Noam Lemish - Twelve (2022) [Hi-Res]

Noam Lemish is a Toronto-based pianist-composer whose music often defies categorization. In Twelve he leads a formidable jazz 12tet presenting a captivating set of six original compositions. This chamber-sized jazz orchestra – a nimble, yet powerful ensemble – features a stellar cast that includes many of Canada’s most prominent jazz artists, including multiple JUNO award winners. Growing up “in-between” cultures and places, having lived for extended periods in Israel, the United States and now Canada, Lemish’s music fuses an array of disparate influences and traditions. In Twelve, Lemish and his orchestra distill this integrated, transcultural musical life into a compelling, poignant, and joyful artistic statement.

Lemish’s distinct and innovative voice as a composer permeates every facet of this recording. The six pieces that comprise Twelve stretch the conventional boundaries of the jazz idiom in more ways than one. Pushing jazz structures in new directions, the works showcase inventive, long-form, through-composed music that seamlessly integrates soaring melodies, exquisite large ensemble writing and orchestration with stunning improvised solos. Owing to Lemish’s multi-cultural upbringing and life experiences, the compositions also reveal a musical vision that embraces genre-bending as an essential feature. Lemish’s writing effortlessly blends his rootedness in jazz and western art music with the musical influences of his Israeli childhood and Eastern-European Jewish heritage.

Noam Lemish: piano, compositions, and arrangements
Terry Promane: musical director
Laura Swankey: voice
Allison Au: alto saxophone
Mike Murley: tenor and soprano saxophones
Kelly Jefferson: tenor and soprano saxophones
Kevin Turcotte: trumpet
Jim Lewis: trumpet
William Carn: trombone
Karl Silveira: trombone
Ted Quinlan: guitar
Michael Davidson: vibraphone
Justin Gray: bass
Derek Gray: drums