Sam Dickinson is a guitarist from Toronto who is very active on the city’s scene, as well as across the country. He’s rarely seen or heard in Montreal, though, which is a shame. Don’t let the title fool you, this album is a solo adventure “with a few multi-track additions.” Dickinson plays with different atmospheres and a wealth of good ideas, such as this tribute to Egberto Gismonti, primed by harmonic colours taken from Schoenberg (Uncle Gismonti)! Or a nod to Dmitri Shostakovich in the form of a contemplative ballad, subtly colored with Brazilian touches. Gemini Duets doesn’t just feature scholarly references, but also echoes of jazz schools such as “Cool,” with My Shepherd-Collie Baby, based on the chords of “My Melancholy Baby,” a standard often revisited by the great musicians of the genre (Tristano, Konitz). Dickinson adds a fretless track, giving a more incisive character to the main line.
Sam Dickinson’s guitar playing is elegant and refined, in a program made up of rich references and very complete in terms of the breadth of sources of inspiration (from classical to historical jazz, via modernism and bossa). A classy album.
