Maple Heat: Recent Episodes

Pierre C Ringwald

An irregular podcast featuring all-vinyl mixes of Canadian jazz and improvisational music. Psych, prog, funk and soul are likely to be featured at some point.

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At long last, the fourth volume in Maple Heat's ongoing Canada Deep series has arrived.

This volume of Canadian jazz rarities spans the years 1961 to 1987, taking in a number of styles, including bop, jazz-funk, modal and free jazz. And, once again, my selection reflects my own preferences; I am not aiming to provide a completionist's picture of Canadian jazz vinyl recordings.

Nevertheless, as with the previous volumes in this series, I'm hoping that Canada Deep Volume 4 provides listeners with a sense of the breadth and depth of Canadian jazz talent. Under-recorded and under-promoted for decades, I think you'll find that there is some impressive talent to be heard in this mix.

I hope you enjoy it.

*please note that all the music featured here has been sourced from original vinyl pressings. In some instances, the lower quality of the pressings results in background noise which I have chosen to leave 'as is'.

Tracklisting:

  1. Paul Hoffert – Phoenix (Chateau)
  2. Claude Allaire – Blues a la Carte (Kebec)
  3. Yvan Landry – Café au Lait (CBC)
  4. Walter Boudreau – Boul. Chaumont (Phonodisque)
  5. Lee Gagnon – Ode to the Ode (RCI)
  6. Michael Kleniec – Harmonica (Berandol)
  7. Dr. Music – Gandalf (GRT)
  8. Moe Koffman – Wildlife (GRT)
  9. Bobby Hales Big Band – Minor Event Part 2 (Centre Line)
  10. Joe Sealy – Summertime (Sackville)
  11. Quartescence – Bossa Nova Scotia (VLM)
  12. Pat LaBarbera – Necessary Evil (CBC)
  13. Jon Ballantyne – Shade of Jade (Jazzimage CBC)
  14. Kenny Wheeler – Hi-Yo (RCI)
  15. Sonny Greenwich – Peace Chant (RCI)

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Maple Heat: Canada Deep Volume 3 returns to the often-overlooked world of Canadian jazz. Like its predecessors, this latest volume of Canada Deep covers a range of styles in the genre, performed by some of Canada’s finest musicians, including Brian Browne, the late Nick Ayoub (whose sax playing features on Lacombe’s Plateau Mambo, a tune written by Ayoub), and Joe Sealy. Few, if any, of the songs featured in this podcast have been reissued.

Again, like its predecessors, this volume of Canada Deep is heavily reliant on recordings made by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). These recordings were generally limited to distribution for radio play on CBC radio. As a result, these records are relatively rare, meaning that few people outside of collector’s circles have heard what amounts to a significant share of Canadian jazz recordings from the 1950s through the 1980s. That being said, the two Ready or Not compilations (Do Right!) released in the early 2000s, delve pretty deeply into the CBC archives, whilst the widely-respected Psyquébélique music blog is, amongst things, an excellent source of information about jazz recordings from Québec.

Of the 14 tracks featured in this podcast, I’d like to highlight two in particular. The first, Bad Burn in Poteau, is taken from ‘Celebration’ an lp released by the Saskatchewan Arts board in 1980 to celebrate the province’s 75th anniversary. According to the liner notes, the two touring bands included on the lp were comprised of music students aged 15 to 21. Band 1 are responsible for the slightly bonkers jazz-funk big band sound on this track. Highlights include a trumpet section who almost seem to gallop away from the sax section at several points and an unexpected drum break from Barry Weafer.

The second track I’d like to highlight is perhaps equally bonkers to the first, but for a different reason. Pacific Salt alumni Ron Johnston takes a downtempo soulful approach on Hey Joe –until the last two minutes or so when he starts applying an Echolette effects unit, transforming this polite little number into a psych-jazz freak out. Or something.

Enjoy.

Tracklisting:

  1. The Brian Browne Trio – Happy Little Mothers
  2. The Carol Britto Trio – Karenetta
  3. Jean Cousineau (arr. Francois Cousineau) – Ronde Numero Deux
  4. Buck Lacombe Jazz Ensemble –Plateau Mambo
  5. Jerry De Villiers Trio – Sunday Morning
  6. Emile Normand – Senor Blues
  7. Jane Fair Jazz Quintet – Il s’en vient le spectacle
  8. Kathyrn Moses – Touch Me
  9. Vic Angelillo (Henri Hamel) – Complicité
  10. ‘Celebration’ (Band 1) – Bad Burn in Poteau
  11. Doug Wilde –Our Man In Havana
  12. Joe Sealy – Espresso
  13. Pacific Salt – North Bluff Stomp
  14. The Ron Johnson Trio – Hey Joe

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'Maple Heat: Canada Deep Volume 2' is dedicated to the many unsung Canadian jazz musicians whose music has always deserved to be heard by a much wider audience -particularly those like the late Nick Ayoub who died before most jazz fans had ever heard of him.

Episode 10: The Tracklisting

  1. Yolanda Lisi – Trente-Neuf De Fièvre
  2. The Norman Amadio Trio – Taboo
  3. Stéphane Venne – Cent Degrès À L’Ombre
  4. Hagood Hardy – Feelin’ Good
  5. Paul De Margerie Septet – Fantasie Impromptue
  6. Lee Gagnon Quartet – Impressions Discotheque
  7. Stéphanie – Avant Le Jazz
  8. Bernie Senensky – Beloved Gift
  9. Ron Proby – Nile Lady
  10. The Nick Ayoub Jazz Quintet – Desert Boots
  11. Pacific Salt – Poco-A-Poco
  12. Alexander Zonjic – Joy
  13. Elmo Whigget – 3:00 A.M.
  14. The Canadian All Stars – Suite Fortune
  15. McGill Jazz Band – First Thing I Do

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Fifteen of the deepest Canadian jazz cuts, pulled from my shelves. Trainspotter info: none of these tracks have been featured on the highly-recommended Ready or Not compilations from Do Right!, although some of them are CBC recordings.

Respect and thanks to the djs, dealers and collectors who have fed my passion for Canadian rarities.

A special nod to Waxing Deep's Dan Zacks and Montreal's own Nick Osicka.

UPDATE August 11, 2009: The Tracklisting

Neil Chotem and his Orchestra - Lache-Moi Donc Christine Charbonneau - L'Enfer Francois Dompierre - Mais qu'est-ce que je fais? The Al Baculis Singers - I'm Gonna Go Fishin' Marie Savard - J'arrive Pierre Leduc - Joshua Jerry De Villiers et son Jazz Quartet - Bib and I Nick Ayoub - Montréal Est Lee Gagnon - Autoroute Al Michalek - Sunscape Jimmy Namaro - Afro-Rock Lee Gagnon - Au chant de l'alouette Mike Taylor and Company - Brute Force The Ted Moses Quintet - More Than Ever Moreen Meriden - Caught in a Fever