Twelve
TPR, 2022
8/10
The Toronto resident and pianist Noam Lemish doesn’t make music that is easy to categorize, but it is easy to enjoy, and here 6 originals welcome a chamber sized jazz orchestra for a richly textured, solo friendly and often melodic listening experience.
“Song For Lia” opens the listen with Laura Swankey’s wordless vocals and Lemish’s skilled piano being complemented by swift and soulful sax, and “The Naglia Mayster” follows with Michael Davidson’s mesmerizing vibraphone and bright trumpet that helps cultivate a cinematic, playful demeanor that benefits much from Derek Gray’s proficient drumming.
The middle track belongs to “Beethoven’s 7th Visit To Romania”, where a careful intimacy unfolds with the precise brass layering and Ted Quinlan’s meticulous guitar playing, while “Between Utopia And Destruction” focuses much on Lemish’s timeless piano playing that meshes well with the reflective sax and later on rumbles a bit more firmly.
“Rebirth” exits the listen, and it spends 11 minutes captivating us with its radiant horns, glowing guitar playing and, of course, Lemish’s gorgeous piano playing.
A genre-bending, cultured and artistic affair, Lemish and company make for a unique jazz adventure that you can listen to repeatedly with an equal amount of intrigue.
Travels well with: Ernesto Cervini- Joy; Craig Davis- Tone Paintings