November 9, 2006
Zhen and the Art of Spontaneous Music
By Roger Levesque, The Edmonton Journal
At 31, Toronto pianist David Braid is one of Canada's most accomplished jazz musicians regularly working with players one or two generations older.
It's not just that he's a monster at the keyboard or a gifted composer who writes with his colleagues in mind. Part of his success may come from the fact that he refuses to lose touch with the essential act of making live music. In fact, Braid just released Zhen, a second live recording with his all-star sextet. (The Chinese word, pronounced djen, roughly translates as genuine, sincere, or real - a quality he strives for in his live recordings, mistakes and all.) "It's about making something raw, with no editing," he says, "I guess it's almost a reaction to so many recordings that come out now that are studio perfect, to the extent that they sacrifice the real spontaneous feeling of jazz." Zhen is the followup to his previous live disc, the Juno-winning Vivid (2004), which was also recorded with the sextet at Toronto's defunct Top Of the Senator club. The new disc featuring the compelling performances of Mike Murley and Terry Clarke, among others, and some fine tunes. Braid, who has made several recent tours to East Asia, says he was thrilled to see how the sextet knocked out audiences, especially in Japan. Just six months ago, Braid put out another live recording, Beginnings, a totally free duo set with Canadian jazz great Phil Nimmons on clarinet. In the meantime, the pianist is co-leading a quintet with star saxophonist Murley that includes guest saxophonist Tara Davidson, bassist Jim Vivian, and drummer Ian Froman. Their tour will include another live recording and a visit Friday to the Yardbird Suite. The touring band's origins go back to 2003 when Braid first substituted in the fusion group Metalwood (co-led by Murley and Froman). They made their first tours together in 2004 as a quartet and released another live recording earlier this year called Mnemosyne's March. Braid says the quintet sound is different than any other project. "It has a real small-group feel. Things are less carefully arranged, there is more emphasis on linear playing and it's more about individual voices. Tara and Mike's playing is so inter-related they almost sound like extensions of each other." Whatever the instrumental configuration, Braid seems to have a talent for bringing out the best in his bandmates. He refuses to ponder how he's made it so far at such a relatively young age, or wonder what the future might bring. "I just try to focus on what I have from the beginning, to evolve and to continue to follow my curiosity in music, and trying to grow musically."