New music: Terra Lightfoot, Philippe Côté & François Bourassa, Bill Evans, Adam Laloum

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This article was published 05/01/2024 (998 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ROCK

Terra Lightfoot

Healing Power (Sonic Unyon)

One of the pleasant surprises of the last few months of 2023 was listening to CBC Music’s weekly Top 20 countdown and hearing Terra Lightfoot’s Cross Border Lovers rise to the top of the chart.

Though she’s not quite a household name — à la the Taylors and Olivias of the world — the Hamilton singer- songwriter emerged from the Steel City a dozen years ago armed with a huge voice and a blazing guitar, both of which she honed in that city’s bluesy roots scene.

In the years since, Lightfoot has refined her sound and songwriting, especially on the three records she’s made with Montreal producer Gus van Go (the Stills, Metric, the Beaches), and her most recent album, Healing Power (released in October), is an exuberant indie pop-rock celebration of the rejuvenating effects of love, positivity and the perspectives gained with time.

This is an album about relationships, both old and new, but even its songs about past lovers aren’t so much kiss-offs as they are bittersweet reflections. The record starts with a bang — the kinetic, bopping, hand-clapping chorus of Cross Border Lovers — and doesn’t let up. Need You Tonight is a joyous celebration of love (buoyed, no doubt, by Lightfoot’s recent marriage to her own cross-border lover, Jon Auer of the Posies), which features Terra’s multi-tracked vocals soaring over a chunky guitar riff. Long Way Down is an adrenalized, Stonesy rocker about the struggle to find one’s way, while Someone Else’s Feelings is a joyous expression of light that shines when one is newly in love.

Kept You in My Pocket works a charming little guitar lick into a sinuous, vamping plea for a lover to stay; Anyone But Me summarizes life with an old flame; while The Only One of Your Kind is a lovely tribute to a close friend. Penchant for Love is a rousing, quiet-loud-quiet musing on romantic regret, and the album closes with Out of Time, a smouldering paean to love that burns. ★★★★ out of five stars

Stream these: Cross Border Lovers; Need You Tonight; Someone Else’s Feelings.

— John Kendle

JAZZ

Philippe Côté & François Bourassa

Confluence (Odd Sound)

This album is not a conventional jazz duet release — it is much more. If it had not been released so late in the year it would have been on my top 10 list for 2023. Philippe Côté predominantly plays tenor and soprano saxophone, but also plays piano or prepared piano on five tracks. François Bourassa plays piano and shares compositional duties with Côté.

There is a magical chemistry here with a wonderful variety of moods and emotions. The reflective track 1190 Chemin da la Montagne is inspired by musician/composer Gabriel Kahane. It exemplifies the ultimate emotion and accessibility of this genre-bending blend of jazz and contemporary classical music. It is full of beautiful surprises.

The album title is both a comment on the duet and the specific water-focused theme of the music. The album’s centrepiece is the five-part Confluence suite, which specifically refers to five river confluences — where the Blue and White Nile meet, the Ganges, the Rideau Falls, Montreal’s Archipel d’Hochelaga and the Red and Assiniboine rivers in Winnipeg. Confluence — The Forks is a rhythmic and flowing tune with melodic and dissonant sections, perhaps reflecting the nature of the two rivers.

The track Truc features prepared piano with percussive effect. The notes state Chire is a reflection on the music of Steve Reich, as the influences across several music genres are seamlessly united. The piano effects on various tracks are fascinating, while setting up sensitive acoustic solos and unison moments. On Duty has a beautiful soprano solo by Côté who moves to tenor on Hushed Song with similar intensity. The album is bookended by tracks Tour 1 and Tour 2 that set up and end the album appropriately.

This album simply gets better and better with each listen. These are two musicians at the top of their game and share mutual attitudes to beauty within challenge. Highly recommended. ★★★★1/2 out of five stars

Stream these: Muted Song, Confluence – The Forks

— Keith Black

Bill Evans

Tales (Elemental Music)

The newest gem in the ever-growing catalogue of Bill Evans, the late jazz pianist, commemorates a return to his roots.

European classical music is at the foundation of Evans’ distinctive sound, and Tales — Live in Copenhagen (1964) features previously unreleased recordings from his first European tour. The album is record label Elemental Music’s followup to Treasures — Solo, Trio & Orchestra Recordings from Denmark (1965-1969), an engaging two-CD set of later performances.

Tales contains 11 cuts, 10 of which feature Evans with bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker. Most of the tunes had been part of the trio’s repertoire for some time when they arrived in Copenhagen, and their comfort level results in music filled with inventive interplay that is a marvel of syncopation and synchronicity.

As always, Evans’ rhythmic creativity delights. There are two renditions of How My Heart Sings, and the piano sparkles with rapid stop-and-start single-note explorations that swerve, skip, spin and dance.

Since this is Bill Evans, the music sings as well as swings. Waltz for Debby receives a lovely, spirited rendering, and while My Foolish Heart begins at a mournful tempo in two performances, Evans’ embrace of the melody soon dispels the gloom.

There’s also a lyrical interpretation of I Didn’t Know What Time it Was. According to the extensive, excellent liner notes, it’s Evans’ only recording of the Rodgers-Hart song.

Considering the age and sources of the material, the sound quality is remarkably good. That makes it easy to enjoy Evans’ earliest European evocations of the many influences he distilled so beautifully, from Miles and Monk to Debussy and Beethoven. ★★★★ out of five stars

Stream these: How My Heart Sings; Waltz for Debby; I Didn’t Know What Time it Was

— Steve Wine, The Associated Press

CLASSICAL

Adam Laloum

Franz Schubert

Piano Sonata D. 959 / Moments musicaux D. 780 (Harmonia Mundi)

French pianist Adam Laloum performs an intimate program of Schubert solo works in the followup to his prior album, featuring the same composer’s Sonatas D894 and D948.

His latest release includes Piano Sonata in A major, D. 959, with the three mentioned works penned during the last months of the Austrian composer’s tragically short life.

Laloum’s sensitive pianism is fully displayed from the opening Allegro through to finale Rondo. His luminous tone, equally matched by an ability to shade each phrase with deeply felt emotion, is particularly showcased during the second movement Andantino, which immediately draws the listener into its highly introspective soundworld.

The following Scherzo provides light-hearted contrast, brought to life with confident bravura.

Also included are Schubert’s much beloved, and eternally popular Moments musicaux D. 780, with its set of six short pieces infused with musical poetry.

First up is a resolute No. 1, Moderato, as well as No. 2, Andantino, in which Laloum seems to suspend time itself. A crisply rendered No. 3, Allegro moderato follows before an evenly paced No. 4, Moderato. No. 5, Allegro vivace flashes with drama until No. 6. Allegretto brings the artist’s journey full circle, ultimately leaving listeners in the lap of the sublime. ★★★★ out of five stars

STREAM THESE: Andantino from Piano Sonata in A major, D. 959; No. 2, Andantino; and No. 5, Allegro vivace, from Moments musicaux

— Holly Harris