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The eclectic astounding and sometimes mystifying Ratchet Orchestra
continue to attract attention with the release of their third recording
Hemlock. Recorded by Godspeed you! Black Emperor bassist Thierry Amar
and released on the Vancouver label Drip Audio, The Ratchet Orchestra
is a who's who of Montreal's edgiest musicians. Director Nicolas Caloia's
compositions provide a structure to showcase fierce talents like Tom Walsh,
Jean Derome, Lori Freedman, Sam Shalabi, and Christopher Cauley. The Ratchet
Orchestra has existed since the early 1990s when Caloia started experimenting
with improvised chamber jazz. In 1998 the size of the band began to swell
for a legendary birthday tribute to the inspirational SunRa and it has
continued expanding to it's current membership of 30 strong. This band
makes a powerful sound but is not designed to be a demonstration of force,
rather, it embraces human frailty. The Ratchet Orchestra does not resemble
a sports team or an army, it's members do not have to march in perfect
formation. They are pirates, not the navy. The group defies reason.
Since 1990 Nicolas Caloia
has worked at creating a contemporary music generated by using accurately
composed textures to channel collective improvisation. The goal is a music
that erases the lines between improvised and composed, pop and avant-garde,
good and bad. He hopes this music will satisfy the body, the mind and,
above all, the heart. He has worked as a performer, composer, and organizer
in Montreal and has toured in North America, Europe, and Asia. He has
performed and recorded in a vast array of contexts with the most important
members of Montreal's creative music community as well as with internationally
renowned musicians like Marshall Allen, John Butcher, Joe McPhee, Steve
Lacy, Hassan Hakmoun, Tristan Honsinger and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.
His concerts and numerous recordings have been critically acclaimed both
at home and abroad. Currently, the majority of his work as a composer
and improviser finds a voice in: The Ratchet Orchestra – a 30 piece
bigband; Tilting – the Nicolas Caloia Quartet, Ring – a sextet,
Spell – a 10 piece marching band, Trephining a quintet, Mercury -
a duet Lori Freedman as well in solo performances.
Personnel:
Jean Derome (Bass Flute, Piccolo et Flute),
Craig Dionne (Flute), Lori Freedman (Clarinet), Gordon Krieger (Bass Clarinet),
Cristopher Cauley (Soprano Sax), Louisa Sage (Alto Sax), Damian Nisenson
(Tenor Sax), Jason Sharp (Bass Sax), Elwood Epps (Trumpet), Philippe Battikha
(Trumpet), Tom Walsh (Trombone), Scott Thomson (Trombone), Jacques Gravel
(Trombone), Thea Pratt (E flat Horn), Eric Lewis (Euphonium), Noah Countability
(Sousaphone), Gabriel Rivest (Tuba), Joshua Zubot (Violin), Guido Del
Fabbro (Violin), Brigitte Dajczer (Violin), Jean René (Viola),
Gen Heistek (Viola), Norsola Johnson (Cello), Nicolas Caloia (Bass), Chris
Burns (Guitar), Sam Shalabi (Guitar), Guillame Dostaler (Piano), Ken Doolittle
(Percussion), Michel Bonneau (Conga), Isaiah Ceccarelli (Drums), John
Heward (Drums)
Press:
"Jazz has never had much of a sniff
at Polaris, but this record’s epic scope transcends genre to appeal
to anyone with a love for big, bold sounds. Hemlock a record
this country needs to hear and celebrate." - Polaris
Music Prize
"With
Hemlock, Rachet Orchestra have finally found their sound, and it's splendid."
- Exclaim!
"Classical
lushness and avant garde edginess coalesce into a sharp-witted yet delicate
set, one of the year’s best releases." - Cult Montreal
"It
all ends up sounding like big band music performed in an industrial blender.
The cool thing of it is, once the novelty of the sound fades, the ingenuity
of the music shines through." - emusic
"...the
feeling and idealism are infectious." - Down Beat Magazine
"The
music on this cd is majestic, a constant flow of colourful images in high
resolution, it charms with melodious substance but captivates with harmonic
depth and grandeur." - (Free) Jazz Alchemist
"Listening
to the Ratchet Orchestra's new album is like stumbling into an alchemist's
garden: the magical storybook kind, with ancient stone walls and a network
of labyrinthine paths that creep through brambly shrubs and scrambling
vines. It's far more extensive than what you'd imagined from the outside
— and the further you wander, the more unfathomable it seems. You
begin to wonder if a garden could actually have no limits." - CBC
Music (online)
"...Caloia
melds lustrous textures, some of which issue from a sizeable strings section
deployed for maximum sweep that recalls Alice Coltrane, to scrappy guitars
that seem intent on chipping away at the music's broad face." - The
Wire
"...both comfortably experienced and
stride-catchingly fresh." - Forest Gospel
"...thoughtfully
constructed and there are moments of inspiration and spontaneity throughout."
- Free Jazz
"Finally,
a Ratchet Orchestra release that gives the full measure of this gigantic
band." - Monsieur Délire
"...should
have Ellington smiling down from above." - Signal To
Noise
"Hemlock is a strong recording with
good tunes; what helps is that the audio is top-notch—all the instruments
are clear and there's no sonic mud to cloud the waters." - All
About Jazz
Album
Pick: Polaris Music Prize
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