"I
don’t know whether to think of John MacMurchy as a player who
writes, or a writer who plays. That he does both exceptionally well
is demonstrated on his current release “Outside The Ministry
of Truth”. But the fact is, he’s not outside anything:
the reedman is solidly within the jazz tradition, with a solid grasp
of the too-often forgotten need to swing.
MacMurchy plays tenor and alto saxes and clarinet here, with interactive
accompaniment from Robi Botos on piano, guitarist Joey Goldstein,
Victor Bateman on bass and drummer Bob McLaren. On one selection,
Intruder Alert (dedicated to the late CBC host Allan McFee) four additional
woodwinds are added. It starts out sounding like a work for a classical
ensemble for the first 90 seconds, what with bassoon and alto flute
and all, then becomes a groovy romp that will have you reaching for
a jellied gin.
MacMurchy shows his playing range throughout, on tenor for the right-on
Top Dead Centre and alto on the wistful Through The Looking Glass,
featuring some sensitive Botos piano. John’s clarinet (a horn
whose demands escape many jazzers these days) is up front on the lightly-dancing
Bayview Extension. This dedication to a Toronto roadway is another
MacMurchy composition with a sense of place, like Parkdale Strut on
an earlier CD, “Product ’58”.
For some reason, probably royalties, most releases these days are
of “original” music, and most are forgettable. This one
is not: it rewards for concept and performance both".
Ted
O'Reilly (Wholenote)