Album Review — Eric St-Laurent Trio: Ruby
Matthew Parsons
Gateway Writer
Oct 19, 2011
Eric St-Laurent Trio
Ruby
Independent
ericst-laurent.com
Ruby is set out as the third volume in a series called “Katzenmusik,” which literally means “cat music.” There is, however, no yowling feline weirdness to be found on the album. “Cacophony” is a clearer and more conventional translation, and a potentially accurate descriptor for the guitar-fronted Eric St-Laurent jazz trio. Ruby sees the Toronto-based group shying away from the spinier side of modern jazz (jazz can have teeth, lest anybody misunderstand) towards a quietly intense style of fusion that is both nonabrasive and fascinating.
The trio’s unique tone results from some unconventional choices made by St-Laurent’s sidemen: bassist Jordan O’Connor, who frequently bows rather than plucks his upright bass, and percussionist Michel DeQuevedo, who eschews the standard drum kit in favor of an array of ethnic percussion. St-Laurent himself contributes to the ensemble sound with double-tracked acoustic and electric guitars. Both he and O’Connor are magnificent soloists, proving it on album highlights like the afro-cuban styled title track and the acoustic “Poisson.”
The group has a remarkable degree of clarity on rhythmically complex tracks such as “Molly,” and Kgomotso Tsatsi’s guest vocal on the gorgeous “Ukumamahteka” offers a welcome change of pace. Unfortunately, the album’s other vocal track doesn’t fare so well. Singer Justin Bacchus’ deeply felt performance can’t save “Breaking at the Seams” from its desperately corny lyrics.
Enjoyable though Ruby is, it would benefit from a bit of the promised “Katzenmusik.” This trio’s idiom is not a noisy one, but a bit of aggressive playing would only add to their already broad expressive palate. Still, anybody looking for a solid Canadian contribution to modern jazz would be well-advised to hear this album.
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