{"id":121255,"date":"2024-06-27T15:10:47","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T19:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/?post_type=records&p=121255"},"modified":"2024-06-27T15:10:48","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T19:10:48","slug":"pan-m-360-at-fijm-2024-joey-alexander-continuance","status":"publish","type":"records","link":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/en\/records\/pan-m-360-at-fijm-2024-joey-alexander-continuance\/","title":{"rendered":"PAN M 360 AT FIJM 2024 | Joey Alexander – Continuance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


No other media outlet in Montreal has so many people on hand to provide expert coverage of the Festival International de Jazz de Montr\u00e9al. Many of us are scouring the outdoor site and concert halls: Jacob Langlois-Pelletier, Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Cardin, Stephan Boissonneault, Michel Labrecque, Varun Swarup, Vitta Morales and Alain Brunet bring you their album reviews and concert reports. Happy reading and listening!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I should begin by saying that the prospect of reviewing Joey Alexander\u2019s latest album, Continuance, <\/em>was an intriguing one to me chiefly because I hadn\u2019t kept up with his work for the better part of a decade. My assumption, naturally, was that an Alexander release would feature technical finesse on the piano, talented sidemen, jazz standards, and the slickness, (as well as straight eights and quintuplet partials), typical of a modern jazz release. I must confess, I was still conjuring images of that twelve year old who caused grown musicians to punch air in jealousy. Of course, that was 2015; and so you understand my curiosity to see what had changed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a reductive point of view, I think my earlier assumptions were correct. Technical ability, talented sidemen in the form of his touring personnel, and contemporary slickness, all made their appearances. However, in other aspects, I was pleasantly surprised. This is all to say, breaking out of the \u201cchild prodigy\u201d box is surely a difficult task as there will always be pressure to continue what earned you a spot at the dance. However, I do believe Alexander is using Continuance <\/em>to let us know he\u2019s moving on from what he used to do in favor of something a bit different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one thing, It would certainly seem that the days of relying on jazz standards to fill the majority of album runtimes are well behind him. Across his last two albums, (seventeen songs), only two have been covers. Both appear on this release, and neither are standards. The first cover is the pop ballad \u201cI Can\u2019t Make You Love Me\u201d which Alexander arranges as an R&B tune by laying heavy into the \u201cblue\u201d notes and having his drummer provide us with a fat sounding backbeat. (Probably with the classic bandana\/tea towel on the snare trick). The other cover is the Christian hymn \u201cGreat is Thy Faithfulness\u201d which is arranged as a 12\/8 shuffle with all the ghost notes, brief metric modulations, and other gospel hallmarks you could want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest of the album is made of original tunes which I do think contain a lot of subtlety in different spots. The tape warble effect on the synth strings in \u201cHear Me Now\u201d definitely surprised me and made me smile. Other moments of subtlety include how delicate the whole band sounds when accompanying Theo Crocker\u2019s solo in \u201cWhy Don\u2019t We.\u201d Maybe we shouldn\u2019t be too <\/p>\n\n\n\n

surprised since, even as a youngster, Joey Alexander has played and interpreted music with a maturity some take an entire lifetime to achieve. There\u2019s a lot to praise and be optimistic about in this album; the arrangements are effective, the playing is solid, and the vibes are incredibly chill in spots. However, I do wonder if this album would have been more head turning had it come out even five years ago. Despite a clearly more involved product, and an attempt to change directions, to my ears Continuance <\/em>is in many ways your standard modern jazz fare with some neo-soul and RnB thrown in. While I know it\u2019s a little unfair to a twenty year-old who began managing an artistic career when most of us are still reading Asterix, I haven\u2019t quite been convinced to re-enter the world of Joey Alexander as a full-fledged fan. More of an appreciative casual observer. Keep in mind, however, that he likely had me disgruntled and punching air at some point during my music school days, so what do I know? For the faithful and the interested, however, Joey Alexander will be playing at this year\u2019s Montreal jazz fest June 28th at 9pm at Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Jean-Duceppe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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