Jeremy Sandfelder – Passing Time

You might think that Montrealer Jeremy Sandfelder’s Passing Time is an album of great jazz standards. However, you won’t find any familiar melodies in the ten pieces on the program. They are all original compositions by the tenor saxophonist. The confusion stems from Sandfelder’s writing style, almost exactly a tracing of the narrative structures and harmonic colorings of an album that might have appeared on Blue Note in, say, 1957. In fact, the album cover, as well as the few photos of Sandfelder himself, have the same design (colors, pose, framing) as those of the famous label. Sandfelder’s warm, mellow sound has something of Dexter Gordon in his Ballads, but also of Stan Getz, which is no mean comparison.

This retro feel may seem old-fashioned to some, but it’s easy to get caught up in it, especially as the rendering and style are impeccable, steeped in a tasteful vintage elegance that would have been at home in a Montreal jazz club in the 1950s (Rockhead’s Paradise, say). The saxophonist is accompanied by Gabriel Audet-Bourgault on guitar, Jihye Im on piano, Dave Watts on double bass and Andre White on drums. All masters of their craft and deeply steeped in classic jazz know-how.

It’s the kind of perfect “coziness” you’ll want to bring your significant other to at the Upstairs club on November 17, for the album launch. These days, we may need that kind of classic, feel-good, reassuring ideal art-making, just to get through… life. This is the perfect pitch for that.