Ryan Oliver Quartet: Live in Vancouver
Do Right Music

When tenor saxophonist Ryan Oliver brought his quartet members, pianist Brian Dickinson, bassist Neil Swainson, and drummer Terry Clarke, to Frankie's Jazz Club in Vancouver for two steamy nights in July 2023, sparks flew, and having the terrific singer Dee Daniels on hand for selected tracks made the sets all the more memorable. Thankfully, wise souls saw fit to record the visit, which allows those not present to experience some semblance of the magic that happened a year ago.

How could the performances not be special? Not only is Oliver a terrific player, with Dickinson, Swainson, and Clarke as partners he's surrounded by Canadian jazz royalty. Further to that, the programme augments two Oliver originals with enduring jazz compositions by Coltrane, Jobim, and (on CD only) Shorter plus treatments of “Wayfaring Stranger,” “Nancy with the Laughing Face,” and Donny Hathaway's “Tryin' Times.” Set-lists don't get much better.

Oliver's not shy about his love for Coltrane, as indicated by the inclusion of two covers and a muscular, full-throated attack reminiscent of the legend's. In his own way, Oliver's proudly keeping the hard-swinging, blues-drenched tradition of classic ‘60s jazz alive. He's also, however, forging his own authoritative path through that landscape, as the live set so powerfully demonstrates. He's in fabulous form, whether channeling the master's spirit for “Equinox” and “Lonnies Lament” or exuding radiance in his own bluesy “Canyon” (Dickinson exchanging acoustic piano for electric on the latter), and his colleagues leave as strong a mark.

Things start strongly with an inspired reading of “Wayfaring Stranger,” the haunting folk song presented in the kind of arrangement Coltrane might have used. After amplifying the resonance of the song's majestic melodies with a lustrous rubato intro, the quartet takes flight with an uptempo treatment that swings mightily. Oliver soars, his voluble lead spurred on by the rhythm section's drive, and following his assertive solo, Dickinson and Clarke weigh in with their own rousing turns. In an opening cadenza, the saxophonist teases at the theme of “Lonnies Lament” before the others join in to deliver the material at a sprint. With Swainson providing a rock-solid pulse and Dickinson soloing breezily, Clarke embellishes the groove tastily with all manner of imaginative flourishes.

On the vocal front, Daniels makes her soulful presence felt with a no-holds-barred contribution to the slow-burning Abbey Lincoln/Max Roach composition “Lonesome Lover.” The musicians ease into “Tryin' Times” as if born to it, the singer emoting passionately and the musicians supporting her with a relaxed, blues-soaked shuffle; they also lend Daniels a sultry backdrop for a dreamy take on Jobim's “Corcovado.”

July 2024