Put out on the circuit via the Canadian Ambiances Magnetiques label on February 13th, 2k26 is Dream of Heat, the latest collaborational album affair cooked up and conceived by Ida Toninato and Jennifer Thiessen. Over the course of six pieces and almost 40 minutes of total playing time the two artists combine their skills in composition, lyricism, vocal performance and the skillful execution of their ideas on their respective instruments, saxophone and viola, later enhanced with overdubs and treated via electronic measures. Opening with the emotional and rather elegic, at times even ethereal sonic backdrop of I Need Warmth which is nicely contrasted by the absolute urgency of the Spoken Word passage in its intro as well as a deep, almost earth shaking ebb and flow of low end bass waves the artistic duo sets a tone and pace for things to come like the subsequently following nocturnal ambience of Bear, its specific spatiality and ever building intertwined melodic spirals which see viola and sax in a continuous, feverish and ever intensifying dialogue whereas Hot Blood Flow brings forth an almost mythical and certainly sacred feel hovering above and beyond the ordinary humans perception of three dimensional space and time whereas I Am Suffocating caters carefully layered vocals alongside wind swept minimalisms of probably electro-acoustic origin as well as deeply hidden quasi-rhythms of rather eerie and ritualistic nature just to name a few. An extremely intricate and beautifully intimate album. Recommended. Go check. Especially if Björk’s most ethereal and stripped down tunes from around the mid-90s struck a chord with you for a reason even though there is no direct parallels or specific connections to be drawn out here.

Canadian artists Allison Cameron & Scott Thomson are out with the album Platanus, and this is a production that resides somewhere in the experimental music section. This is very much a minimalist experience, with the saxophone combined with keyboards, electronic sounds and tape effects as the sounds and instruments used. The three long improvisations all ebb and flow between minimalist expressive attitudes and more melody-oriented but still expressive escapades, more often than not with a more twisted, expressive use of the saxophone complemented with noise effects, rhythm details or minimalist melody-oriented sounds from what I’d broadly describe as the electronic part of this equation. Often with a bit of an otherworldly feel created by these combinations, and just about always with expressions that reside in the more unusual compartments of the music universe. A production to seek out by those who tend to enjoy minimalist experimental music explored in an expressive and improvised manner.

Much of the music on this weeks offering has a quiet ambience which offers a healing solace in these crazy times. There is some noisy stuff as well, to shake things up, plus the usual selection of current featured releases and old favourites.

An abstract affair, chronicling the duo of noted Toronto-based composer-improviser Allison Cameron and Montréal’s Scott Thomson (on trombone). The woozy, intangible space they construct spontaneously together is thoroughly compelling; Thomson’s formidable timbral command pairs beautifully with Cameron’s unusual instrumentation which showcases the Crackle Synthesizer (a more flexible sibling to the Crackle Box) but also employs other keyboards (audibly the Casio SK-1) and tapes. What they produce collectively resists easy description and that’s precisely what makes it so resonant. Their elusive semi-hush feels as like something was piped in from another reality. The release is dedicated to the memory of Nobuo Kubota, the extraordinary Canadian improviser and intermedia artist who passed away in September of 2025 at the age of 93. The duo had played as a trio with Kubota, and the aforementioned Crackle Synthesizer in fact used to belong to the elder artist.

Except for his 2014 Monk Work release, the majority of Jean Derome’s discography has focused on his own compositions. That began to change in 2019 when his band, Somebody Special, issued their first recording of Stave Lacy compositions. Derome along with bassist Normand Guilbeault, pianist Alexandre Grogg, drummer Pierre Tanguay and vocalist Karen Young continue that tradition on Le sourire. Rather than simply covering tunes primarily from Lacy’s Rushes, Packets and Futurities recordings, the band adds their own unique voices to 11 tunes with lyrics from authors Anna Akhmatova, Samuel Beckett, Robert Creeley, Bob Kaufman and Judith Malina, With her eclectic background in everything from classical to world music and jazz to musical theatre, Young brings a new sensibility to lyrics once sung by Irene Aebi. Check out her warbling and chirps on The Cuckoo or her soaring solo on Sands, 2: Jump. Although Derome could have easily played Lacy’s parts on soprano sax, his flute playing literally breaths new live into tunes such as Sands, 3: Fall, Love and Politics and I Heard the Indian Sage. On other selections, such as The Smile, Morning Joy and As Usual he switches to the alto saxophone. Grogg’s solos run the gamut from rhapsodic on Heaven to complex on As Usual. Throughout the entire session, Tanguay and Guilbeault provide the glue that holds the often-jagged rhythms and harmonies of Lacy’s music together, leaving room for Derome, Young and Grogg to explore the possibilities. At a time when many musicians are satisfied simply recreating the music of the masters, it is refreshing to hear Derome’s Somebody Special reminding us of the power, beauty and adaptability of pieces Lacy composed more than 40 years ago. As a matter of fact, Lacy composed over 600 works during his lifetime. So, hopefully we have not heard the last from Somebody Special.

BOTTOM LINE: Steve Lacy’s earliest recordings from the late 1950s recast the music of Thelonious Monk. So, it only seems fair that Jean Derome’s Le sourire recast the music of Steve Lacy! The chantlike phrasing, jagged structures and art song lyrics for which Lacy was known are in good hands with Derome and the group that takes its name from the Lacy tune Somebody Special.

The experimental music landscape of Canada finds a new, deeply resonant anchor in Platanus, a collaborative duo recording by composer-improviser Allison Cameron and trombonist Scott Thomson. Released via the esteemed DAME (Distribution Ambiances Magnétiques Et cetera), the album is a woozy, intangible journey into a “semi-hush” reality that defies easy description.

Dedicated to a Legend

Platanus is dedicated to the memory of Nobuo Kubota, the extraordinary Canadian intermedia artist and improviser who passed away in September 2025 at the age of 93. The connection to Kubota is both spiritual and physical: the duo once performed as a trio with the “inspiring polymath,” and a key instrument on this record — the rare Crackle Synthesizer — was a personal gift from Kubota to Cameron.

This instrument, a deluxe variation of the STEIM Cracklebox, places the human body directly into the circuitry, creating unpredictable and raw electronic textures that Kubota himself once pioneered.

A Masterclass in Timbral Chemistry

The album thrives on the unique synergy between its two creators:

Allison Cameron: A fixture in Canadian experimental music since the 80s, Cameron is celebrated for her “quirky kaleidoscopy” of instruments. In Platanus, she blends the Crackle Synthesizer with the toy-like sounds of the Casio SK-1 and tape loops, creating liminal spaces that interrogate the listener’s attention.

Scott Thomson: A trombonist with formidable timbral command, Thomson is a key figure in the Montréal and Toronto improvisational scenes (and current director of FIMAV). His ability to produce unusual, vocal-like tones on the trombone makes him the perfect foil for Cameron’s electronic abstractions.

Beyond Convention

Rather than following the high-energy tangles of traditional free jazz, Platanus unfurls in a state of “restless quasi-stasis.” It is a quietly potent recording that doesn’t so much defy conventions as slide between them, feeling as though it were “piped in from another reality.”

Jean Derome, a cornerstone of the Québécois experimental scene and a founding father of the iconic Ambiances Magnétiques label, returns with a masterful new recording: Le sourire. Performed by his all-star ensemble, Somebody Special, the album is a deep, charismatic dive into the eccentric songbook of the legendary soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy.

Reimagining a “Genius” Legacy

Following the success of their 2019 debut, Derome and his quintet continue to explore the sophisticated and often avant-garde repertoire of Steve Lacy (1934—2004). Known for setting diverse literary texts to music, Lacy’s work is notoriously difficult to capture, yet Derome approaches it with a perfect blend of reverence and “Deromean” playfulness.

Le sourire features settings of texts by literary giants such as Samuel Beckett, Anna Akhmatova, Robert Creeley, and Judith Malina. The music glides between boisterous energy and tender candor, remaining firmly rooted in jazz while constantly pushing its boundaries.

A Montréal All-Star Lineup

To bring this vision to life, Derome (on alto sax, bass flute, and vocals) has assembled a “who’s who” of Montréal’s finest:

Karen Young: The legendary vocalist who effortlessly navigates Lacy’s complex melodies with veteran agility.

Alexandre Grogg: Providing dense, elegant, and bold piano work.

Normand Guilbeault (bass) & Pierre Tanguay (drums): Derome’s longtime trio partners who provide the swinging, angular foundation.

Between Tradition and the Unknown

Jean Derome, a recipient of six prix Opus Awards, has spent 50 years defying categorization. In Le sourire, one can hear fleeting echoes of Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, and even the mischievous songcraft of Carla Bley. Yet, the result is irrefutably original — a taut, charismatic variant of jazz that “strives to astonish in the noblest sense of the word.”