New music

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This article was published 06/05/2021 (1927 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

POP / ROCK

Bernice

Eau de Bonjourno (Telephone Explosion/figureeight)

“Experimental” is the word most often used in stories about and reviews of Toronto pop quintet Bernice. It’s a term that’s often a catch-all for “hard to describe” and in that sense it’s apt, as Bernice is a group of arty, musical seekers for whom a song is a vessel for playful explorations of mood, sound and emotion.

Formed in 2011, Bernice is essentially the vehicle for the songwriting of singer/multi-instrumentalist Robin Dann. Daughter of a concert harpist and the former principal violist of a Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Dann studied jazz at the U of T and then pursued a post-graduate degree in composition. When she began writing pop songs of her own, she started Bernice (named for her maternal grandmother) in 2011 with roommates Thom Gill (guitars, keys) and Dan Fortin (bass), who were later joined by drummer/percussionist Philippe Melanson and vocalist Felicity Williams. All the band’s members are in-demand session and side-players, and Dann isn’t prolific, so Eau de Bonjourno is only the group’s third full-length recording in a decade.

Recorded between lockdowns last fall with producer Shahzad Ismaily at his Brooklyn, N.Y., studio, the 10 songs here are a polyglot of musical tongues, mixing the improvisational instincts of jazz with the icy sheen of MIDI synths, the interjections of dissonant found sounds and skronking horns, soft, intertwined vocals, atmospheric moods, and sumptuously fluid grooves. The playful lyrics accentuate the vibe, as well, as a salad becomes a “bowl of creation” in Big Mato; a swan’s beauty is a reminder to live in the moment; and the breath of a lover on a pillow beside you is heaven. Together, the songs and sounds exude a wide-eyed sense that grace and peace are found in life’s wondrous details. ★★★★ out of five

Stream these: Groove Elation, It’s Me, Robin, Lone Swan, Infinite Love

— John Kendle

POP / ROCK

Sharon Van Etten

Epic Ten (Rough Trade)

Back in 2010, Sharon Van Etten was finding her way as a solo artist, working as an intern for Brooklyn’s Ba Da Bing records and recording Epic at Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia.

Working with producer Brian McTear and A-list Philly musicians such as Dave Hartley of the War on Drugs, Brian Christinzio of BC Camplight and Meg Baird of Espers, she used her fulsome voice to fill up indie-folk songs of open-hearted possibility and thwarted romance. The album peaked with the devastating Save Yourself and heartsick Love More, the subject of one of the first episodes of McTear’s non-profit series Weathervane Music.

Now, Epic feels like a classic. And Van Etten — whose recent triumphs include 2019’s Remind Me Tomorrow, and joining Fountains of Wayne for a tribute last year to the late Adam Schlesinger, who died of COVID-19 — is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The original set has been reissued, and the package is juiced with a second volume that features Van Etten’s admirers covering her songs. It’s an impressive list, starting with Big Red Machine (recent Taylor Swift collaborators Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver) who dive into the strummy A Crime. Also here are Lucinda Williams, Fiona Apple, the British post-punk band Idles and Philadelphia indie auteur Shamir.

It’s a model mini-tribute, with contributors paying homage while delivering distinct versions. Standouts include Shamir’s transformation of Dsharpg into a fully realized pop song, Williams’ drawing out Save Yourself into an accusatory blues, and Courtney Barnett and Vagabon turning up the volume on Don’t Do It as a ragged Neil Young-style jam. ★★★★ out of five

STREAM THESE: Love More (Sharon Van Etten); Peace Signs (Idles)

— Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer

JAZZ

Jim Hall

Jazzpar Quartet + Four (Storyville)

This album is a remastered current release of a session from 1998. Guitarist Jim Hall was the winner of that year’s Jazzpar Prize, an annual Danish Jazz Centre award which included a concert recording of the winner for an album release.

Guitarist Hall (1930-2013) had a long and distinguished career and was noted for a distinctive lyrical sound. He could swing and worked with many small groups but was arguably at his most effective in melodic settings. I’ve always said that if alto player Paul Desmond had played guitar, he would have sounded like Jim Hall (they even recorded together).

This album is actually a fascinating mix of moods. Hall’s basic quartet has Chris Potter on saxophone, Thomas Ovesen on bass and Terry Clarke on drums. Several of the tracks add the Zaploski String Quartet with either the jazz quartet or by themselves. This is terrific music. There are several beautiful covers, including Stella by Starlight, Chelsea Bridge and In a Sentimental Mood, and more exploratory tracks, such as Thesis, a Hall composition with all the personnel participating. Everyone joins in on Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze also, just to add a solidly unexpected tone to the gig. The duet of Hall and Potter on In A Sentimental Mood is a standout moment. The tracks with the string quartet are an added treat.

This is a fine addition to Hall’s discography and shows his clean and accessible style to advantage. His quartet is jumping on Stella By Starlight and wonderfully meditative on the tricky changes of Chelsea Bridge. Hall’s gentle leadership shines throughout.

The Jazzpar Prize ended in 2005, but in its 15-year existence it captured some of the best in the jazz world of the day. This album demonstrates that fully. ★★★★1/2 out of five

STREAM THESE: Chelsea Bridge, Thesis

— Keith Black

CLASSICAL

James Ehnes

Ysayë: 6 Sonatas For Solo Violin (Onyx)

Manitoba-born James Ehnes — the Grammy-winning pride of Brandon — performs Eugène Ysaÿe’s Six Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27, hailed as a pillar of the solo violin repertoire, on this eagerly anticipated new album on the Onyx label.

The artist recorded the notoriously difficult pieces, which pay homage to the world’s legacy of violin virtuosos and contemporaries of the Belgian composer, from his home in Florida, where his living room morphed into a recording studio following the shuttering of concert venues during last year’s lockdown. The circumstances infuse his self-produced disc with an even greater intimacy. The album’s content was part of his livestreamed series Recitals from Home, with a subsequent album featuring J.S. Bach’s Six Sonatas and Partitas from that same series planned for future release.

Ehnes skilfully brings out the brilliant tonal colours and character of each distinct work, with highlights including Sonata No.4 in E minor, dedicated to Fritz Kreisler, and Sonata No. 3 in D minor (George Enescu). His renowned bravura is also on full display during Sonata No. 1 in G minor (Joseph Szigeti), with its second movement, Fugato: Molto moderato, in particularly showcasing his ability for weaving independent contrapuntal lines into one cohesive sonic tapestry.

Other notable selections are Sonata No. 2 in A minor (Jacques Thibaud) and Sonata No. 5 in G (Mathieu Crickboom), with the album rounding out with Spanish-flavoured single movement Sonata No. 6 in E (Manuel Quiroga), delivering its soaring flourishes with aplomb.

Ehnes’ introduction in the liner notes offers his candid reflections on being grounded during the global pandemic that has now borne rich fruit with this latest album. ★★★★★ out of five

 

STREAM THIS: Sonata No. 6 in E by Eugène Ysaÿe

— Holly Harris