CD Review: “The Growing Season” by Rebecca Martin

My Very First CD Review Ever: “The Growing Season” by Rebecca Martin

Sometimes we arrive at places we never meant to visit, like the time I was on the subway in Toronto and decided to get off one stop early. I walked the rest of the way, passing unknown shops and unfamiliar landscapes as I navigated my way home over the next thirty minutes. Something similar happened in the way I arrived at the point of reviewing The Growing Season by Rebecca Martin, and the experience has proven to be just as interesting and rewarding. So here goes my very first CD review ever.

For The Growing Season, Rebecca Martin has brought together some fantastic musicians. The personnel includes drummer Brian Blade, bassist Larry Grenadier, guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel (also heard here playing piano, Fender Rhodes and vibraphone), and Rebecca Martin herself on Vocals and Acoustic Guitar. The easy flow in the music shows that on this project these musicians are very comfortable with each other. Coinciding with the release of this CD, the same ensemble appeared with her for a week at the Village Vanguard in August 2008.

The twelve songs are all originals written by Rebecca Martin. The first track, “The Space in a Song to Think”, sets the pace for the CD with its introspective and personal lyrics. I enjoyed the positive message. As the first track a declaration is offered in the lyrics: “Let this be learning, that we’re all allowed to take what we need and to give what is needed”. The feel on this track is upbeat but relaxed, with much credit going to Brian Blade for his tasty accompanying. The second piece “A Million Miles” could very well be a modern standard, and may, in time, become one. The lyrics and melody are expertly crafted, and as a performing musician I’m quite interested in taking a closer look at the chord changes for this beautiful ballad-like composition.

The remainder of this CD is equally as enjoyable. Every track tells a different story, and each one has a unique feel and sound, yet it all fits together very nicely. From the flowing 3/4 (jazz-waltz) feel and self affirming message of “To Prove Them Wrong” to the pulsing beat and darker subject matter in “After Midnight”, this CD – her eighth release - is an enjoyable way for one to discover this artist’s work.

One needs to listen to a few tracks of this music to know what the “sound” is. I could use a few descriptive genre words around, such as “jazz-pop”, or “mellow acoustic vocal folk-jazz”, but those empty descriptions will only serve to categorize a piece of personal art, doing a disservice to the prospective listener by placing Rebecca’s masterful creation in a box meant to make consumption easier. My point is that it’s worth a quick visit to her website to hear a few excerpts of tracks prior to deciding whether or not her “genre” fits with one’s own personal preferences.

When this disc fell through my mail slot I confess that I was feeling indifferent towards the idea of reviewing it. The promoter asked me to review it... I'm still not sure why they asked me. I popped it into my player and passively listened to a couple of tracks while I shuffled about my house, until the unexpected yet comfortable mix of familiar sounds and unique harmonies had me sitting by my speakers reading the lyrics and liner notes. Having only recently rediscovered the joys of buying CDs, this experience inspires me to recommend venturing out to your local record shop to purchase an album… maybe an act to be undertaken without first knowing which CD you’re going to take home, or which route you’re going to take to get there.

In the same way that the 2003 release Alegria by Wayne Shorter made its way from the record shop on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton to the top of my frequently played lists via one of my meandering afternoon walks, this release has caught me by surprise. Interestingly, Brian Blade plays on both recordings. I wasn’t too keen on highly arranged orchestral jazz prior to hearing Alegria. Similarly, I would likely have never purchased The Growing Season, considering that it is listed under “soft jazz vocals”, whereas I’m normally looking for 1960’s Hard Bop. Both CDs have been a learning experience that has opened up my ears to a wider spread of music.

Thank goodness for unintended visits to unexpected landscapes, and soundscapes.

Website:
www.rebeccamartin.com

Show Update - Horace Silver Tribute

I'm very excited to be playing two dates with this band!

The Message - A Tribute to the music of Horace Silver

The Georgia Straight Jazz Society is proud to host
The Message - a A Tribute to the Music of Horace Silver
Sunday November 2, 2008
Elks Home, 6th Street, Coutenay

Horace Silver is one of jazz music’s unsung heroes. Nanaimo musician James McRae aims to do something about that. An octet of veteran jazz performers has coalesced around McRae’s concept of a Horace Silver Tribute evening. The Message will perform Silver's music in Courtenay at the Elks’ Home on Sunday November 2nd.

Silver turned 80 this year, and has nearly 6 decades of continuous performance, composition and arranging to his credit. His best-known compositions include Song For My Father, Doodlin’ and Sister Sadie. Diverse performers such as Nora Jones, Taj Mahal and Steely Dan cite the influence of his music and sensibility on their own style and material.

The Message is:

James McRae - Drums

Phill Albert - Bass

Katelin Bowes - Vocals

Greg Bush - Trumpet

Cam Wigmore - Tenor Saxophone

Larry Miller - reeds

Darcy Phillips - Piano

Dave McGrath - Percussion


The concert will be an entire evening of Silver’s evocative compositions, featuring arrangements by several different members of the group.

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More info:

Band & Show Info @ James McRae's Website

Nanaimo Daily News coverage

More Local News Coverage

Is Canadian Culture Important - Harper Says NO

Apparently our PM Stephen Harper, who likely enjoys paint by numbers and took lessons as a child to learn how to play the radio, doesn't recognize the economic and other benefits of investing in the arts.

See my other blog at this link.

It's not often that my musical and political efforts come together. This is one of those times.

Here are two more:

http://greencameron.blogspot.com/2007/12/carbon-tax-arts-and-canadian-taxpayers.html

http://greencameron.blogspot.com/2006/05/conservatives-short-change-future.html

Gettin' It Together

I had the opportunity to host the Malaspina Jazz Jam at the Queens last night. I was invited by drummer Adam Cormier (the jam host band leader) and we played with Ken Lister and Pat Coleman. A fellow by the name of Steve (last name Smith, I think) sat in on keyboards.

Ken and Pat are local heavies and I was very honored to have the opportunity to play with them. Adam is a young up and coming drummer who's music is very mature, energetic and interactive. Interestingly, he's studying with an old highschool classmate of mine, Jesse Cahill. I will be back to the venue to jam, and hope to perform with that band again in the near future.

One thing I noticed was that after years of playing only R&B, blues & rock, my jazz chops were a little dusty. Rather than get down on myself, I'm going to tackle this opportunity to improve my playing and expand on my song repertoire. I have a lot of time available to shed these days, and there is no shortage of great jazz players here in Nanaimo.

Video and update

Below is a short clip of a show I sat in on back in Edmonton in 2003. The video and audio quality are very poor, so turn up the volume and don't squint too hard.

Back in B.C. now, and I've been doing some playing. Had a great new years eve show on Gabriola Island with Dinah D on acoustic bass & lead vocals, Tina Jones on trumpet and vocals, Myron Makepeace on piano (Fender Rhodes... super nice sound), Tracy Myers on drums and Aaron from Vancouver on guitar.

There are a lot of great musicians on the Island and I'm finding myself inspired to practice again and to hunt down gigs.

The Jazz Authority Is All Of Us

I'm keeping my chops up playing in a local R&B/classic rock band. Teaching a bit as well, and feeling inspired to do some real work on my jazz chops lately. Wish there were more jazz players out here...

I'm still hoping to build on the Jazz Authority project. The concept of 'The Jazz Authority' was not about me; it is meant to be about our collective knowledge of music and improvisation. The authority is YOU.

I might be moving out of this quiet Alberta town to live back out on the West Coast. If so, I'll be gigging and teaching regularly again.

You can email me at camsax(AT)gmail(DOT)com

...replace (AT) with @ and (DOT) with . in my email address above...

Update

Videos below were found on Youtube, and I'm putting together a larger collection at my Youtube spot. I will host more vids in the future.

Just wen't on holidays back to my hometown Victoria, B.C. and was inspired to really start busting my buns to get into a regular practice schedule. When there's nobody to jam with it's hard to make the time to practice, and while Aebersold playalongs are great, they're no substitute for real people. Anyways, with the hope that one day I'll be living in the city again, I'm getting my chops back in shape and so far I'm having a blast.

While I've been working to create an online presence with my political life, I think I'm going to step it up a bit with music as well.

Anyways, as always, check out the archives for tips and articles.

L8R

Video: John Coltrane - Naima

Footage of Coltrane performing the beautiful piece Naima. From this website:
In 1957, after the age of 30, Coltrane began to shift spiritual directions. He married Juanita Naima Grubb, a Muslim convert, (for whom he later wrote the piece Naima), and came into contact with Islam, an experience that may have led him to overcome his addictions to alcohol and heroin; it was a period of "spiritual awakening" that helped him return to the Jazz scene and eventually produce his greatest work. The journey took him through Islam (particularly Sufism). Bassist Donald Garrett told Coltrane, "You've got to go to the source to learn anything, and Sufism is one of the best sources there is."