Last Ark Out: Lift
Last Ark Out
That the cover art of Lift nods to Herbie Hancock's Thrust says much about where Last Ark Out's coming from. Like that ‘70s classic, the Vancouver- and Montréal-based group's long-gestating follow-up to 2017's Wake mixes jazz, funk, and rock into a heady, genre-defying brew that's sure to satisfy classic fusion heads as well as devotees of modern-day descendants. If your taste runs to Weather Report, Kneebody, Return to Forever, and Snarky Puppy, Lift is sure to appeal. While the Montréal-based Arthur Pascau Smith (guitar) is the quintet's leader, all five are integral to the group identity. It's very much a homegrown outfit, too, with Justin Gorrie (alto sax, guitar) based in Western Canada, James Huumo (keyboards) and Colin Parker (drums) in Vancouver, and Jeff Gammon (bass) hailing from Calgary.
Last Ark Out augments the group with guests on all but one of the seven tracks. Speaking of Snarky Puppy, one cut adds its drummer Larnell Lewis to the line-up, and vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, keyboardist David Osei-Afrifa, drummer Sarah Thawer, and saxophonists Hailey Niswanger and Allison Au all make individual appearances on the other pieces. In having to abide by pandemic-related protocols, their contributions were gathered remotely, but you'd never know it from the dynamic live feel of the performances. Mirroring the sci-fi concept of a spaceship leaving earth in search of new planets, Last Ark Out sent its material, tracks penned by Gammon, Smith, and Gorrie, to artists beyond the group's immediate circle to see what they'd get back. Each track's distinguished in one way or another, with some hard-hitting and others less crushing. In some cases, the guest's prominent—Niswanger, for example, enlivens the vibrant meditation “Libra” with tenor sax, clarinets, and flute, and contributed the wind arrangement—whereas in others, the musician more blends into the whole.
Lift opens on a fabulous note with “Brackish,” which adds Berliner's synth vibraphone to the mix. Perfect as both an album and concert opener, the cut's a heavy-hitter in the best sense of the word, from its thudding bass pulse and muscular drum groove to its wailing synth leads. “Dyab” calls to mind the go-go beats of Miles Davis's Amandla when Lewis powers the band with a snappy swagger and the horns and Smith dish out lines and solos as funky. As infectious is the smooth “Late to the Game" for its tight drumming, the keyboard colour Montréaler Osei-Afrifa brings to the tune, and a synth solo that calls the late Chick Corea to mind. The album's at its most explosive on “Scorpio” when the LA-based Thawer grabs the drum chair and sends the music into overdrive and is at its prettiest when alto saxist Au leads the band on “Song Needs Title” with the same kind of authority she does her own projects.
It's at times fascinating to hear hints of other artists surfacing in the group's sound. Halfway through “Libra,” for instance, the music abruptly shape-shifts from something rather Weather Report-ish when Parker works a Purdie Shuffle into the mix. It would be a mistake to dismiss Last Ark Out as a clone outfit, however, when the band is simply building on the work others have done before it with fresh new material. And as the rousing closer “It's That Dream Again” makes clear, the band's more than capable of holding the listener's attention in the absence of a guest artist.February 2024