Sean Fyfe - Late Night (2022) [Hi-Res]

Sean Fyfe is a New York based Canadian pianist. He began playing piano at age 5, and was immersed in jazz at age 14 in high school. He has completed performance degrees in piano at McGill University, and Manhattan School of Music, and brings a style to the piano heavily influenced by Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly and McCoy Tyner. He has worked with some of Canada's finest musicians, including Andre White, Dave Laing, Kevin Dean, Tony Genge, Sean Drabitt, Al McLean and Sam Kirmayer.

Here's some album background from Dave Laing: It never fails to amaze how a musician’s personality comes through so clearly in their music. This is especially true for improvisers. Composers may write the most wistful, or coltish, or uninhibited of melodic themes (and Sean certainly does all of that and more with this musical offering); but the performer in the act of improvisation really has nowhere to hide. Even if they wanted to only offer up well-worn clichés, or drench their solos in complex harmonic decoration, or devoutly channel past musical heroes, the very act of performance still inevitably reveals the soul behind the sound. And in fact what Sean and his bandmates all do instead is express their individuality with a deep knowledge of the tradition, a hard-earned understanding of music’s mechanics, and the absorption of lessons learned from past masters.

Sean Fyfe has become something of a vagabond as he roams about the globe and it is coming through in the cosmopolitan nature of his music. He originally hails from the expansive natural beauty of Vancouver Island before formative residencies in Montreal and New York, prior to his current home base of London, England. The group Sean has assembled here comprise his Montreal collaborators: veteran rhythm section masters Adrian Vedady on bass and drummer André White, along with guitarist Sam Kirmayer—a close contemporary of Sean’s who has performed and recorded with Sean on numerous occasions.

This collection of original compositions starts off with the aptly titled Happy, a bright and open melody that sets tone for the whole outing. The mood shifts on Late Night, a wistful and nostalgic composition set in ¾ time navigated by Sean and guitarist Sam Kirmayer together before Sean, Sam, and Adrian knit together assured solos. Another change of direction leads us to the bluesy Little Pants, and here Adrian and André set up a deep groove for Sean and Sam to tell their heartfelt stories.

Sean’s solo reading of Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life is a capricious tour-de-force. The introduction is delivered with textbook pianistic melancholy before Sean takes us through the main melody in a more orchestral arrangement with momentary stops and starts along the way, all the while revealing his deft touch and abundant soulfulness.

We return to the ensemble with Needful, and Sean’s solo displays a ranging, impatient virtuosity that is a joy for us listeners back down here on the ground to follow.

Sam and his singing, vibrant tone lead the way on Stella, another of Sean’s clever compositions. Sam and Sean provide contrasting yet equally elegant, polished solos before Adrian offers the final word prior to the return of the melody.

Next up is To Wes, a tribute to American guitarist Wes Montgomery, a major influence for both Sean and Sam alike. The tempo-shifting razzle-dazzle provided by André and Adrian sets the stage for spacious explorations by Sam and Sean before André is released on his own to maneuver the maze.

The set ends with Sean’s bop-inspired composition Validation, a melody crafted on Charlie Parker’s Confirmation. I would suggest that this tune and this recording as a whole validates his presence as player and composer to admire and celebrate. Among the many moods that Sean calls forth with his music, perhaps joyfulness is the most dominant. And we come full circle from the opener Happy, as Sean makes a sly musical reference to Harold Arlen’s Get Happy, during his solo on Validation. No doubt he was feeling particularly pleased to share his abundant talents while leading such a stellar group of players through his music. Forget your troubles, indeed.

Sean Fyfe, piano
Sam Kirmayer, guitar
Adrian Vedady, bass
Andre White, drums