Matt Greenwood: Atlas
Matt Greenwood

Matt Greenwood's debut album Atlas shows the guitarist has clearly adapted to Toronto after leaving his native Harare, Zimbabwe for Canada. That he's surrounded on the recording by musicians as stellar as upright bassist Mike Downes, pianist Joshua Stanberry, and drummer Dhaivat Jani doesn't hurt either. Still, as much as they and other musicians enrich Atlas with their contributions, the album's very much Greenwood's: he wrote and arranged all of the material, and it's his guitar that's the foundation the others build on. For a debut, Atlas impress for its clarity of vision, the maturity of its writing, and performances rich in texture and melody.

Greenwood's located a sweet spot where improvisational jazz, folk, and through-composition meet; enhancing the result further, he's judiciously sprinkled tracks with ambient guitar textures to give the material extra dimension and atmosphere. Such additions don't detract from the feel of performances that were recorded live off the floor in Toronto and Montreal studios. Greenwood also gave considerable care to the track sequencing to create the impression of an integrated tapestry-like statement. The music flows, in other words, from one track to the next in a manner that feels natural and developmental.

Greenwood cites Bill Frisell as an influence—Avishai Cohen, Steve Vai, Brad Mehldau, Aaron Parks, and Donny McCaslin the others—and it's certainly possible to pinpoint moments on the album where Greenwood's sound echoes Frisell's (the opening intro “Constellations,” for example). Too much shouldn't be made of the detail, however: Greenwood is no Frisell clone, merely someone who's been influenced by one of our greatest jazz guitarists and absorbed aspects of his colleague's sound into his own. At its core, Atlas features quartet performances by Downes, Stanberry, and Jani, but others appear too, including saxophonists James Griffith (alto) and Steve Carson (tenor) on “From Sunshine,” drummer Mark Kelso on “Redemption,” and electric bassist Matt McCormack on two others.

Atlas positions itself at a high level with “Dehyah,” an entrancing expression distinguished by a strong theme and sensitive playing by the guitarist and terrific playing by his partners. The Juno-winning Downes is always an exemplary addition to any session, this one included, and Stanberry and Jani elevate the performance with engaged commentary, the pianist in his solo and the drummer in his ever-imaginative attack. The snarl he briefly gets up to in “What's Left of the World” aside, Greenwood generally downplays distortion for a vocal-like expression marked by clarity of articulation and with a faint hint of twang embedded within it. Throughout the album, his playing exudes confidence and authority, and he's not afraid to challenge himself either, as the light-speed runs he executes in the hot-wired “Wild Angels” demonstrate. The guitarist isn't averse to letting his music's pretty side show, by the way, as attested to by the wistful acoustic folk of “Campfire Ghosts.”

One of the album's most arresting pieces is “From Sunshine,” the creation of which saw Greenwood drawing on two musical heroes: Bela Bartok and John Denver. While a trace of the latter's “Sunshine on My Shoulders” can be detected, the guitarist distances his composition from Denver's by incorporating an harmonic technique from Bartok. The saxophonists add beautifully to the chamber-like feel of the piece, a meditative ballad that unfolds with stately elegance, and Downes and Stanberry play with a gracefulness and taste that enhances the performance immensely. While a piece as strong as “From Sunshine” argues that Greenwood's as strong a writer as he is guitarist, the stirring guitar-and-piano closer “Commitment” showcases his artistry on the instrument.

For a debut, Atlas is preternaturally poised and a genuine compliment to Greenwood's talents as a writer, arranger, instrumentalist, and project leader. The record's so accomplished, it suggests there's nothing he can't do, which will make it especially interesting to see what he does next.

February 2023