Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Recording: Bellwether 4

Artist: Bellwether 4

Songs: My Epitaph [composer: Ola Belle Reed; arr. Victor Vrankulj] + GF Goodrich [composer: Andrew Miller]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), January 18, 2017.

Bellwether 4 - My Epitaph

Bellwether 4 - GF Goodrich

Another outgrowth of that young cadre (composed mostly of recent-ish U of T music grads) that has been making lots of great music in the local creative music scenes lately. This particular unit features Emily Denison (trumpet), Anthony Argatoff (alto saxophone), Victor Vrankulj (double bass), and Andrew Miller (drums), each kicking in some of their own compositions and tackling a couple standards. A run through Ornette Coleman's "Latin Genetics" captured their penchant for galloping playfulness that really shines on their recent HAVN-released album. They were competing with a raucous tribute band belting out the tunes of Janis Joplin in the Main Hall (a show that had been rescued from the shuttered Hugh's Room), but the quartet managed to crank things up into some tasty zones. Riffing off each other both in music and conversation, they were at their best when that playful element was at the forefront and they let the tunes breathe and wobble a bit.

[Bellwether4 will be recording a live set (alongside TVT) in performance for the new Rooted series on Saturday, March 4th.]

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