Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra: Twisting Ways
Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra

One of the more noteworthy aspects of Twisting Ways is the exceptional dynamic range shown by the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra in the recording's performances. During the music's most intimate parts, the WJO plays with the sensitivity of a piano trio and achieves a most delicate balance between its sections; at the same time, the ensemble is capable of generating a huge, robust sound when the material requires it. The three compositions performed on the album also flatter the group in amplifying the splendour of its sound. In augmenting saxophones, trumpets, and trombones with piano, vibraphone, bass, and drums, the instrumental make-up itself isn't unusual by jazz orchestra standards; nevertheless, the luscious sound achieved does much to distinguish the WJO.

Another key reason for the album's impact has to do, of course, with the material involved, and in that regard the three works by Torontonian David Braid (also the pianist on the recording) and Montreal-based Philippe Côté do much to bring out the best in the ensemble, especially when the singers appearing with it are Sarah Slean and Karly Epp, the former on the four-part title work and the latter the two single-movement pieces. Whereas Twisting Ways and Lydian Sky feature the singers voicing texts by Liverpool's Lee Tsang, Fleur Variation 3 features wordless vocalizing by Epp. The pieces aren't easy to sing either, what with their unusual melodic trajectories, yet the vocalists rise to the occasion splendidly.

In the twenty-eight-minute title composition, Tsang's poetry presents thoughtful meditations on interdependence and balance. While “The Hand” is sung from the perspective of a nightingale whose actions are guided by a mysterious force, “Hope Shadow” is sung from the vantage point of the mysterious force itself, which reports on the movements of the nightingale. Chances are, however, you'll be so captivated by the singing, you'll expend less energy on decoding the enigmatic texts.

Slean elevates Twisting Ways with assured, pitch-perfect delivery and amplifies “The Hand” with clarity and control. Lustrous textures from the WJO provide a fine complement, and when the forces merge the result is remarkable. Introduced with aggressive flourishes by drummer Eric Platz, “Dialogue” accentuates the tight interplay of the ensemble's sections, after which an unaccompanied Braid gives “Opening Glimmers” the character of an introspective rumination. At the work's conclusion, Slean returns to imbue the elegiac and intense “Hope Shadow” with dignity and drama.

Highlighting Braid's Lydian Sky are its lyrical melodic arc, elegant vocalizing by Epp, a powerful solo from tenor saxist Mike Murley, and the late-night allure of the ensemble's playing. Playful by comparison is Côté's Fleur Variation 3, which swings breezily when buoyed by Epp's wordless flow and the gauzy swirl generated by the WJO. Of the three pieces, it's the title work that's naturally the most substantial; the release collectively impresses as exceptional, however, as does the ensemble, which shows itself to be a world class jazz orchestra capable of standing with the best of them.

June 2021