Choices
Self-Released, 2023
8/10
Widely considered one of Canada’s best trombonists, William Carn further solidifies that sentiment with this 3rd album of creative and memorable contemporary jazz.
“Breathe In” opens the listen with a meditative dreaminess that places Carn’s trombone amid soothing electronica that borders on New Age, and “The Inertia Of Complacency” follows with Kelly Jefferson’s bright tenor sax and William Sperandei’s glowing trumpet that suits Ernesto Cervini’s inestimable drums with much adventurousness.
In the middle, “Get Up” moves quickly with HiFiLo’s (Todd Pentney) playful keyboards and Larnell Lewis’ agile drums complementing Jesse Ryan’s soulful alto sax, while “Goodbye Old Friend” finds a more intimate place to reside with its strong attention to atmosphere and mood.
The album’s best track, “The Gift”, arrives near the end and welcomes Davide DiRenzo’s skilled drumming to Carn’s poetic trombone with a reflective, heartfelt quality that even uses soft singing, and “Breathe Out” exits much like how it started- calming, nearly therapeutic.
An album created during the lockdowns, Choices was made entirely in Carn’s home, and the guest musicians all submitted their portions from their own dwellings. It was also augmented, edited and mixed remote, but you certainly can’t tell, as the chemistry and dynamics between the artists emits a very unique and animated energy.
Travels well with: Matt Greenwood- Atlas; RJ Leblanc- Heyday