Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Article content
Aretha Tillotson: Introducing Aretha Tillotson
In high school, a kid I sat next to in math class would always be listening to his Discman. Curious, I asked him what he was listening to one day and he lent me his headphones. He was listening to a CD consisting solely of bass tracks meant to show off booming vehicle subwoofers. Aimless bass notes, rumbling in various frequencies, without any melody. Thankfully, local bassist and jazz musician Aretha Tillotson‘s debut album offers more substance than mindless, pulsating bass.
Article content
Tillotson, who splits her time between Edmonton, Toronto and Boston, has been making a name for herself as a bassist, band leader and composer. She’s performed throughout North America with acts such as Francesca Remigi, Jeff Antoniuk and Kris Davis. She’s also the touring/resident bassist for the Broadway rendition of Six, which continues with the Mirvish Theatre’s residency in Toronto. In addition, Tillotson has studied with the greats, receiving a presidential scholarship in 2020 for Berklee’s Global Jazz Masters program.
Somewhere between all the performing and workshopping, Tillotson found the time to record her debut album in March, set for release this month. Introducing Aretha Tillotson, out on MacEwan University’s Bent River Records, features a range of styles that center around works she wrote as her thesis in Berklee’s Jazz program. The eight tracks vary from standard jazz to more modern pieces utilizing polyrhythms.
Tillotson assembled some of Edmonton’s top musical talent to play on the album. Musicians such as Audrey Ochoa, Brett Hansen, Brendan McGrath, Joel Jeschke, Jacob Do and Allison Au perform tight arrangments consisting of horns, guitar and drums, but the album spotlight remains firmly on Tillotson and her masterful bass playing. Her bass lines form the bedrock of every track, keeping the performance steady while the others are given ample opportunity to diverge into soaring solos, all anchored by Tillotson.
Her bass playing adds an aura of intrigue to the pensive, keyboard-driven track of Tesla while her playful plucking skips along to the joyful Next Time. Tillotson’s skills are on full display on Eighth Street where she plays complimentary notes alongside a spicy trombone, hopscotching each other, pushing one another into lofty highs.
Introducing Aretha Tillotson will be released on Friday.
Related Stories
-
FRESH TRACKS: The Velveteins reach new heights on dazzling sophmore album
-
5 Things to know about Polaris Prize and Juno award-winner Jeremy Dutcher new album
Share this article in your social network