Marques Carroll: Live At Winter’s Jazz Club And Andy’s Jazz Club
Though some live albums can be a bit messy, Marques Carroll’s leadership shines on this double release. Recorded within a month of one another, his sets at Winter’s Jazz Club and Andy’s Jazz Club offer different sides of a talented musician and bandleader. At Winter’s Jazz Club the Chicago-based trumpeter covers material by Rotondi, Gillespie, Hargrove, etc., with two originals thrown in, while he only arranges a Joe Henderson piece on Andy’s, which has five original tracks. These choices are interesting, creating a contrast between the two discs here and giving listeners a wider showcasing of his sound.
One of the clear highlights is Afrocentric. Carroll does a good job of keeping the tune in place while allowing for some creative instrumental dancing. Millertime has a fantastic piano section about two-fifths of the way in. Julius Tucker seems more traditionally inclined than other, more experimental pianists (the sort you’d easily hear on the ECM or April labels). Though there are only six tracks on each live recording, the pieces are in no way diminutive or overbearing. Occasionally, the playing can get a bit long-winded, as on Mode For Mabes. However, that said, the group could never be called boring. Some tunes might not hit with the same force or freshness of interpretation, but the band isn’t sitting on its hands.
Live performances aren’t always successful because of the human factor, but a good jazz group sounds good regardless. Carroll has gathered a fine fellowship to perform not only his original compositions but his arrangements of other jazz artists. These two recordings wonderfully depict his ability to lead and to play. The subtle flavours of post-bop interpretation and musical attitude make for a solid performance that is familiar yet distinct.
Discography
CD1: Millertime; Mode For Mabes; The Stroll (Into Bronzeville); Humboldt Park Westward; Souful; Tin Tin Deo (68.28)
CD2: Afrocentric; The Nurturer’s Footsteps; The March On Montgomery; Olivia Dances With The Keys; Walking Through Evolution With Ris; The Ancestors’ Call Upon Us (66.44)
Carroll (t); Brent Griffin (as); Tucker (p); Micah Collier, Christian Dillingham (b); Ernie Adams, Greg Artry (d). Winter’s Jazz Club, 17 May 2024. / Andy’s Jazz Club, 5-6 April 2024.
JMarq Records JM009
Quentin Lourties: Humankind
French trumpeter Quentin Lourties leads his big band on Humankind with finesse. With a talented team behind him, the composer is in his element. Each track is a response, of sorts, to a real event, and though English listeners might not conceive fully, the music delivers without the contextual support. With such a variety of players, each piece has the opportunity to shine. Though there is a consistent flow throughout, there are well-placed differences that make the listening experience toothsome.
Influenced by a plethora of French composers like Debussy, Ravel and more modern ones, Lourties tries to diversify the beginnings of each track. Now, these are not short pieces. They are long, winding, unfurling compositions. Yet they don’t wind so much as to lose the audience members. Even with pieces like Blizzard Of The Century, the band doesn’t go too far with trying to create a blizzard through sound. There are still interesting sections of life. Then with the tracks with vocals (like L’Ile Aux Merveilles), Lourties retains the balance between band and singer. Though these songs aren’t as mesmerising as the others, they keep one’s attention.
JR-15 gets a bit more lively, more experimental. At about the halfway mark the group slows, gets quiet. We get this unusual echo that seems out of place. Though some might think the transition gimmicky (as it sticks out), it allows the wailing, almost sporadic free flow of instruments as they come in, collide together and weave wickedly. It is a risky but alluring humorousness, and Lourties pulls it off. Humankind, as a whole, succeeds in presenting a fun and thrilling ride.
Discography
Hunger Stones (If You See Me, Cry); Paris 24; Blizzard Of The Century; Warka Tower; L’Ile Aux Merveilles; Smog; JR-15; Les Âmes Perdues (64.08)
Lourties, Joel Chausse, Thomas Mestres, Roman Didier, Nicole Algans, Louis Gachet (t); Loan Buathier (g); Sandro Torsiello, Pierre Bertrand, Jérémie Lucchese (ts) Maxime Mary, Baptiste Dolt (d); Cyril Galamini, Sacha Lourties, Jules Regard (tb); Tristan Boulanger (btb); Margherita Gruden, Gaspard Louet, Noé Huchard (p); Hugo Affetouche, Olga Amerlchenko (as); Charlotte Isenmann (f); Juliette Delas, Monika Kabasele (v); Lou Guitton-Grabias (eu). Studio Ferber, Paris, 2022-2025.
Independent
Whitney Ross-Barris: Curtains Of Light
There is an intriguing line between jazz and pop tunes. Canadian singer Whitney Ross-Barris plays with its fluid borders on Curtains Of Light. Though it has been a few years since her previous release, she hasn’t neglected her singing skills. The album is an easy listen, with several catchy tracks. With an ear for other elements, like soul and classical, the songs aren’t static; there is movement and momentum that drives the listener forward.
Filled with 13 original tracks of varying lengths (one is only 17 seconds), the release has at least one song for everyone. Bourgeois Reverie has a great swing to it. Both vocals and instrumentals blend with communal intention. Other tracks are not quite as successful. As with pop tracks (take your pick), the backing instrumentals keep to the background instead of coming forward. Unlike singers like Stacey Kent, Cyrille Aimée and Madeleine Peyroux, who have a more dynamic ensemble that take the tune at times, Ross-Barris falls into the Dionne Warwick or Jill Barber category of jazz-pop. This isn’t a dismissal; rather, it shows that jazz isn’t just one style of performance.
Curtains Of Light is a lighthearted record. There are some serious vocal chops on exhibit, but it isn’t trying to be “Art”. Tracks like Bird Of Paradise are fun and lively. Sunrise has a contemporary choral sound to it (think Stephen Paulus). Only At Night seems tinged with a romantic air. No one can say that versatility doesn’t exist here. Having experience as a theatre performer, the singer certainly has that Broadway personality which peeks up in many of the songs. But as a recording artist, Ross-Barris is still relatively new, releasing her debut in 2009 and then another in 2017. One looks forward, though, to how she hones her style and sound going forward.
Discography
Bourgeois Reverie; Up In The Night; Bird Of Paradise; Sentrees; Stranger; Park Life; Sunrise; There You Are; Just Waiting To Be Asked; If I Were You; Only At Night; Midwinter Blue; Curtains Of Light (45.53)
Ross-Barris (v, p); Michael Shand (p, org, g); Ben Wittman (d); Lauren Falls (b); Eric St-Laurent (g); Amy Peck (s); Rebecca Hennessy (t); Kevin Fox (c); Drew Jurecka, Alex Amaras, Gavin Hope, Mary van den Enden, Miku Graham, Yvette Tollar (v). Union Sound, Toronto;. No dates.
Independent
