Jake Koffman Quartet @The Rex

Jake Koffman Quartet @The Rex

For those who didn't have the foresight to book a good table ahead of time at the Rex, there's always the 'first come, first serve' 5:30 set.  Though the big name touring acts tend to play the later set, the early set is most often manned by some of the best local and regular musicians in town.  And in my opinion, you tend to get them branching out and having a little more fun.  

One of February's featured bands is the excellent Jake Koffman quartet, whom I caught for a lovely Valentine's Day set that was blessfully not just composed of saccharine love ballads.

The Band:

Jake Koffman - Saxophone

Reg Schwager / Nathan Hiltz - Guitar
Jon Meyer - Bass
Morgan Childs - Drums

Jake Koffman

Jake Koffman grew up in a very musical family and it definitely shows in his playing. He's the grandson of one of Canada's earliest beboppers, the legendary Moe Koffman, who really deserves his own writeup! As well as former TSO conductor Victor Feldbrill.  But, believe me, Koffman can stand on his own name.

For me, he is a perfect balance of melody and feel with the right amount of playful colour and outside notes.  I always know where the band is in the form even when he gets a little wild (though some of that is definitely the awesome rhythm section and in particular Nathan Hiltz' incredible comping).  I enjoyed his stage banter quite a bit too; he was charming, relating tunes to the night's theme of "love" was a nice recurring bit.

For a good taste of his playing check out Drake Lake from his band's 2014 release

Nathan Hiltz

Nathan Hiltz is a thorough guitar nerd and definitely an advocate of "pianistic" guitar comping, which in a piano-less setting like tonight's lets his creativity and endless imagination shine through very well.  He's a joy to watch and listen to.  Also, he's a passionate advocate for the arts, particularly through his Tiny Guitars program that provides free instruction and opportunities for students to perform and grow the musical community.

https://www.gracechurchonthehill.ca/tiny-guitars

You can hear both Nate Hiltz and Morgan Childs on 2016's Songs Poetic.

Morgan Childs

Vancouver born, Rockies raised (Elkford and Invermere B.C) and Toronto based, Morgan Childs is a real gas.  He's just a ball of infectious fun, and so say we all apparently; if there's a band that's really cooking in the 416, there's a better than fair chance he's holding down the battery.  He is a great drummer who is certainly capable of impressive flurries of notes, but is always most interested in serving the song. He's a musician who plays drums, not a drummer who plays music.

Jon Meyer

Jon Meyer may be a little difficult to Google for obvious reasons, but he is quite well known around Toronto and beyond for his bass playing.  He's played all over North America and Europe and even played on the Chet Baker biopic 'Born To Be Blue' soundtrack.  Together with Childs, they make a solid rhythm section.

The Music:

The theme of the night was "nice things to say to a loved one" and appropriately the first number was "Star Eyes."  Perhaps the best known recording is of course from Bird, who I get a lot of in Jake's playing, but I got a little more of a Dexter Gordan vibe from tonight's rendition.

a great recording for both Dexter and Wynton Kelly who would pass away a few months later

That was followed up by a seriously cool arrangement of "All The Things You Are." It had a very fun staccato intro with some infectious drum work from Morgan Childs and a killer ending that was a nod to the standard arrangement but channeled a very "Night in Tunisia" vibe.  It's a popular tune to blow over and Jake just kills it.  He can get a little wild sometimes and can throw out impressive sheets of notes, but I can always hear the tune under his playing. He also tempers it nicely with some excellent groove and catchy lines.

"My Ideal" was a solid ballad choice and far from saccharine.  It was an excellent display of Nathan Hiltz' mastery of the instrument.  At times I got a very Johnny Smith vibe in his compings, at other times Ed Bickert.  He had an interesting melodic solo as well and finished with some impressive Lenny Breau style cascading harmonics.  He has a lot of tricks in his bag, but rarely overuses them, his playing always seems fresh and inventive.  

"Ornithology" was another highlight of Jake's soloing capability, very groovy.  Though, few women enjoy being referred to as a "bird" there are plenty of affectionate pet names to be found in the ornithological realm (my Dove, my Sparrow, my Tawny-crowned Pygmy Tyrant).  I was also struck by Nathan's solo.  He landed on a lot of deliberately colourful notes in his solo, imbuing it with a very cool modern sound.

As a Valentine's Day treat, a special guest took the stage - Melissa Lauren, an accomplished performer and Nathan Hiltz' better half, came on to sing a couple numbers.  She has a lovely voice and her charm definitely had the crowd perking up.  Her excellent rendition of "Bye Bye Blackbird" hooked the crowd in almost instantly.  "Every Time We Say Goodbye" was also quite memorable and a nice change of pace, slowing things down a touch.  

Clifford Brown's "Swingin" was a fun and blazing fast bebop tune to mark the departure of Melissa.  Bebop is definitely a place that Jake lives very comfortably in as he channels his inner Harold Land.

"Solar", another highlight, gave me some very Coltrane vibes from Jake and there was plenty of more killer comping from Nathan.

They closed with some awesome "Rhythm Changes" which let Jake and Nathan really stretch out.  Meyer had an interesting solo as well, very melodic but also amusingly quoting parts of Nathan's solo.

Pretty solid night of music from some heavy guys.  Do check them out if you get the chance!

Food Recommendation: Jerk Chicken

Well, it's Valentine's Day after all, why not spice things up a bit? Jerk chicken with it's floral, spicy, smoky profile could be just the thing for your burning love and smoky jazz clubs alike.  

The Rex has a pretty decent bar version with rice and peas that are filling and comforting on a cold snowy day.  It's not the spiciest or smokiest but it's still hearty and comforting.  

Now, here's where it gets a little tricky, jerk is one of those foods where people are awful particular about their tastes and what is and what isn't authentic.  Many folks will swear by Allwyn's, others will say it's not spicy enough and that it shouldn't be baked.  Honestly, it's great, just try it.  Tropical Joes, is another favourite, though folks will complain it should be on the bone.  Chris Jerk's awesome jerk chicken shawarma could be deemed too fusion.  So where does that leave Kensington Market staple Rasta Pasta with it's excellent jerk chicken and pasta? Should you badmouth Mr. Jerk as a chain? Hell no, Mr Jerk rules.  

The truth is all of those places are great, and could never be accused of being bland.  We are talking big, bold, herby, spicy, smoky flavors that even Jamaicans can't agree on (reminds me of Filipino folks and Adobo, but that's a whole other topic!). You are just going to have to try some out.  Mr Jerk, Tropical Joes, Allwyn's, Chris Jerk and Rasta Pasta are all going to be very solid first step.  Or the real real answer is try your local joint; there's a little more risk but the reward can be much greater.

Oh and grab a patty while you watch this excellent CBC documentary.

For the home cook, Kenji has a rather thorough treatise on the subject - https://www.seriouseats.com/jerk-chicken#toc-marination-ruminations-the-five-essential-aromatics . For those that don't want to read quite that much, the best tip in there is using bay leaves along with your smoking wood, and even cooking it right on top of them to boost the flavour when you can't get pimiento wood.  Yum!

Drink Recommendation: Cava with crème de cassis

You know it isn't really jazz if it isn't from New Orleans, otherwise it's sparkling swing.  Spanish Cava is generally cheaper than most of the French champagnes; and though it's not Paul Maison, I'm sure it's worthy of Orson Wells.  

For a reasonable price point I like Freixenet; it's great on its own or in a mimosa. A fun way to make it extra fancy is to add just a touch of crème de cassis, for a fancy not too sweet effervescent fancyish cocktail, classy enough for jazz at snooty clubs and cheap enough for the working class roots of it. 

I'll bet he puts you right in the mood to drink, he certainly did to the poor director!