The Toronto Star
ENTERTAINMENT, Monday, June 17, 2002, p. E04

Futuristic attack jazz livens up JVC festival

geoff chapman
Toronto Star

One-time Torontonian Andy Milne made a rare but most welcome return to his early stamping grounds yesterday with an exhilarating showcase of how jazz might sound in the future.

With his band- dubbed for mysterious reasons Dapp Theory- Milne demonstrated the value of drawing on differing genres of music as he opened the third day of the JVC Jazz Festival on Harbourfront's Concert Stage. Pop, r 'n' b and funk as well as jazz emerged from the bubbling cauldron of his imagination and he was not above crooning soulfully with drummer Sean Rickman, the latter also pumping out raging rap in "Only Clavé."

This group doesn't swing in the conventional sense, but its playing is shot through with rhythmic divergences and quirky notions of time. There is constant, forward propulsion, even though some of it was a tryout for an imminent recording session with progressive folkie Bruce Cockburn.

York U graduate Milne (honours in music) has been based in New York for a decade, working in the engine room of a style of avant-jazz known as M-Base, whose alumni include Steve Coleman and Geri Allen. It's a distinct type of fusion that doesn't rely on electronics or special effect.

Hardy fans ignoring threatening skies were treated to gripping, under-the-surface currents, music with a profound midnight edge, darkly-layered and always in attack mode, like the opening "Bermuda Triangle" (an original on his newest CD New Age Of Aquarius).

With enterprising colleagues in Swiss harmonica ace Gregoire Maret, who brought vivid colours and accents to the music and whose high-flying solos were much appreciated, and a full-bodied electric bass manipulated by Toronto's Rich Brown, the band's set was proof fusion can really fizz and become a thrilling, bloodcurdling experience. A lone standard "Sweet Lorraine" was inserted (in deference to Milne's uncle!), but the concert was defined by wondrous spinning figures, earthy salvos and the joy of discovery.

Later, versatile singer Molly Johnson, who instantly charmed her audience by declaring she "liked a bit of weather," offered some solid past hits and songs from her sparkling new album Another Day like her composition "Melody" and "Sweet Sublime" (a joint venture by pianist Andrew Craig and bass Mikes Downes). Drummer Mark McLean and Colleen Allen on reeds made up this bright band.

Groovemeisters Medeski, Martin & Wood's appearance on a stormy Saturday night was a sellout (that's 2,500) and there's much of interest still to come, notably a quartet led by alto saxist Kenny Garrett tonight at the du Maurier Theatre Centre. Other artists of note at the lakeside concert stage include British hip-hoppers The Herbaliser with DJ Serious opening (Wednesday), French trumpeter Eric Truffaz (Friday), the group Reach co-led by singer Rita di Ghent and trumpeter Nick Ali (Saturday afternoon) and Vancouver's Mother of Pearl (five femme beboppers) on Sunday afternoon.

Category: Arts and Culture
Uniform subject(s): Dance; Music; Theatre
Edition: Ontario
Length: Medium, 392 words

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