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| Josh Cole's Kind Mind (Karen Ng & Michael Davidson) announces introspective, improvisational vinyl debut (out: Oct. 20th) Josh Cole's Kind Mind is yet another imaginative outfit to emerge from Toronto's vibrant and curious-minded jazz scene. The trio comprises Cole (of the Brodie West Quintet, October Trio, and Sandro Perri's band) on bass and electronics, acclaimed saxophonist/ clarinettist Karen Ngand the dexterousMichael Davidsonon vibraphone and marimba. Their music is a finespun hybrid of their leader's warm compositional signatures and the ensemble's improvisational perspicacity, peppered with delicate electronic treatments and environmental recordings. Throughout this new outing—their vinyl debut—the band continually walks the borders between chamber music and jazz, building gentle, compact forms with generous amounts of space, graceful melodic figures, and ear-catching textural details. This interplay between these (and other) elements produces a broad spectrum of different results, giving the record a wondrous episodic quality. Opener "The Subway" sways slowly, presenting each voice intertwining while remaining completely distinct, but by the next track they're already elsewhere. "Talking Makes It Worse" employs a bed of dust-caked loops over which the trio converse in animated abstractions. On the brief fourth piece, "A 10 Minute Walk From Here, " the group is fully submerged in a field recording. Later tracks are just as eloquent and succinct, deftly blending acoustic and electronic colours to formulate an evocative sound that's all their own. It's natural that this band is able to inhabit such a specific aesthetic given the pedigree of its members. JazzJournal's Andy Hamilton once hailed Karen Ng as "a compelling, original voice on alto saxophone"and her extensive creative resumé corro-borates this appraisal. Ng is a passionate collaborator and thrilling soloist, lending her impeccable control and enviable vocabulary to The Weather Station, Andy Shauf, Lido Pimienta, and Do Make Say Think. She's also a key contributor to acclaimed groups such as the Rob Clutton Trio, p2p, See Through 4, and Craig Dunsmuir's Dun Dun Band. Ng's boundless collaborative energy also extends to the curatorial realm where she has been a vital part of the Guelph Jazz Festival (2019-22), the TONE Festival, the Music Gallery, Canadian Music Centre's CMC Presents Series. and others. Michael Davidson is a mallet instrument virtuoso, whose considerable skill acts strictly as a conduit for his vivid imagination. Like his two compatriots, Davidson's foundations are in jazz but he's active in nearly every imaginable musical style from pop to free improvisation. He's part of the David Occhipinti Quartet, The Ryan Driver Sextet, Andrew Downing's Otterville, Aline Homzy's Étoile Magique, Pete Johnston's See Through 4 and leads / co-leads outfits such as Memo, Hobson's Choice, and the duo Clock Radio alongside bassist Daniel Fortin, with whom he also runs the imprint Elastic Recordings. Once referred to as "striking"by jazz tastemaker Downbeat, he is also featured on recordings by the likes of Joe Chambers (on Blue Note), Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph Shabason, Jennifer Castle, Little Annie, and Masahiro Takahashi. A native of Vancouver, Josh Cole has resided in Toronto since 2010 where he has become an indispensable part of the local music community. Even well before said move, Cole was the subject of much acclaim. His band October Trio released two albums with the beloved Vancouver imprint Songlines. As Will Layman of PopMatters noted in a review of the band, "Cole can be coolly lyrical, he can write a controlled "classical" counterpoint, he can drop in some funk, and he can also let the improvisers loose in the stratosphere." Cole's collaborations have included artists such as Sandro Perri, Brodie West, John Oswald, Nick Fraser, Ryan Driver, Lina Allemano, Robin Dann (Bernice), Allison Cameron, Ken Aldcroft, Colin Fisher, Peter Zummo, and Knower among others. Catch Kind Mind touring in support of this release at Toronto's Tranzac on October 19th, Vancouver October 28th at Iron Works (presented by Coastal Jazz and Blues) and Calgary October 29th at Highline Brewery (presented by Bug Incision) "Each track stretches across several minutes, but the experience they create is one of a fractured, or fragmented, forum of ideas—motifs come and go, each with their own sense of internal coherence[...] Every so often, the trio finds union in a shared melody or brief glimpses of consonance. But these moments are fleeting, and the ensemble's search is ongoing—they keep turning over stones, exposing wriggling bits of life." — Brennan McCracken, Musicworks "I like the trio's unique musical vision, its tender and determined sound and the way it is delivered: with quality and precision. To create your own voice in the crowded musical environment of today is a feat." — Stef Gijssels, Free Jazz Blog "Phrases often seem deliberately tentative, and exclamations sometimes evaporate into question marks [...] The group's use of space allows for their improvisations to possess distinctive shape and structure, so that when Kind Mind goes full throttle the element of surprise is on their side." — Yoshi Maclear Wall, The WholeNote TRACK LISTING AND CREDITS: the subway talking makes it worse the bar a 10 minute walk from here inside red deer expectations daughters holding pattern over the bridge tired KAREN NG alto saxophone, clarinet, synth; MICHAEL DAVIDSON vibraphone, marimba, pedals; JOSH COLE double bass, sampler/field recordings, pedals, synth; SANDRO PERRI additional electronics; JOE STRUTT field recording track 9. 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11 composed by Josh Cole (SOCAN) 2, 4, 7, 9, 10 composed by Cole/Davidson/Ng (SOCAN) PRODUCED by Josh Cole with assistance from Matthew Pencer and Sandro Perri. RECORDED by Ian Gomes at Union Sound Toronto, ON May 21-23, 2022 MIXED by Sandro Perri. MASTERED by Fedge. ART by Sonia Beckwith. DESIGN by Michael J Young write your comments about the article :: © 2023 Jazz News :: home page |