Get Out of Town (Live)

Album Review

Jazz appears live and well in Canada and specifically at Vancouver's Cellar Club, which hosts some of the country to the North's better-known and fledgling jazz acts. It's at this venue that the Maximum Jazz label records many of the live sessions. This time, it's a less familiar name: Bruno Hubert who, with his trio, offers a musical agenda of mostly well-known material and some lesser-known compositions, all gems irrespective of category. On one of the former, "Caravan," Hubert mixes in a variety of rhythms and cadences, including a dash of Latin, a touch of Ahmad Jamal, and even some jagged Monk-ish figures over a period of eight-and-a-half minutes for as scintillating a version of this Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol classic as has been put on metal for awhile. The title tune, "Get Out of Town," shows that Hubert has a very personal touch to the piano as he engages in some singularly modern harmonic adventures. His changing rhythmic patterns will keep the listener from getting too well settled with the performance and force him/her to stay on guard for surprising changes along the way. On a funkier side is "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," but the objective of this cut is not to be funky for funky's sake — which seems de rigueur these days — but selectively incorporates elements of this style to emphasize the trio's original interpretation of this time-honored tune. It is Hubert's piano charisma that is the driving force on this album. Nevertheless, the contributions of his trio mates are by no means unimportant or insignificant. Another relative newcomer, bassist André LaChance, and veteran drummer Brad Turner go beyond mere time keeping with serious insertions and occasional solos. This CD is a fine maiden effort and is recommended.