The Toronto Project
Self-Released, 2023
8/10
An extremely involved listen that brings together many of Toronto’s finest, the Composers Collective Big Band, spearheaded by Christian Overton, commissioned some of their hometown’s best composers to pen these songs about the city that inspires them.
The first tune with actual music (in between each song are field recordings to add some ambience), “West Toronto Ode” has the soaring winds and soulful brass complementing Erk Patterson’s lively guitar playing, and “Non-Sequitur” continues that dynamic interaction with Justin Gray’s animated bass plucking amid the dreamy and very focused instrumentation that’s packed with atmosphere.
Further along, “Finding Home” benefits much from Carissa Neufeld’s graceful piano and Maya Killtron’s eloquent and poetic singing, while “Interweave” spends 9+ minutes mesmerizing us with its mysterious collaborative ways that mesh horns, winds and Jeff Halischuk’s precise drumming into the album’s best.
The last 2 tracks are excellent, too, where “The Commuter” spotlights the flowing brass and the agile drumming that’s quite stylish, and “Transit” exits with buzzing electric bass, frisky drums, warm keys and meticulous horn prowess.
Toronto has a long history of flourishing and time honored jazz music, and this body of work certainly adds to that with Overton and company’s strong attention to detail and colorful, textured song craft.
Travels well with: Chet Doxas- Rich In Symbolism II; Robert Diack- Small Bridges