Recording: Myra Melford's Fire and Water Trio

Artist: Myra Melford's Fire and Water Trio

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at 918 Bathurst (Women From Space Festival 2025 – Night 3), March 8, 2025.

Myra Melford's Fire and Water Trio - [excerpt 1]

Myra Melford's Fire and Water Trio - [excerpt 2]

Once more, the Women From Space Festival filled up the, er, space at 918 Bathurst with joyous, colourful art and an enthusiastic community vibe. After big band blasts and movement in the round, the third and final night brought some top-tier sounds to the stage.

The festival closed with this trio (a distillation of the larger quintet of the same name), seeing pianist Myra Melford joined by Ingrid Laubrock (sax) and Lesley Mok (percussion). True to the group's moniker, there were some energetic, burning passages here was well as slower, deep-flowing conversations.

Recording: Kris Davis & Ingrid Laubrock

Artist: Kris Davis & Ingrid Laubrock

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at 918 Bathurst (Women From Space Festival – Night 4), March 8, 2020.

Kris Davis & Ingrid Laubrock - unknown

After spending three nights at the cozier Burdock, Women From Space wrapped up its second festival on International Women's Day, moving to the more expansive surroundings at 918 Bathurst — and it packed the place out for a triumphant conclusion. In retrospect, this was for many of us "the last big night out", the last night when hugs and handshakes were exchanged without reserve. The words "social distancing" had been uttered, but they were still an abstraction, compared to say, sharing a piece of cake or lingering with a group of friends. It is possible that these things might be thinkable again when International Women's Day rolls around again next year — one can only hope that Kayla Milmine and Bea Labikova get a chance to build upon the success of this year's festival.

The festival closed out with some big-name internationally touring headliners, although pianist Kris Davis and saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock have plenty of local Toronto connections. Their duo pieces moved from dense clusters to slowly-building harmonies, but I was most mesmerized by the beguiling drone, featuring some e-bowed piano string work from Davis.

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: Perch Hen Brock & Rain

Artist: Perch Hen Brock & Rain

Song: [first piece, first section]

Recorded at Array Space (TONE Festival – Show #4), June 20, 2017.

Perch Hen Brock & Rain - [first piece, first section]

Although the local "jazz" festival is anticipated in some quarters, it seemed that too often there was no home there for adventurous and experimental creators. Thus, out of necessity, the TONE Festival was born to give these touring musicians a chance to connect with local audiences and artists. A collaboration between Burn Down the Capital's Tad Michalak, Ron Gaskin (a.k.a. Rough Idea) and Karen Ng and Daniel Pencer, the goal was to create shows that were rewarding for players and listeners alike. Deploying some playful nicknames for their group moniker, Perch Hen Brock & Rain brings together Ab Baars (on tenor sax and shakuhachi), Ig Henneman (viola), Ingrid Laubrock (tenor sax and bubble-blowing) and Tom Rainey (percussion). This multi-national quartet felt like a product of the Dutch improvisatory school — perhaps if only because of a somewhat stoic, phlegmatic appearance that was at odds with the passion and inventiveness of their music. Playing together for a few years now (and with a live release under their belt to tour on) this crew presented drones like grey, ashen beaches in winter that would then come to life in subtle and surprising ways.