The Artist
Cellar Music, 2022
8/10
A luminary in the Vancouver jazz scene, the bassist (at least he plays bass here; he’s actually a multi-instrumentalist) John Lee brings both swing and soulful sounds to these 8 tracks that take help from Carl Allen (drums), Miles Black (piano) and Cory Weeds (tenor sax).
“Soul Leo” gets the listen off to a mesmerizing start, where the precisely plucked bass, bright sax and warm keys make for a very inviting opener, and “Carl’s Blues” follows with a quick and playful meshing of light drums, intricate keys and subtle bass.
Halfway through, the sublime “Life Is A Beautiful Thing” is a display of bare beauty, while “September In The Rain” is full of soulful, melodic and timeless jazz.
Approaching the end, “Fabienne” focuses on the eloquent tenor sax amid a very romantic spirit, and “Blues On A Sunday” exits the listen upbeat, animated and full of strategic interplay between the quartet that allows each player to shine.
Although he’s just 28 years old, Lee plays with an ability and vision that far exceeds his age, and his esteemed help makes for an expressive and quite exciting listen that ends entirely too soon.
Travels well with: Grant Stewart Quartet With Bruce Harris- The Lighting Of The Lamps; Aaron Seeber- First Move