It’s the 33nd annual Festival International de Jazz de Montreal. MAGNET’s Mitch Myers translates the action.
OK, enough goofing around. Just a few more days in Montreal and time to get serious with some deep listening of the festival’s up-and-coming jazz stars. Starting early at the Gesù Theater, ECM recording artist and Norwegian pianist/bandleader Tord Gustavsen played his first of several gigs for the festival’s “Invitation Series.” Kicking off the series by inviting his usual working group to perform, Gustavsen and his ensemble fell into the classic ECM style, playing intricate, cerebral piano jazz with reserved intensity. Reveling in the subtlety and gentleness of pacing, saxophonist Tore Brunborg added his own burnished sound, and occasionally the ensemble reminded me of Keith Jarrett’s old European quartet. The mood was down-tempo, and the group floated gently in wordless dialogue. Gustavsen was never dominating but always in control, and the rhythm section of drummer Jarle Vespestad and bassist Mats Eilertsen were extraordinarily restrained. These nuanced arrangements were spacious and the group improvisations impressive, especially on tunes from Gustavsen’s newest CD, The Well.
Then, for something not completely different, I strolled over to the L’Astral nightclub to hear the Swiss pianist/bandleader and ECM recording artist Colin Vallon and his trio. Along with bassist Patrice Moret and drummer Samuel Rohrer, Vallon’s group played material from their recent disc, Rruga, which is highly recommended. There’s a clustered, rhythmic intensity to the trio’s work, as Vallon explores various European folk forms (as opposed to American swing or bop) in his playing. Vallon also seemed to have deadened his piano strings with odd objects, making an even more rhythmic sound as he vamped in sync with drummer Rohrer. This show was very hypnotic, very classy, and well worth checking out.
Finally, I ended up back at the Gesù for the Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet. It’s always nice watching the bright new voices in jazz, and this young man is the very latest trumpet star/bandleader to catch that particularly heavy buzz. Playing in a progressive post-bop mode to a packed house of new admirers, Akinmusire played quite well, leading his talented touring band through a number of challenging, well-structured tunes. Saxophonist Walter Smith was quite adept as a soloist, but it was actually drummer Justin Brown who held my attention. If you’re trying to keep up with the ever-changing jazz landscape, check out the Quintet’s recent Blue Note release, When The Heart Emerges Glistening. The kid has a quiet confidence, and people are already comparing him to the old masters. Somebody has to represent the next generation, and it just might turn out to be Ambrose Akinmusure.
