Noam Lemish – There’s beauty enough in being here

The title refers to a poem by Fernando Pessoa, and imbues a kind of benevolent aura to the entire program constructed by the Toronto-based pianist and composer, Noam Lemish. Without upsetting the usual codes of the genre, a jazz steeped in a scholarly tradition of Hard Bop and lyrical modernity, Lemish builds a program of nine pieces that bathe in a spirit of poetic gentleness, nevertheless animated by an awakened energy, without urgency. We note the beauty of the themes, their simple but refined development and the sober, attractive improvisations of Lemish himself on piano, Sundar Viswanathan on saxophones, Andrew Downing on double bass and Nick Fraser on drums.

All the pieces are original compositions, with one title (The poignancy of Now) based on a theme by Robert Schumann, specifically the third movement of his sublime Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47, written in 1842. At the risk of sounding cliché, this demonstrates the depth of Lemish’s interests and sources, who occasionally also dabbles in contemporary classical composition. In The Poignancy of Now, Lemish breathes a lightness into Schumann that one would not expect. The intuition is good, the result pleasantly singing and successful.

It is, in fact, one of the main characteristics of the album: the solar nature of the harmonies and sound structures. There is benevolence that emerges from the exercise, particularly in titles like Kadrin Gatshor (“gratitude” in the Dzongkha language of Bhutan), Aviv (Hebrew word for “spring”), or the title track There’s beauty enough in being here.

The only exception is San Francisco is my Copenhagen, qui visite activement la liberté harmonique et rythmique avec des élans presque free, mais étroitement contrôlés. 

If you’re in the mood for (mostly) serenity dressed in impeccable and active jazz attire, this album will hit the spot.