Teri Parker's Free Spirits: Peaks and Valleys
Modica Music

When not performing with her Free Spirits ensemble, Toronto-based jazz pianist Teri Parker might be found at the Annex Academy of Music, which, located in the city's Annex neighbourhood and boasting more than 300 students and thirteen teachers, she owns and operates. Parker brings that same spirit of community-minded magnanimity to Free Spirits, not only for honouring the legacies of the great jazz pianists Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981) and Geri Allen (1957-2017) but for unselfishly celebrating the artistry of the group's members. Formed in 2019, Free Spirits couples Parker with trumpeter Rebecca Hennessy, bassist Lauren Falls, drummer Mackenzie Longpre, and, on separate tracks, alto saxophonists Allison Au and Alison Young. A mainstay of Canada's jazz festivals and club network, Parker is Free Spirits' leader, yes, but Peaks and Valleys, captured at Toronto's Revolution Recording studio, is very much a collective expression.

Parker's known all of the players since their time between 2004 and 2008 in the University of Toronto's Jazz Performance Program and forged relationships with them that extend beyond the recording studio. The connections they've formed, the rapport they enjoy, and the comfort they have in one another's company resonates throughout Peaks and Valleys, whose set-list augments two compositions apiece by Williams and Allen with the titular five-part suite written by Parker. Not only is it the group's debut album, this rewarding set is also the first of Parker's albums to include vocals and spoken word. She and her partners are serious about the music, but there's playfulness too, most clearly shown in a slinky, soul-funk rendering of Williams' “Rosa Mae,” which concludes the release with a cheeky vocal by Hennessy and lyrics guaranteed to raise a smile.

At the opposite end, the album opens with two Allen covers, the first “Unconditional Love” Parker's personal Allen favourite and the other “Drummer's Song.” The leader's generosity of spirit is evident immediately in ceding the first solo to Falls during the former's pensive introduction before the arresting thematic statement appears and the band settles in, Hennessy deepening the romantic mood with a mute and then sultry unison voicings with Au. The evocativeness of Allen's ballad is well-served by a rendering that's soulful, dreamy, and enveloping. Percussionist Mario Allende joins the group for “Drummer's Song,” which follows, aptly, an animated drum solo intro with a raucous band attack and a pied piper-ish figure by Au. With Falls switching to electric for Williams' “Gloria” and Young and Hennessy roaring through their solos, the vibe turns funky and calls forth Free Spirits' soulful side with a tight, exuberant performance.

The sophistication of Parker's writing is apparent in the title suite, which she conceived as a song cycle about life's challenges and to honour women who've inspired her, from her mother Joanne to Allen, Williams, and Margaret Atwood. The Allen-inspired “Gemini II” begins the suite with an uplifting overture, after which the pace slows for the meditative mood setting “Survival.” Though its title references an early Atwood work, the piece was, in fact, inspired by the author's visionary MaddAddam trilogy and is distinguished by spoken word text Parker describes as "a letter to the children of the future.” The pianist delivers the text thoughtfully (“Dear children, what will you do when the honeybees have taken their leave? …”) and, despite the calamitous state of the world it describes, with sensitivity and a hint of hope. The mood brightens with the onset of the Williams-inspired “Giantess,” which is given an interesting wrinkle when its boogie-woogie swing's executed in 7/4 and features Young augmenting her horn with a rousing vocal to honour the piano legend. Speaking of affection, “Bear Hug,” Parker's piece for her mother, vividly conveys it in the warmth of its ballad statement. Crafted to honour women working to achieve balance and meaning in their ever-challenging lives, “Perseverance” takes the suite out with a euphoric affirmation.

As a pianist, Parker's a poised, mature, and elegant player, while Hennessy, Falls, and Longpre are strong instrumental presences and vital components of the group's identity. One of the album's more interesting aspects has to do with the contrast between Au and Young. On her tracks, Au plays with the kind of refinement and authority for which she's become known; Young's attack is rawer and earthier yet just as appealing in this group context. In a perfect world, the two would have appeared together throughout the set rather than apart—something to consider, perhaps, for the band's next outing. For now, Peaks and Valleys offers a more than satisfying account of Parker's nascent outfit.

October 2024