Music is just part of the mission for Queer Songbook Orchestra
QUEER SONGBOOK ORCHESTRA “ANTHEMS AND ICONS” (INDEPENDENT)
This project is exactly what it sounds like: a small chamber orchestra, with guest singers, performing songs by queer composers — closeted at the time or otherwise — as well as songs that have been widely adapted by the LGBTQ community. Sometimes the choices are obvious, like k.d. lang’s “Constant Craving” or Melissa Etheridge’s “Come to My Window” or Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy” (sadly, the latter is not on this debut album, although the QSO does a spectacular arrangement of the ’80s hit live). Sometimes the choices are not so obvious: neither Anne Murray nor songwriter Gene MacLellan were gay, but there’s an interesting take on their classic “Snowbird” here — because, why? Because for years people thought Murray was a lesbian? Not that it much matters, as the arrangement here keeps the song’s pretty melody but the chordal structure underneath it is jarring and occasionally dissonant — which underscores the aspiration and longing and distance between the narrator and the title subject.
Music is just part of the mission for the QSO. They also collect stories and testimonials from queer voices across Canada about how music was a source of strength and often a lifeline when living in intolerant communities. (If you have one, they want to hear from you: info@queersongbook.com.) The mere fact this orchestra exists and is doing this work is inherently political; they are working closely with the Canadian Gay and Lesbian Archives on their storytelling project. Every song here is accompanied by a compelling story either about the composer (Billy Strayhorn, Joe Meek) or a personal tale of a queer person’s connection to the song. One track, by Guelph’s Reg Vermue, “Last of His Kind,” is dedicated to the late Toronto DJ and activist Will Munro.
But the music is just as interesting — often for what it isn’t rather than what it is. When Alanna Stuart of Bonjay sings “Constant Craving” — and knocks it out of the park, by the way, which is no small feat — the arrangement behind her is relatively conventional and recognizable. On the other hand, the Etheridge song, in a lush arrangement by avant-garde composer Nicole Lizée, is reduced to the sole lyric: “Just to reach you.”
Considering the breadth of material this ensemble performs live, and with so many guest singers, it’s mildly disappointing that the debut enlists only four singers and a small sampling of the material they already have arrangements for. But there’s a lot of life in this project, and no shortage of interesting source material — and incredibly talented Canadian musicians from across the country willing to lend a hand.
Stream: “Constant Craving,” “Snowbird,” “Lush Life”
PEGGY LEE “ECHO PAINTING” (SONGLINES)
This prolific Vancouver cellist has an extensive discography, but this 10-piece ensemble pulls together various threads in her career in an enchanting and hypnotic work. Written for a 2016 Vancouver Jazz Festival performance, the songs on Echo Painting employ bold and lush orchestration — a four-piece horn section, along with Lee on cello, Meredith Bates on violin and Bradshaw Pack on pedal steel guitar, over a nimble rhythm section including longtime Lee collaborator Dylan van der Schyff on drums — with plenty of room for improvisation showcasing each individual player, including long sections for one naked instruments, as well as more cacophonic and noisy outbursts that prevent the perfectly polished record from getting too polite. Oddly enough, Lee’s own cello rarely steps to the forefront — but she does plenty of smaller ensemble work where she shines more brightly. Here, all the strength is in numbers.
Stream: “Out on a Limb,” “Hymn,” “Incantation”