Mid Spiral

Collaboration is a strong point for the Toronto jazz trio, and <i>Mid Spiral</i> has a number of guests in addition to core members Al Sow (drums), Chester Hansen (bass) and Leland Whitty (winds). The double album combines three volumes, in fact—<i>Chaos</i>, <i>Order</i>, <i>Growth</i>—each of which was rolled out separately during 2024. It’s a feast of instrumental grooves, with lush vintage sounds and savvy playing from keyboardist Felix Fox-Pappas, along with varied contributions from trumpeter Kaelin Murphy, percussionist Juan Carlos Medrano and guitarist Tyler Lott. BBNG create a vibe while generating musical interest, leaving open space for improvisation but also adhering to structure and arrangement as they stitch together psychedelic retro-soul, Latin and lounge, slow jams and locked-in funk with ambient textures, hooky melodies and sly shifting tempos. “Playgroup” is the most straightforward jazz track, contrasting with the experimental synth tones and crunchy guitar chords of “Mid Spiral”, the acoustic guitar and grungy bass of “Last Laugh”, the subtle organ tones of “Audacia” and the dreamy waltz feel of “Celestial Hands”.