Ethan Ardelli’s debut album came to him in the form of a housewarming gift from his cousin.
The Toronto jazz drummer was given a collage by an Ontario artist called The Island of Form. He was so moved by the piece that he sought permission to use that art and that title for his first record.
“I liked this idea of collage as sort of being an analogy or a metaphor for an album,” Ardelli said. “Because you take all these different little influences and little worlds and different things I like and combine them and bring them in to make this new form.”
Ardelli is a Juno Award-winning musician who has recorded with other artists in the past, but The Island of Form is his first project where he gets top billing.
He said his goal was just to create a good sounding record that was an honest representation of the musiche likes.
Now he’s taking that record across Canada and on Nov. 16 Ardelli is bringing his quartet – alto saxophonist Luis Deniz, pianist Chris Donnelly and bassist Devon Henderson – to Nanaimo’s Lighthouse Bistro. It’s his first show in the Harbour City in a year.
Ardelli recorded the album with his quartet in New York
with Grammy Award-winning recording engineer James Farber, who worked on some of Ardelli’s favourite recordings. He said it was a rare opportunity for a Canada-based band.
Overall, Ardelli hopes the record sounds unique and
has “something to say.”
“I’d never recorded an album before so I was hoping that I would have an album that sounded good … but until I did it, I wasn’t 100 per cent sure that I could.”
WHAT’S ON … The Ethan Ardelli Quartet performs at the Lighthouse Bistro on Friday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, $15 for students, available at the venue, Fascinating Rhythm or online at www.quadwranglemusic.com.
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