Maria Kaushansky: Northbound to Finch / Northbound to Finch (Music for Ballet Class)
Flat 6th Records

While enjoying a recent post-reading dinner at a posh Upper East Side club in Manhattan, James Kaplan, author of the acclaimed 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool, was as taken aback by pianist Maria Kaushansky's playing as listeners will be upon hearing her debut album. As he chatted with tablemates, he found his attention constantly gravitating to marvelous piano material emanating from across the room—in his recollection, the playing soulful, melancholy, bright, and even mischievous. At evening's end, he complimented Maria on her playing and subsequently agreed to write liner notes for the album after hearing it in its pre-release form.

No more than a single listen to the set is needed to understand why Kaplan was so distracted. Partnering with bassist Paul Gill and drummer Anthony Pinciotti, Kaushansky powers through nine captivating originals the trio laid down on December 9th, 2024 at Trading 8s Recording Studio in Paramus, New Jersey. A panoramic range of emotions is traversed during the set, which is dedicated to Pinciotti, who passed away not long after the recording session. It's a bittersweet feeling knowing that this is the only recording this particular trio will produce.

Northbound to Finch is a fascinating album for a number of reasons beyond the fact that, as debut albums go, it's strikingly accomplished and mature. Born in Kovrov, Russia, Kaushansky grew up in Toronto and studied at the University of Toronto, York University, and the Royal Conservatory of Music before decamping for NYC in 2015. Since then, she's played with numerous jazz luminaries and held residencies at many of the city's venues. Interestingly, rather than orient her debut around her NYC experiences, she's fashioned it as a tribute to Toronto and her formative experiences as a student and developing musician. Many of the composition titles will resonate with city residents for their namechecks of specific locales, the title itself a reference to its subway system (TTC) and specifically Finch Station, her home stop, and the bluesy “Tangreen Court” nodding to the street where she and her family first lived after moving to Toronto, Maria ten years old at the time.

Kaushansky plays with authority throughout, her playing confident and inspired. She draws on her strong classical training to craft elegant compositions and solos, and one is repeatedly struck by the deftness with which she improvises in real time and responds to her bandmates. Her experience as a jazz player and ballet accompanist—close to two decades accompanying ballet classes in Canada and the United States—also act as well-springs from which she draws. Playing as a trio for three years, the three had road-tested the material and rehearsed it thoroughly before entering the studio and so were capable of delivering performances that feel fresh, spontaneous, and alive when they were needed.

A pretty theme grounds the entrancing title track and serves as a splendid springboard for the soulful voicing by the pianist that follows its initial presentation. Gill and Pinciotti complement her with imagination without tipping the balance too much in their direction; certainly one of the album's primary strengths is the tremendous connection the three demonstrate as they make their collective way through her pieces. After an unaccompanied bass solo, “Windchill -30” casts a deep spell with a driving pulse and a subtle Middle Eastern vibe—Kaushansky's Russian roots finding their way into the writing, perhaps. She rides the high-wire vamp adroitly, animating it with chords and elevating the rollicking performance with unerring precision.

Wistful ruminations, nostalgic reflections, and breezy uptempo expressions follow, with the pianist directing expertly and generously sharing space with her partners. The years of experience she's accumulated show themselves in the poise of her solos and the versatility of her attack. As strong as the playing is her writing, with each piece exhibiting a distinctive character and boasting memorable themes. Referring to a dive bar she and her friends would frequent during their university days, “Last Call at The Green Room” swings at high velocity. Forceful too is “512 St Clair,” its title referring to the streetcar she took to reach the Ontario School of Ballet (OSB) and accompany dancers, which she did while studying at university. A lovely solo piano prelude leads into “Newtonbrook,” the name of the public high school Kaushansky attended and which she fondly remembers. To honour Pinciotti, she decided to augment the nine originals with alternate takes of six to give listeners a chance to enjoy even more of his and the trio's playing.

In an inspired move, she's issued the trio album with a companion release, Northbound to Finch (Music for Ballet Class), which features the compositions adapted for ballet exercises (amazingly, the extra material was recorded at the same session as the trio performances). Thirteen short pieces are presented, with five compositions receiving two treatments apiece (in two cases short and long versions). She's worked as a ballet accompanist since 2006 for The Juilliard School, Youth America Grand Prix, National Ballet of Canada, and the School of American Ballet, and the pride she takes in that role is evident in these alternate versions. Gill and Pinciotti perform with her but accompany the pianist quietly so as to not overstep their bounds. Sporting a graceful lilt tailor-made for ballet, “Northbound to Finch” is as beguiling in this “Plié, Adagio” treatment as it is in the trio version. With the bassist bowing and the drummer brushing, “So Long Centerpoint Mall” is pretty in its own “Plié, Adagio” presentation. Elsewhere, a hint of tango surfaces in the “Tendu, Fondu” makeover of “Last Call at the Green Room,” while blues does the same during the “Slow Tendu, Plié” take of “Tangreen Court.”

October 2025