People Get Ready - Guelph Jazz Festival + Colloquium 2007: Marianne Trundel Quintet

Marianne Trudel Quintet @ Guelph Youth Music Centre, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Friday, September 7, 2007

Marianne Trudel: piano, compositions
Chet Doxas: reeds
Jonathan Stewart: reeds
Morgan Moore: bass
Kelby MacNayr: drums

Marianne Trudel opened this set as a soloist. Or the five fingers on each of her hands that she refers to as her "double quintet." As her fluid, lyrical melodic lines formed liquid harmonies like watercolors I closed my eyes to focus on the sound. Her sound is striking. The tasteful dissonances balanced out by the round, resonant consonances of her harmonic vocabulary held me in a tight meditative focus. I did not see the drummer and bassist come onto the stage. The sudden emergence of a trio sound came as a surprise that sent shivers down the spine. I opened my eyes.

As the full quintet eventually came onto the stage the watercolor approach toward harmony and melody continued throughout the set. Colors seem to bleed into one another along soft edges even as the melodies retained their vocal-like lyricism. This music was a revelation to me as a fresh composition and improvisation presence on piano. I'll soon be adding some Trudel into the HurdAudio rotation.