Waxwing - Flicker Down (2021) Hi-Res

Vancouver\x27s premier chamber jazz trio (formed in 2006) makes elegant, beautifully textured music, collectively developing their own compositions and in short improvs. Peggy Lee (cello), Tony Wilson (guitar, harmonica, kalimba, ektara etc.) and Jon Bentley (tenor \x26 soprano sax, tank drum, synths, percussion \x26 bells) bring a wealth of experience to the group, whether it\x27s in classical\/contemporary classical music, songwriter\/folk, or the use of overdubbed small instruments as well as sampling and programming to subtly heighten the music\x27s effect.\n\nThis is Waxwing\x27s second release on Songlines, and it\x27s similar to A Bowl of Sixty Taxidermists (2015) in its combination of delicacy and strength with a reflective kind of lyricism, often tinged with tenderness or nostalgia \- but be prepared for the unexpected as pieces move though different forms and emotional states. Bentley produced, mixed and sequenced the record, and in the process transformed some of the pieces, constructing hybrid improv\/composed\-sounding songs using Ableton Live and Serato Sample production software (uncommon in a chamber jazz setting), while taking care to retain the spontaneity of the original improvisation.\n\nBentley and Wilson both deserve wider recognition, but Peggy Lee is one of Canada\x27s most celebrated cellists and jazz composers \- her most recent large ensemble release, Echo Painting (Songlines, 2018) received great reviews nationally and internationally.