YOW Jazz, September 17: Latin Jazz concert previews and Dave Solazzo & The Bridge

The show will preview concert performances this week by Dánae Olano, Rachel Therrien, Junior Santos, Primary Colours and the Miguel de Armas Quartet, as well a club date by Dave Solazzo & The Bridge

There’s a lot of Latin Jazz to listen to this week in Ottawa, as part of the inaugural Ottawa Latin Jazz Conference. On this show you will hear parts of an interview I did with Dánae Olano, a Cuban-Canadian pianist based in Toronto, as well as music from her most recent release, Children’s Corner.

I will also be previewing the performances of Ottawa-based Primary Colours, Montreal-native Rachel Therrien and her Latin Jazz Project, Toronto-based Junior Santos and his quintet, and the Ottawa-based Miguel de Armas Quartet.

Primary Colours will also be performing at the Southminster United Church on September 25 at noon - a show featuring a selection of classic and original ballads for the fall.

Dave Solazzo & The Bridge are coming to play at the Montgomery Scotch Lounge on September 27. On the show we’ll hear from Dave, the piano player, and Matt Vacanti, the bass player, on what to expect, as well as featuring a track from their recent release Locrian Skye. Dave Solazzo has written about the genesis of the trio and their record:

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Always a sideman, never a bandleader. I had a vision for the music, certain concepts I wanted to explore that couldn't be done as a sideman.

Mid-life angst was creeping up on me. I felt like the walls were closing in. Matt proposed a remedy - making a record together. And thus the project was born.

We both had original compositions we wanted to develop. After polishing the material, we booked a studio and recorded the album in five hours on a Sunday afternoon. Our friend, Boston drummer Bill D'Agostino joined us. The three of us had never played together as a unit before recording. But the resulting album represents a loose, spontaneous collaboration that really captures the spirit of the project.

I come from a traditional background. I was raised on Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly. But I also love progressive jazz. Musicians like Ben Wendel, Brad Mehldau and David Binney have been huge influences on me in terms of their playing, writing and approach to their groups. I wanted to put some of those elements into the music - the elasticity of time, the unconventional harmonies, the group interplay.

We really went for it in the studio, stretching, taking chances. The resulting music on Locrian Skye, our debut record, is raw, real and in the moment.

The Locrian mode or scale gets its name from the inhabitants of Locris in Ancient Greece, where it was believed to have originated. Compared to the other diatonic modes, it was used more sparsely throughout history, due to its perceived dissonance and instability. Today, the Locrian mode has found increased use in jazz, rock, and metal. It’s also commonly featured in film and video game soundtracks to heighten feelings of tension and suspense.

You can listen to the show live in Ottawa at 93.1 on the FM dial, or via live streaming at CKCUFM.com. The show will also be available for on demand streaming.