HiFiLo: Speak Your Name
HiFiLo

Speak Your Name may come as something of a surprise to those familiar with Todd Pentney's role as acoustic pianist for the Allison Au Quartet. On his debut release under the HiFiLo alias, the Toronto-based musician pivots from the contemporary jazz of her project to a synthesizer-heavy sound recasting him as a beatmaker inclined to instrumental hip-hop- and electro-influenced production. Artists such as Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Bill Evans are namechecked as inspirations, but you'll be perhaps more reminded of Madlib and J Dilla as Speak Your Name fills the room.

It's a concise statement at thirty-three minutes but substantial enough to present a clear representation of HiFiLo's vibrant sound. No better cut illustrates it than the opening “Pink Elephants,” a bass-thumping shuffler sprinkled with all manner of synthetic blaze. Here and elsewhere, Pentney assembles layers of beats, atmospheric textures, and fluttering synth melodies into alluring, bite-sized tapestries.

Guests climb aboard for three cuts. Rob Christian's jazzy flute bolsters the trippy psychedelia and Dilla-fied beat of “Wanderlust,” its summery breeze a welcome lift for these pandemic times. “Speak Your Name" takes on an even dreamier quality when Alex Samaras adds his voice to its electrified daze, and with guitarist Robb Cappelletto participating, “Downpour” shifts gears for a jazzier exercise that sees a Latin-funk feel augmented by electric piano riffing.

The recording's electro side is more pronounced in its second half, from the pulsating “Rebirth,” where choir interjections accent popping snares, to the aggressive workout “FTL.” The set doesn't exclude jazz altogether, as the closing “Tangerines” shows in the extended acoustic piano solo Pentney weaves into its bump.

Though Speak Your Name presents a dramatic contrast to Pentney's persona as an acoustic pianist, the move is hardly unprecedented. Herbie Hancock's repeatedly oscillated between projects rooted in electro-funk and those of a purer jazz nature. While the one-time Miles associate might not be directly cited as an influence, Pentney's shift from the largely acoustic context of Au's unit to HiFiLo is certainly reminiscent of the kind Herbie's made throughout his career.

July 2020