The music on offer from the Schulich Community this autumn invites you to travel through space and time and around the world. You won’t just want this music in your playlists, you’ll want them on repeat.
Family Plan – Family Plan (Endectomorph Music)
Released September 24, 2021
Family Plan is made up of three like-minded improvising composers, pianist Andrew Boudreau (BMus’13), bassist Símon Willson, and drummer Vicente Hansen. Playing together since 2018, they have a bent toward insouciant experimentation and formal rigor. The band is a direct descendant of an earlier renaissance of jazz-informed collectives like The Bad Plus and The Necks, treading the fine line between form and freedom with occasional electronic touches which add dimension to the music.This self-titled first album, Family Plan, showcases their undeniable chemistry and pushed the boundaries of jazz offering a lot of creative music. Listeners are sure to enjoy every minute of this piano trio.
Visit the Family Plan Bandcamp page
Imaginary Structures – Levi Dover Sextet (Three Pines Records)
Released October 8, 2021
Imaginary Structures is the debut album from Montreal-based composer and double bassist Levi Dover (BMus'16). Eight original compositions for sextet are brought to life by an ensemble of musicians with an individualistic and contemporary approach: Lex French, trumpet (BMus'14, DMus'21), Erik Hove, alto saxophone (BMus'96, MMus'13), Andrew Boudreau, piano (BMus'13), Kyle Hutchins, drums (BMus'14), and Olivier Salazar, vibraphone (BMus'18). The album establishes a stylized vision of improvised music, fusing jazz with elements of progressive rock and 20th century classical music, brought together in a post-bop setting. A dreamy atmosphere and contemplative mood are balanced against a tight rhythmic undercurrent that propels the music forward, creating a narrative that unfolds gradually over the course of the album, and exposing different facets of the composer’s imagination.
Visit the Imaginary Structure Bandcamp page
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 4, 9 and 10 – Charles Richard-Hamelin, Andrew Wan (Analekta)
Released October 8, 2021
With their third collaborative album, Charles Richard-Hamelin (BMus'11) and Schulich professor and OSM concertmaster Andrew Wan complete the entire cycle of Ludwig van Beethoven's sonatas for violin and piano. The exceptional duo will captivate you with their musical expression and virtuosity. The first volume of this cycle was rated by Radio-Canada as one of the best classical albums of 2018. This recording includes Sonata No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23, Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47, and Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96. The beauty of this album is undeniable!
Scarlatti: Essercizi Per Gravicembalo – Hank Knox (Leaf Music)
Released October 12, 2021
Award-winning artist, early-music musician, and Schulich faculty member Hank Knox spent the past 10 months completely immersed in Domenico Scarlatti’s only authorized publication, a collection of thirty sonatas first published in 1739 in London, England. This recording of the Essercizi Per Gravicembalo (“Exercises for Harpsichord”) offers the listener a deep dive into Scarlatti’s richly inventive and imaginative musical world. Enjoy this virtuosic collection and discover why it’s been in uninterrupted print since its publication 275 years ago. Mark your calendars to hear excerpts played live at Redpath Hall on November 12, 2021!
La Grazia Delle Donne – Ensemble La Cigale – Madeline Owen, Myriam LeBlanc (Analekta)
Released October 15, 2021
With La Grazia Delle Donne, Ensemble La Cigale, lutenist Madeline Owen (LMus'07), and soprano Myriam Leblanc (BMus'11) introduce musical creations of women in Baroque Italy. Many of the women came from families of musicians, and pursued careers as performers and composers at Italian courts. Their works were published and shared, and they were well respected. Others had been taught by Antonio Vivaldi and played in his orchestra, attracting international acclaim. Including works by Isabella Leonarda, Vittoria and Raffaella Aleotti, Francesca and Settimia Caccini, Barbara Strozzi and Alessia Aldobrandini, this woman-driven album is not to be missed.
Beyond Here – Beth McKenna
Released October 22, 2021
Written almost entirely prior to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, saxophonist and composer Beth McKenna's (BMus/BEd’13) new album Beyond Here was inspired by the impact we as humans have on the world around us. From conflict and climate change, to the fusion of North American culture with global influences, Beyond Here is pure energy from start-to-finish, pushing a sense of urgency to reflect on where we stand with our planet, and how our actions can echo far beyond the present. Mixing a wide range of influences, this album delivers a diverse pallet of colours and shifting rhythmic textures in each piece. McKenna is joined by Guillaume Martineau (MMus'09), Sarah Rossy (BMus'17, MMus'19), Francois Jalbert (MMus'12) and Peter Colantonio (BMus’12) on this exciting new release.
Saint-Saëns – Jinjoo Cho, Mathieu Herzog (Naïve Classiques)
Released digitally October 29, 2021 (out on CD November 19)
The Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, Havanaise, the finale of the Concerto No. 3, and the Romance op. 48: these pieces composed between 1859 and 1887 are among the most celebrated works composed by Camille Saint-Saëns. They are also signature pieces of violinist and Schulich professor Jinjoo Cho. This marks the first recording collaboration between Cho and Mathieu Herzog. Cho suggested a record of all Saint-Saëns, noting that 2021 was the composer’s jubilee year. “In a way there is a sense of personal nostalgia that I associate with his music,” says Cho. “It feels to me like meeting an old friend when I play Saint-Saëns. Recording this album with Mathieu and Ensemble Appassionato was an incredibly uplifting and illuminating experience in the midst of a pandemic." Listening to the album is sure to enthrall.
