By Anthony Dean-Harris | Published November 2021
In the five years since the Canadian group BadBadNotGood released its last album, there have been changes. Original keyboardist Matthew Tavares departed, dividing the duties on keys between Chester Hansen (primarily the group’s bassist) and Leland Whitty (primarily the group’s reedist). Rounded out by Alexander Sowinski on drums, the trio is still new school iconoclastic with a slightly different angle.
With Talk Memory, BBNG has constructed an album closer to the vein of jazz than the genre roads they travel as producers for others. Yet, they maintain their congenial approach, working with Arthur Verocai adding string arrangements or Karriem Riggins doubling up on drums or the texture of Brandee Younger’s harp. It lands these fellas as still accomplished composers and even tighter performers.
It all works because as much as BadBadNotGood has received hype over the years for morphing jazz, they’ve remained energetic practitioners of the genre. Talk Memory is proof.
Talk Memory: Signal From The Noise; Unfolding (Momentum 73); City Of Mirrors; Beside April; Love Proceeding; Open Channels; Timid, Intimidating; Beside April (Reprise); Talk Meaning. (46:38)
Personnel: Leland Whitty, soprano and tenor saxophones, flute, guitar, bass (3, 6), electric and acoustic piano, synthesizers; Chester Hansen, bass, guitar (3), electric and acoustic piano, organ, synthesizers; Alex Sowinski, drums and percussion; Laraaji, ambient electric zither (2); Karriem Riggins, percussion (4); Brandee Younger, harp (9); Terrace Martin, alto saxophone (9); Arthur Verocai, string arrangements (3–5, 8, 9); Andre Cunha Rego, Clovis Pereira Filho, Ubiratã Rodrigues, Wagner Rodrigues, Nikolay Sapoundjiev, William Isaac, violin (3–5, 8, 9); Emilia Valova, Lisiane de los Santos, David Chew, cello (3–5, 8, 9); Samuel Passos, Victor Botene, viola (3–5, 8, 9); Nic Jodoin, tape effects.
Ordering Info: badbadnotgoodofficial.bandcamp.com
