Vancouver band vehicle for founder's works
New Orchestra Workshop
The Future Is N.O.W
(9 Winds NW CD 0131)

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n this Vancouver collective which
he helped to form. pianist Paul
Plimley leads one of five ensembles functioning under the N.O. W.
umbrella. The nine members of the
current workshop are all heard in the
five groups showcased here. shifting
roles as leaders, sidemen and composers. Apart from Plimley, the most
recognizable name to audiences in
eastern Canada will probably be that
of drummer Claude Ranger, a Montrealer who moved west in the mid'80s after a stint in Toronto. He's a
forceful presence wherever he appears.
These pieces have been drawn from
both concert and studio dates in the
Vancouver-Seattle area and they recall the ground-breaking work of
more famous new music collectives
and leaders such as Chicago's AACM
and Ornette Coleman (Hannolodic
Highlander). Guitarist Ron Samworth, drummer Gregg Simpson and
saxophonists Bruce Freidman and
Coat Cooke also make strong impressions.
If you hear of recordings by the
groups Chief Feature, Lunar Adventures, Turnaround and Unity, these
are the musicians involved. They testify to a determined and inspired new
music core in the Canadian west.

Lunar Adventures
Alive In Seattle
(9 Winds NW CD 0132)

This quartet is now five years old,

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guests in the solo piano series at Ottawa's annual festival in '86 and Ellis, along with Paul Cram - another
of the current generation of avant
gardists - appeared here in a Gallery 101 presentation in late October
this year.

JAZZ
Lois
Moody

These musicians have collaborated
in various ventures and formats since
the '70s and both were founding
members of Vancouver's New Orchestra Workshop in '77. Even though
Ellis has lived away from his home
city for most of the past decade, he
and Plimley work together here as if
they were accustomed to testing each
other's ideas every day.
The only piece not conceived by the
duo is Third Stone From the Sun, a
Jimi Hendrix tune transformed into a
fresh and lyrical tribute. Each piece
effectively reveals the inspiration
which these performers bring to the
music. This recording for a company
dedicated to the cause of new creative music should widen their audience internationally.
Since items on the 9 Winds label
are often difficult to find in Canad_ian
record stores - even when Canadian
artists are featured - you might
consider writing them directly at
P.O. Box 10082, Beverly Hills, CA .
90213.(
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although its members have worked
together in various contexts and combinations since the mid-'70s. They are
saxophonist Coat Cooke, guitarist Ron
Samworth, bassist Clyde Reed and
drummer Gregg Simpson. They are
full of surprises, driving in a funky
groove at one moment, capturing an
infectious Caribbean pulse the next,
then exploring several corners of the
avant garde in collective improvisations.
It's a dynamic. colorful performance developed on original themes by
Cooke and Simpson. Joy, humor and
the enthusiasm of discovery run
through this entire program of what
the brief notes call "electric acoustic
tribal sounds in the tradition of the
21st century."

JI

Paul Plimley/Lisle Ellis ·
Both Sides Of the Same Mirror
(9 Winds NW CD 0135)

Plimley, who plays piano and marimba, and bassist Ellis are best
known to new music audiences in
Canada, but have reached the consciousness of at least part of the
mainstream audience through their
appearances at jazz festivals across
the country. Plimley was one of the

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er, an energetic young musician
quickly building an international reputation. With his 19-piece big band,
he has the vehicle needed for his expanding interests as a composer.
This recording is principally given
over to two of his extended works . the five-part Mass In C Minor for
Jazz Orchestra and the three-movement Freedom Suite. Three individual pieces complete the collection, of
which Kilometers was written and
arranged by Ron Thompson. The rest
are Fraser creations.
With him from the earliest days of
VEJI and his smaller combo are saxophonists Campbell Ryga, Pat Caird
and Perry White, trumpeters Bill
White and John Korsrud, trombonist
Dennis Eason and bassist Chris Nelson. This newest edition of VEJI benefits from such experienced players
as alto saxman P .J . Perry, trumpeter /violinist Blaine Dunaway and
drummer Blaine Wikjord. Just about
everybody gets to solo at some point,
so there's no shortage of individualism to color the music.
This marks 10 years of activity for
I: VEJI which has come a long way to
;\ reach the point of this ambitious music.

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The Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz
Improvisation (VEJI) is the brainchild
of pianist/trombonist/composer Fras-

Free concert
The Carleton University Jazz Ensemble performs in concert this Sunday at 8 pm in the Alumni Theatre of
Southam Hall. Laurie Nelson will be
guest vocalist, singing some of the
new pieces written by the ensemble's
director, Bill Jupp. Admission is free.

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