News Blues - Greg Amirault
If Montreal-based jazz guitarist Greg Amirault is at downcast about what’s happening in the world, it’s difficult to tell from News Blues, his third album. But that’s no bad thing. The titular tune’s hint of melancholy aspiring to serenity leads a nine-track collection where Amirault’s mutedly chiming tone with plenty of sustain fronts a quartet date otherwise comprised of bass, piano and drums.
The minimal soloing afforded Amirault’s accompanists allow them to effectively support the melodic inventions coming from his hollow body axe. The addition of accordion on a piece dedicated to his native Nova Scotia begs for more such accessible experimentation. That’s not to say Amirault needs outside players to make a lasting impression. Fitting in with Blues’ generally wistful approach is Amirault’s brief, completely solo foray on a Gershwin standard. In what’s an apparently burgeoning Canadian jazz scene, Amirault’s Blues is a peppier manifestation that initial appearances indicate.
