Ryan Oliver: Ryan Oliver with Strings
Cellar

Who doesn't love a saxophone album with strings? That's especially the case when the saxophonist is tenor player Ryan Oliver and the accompanists not only include a twelve-member string section but three Canadian jazz legends in the rhythm section, pianist Bernie Senensky, bassist Neil Swainson, and drummer Terry Clarke. With musicianship at an exceptionally high level and a set-list thoughtfully spanning originals and covers, the Victoria, BC-based Oliver has created something special. A key collaborator to the award-winning saxophonist and one-time Shuffle Demons member is Mark Crawford, whose arrangements are pivotal to the music's impact.

On his third album as a leader, Oliver augments eight of his own pieces with two non-originals, Crawford's “Tango for Astor” and Harold Arlen's “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Stylistically, the album, recorded on a single July day in 2021, ranges from blues to ballads, with the saxophonist drawing from life experiences and musical influences for the material. One track title references his daughter Josie whereas others could be construed as nods to Wayne Shorter and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis. The eight violinists, two violists, and two cellists generate a luscious backdrop for the four jazz instrumentalists, and the decades of high-calibre experience Senensky, Swainson, and Clarke bring to the date is reflected in their playing. The leader benefits immensely from the contributions of his partners, the outcome an immensely flattering portrait.

Oliver possesses a robust, vaguely Coltrane-esque tone that fits perfectly the bluesy “Shorter Mornings,” dramatic “Macbeth,” and rousing “Blues For Josie Rose.” As a soloist, he's imaginative, adventurous, and agile, a player who's developed over many years a rock-solid foundation to build his playing upon. While “Tango for Astor” is suitably sinuous in its seductive dance rhythms, “Eddie” appeals for its soulful, R&B-styled swing, a style Oliver digs into lustily. Crawford's arrangements deftly combine the string and quartet elements such that they feel fully integrated as opposed to the strings functioning as a mere add-on. The vitality of the performances is attributable to many things, but the fact that they were recorded live off the floor is certainly a major reason.

As satisfying as the widescreen pieces are, it's “For You” that's arguably the most rewarding. The ballad form is, of course, the one most exposing of a player's strengths and weaknesses, but Oliver excels in this context. His smooth, silky tenor glides elegantly across the warm backdrop provided by the others, after which Senensky delivers a thoughtfully attuned solo before Oliver takes the performance out with an inspired cadenza. While the tune's familiar, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” likewise proves affecting for the sincerity of its expression, as does the hymnal closer “Walk On Up the Road” for its folk-blues charm.

October 2022