Jason Sadites: “Tales”

Jason Sadites: “Tales” (2014)

The ultimate goal of musicianship, as I understand it, is to reach a point where personal expression is not limited by external factors like technical ability or straightforward commercialism. Once you’ve reached a point where you can play anything that comes to mind, then the great infinite plateau of musical ideas stretches out before you like an ocean of time. On his latest release, guitarist and composer Jason Sadites has further shed the trappings of the concept of “genre”, and entered into a rich world of diffused pure instrumental expression. By tapping a couple of world-class musicians to accompany him, he has exponentially multiplied the sonic possibilities of the guitar as a composition tool. Unbound by mechanics, he is free to roam his own particular universe as a guitar-wielding free radical.

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Will Gillespie: “Learning How To Let Go”

“Learning How To let Go” by Will Gillespie

“Move as quickly as you can/ you’ll never be this young again.”- Never Be This Young

Will Gillespie’s latest album “Learning How to Let Go” is intimate in the extreme. You can hear fingers touching guitar strings. You can hear the air in the studio. You can practically hear the dust floating around the room. Gillespie’s voice is completely unadorned and closely recorded, like he’s singing into your ear without any amplification. The percussion is simple and unobtrusive, letting the guitar and the odd instrumental solo take centre stage, along with the voice. Then there are otherworldly touches of analogue drum machine, which places the album firmly in the present musical climate. It’s an electro-jazz-folk-rock album by a fidgety songwriter who is looking within to find the guidance he needs to navigate the external world.

A trio walks into a talent agency…

My friend Jagger recently turned me onto this band called The Aristocrats. He’s a serious muso (which is like the musical equivalent of “foodie”), and this band features some extremely developed playing from extremely advanced musicians.

Rock Moustaches, Jazz Edition: “The Breau”

For the final honouree in Audio Reckoning’s salute to Movember, we turn to the world of jazz, and to one of Canada’s most legendary musical figures: Lenny Breau.

Jimmy Smith “Respect”

On sunny Sunday mornings, I brew some fresh coffee and dig through my jazz records. Today I am listening to the great jazz organist Jimmy Smith’s album “Respect”.