THE MANY DEEDS of CORY WEEDSCory WeedsCellar Live8.5-out-of-10
When it comes to jazz music in Canada few artists are any more prolific than Cory Weeds on the Cellar Live label. It no doubt helps with recording that Weeds is the man behind the label, but in this case self-promotion is a good thing.
The Many Deeds of Cory Weeds is the fourth recording of this fine saxophonist I have reviewed in this space since mid 2008. The previous disks, including the most recent Everything's Coming Up Weeds, reviewed almost a year to-the-date ago, have all been impressive, scoring consistent eight and higher scores.
There is certainly nothing about The Many which is a step backwards.
The disk starts off with a near 11-minute ride called Juicy Lucy, and it sets the tone for a very upbeat, joyful and entertaining jazz effort.
One of Weed's strengths here is creating long winding musical tapestries. There are only eight cuts on the CD, but six of those venture over the eight-minute mark, and four push on to eclipse 10-minutes. The listener is allowed to sit back and really get into the flow and mystery of the music.Weeds is still only 36, but clearly a jazz veteran. Listening to The Many I have to wonder just what might yet be coming from this talented musician? After this effort, wherever he chooses to take his jazz, it's likely to be a good destination.
With Weeds it is rarely easy to pick a favoured tune. This guy really is a poster boy for consistency. This time around is no different, although Fim De L'Affaire has that smoke-filled bar-feel that perhaps sets it just a bit above the rest.
Weeds and his tenor sax are joined here by Chris Davis on trumpet, Joey Defrancesco on Hammond B3 organ and Byron Landham on drums.
Definitely a disk work having if you like jazz.
Check it out at www.cellarlive.com- CALVIN DANIELS
PRAIRIE NIGHTSLindsey Walker / Drew MalcolmIndie8.5-out-of-10
Ever put a disk on the player and with the first strains of a singer you were beforehand unfamiliar with you knew you were in for something special?
That was really the case when I played Prairie Nights for the first time.
When Lindsey Walker first released her voice on Living On The Floor, I was pretty much sold on her as a singer. This girl flat out has a great set of pipes.
The duo of Walker and Drew Malcolm hail out of Edmonton, and they play music which has elements of folk/roots, particularly in the lyrics, with a blues heartbeat.
After the stunning opening cut it would have been easy to say this was Walker's show. However, when you hear the guitar work carrying elements of Crawling Back To You, the CD's second effort, you see this is a full partnership effort with both adding the enjoyment. That of course stands to reason considering they partnered on writing five of the six songs.
Yes, sadly this is only an EP effort. When the music is this good you quickly find yourself wishing there were a few more songs.
This is a hugely satisfying disk, and most certainly a duet worth listening too.Check them out at www.myspace.com/thelindseywalkeranddrewmalcolmband- CALVIN DANIELS
