Jocelyn Gould: Sonic Bouquet
Jocelyn Gould

Guitarist Jocelyn Gould flouted at least one person's expectations—mine—with her third album Sonic Bouquet. Having been thoroughly beguiled by last year's Golden Hour, I expected its follow-up would naturally showcase her terrific guitar playing and writing as well as her singing, which was one of the best things about the recording. Not so: recorded in a single day after her return to Toronto from a six-week concert tour of the United States, Sonic Bouquet sets vocals aside for an instrumental set steeped in classic blues, bop, and swing that pairs the JUNO-winning Gould (for 2021's Elegant Traveler) with fellow guitarist Randy Napoleon. Establishing a through-line from one release to another, pianist Will Bonness, bassist Rodney Whitaker, and drummer Quincy Davis again preside, just as they did on Golden Hour. Whereas saxophonist Jon Gordon guested on the latter, clarinetist Virginia MacDonald sits in on four of the new album's nine tracks.

However tempting it might be to characterize Sonic Bouquet as a blowing session when soloing is so plentiful, doing so would mislead when compositional structure is as carefully attended to. That said, the performances, laid down at Toronto's Revolution Recording studio, exude the spontaneity of a live date. If the playing sounds fresh, it should: the session transpired the day after the musicians completed a four-night stint at Toronto's Rex Hotel. Gould and Napoleon are both in excellent form, their chops deployed in full service to the material; so well, in fact, do they complement one another, it's can be difficult to determine which one's playing at a given time, though her Benedetto 16-B has such a distinctive sound it's easy enough to pick her out of the mix.

“Trail Blazer,” Gould's sole original, is up first, and it's a good one, a soulful cut that might have you thinking of George Benson's Breezin' for a moment or two. As much as the album spotlights the guitarists, the opener serves notice that the other musicians are as deserving of attention when the opening solo's ceded to Bonness and the bassist and drummer animate the performance with infectious drive. The resonant, explorative solo taken by the leader, however, reminds us that it's her gig above all else.

Five covers appear, among them sparkling renditions of Sammy Fain's “Tender is the Night” and Victor Young's enduring “My Foolish Heart.” The breezily swinging former is easy to warm up to when its medium tempo brings forth smooth, bluesy statements from the guitarists, Gould first and Napoleon second, and Bonness. The tender ballad treatment given “My Foolish Heart” is distinguished by a delicate guitar duet at the outset and sensitive ensemble playing thereafter. As is often the case, jazz artistry is most effectively revealed by a ballad performance, and the thoughtful turns Gould and Bonness contribute flatter both in that regard. Though the two tracks contrast in style and tone, the impression forms at this early album stage of musicians solidly locked in and tight.

On the uptempo tip, there's Joe Henderson's “The Kicker,” which throws down at a breakneck pace and adds MacDonald to the front-line. Quincy Jones's “Jessica's Birthday,” by comparison, is delivered at a slinky tempo well-suited to its blues-drenched character. The tone of the originals aligns well with the covers, a case in point the breath of fresh air that is Napoleon's “Spring Regardless” and his slow, off-kilter blues workout “Last of the Rounders.”

November 2023