Featured Modica Music Artists at the 2022 Jazzahead Conference
Available for Touring & Licensing of Recordings.
Contact Judith Humenick at the Canada Pavilion.
Label: Modica Music
Roberto Occhipinti-Bass
Adrean Farrugia-Piano
Larnell Lewis-Drums
Ilaria Crociante-Vocals on “O Cessate”
Tracks
Recorded at Modica Music Studio, Toronto, Canada
July 18, 2021
Sept 19, 2021
Produced by Roberto Occhipinti
Recorded by Sydney Galbraith
Mixed and mastered by Jeff Wolpert
Photographs by Hugh Marsh
Layout by Gabriel Altrows
“Life under COVID has been a challenge for all of us, as an owner of a recording studio, I was fortunate, that I could keep recording throughout the pandemic.
In addition to recording and producing other projects, I decided I would concentrate my own efforts on doing a piano trio project, one my favourite musical combinations, from the time I started playing bass after hearing Ray Brown in the Oscar Peterson Trio and moving on to the classic Bill Evans trio with Scott LoFaro, to my work with the Hilario Duran Trio.
Joining me on this project is the very fine Canadian pianist, Adrean Farrugia, and drumming phenomenon Larnell Lewis, two musicians I have known since they were both young men, starting in the Toronto Jazz scene.
My other recording projects were for large scale ensembles, with winds and strings, but for this one, I would be the string section, using techniques I learned in my career, playing Classical and Contemporary music .” Roberto Occhipinti
Thanks also to all the musicians who came down to the studio and played during lockdown, it was great therapy for all of us. Special thanks to Mark Kelso, Ewen Farmcombe , Sydney Galbraith and of course to my loving wife Nancy and my son Giorgio.
Musicians
Credits
All songs arranged by Elizabeth Shepherd and Michael Occhipinti
Produced by Elizabeth Shepherd, Michael Occhipinti, and David Travers-Smith
Edited, Mixed, and Mastered by David Travers-Smith
Liner Notes
We are Elizabeth Shepherd and Michael Occhipinti: ES:MO. Having performed together since 2012, we often found ourselves supplementing our larger ensemble tours with a few duo dates at the tail end. Our repertoire changed accordingly – you can’t perform the same songs with a 6-piece band as a 2-piece. Over time, we were surprised to discover the versatility that we could bring to such a stripped-down show. We each brought some of our respective musical past to the table – favourite tunes we’d never done, revisited covers that we had played in other contexts and ideas for new arrangements. After many shows and jams, the music took on a life of its own. We’ve both recorded projects where we’ve each put our stamp on other peoples’ music, but the real joy of this project lies in meeting each other as friends and equals who can bounce ideas off of one another, where the sky’s the limit. After 4 years of accumulated repertoire, we figured we should really commit this to record – and the result is this little gem.
In 2019 we had the opportunity at the end of a tour to book a few days in the studio at the Banff Centre For The Arts. We wanted to capture some of our live duo set, as well as work on some new ideas, and we left with a dozen songs and a memory of the unforgettable sound a mother elk makes to her herd when a few coyotes appear (we happened to be in the middle of that encounter). However, we wanted to expand on that first session and planned to record more. Once the Covid pandemic hit and canceled all of our concerts and tour plans, it all got very real: Michael is based in Ontario, and Elizabeth in Quebec, so if we couldn’t even get together with our friends and family locally, we were definitely going to have trouble recording.
Luckily, summer 2020 gave us a window where we could “bubble” with our families, and we got together in Quebec so our kids could play and we could do some writing. We were also able to get together in Toronto a few months later with Davide and Roberto, but just as we were close to having all the songs we wanted ready for mixing, the next Covid wave hit, so the internet proved to be our lifeline. We Facetimed or uploaded ideas, and recorded additional parts at home. Where mixing would usually mean being in the studio with David Travers-Smith to shape the record in real time, we ended up typing or phoning our mixing comments back and forth. All of this to say that it has been a long journey to The Weight of Hope. It seems surreal to even write this now, but while the dark period we’ve gone through globally has very much coloured this album, as it did all aspects of life, we’ve also tried to colour it with the joy and intimate communication we have playing live with other people. It has been very heavy to be deprived of that indeed.
The Weight of Hope comes from a line in a poem by Alice Oswald that we both thought fit the times we are living through, so much so that Michael referred to it in his lyrics for October Daughters, and Elizabeth created the words for the title track. We think it sums up a little of what emerged from the chaos; as the world seemed to be splitting at the seams while we were all holed up in our homes, we still forged ahead to create something beautiful, not knowing exactly how or even why at times. Music is a gift, as evidenced even in the most difficult times, so it seemed fitting that this album, which came together in a dark chapter, should teeter between the imperative and the desire to believe that things will be better. The thing we can always cling to is hope, however difficult that may at times feel; what better vehicle to deliver that hope than music?
Thanks
Thank you David Travers-Smith for your dedication and for patiently interpreting our written and spoken communication as beautiful sound. Thanks to Davide, Mark, and Roberto for the creativity and enthusiasm they bring to our music. Thanks to all of the various recording studios and staff who recorded us in addition to David Travers-Smith, especially Jeff Wolpert, Jeremy Bernard, Roberto Occhipinti, Sydney Galbraith, and James Clemons-Seely. Thanks to Camille Gladu-Drouin for her creative photography, and to Stefan Verna for his vision for our Any Other Way video. Thanks to Frank Nagy for the photographs that inspired the cover painting and for capturing the painting itself, and to Larry Davidson at D’Addario Canada for the strings we photographed.
ES:MO is more than a musical duo, it is a tribute to the deep friendship between the two of us and our families. Huge thanks to our respective spouses who are connected to our work as well as being the anchors in our lives, Johan Hultqvist (Pinwheel Music) for his insight, support and consultation, and Cidalia Lopes for her inspired cover painting. Thanks to our children for their love and inspiration, Gianluca Occhipinti, and the four October daughters Bea and Lili Occhipinti, and Sanna and Alma Hultqvist-Shepherd.
A variety of people have helped ES:MO get to this point, too many to list, but thank you to Roberto Occhipinti for welcoming us into the Modica Music family, to Bernie Finkelstein for his input on this album, and to Matteo Ruperto and Max di Domenicus for sharing your beautiful promo video and photos from Rome. To all the faithful presenters and colleagues out there who invite us to tour year after year in Canada, Italy, Germany, and beyond – we’d like to thank each of you for believing in the music, and for keeping art alive through these wild times. See you on the other side.
Track List
Musicians
Dave Young-Bass, Kevin Turcotte-Trumpet, Perry White-Tenor Sax and Bass Clarinet, Reg Schwager-Guitar, Brian Dickinson-Piano, Terry Clarke -Drums, John Johnson-Alto Sax and Flute, Les Allt-Flute, Ewen Farncombe-Organ
Credits
Produced By Roberto Occhipinti for Modica Music Recorded and Mixed by Sydney Galbraith
Recorded at Modica Music Studio, August 2020
Artwork and Graphics by Gabriel Altrows
Photos by Daniel Nawrocki
Liner Notes
“This CD was recorded in the fall of 2020 during the extended lockdown because of the Covid 19 Pandemic. The music is a combination of original and existing jazz compositions.
The basic group was a sextet augmented by John Johnson (alto sax, flute) Les Ault (flute), and Ewen Farncolme (B3 organ). The original compositions are largely from 5-10 years ago. Waltz for Blue is dedicated to Blue Mitchell who I played with on several occasions at Bourbon St jazz club in Toronto in the ’80s.
Ode to the Southwest was originally recorded with Cedar Walton but this version I especially like with the B3 overdub.
I would like to thank all the musicians – Kevin, Perry, Reg, Brian, Terry, John, Les, and Ewen – for their exceptional talents in bringing this music “alive” during a difficult time. And many thanks to my friend and producer Roberto Occhipinti for making us all sound great! Photos by Dan Nawrocki.” Dave Young
Order of Canada recipient, DR. DAVE YOUNG, is one of Canada’s most celebrated and valued bassists, composers, arrangers, and educators. Originally from Winnipeg, Dave has made his name known on both the Canadian and international stages in both jazz and classical music for the last 5 decades, and along the way has worked with some of the world’s top artists in various fields. Known for his elegant tone, impeccable time, and immense knowledge of musical history, Dave has been a first-call bassist for the likes of Oscar Peterson, Lenny Breau, Oliver Jones, Cedar Walton, and countless others.
Modica Music is proud to announce the April 2, 2021 release of This Song Is New, a rousing new recording from Canadian jazz guitarist Lorne Lofsky. A master guitarist known for his pianistic voicings and virtuosic skill, Lofsky is considered one of Canada’s great musical treasures. This Song Is New is his first recording as a leader in over two decades and signals an exciting new page in Lofsky’s illustrious career. Joining Lofsky is his tight-knit quartet made up of his long-time musical associates: Kirk MacDonald on saxophone (with whom Lofsky has played extensively since the early 1980s), bassist Kieran Overs, and drummer Barry Romberg.
Born, raised and based in Toronto, Lofsky’s career began when Oscar Peterson offered to produce his first record, It Could Happen To You (Pablo Records), in 1980. During the years that followed, Lofsky worked extensively in the Toronto area and toured with the likes of renowned saxophonist Pat LaBarbera, and fellow guitarist Ed Bickert. Bickert and Lofsky’s fruitful collaboration ran from 1983 through 1991 and produced two widely-acclaimed recordings including the well-known 1990 Concord release This Is New. In the mid-1990s, Lofsky gained further recognition as a member of the Oscar Peterson Quartet. From 1994-1996, Lofsky toured with Peterson’s group at venues all over the world from Carnegie Hall to the Montreal Jazz Festival, and appeared on three recordings. Lofsky was Chet Baker’s “go-to” Canadian guitarist – heavily featured on the legendary Jazz Trumpeter’s 2000 release “Live at the Renaissance II”. His other notable collaborations include performances with Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown, Benny Carter, Joey DeFrancesco, Dave Holland, Rosemary Clooney and Clark Terry, among others.
While Lofsky has built a widely-respected reputation as a world-class player, he has also become known as a prominent and sought-after educator. Currently, he teaches at York University and Humber College in Toronto, has an extensive private teaching practice, and he has guest lectured at a plethora of top-notch institutions such as St. FX University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and McGill University in Montreal, among others.
With a resume like Lofsky’s, it may seem as though he has already accomplished all he set out to do, and it would be perfectly reasonable for him to rest on his laurels. That is, however, not the case, as the musician is on an unending journey of discovery and is consistently working to refine and evolve his sound. “There’s always a new opportunity to discover something,” Lofsky says. “I’m constantly trying to add more information to my vocabulary, to my skill set, knowing that when it’s time to play, I can tap into that and do it in a way where it’s completely unconscious.” As revered journalist James Hale outlines in the album liner notes, Lofsky eschews outboard effects and pedals, preferring to focus on what he can pull from the strings with his own technique.
While Lofsky is never far away from his guitar, composing is something more sporadic, which explains why it has been nearly 25 years since his last recorded work as a leader. “I’ve been concentrating on playing for most of my life,” says Lofsky. “But every once in a while, I kind of go on this little ‘mini binge’ and I feel inspired to write something.” That ‘something’ comes to life on This Song Is New, making Lofsky’s long-awaited return all the more triumphant.
The resulting work is a seven-track collection featuring five new originals and stellar arrangements of Miles Davis and Victor Feldman’s “Seven Steps to Heaven” and Benny Golson’s “Stable Mates”, expertly performed by this outstanding quartet. The bond between this foursome is so tight and intuitive, that the majority of the tracks on This Song Is New were cut in a single take. “We’ve all played together in different sorts of incarnations for a long, long time. There’s a lot of chemistry, a lot of trust. When we play, we don’t really have to talk. It’s like putting on four very well-worn baseball gloves; it’s just, go.” Originally meant to be a casual readthrough at Roberto Occhipinti’s Modica Music Studio in Toronto, Lofsky had no intention of releasing the recording commercially until he heard the exceptional results.
Looking at the material as a whole, the consistent thread throughout is Lofsky’s quest to approach music in new ways, particularly when it comes to revisiting tunes like “Seven Steps” or “Stable Mates”—whether it’s in the time signature or the harmony. “It’s not about emulating what I’ve heard; it’s about tapping into something the music suggests. I try to stay open to different things that might come to mind and open to new possibilities in my playing.” On a song-by-song basis, his approach yields consistently fascinating results, with his open-eared philosophy inspiring his collaborators to dig deeply into their own imaginations.
Looking over the entirety of this ‘get-together with friends,’ that wasn’t originally intended for public consumption, Lofsky is characteristically torn between acknowledging the achievement, yet seeing it as one more step on a journey. “It’s a jazz record. This is music that’s instinctive. It’s not a pop record, where the producer spends six months trying to get the right reverb on the snare drum, and the bassist records his parts separately. I’ve put the last 46 years of my life, on a daily basis, into this. And I’m not going to stop working on this until I take my last breath.”
“Seven Steps” has been recorded at least a couple of dozen times since Miles Davis released it as the title song of his 1963 album, and most have stuck to its original swing time. For Lofsky, the composition represents his ongoing challenge to recast standards in different meters, and with Romberg and Overs along for the ride, this loose-feeling take aptly illustrates how an interesting tune with sturdy “bones” can gain new lustre with an unexpected rhythmic approach.
Lofsky says “The Time Being” refers to where his writing is today. “I’m writing tunes now that aren’t necessarily associated with how I’m typically looked upon: a straight-ahead jazz guitar player. I’m writing because I want to challenge myself. Any recording is kind of a snapshot of where you’re at in your musical/personal life.”
Like the late trumpeter Kenny Wheeler—another Canadian instrumental icon Lofsky worked with—the guitarist loves wordplay in the titles of his compositions. So, while “Live from the Apollo” nods to the legendary Harlem concert hall, it also alludes to astronaut Neil Armstrong’s 1969 leap from the steps of the lunar landing module to the surface of the Moon, and to John Coltrane. “It’s based on Coltrane’s Giant Steps,” with some alternate changes and interplays thrown in, and an alternate melody.”
In his typically off-handed manner, Lofsky says “This Song Is New” is “kind of neat because it changes key partway through, but it doesn’t seem like you’re in a new key. I was thinking of “The Song Is You,” so people might think it’s based on that, but it’s just the correlation in the title.”
The puns continue with “An Alterior Motif,” named for the altered harmony that abounds in the piece. “There’s a sense of linear and thematic development, and you can really hear the melody unfolding.” The performance has a beautiful tension between Romberg’s drumming, MacDonald’s languid opening solo, and the leader’s short, thoughtful interlude bridging into a more rugged saxophone section.
Lofsky’s use of sly references reaches its zenith on the sprightly “Evans from Lennie,” which not only draws from pianists Bill Evans and Lennie Tristano but reaches out to recently departed saxophonist Lee Konitz as well. “I was just messing with “Pennies From Heaven,” and thinking of Tristano, Konitz, and Warne Marsh because they all wrote really great alternate lines to standard song forms. I studied with Konitz briefly in 1984, just to try to get more insight into melodic development when improvising. I learned that you have to know the melody of a song inside out, be able to juxtapose different parts of the melody, then re-phrase, embellish it, and elaborate on it.” Simple, right?
Finally, Lofsky downplays his Bossa Nova treatment of “Stable Mates,” although it sounds like a radical shift from the straight-up, post-bop takes of the song popularized by Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, and composer Benny Golson himself. “I changed the chords. That’s nothing to write about by any means, but I liked the fact that, as a Bossa, it has a very different vibe. And it kind of summarizes the way I’ve been working at playing things in five or in seven, and feeling like those time signatures are not something I have to work up to anymore. I just instantly start playing it that way.”
Label: Modica Music
Catalogue Number: MM0028
All songs written by Lorne Lofsky except where noted.
Lorne Lofsky, Guitar
Kirk MacDonald, Tenor Saxophone
Kieran Overs, Bass
Barry Romberg, Drums
Produced by Roberto Occhipinti
Recorded, Edited and Mixed by Roberto Occhipinti
Recorded at Modica Music Studio, Toronto, Ontario December 28, 2019
Mastered by Peter Letros