

[Bellwether4 will be recording a live set (alongside TVT) in performance for the new Rooted series on Saturday, March 4th.]