Label: Songlines Recordings, 2019

Personnel - Gordon Grdina: guitar, oud; Oscar Noriega: alto saxophone, bass clarinet; Russ Lossing: piano, Rhodes, clavinet; Satoshi Takeishi: drums.

The unique and interdisciplinary vocabulary of Canadian guitarist/oud player Gordon Grdina can be fully enjoyed on his new quartet album Cooper’s Park, the excellent follow-up to Inroads (Songlines, 2017), which, as it is the case here, featured the same adventurous New York musicians: keyboardist Russ Lossing, multi-reedist Oscar Noriega, and drummer Satoshi Takeishi. Throughout five original compositions, the quartet offers plenty of instrumental possibilities (four musicians play a total of eight instruments), invalidating any type of fatigue or indifference.

Take the example of the title cut, an intricate 18-minute creation with a lot to chew up. Inquisitive melodic expressions are presented in the form of unisons, leading to a free collective extemporization where melodies keep flying from different angles. After a rubato reflexion suffused with harmonic and melodic pathos, it’s Lossing who improvises beautifully in a setting that also accommodates juxtaposed guitar-sax unisons. Two of the most stunning moments occur when Noriega projects his scorching tenor over a ravishing ostinato and extroverted drumming, and when Grdina discourses with certitude, having Lossing’s funky oddities on the clavinet running in the the background.

Four of the five tunes go over 10 minutes, attaining a solid narrative arc that relies on the virtuosity of each musician. If the bandleader brandishes his guitar on the brooding “Benbow”, driving an acoustic lyrical intro before the invigorating interplay and solos attain a sonically feverish state, he does the same with the oud on “Wayward”, which develops in a calm state of mind, interweaving the placid and the somber as well as Western and Eastern sounds, prior to flaring up with insurgence and move into an indie-rock aesthetic. Takeishi shines ahead of the theme reinstatement.

Grdina’s compositional eclecticism hits active crossroads that have the power to ground us to the avant-jazz realm in a way, and simultaneously transport us to another worlds and cultures. The patiently layered “Seeds II” fuses some folk esprit wrapped in wha-soaked keyboards with rock tenacity, using hot/cold routines to challenge dynamics. It expresses a wide range of emotion that reflects the musical vision of the composer. At a late stage, we are shaken by a resonant hard-rock foray featuring burning saxophone cries with jolting dissonance.

Culminating an intriguing set of explorative music, “Night Sweats”, the shortest tune on the record, is an ode to dance that I wished it were longer. Following a psychedelic intro, an athletic 15/8 groove is installed to lift your feet off the floor.

More than fulfilling any improvisational liabilities, Grdina and his peers explore their instruments with passion, giving the appropriate direction to an admirable sonic conception. The album is dedicated to Ken Pickering, co-founder of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival and long-time artistic director of the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Cooper’s Park ► 03 - Seeds II ► 05 - Night Sweats