Vancouver jazz outfit Malleus Trio to launch "On/Off"

Formed in 2007, Vancouver's Malleus Trio comprises drummer Ben Brown (of JUNO-winners Pugs and Crows), Dominic Conway (of the Mary Ancheta Quartet) on tenor saxophone,  and bassist Geordie Hart (founding member of the Boom Booms). Following their 2017 debut, the group has gone on to become a staple of the jazz festival circuit in Canada and it's not hard to see why. This summer saw them bringing their lean, intricate music to the Toronto, Medicine Hat, Calgary, Ottawa and Victoria Jazz Festivals, following a spring stint in Europe. Meanwhile, their 2019 tour in support of their second albumPlay Nice encompassed appearances at Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax and Saskatoon festivals, the last of which they shared the stage with the legendary Joshua Redman Quartet.

Their third album, On/Off offers a thorough exploration of this trio's vast musical range. Their core sound is singularly charismatic, springing from a driving, no-nonsense, rhythmic base, yet the group always seem poised to veer off in some surprising direction... and they do.  What they do remains firmly anchored in the jazz pantheon, yet welcomes both the assertive simplicity of rock, and the sonic curiosity of experimental forms. The absence of a chording instrument such as guitar or piano only serves to underline their specific blend of elements, streamlining their harmonic profile while also drawing attention to the vital role each member plays. Their pared-down instrumentation also gives their  rhythmic dimension additional presence, while providing space for them to cultivate unique approaches to counterpoint and interplay as a unit.There's no shortage of bold urgency to their playing, but they never stray needlessly into virtuosic machismo. Instead, they let their soulful melodies, sinewy grooves, idiosyncratic interaction, and textural detours speak for themselves. 

Malleus Trio's unorthodox yet accessible take on jazz is undoubtedly a result of the eclectic versatility of its membership. Over the past decade and half, bassist and composer Geordie Hart has applied his background in jazz to a wide variety of different scenarios including his own band the Boom Booms, who bring a widescreen sensibility to soul-pop, as well as appearances alongside noted artists Sarah McLachlan, Bryan Adams, Serena Ryder and Jessie Reyez. Saxophonist Dominic Conway is currently a member of numerous different outfits spanning the proggish jazz of We Just Stole A Car to the polymorphous funk of Coco Jafro. His various collaborations provide even more insight into his stylistic breadth; he has been heard alongside internationally-celebrated Vancouver improviser Peggy Lee, award-winning guitarist Steve Dawson and prominent Canadian rockers Arkells, among many others. Ben Brown is the sort of musician who continues to nurture his curiosity as a percussionist through inventive collaborations, such as his recent explorations of the "symbiotic instruments" conceived by composer Roxanne Nesbitt.  Brown has been heard at noted European venues for experimental music such as Bimhuis and Fylkingen while also contributing to the exploratory pop of Alicia Hansen and his band Pugs & Crows. He is also engaged in ongoing studies with revered artists such as Evelyn Glennie and Jim White (of Dirty Three and Xylouris White). The band's longstanding relationship affords them the trust and mutual familiarity to fuse and reconfigure this disparate assortment of artistic tendencies all the while maintaining a distinctive, economic-but-colourful collective aesthetic.