Necessity is the mother of invention. It’s also the mother of Choices by William Carn. When the Coronavirus locked up venues for performing and recording, the Canadian trombonist was forced to embrace modern music-making technologies. The result is a change of style – and a shift in sentiment too.
Carn has released three albums as part of the nine-piece band Carn Davidson 9, which he leads with his wife, the saxophonist Tara Davidson. That group features four brass players and three reed players. The tracks on Choices involve much smaller constellations, with each musician safely and separately recording their instrument at home.
The album starts with a short introductory piece called Breathe In. Chords fade. A trombone riff dissolves. A slow heartbeat falters. The composition does a good job of recalling the low-energy malaise of seemingly never-ending lockdown periods.
Heroyim Slava is the third song on the record. Its name means “glory to the heroes” in Ukrainian, and the track includes samples of Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking at a press conference following a deadly Russian missile attack. Again, the music transports the listener back in time. Its funereal brass riff and out-of-joint keyboard pattern conjure up early images of the return of military conflict to the continent of Europe.
There’s some contrast offered by Get Up, a funky and uptempo number with synthesizers and soulful solos. Carn even sings on The Gift, a love song written for his wife. The vocal is distant and dreamy-eyed, while the trombone solo adds a clear voice calling out through the candlelight.
Choices is a record that reflects, recalls and reacts to the experience of a global pandemic. William Carn explores new instrumentations while expressing fresh feelings through his compositions. The mother of invention’s latest offspring is handsome and honest. What parent could hope for more?
Discography
Breathe In; The Inertia Of Complacency; Heroyim Slava; Get Up; Goodbye Old Friend; The Gift; Breathe Out (26.02)
Carn (tb, kyb, v); William Sperandei (t); Jesse Ryan (as); Kelly Jefferson (ts); HiFiLo aka Todd Pentney (kyb); Ernesto Cervini (d); Larnell Lewis (d). Various locations, USA and Canada, 2023.
williamcarn.com / WC004
