Trumpeter allows music to breathe

Irwin Block

October 2011

Trumpeter Lina Allemano is a rising star among younger musicians who chose the freedom highway of improvised music to express and create.

Her latest CD, Jargon (Luna Records), is a showcase of her talent as performer, leader and composer, on seven originals. The music is a highly original and creative mix of time signatures, textures, melodies, off-the-wall arpeggios and repeated motifs. The music has its serious moments, but it never overpowers. Allemano believes in allowing the music to breathe, leaving lots of space for her improv to take shape in a non-aggressive way.

At its core, the music is replete with humour, a lightness that lifts the spirit. Her quartet, including Brodie West (alto sax), Andrew Downing (bass) and Nick Fraser (drums), perform Friday, October 21, at L’Envers, 185 Van Horne, near de l’Esplanade, 9pm.

Drummer Fraser is featured in Spectacle: Live!, the Peripheral Vision CD from a live session at The Cellar in Vancouver, with melodic leads from Trevor Hogg on tenor sax and Don Scott on electric guitar.

Five of the compositions are by bassist Michael Herring, a leading contributor to the free jazz scene in Canada, while four of the pieces are by guitarist Hogg. This group has tremendous cohesive power, a storehouse of original ideas delivered with gusto and confidence. Each piece is a musical statement combining beauty and impact.