On a
cool Friday evening, I was treated to the sounds of tenor saxophonist Chris
Gale and his wonderful quartet, serving up a dish of swinging, soulful tunes
from start to finish. One of my
favourite local musicians, Chris Gale brings to mind musicians of the past,
such as John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Hank Mobley, Lester Young, and Ben Webster
to name a few. He takes these
influences and in turn creates his own unique voice that enchants and enthralls
the audience, craving and thirsting for more.
His
backup band is made up of some of the youngest, finest musicians to grace
Toronto’s stages in a long while.
Pianist Amanda Tosoff comps magnificently and brings coherency and
cohesiveness in her solos. Jon Maharaj
keeps a solid, firm foundation with his timekeeping and creative bass
work. Morgan Childs happens to be one
of my all time favourite Canadian drummers because he knows how to swing and he
is the closest thing to Art Blakey that Canada would ever see. He’s younger than me but there is a bright
future ahead of him.
The
program consisted of primarily the work of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn,
evidenced through the calypso swing of “Angelica”, the melancholy mood of “Isfahan”,
and the jump and jive swing of “Johnny Come Lately”. Yet one of the highlights for me is their
take on one of my favourite bebop classic numbers, “Bolivia” by the recently
departed Cedar Walton. It’s an
infectious, swinging groove that builds momentum and never lets up until the
end.
Overall,
a refreshing, swinging set of straight-ahead jazz by four great musicians at
the top of their game.
CHRIS
GALE MYSPACE PAGE:
https://myspace.com/chrisgalejazz
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