concert review: Lina Allemano Quartet

overview
A modern jazz quartet performing at Stayner's Wharf during the 2005 Atlantic Jazz Festival in Halifax. Comprised of 4 young tigers on the Toronto jazz scene, each hailing from different parts of Canada, I believe.

personnel
-- Lina Allemano, trumpet (home page / audio)
-- Brodie West, alto sax (photo)
-- Andrew Downing, acoustic bass (bio / audio)
-- Nick Fraser, drums

opening thoughts
Mmm, these chickens were hot. Their repertoire came mainly from the traditional hard bop period (e.g. Perdido and Thelonious Monk's Evidence (which is itself based on the changes to an old 30s pop classic Just You Just Me)), but they did not, by any stretch of the imagination, play traditional bop solos over them. These dogs are totally fresh, and they did such amazing shit with the time, beats, and melodies that they held my undivided attention for the entire 70-minute set.

Yeah, I just have to say one more time that these kids have a truly devastating command of the time. And while it would be remiss not to make note of the obvious influence of that classic early 60s Miles Davis Quintet on this group (the one with Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on the acoustic bass and Tony Williams on drums), what they do is entirely their own thing. They listen to each other completely, and they really interplay throughout every tune. It was one of the most authentic expressions of true jazz improvisation I've heard in a long time.

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