Tag Archives: Innovative Leisure

On Record – Leland Whitty: Anyhow (Innovative Leisure)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Leland Whitty is a multi-instrumentalist, a member of the BADBADNOTGOOD group from Toronto – in which he normally plays saxophone and guitar. In true jazz fashion, however, his talents appear to be completely unrestricted, for on this record alone he provides composition, production and contributions on guitar, keyboards, various woodwind, percussion and strings.

Work on Anyhow began in 2020, with Whitty following a course influenced by cinema and photography. Two of his bandmates, Alexander Sowinski (drums) and Chester Hansen (bass) are guests on the album.

What’s the music like?

Anyhow has been out for a while, since December 2022 to be exact – but it has cropped up in Arcana’s listening patterns for the last few weeks and definitely deserves a review of its own!

It is a highly attractive and pictorial album, from the dappled textures and languid loops that dress Svalbard to the saxophone climbing towards the higher reaches towards the end of the title track.

In between there is much to enjoy. The expansive Glass Moon has a descriptive saxophone commentary, while Awake is actually pretty hazy, with sighing strings and a nicely jumbled keyboard solo. Windows takes time out for reflection (pun intended!), basking in some attractive textures, before the saxophone takes an assertive lead. Meanwhile Silver Rain has strong hints of Debussy in its melody.

Does it all work?

Yes. Whitty has a keen ear for orchestration, and allows free improvisation without ever tipping over into indulgence.

Is it recommended?

It is, heartily. Leland Whitty’s work marks him out as a descriptive and emotive composer, who says a great deal in shorter musical sentences. Attractively clothed, this is an album to savour.

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On Record – Jonah Yano: Portrait Of A Dog (Innovative Leisure)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Born in Hiroshima but based in Montreal, Jonah Yano has been exploring his family history and making sense of his identity. This has been realised in musical form, through a solo album made with frequent collaborators BADBADNOTGOOD.

Yano used the songwriting process to make an intimate piece of work bringing his feelings on his Japanese-Canadian heritage to the fore, while examining family dynamics and personal relationships. Here he is aided by extended solo contributions from his bandmates, and some spoken word clips adding a domestic feel to proceedings..

What’s the music like?

Chilled in the first instance – but definitely rewarding the listener who wants to go deeper into the source material.

On the surface it is easy to admire the resultant sounds from this album. Chief among these is Yano’s velvety voice, a versatile instrument equally effective in soul or jazz. He is backed by thoroughly convincing instrumental parts, too – chief among them some superb drumming from Alexander Sowinski and fluent piano from Felix Fox-Pappas that determine the momentum generated in each track. Both combine in some of the strong solos, while Leland Whitty‘s guitar and saxophone contributions to Haven’t Haven’t stand out.

Always has a searching intimacy, especially when the lyrics make themselves clear. “The way you made me feel is the opposite of caring”, sings Yano in one verse, though by the time the piano takes over for an extended solo, things feel right with the world again.

Song About The Family House is deeply felt, an intimate aside to the listener, while a cover of Vashti Bunyan’s Glow Worms is suitably evocative. Guests Slauson Malone and Sea Oleena both acquit themselves well, with subtle contributions to In Sun, Out of Sun and Quietly, Entirely respectively. The latter has a beautiful introduction, with layers of murmured vocals like the wind in the trees.

Does it all work?

In the main, though occasionally Yano’s voice feels a bit understated in the mix – on headphones at least. The instrumental cameos are sensitively handled and complement the mood of each song.

Is it recommended?

It is. Portrait Of A Dog proves to be an engaging and personal work, featuring some rather special instrumental contributions. Definitely worth a spin.

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Switched On: Jimmy Edgar – Cheetah Bend (Innovative Leisure)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Jimmy Edgar has been far from idle in his music making over the last decade, but this is his first completed album in nine years. Cheetah Bend is a mixture of solo cuts and collaborations, with vocalists Danny Brown, Rochelle Jordan, B La B and Hudson Mohawke adding their vocal talents to Edgar’s electronic workings.

What’s the music like?

Those electronic workings are fascinating, building on Edgar’s work with a hybrid of styles. Techno is prominent in his thoughts, but so is hip hop and big room R&B. The latter skill is used to great effect on Metal and Turn, where corrugated warehouse beats provide the ideal offshoot to the excellent vocals.

In addition to those mentioned above, Millie Go Lightly coos on Be With You, while Danny Brown’s contribution on Get Up gees the listener up for the album, aping James Brown’s Get Up Offa That Thing with the lyric ‘you gotta do better’. It’s a really good interpretation of a song that hits the sweet spot between tribute and remix. The bigger beats of Cheetah work well with Semma’s vocal, as does Ready2Die, fronted by Messer, which becomes something of a torch song. The single Bent, released last year, hits the treble hard too:

Happily Edgar goes for a P-funk excursion on Zigzag, the best instrumental cut on the album, while the glitchy Curves signs off with typically liquid grooves.

Does it all work?

Yes. Edgar evokes a dark club where sweat runs down the walls because everyone’s dancing, and his clever way with beats keeps things interesting and extremely varied. The influences of Prince, Funkadelic, Timbaland and Detroit techno are just some elements at play in music that sounds like it could be a derivative mish mash of styles, but actually turns out to be far more original and interesting.

Is it recommended?

It certainly is. Jimmy Edgar is always on the prowl – and as the title suggests, Cheetah Bend is a sleek beast looking for a kill. It succeeds effortlessly here.

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