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Fraser MacPherson
Live at the Planetarium
West End - 1976
Mike Milner
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Live at the Planetarium was Fraser MacPherson's first small group album as a leader. It is a trio recording featuring guitarist Oliver Gannon and bassist Wyatt Ruther. The Irish-born Gannon moved to Canada with his family in 1957, and by the 1970s he had become a staple on the Vancouver jazz scene. In 1975, MacPherson invited him to join a trio he was forming that would also include Ruther, an American who moved there around '73 or '74 and who would work extensively with MacPherson.
Live at the Planetarium has an interesting history. It was originally recorded in December 1975 at Vancouver's MacMillan Planetarium for a French-language radio series called Ressac on CBUF-FM, Radio-Canada's local FM affiliate. MacPherson subsequently leased the master tapes and issued the performance on his own label, West End Records. The California-based Concord Jazz label caught wind of it and was so impressed they offered to re-release the record themselves. Carl E. Jefferson, the label's president, wrote in the liner notes of that 1979 Concord reissue, "This album by Fraser MacPherson was released in Canada with very limited distribution. It has been recorded extremely well, has superb musical quality and we are most delighted to release it on our label. If you are already a Concord Jazz fan, this will fit very nicely in your library." High praise indeed.
The seven tracks on Live at the Planetarium are all well-known jazz standards. Side one opens with Johnny Mercer and Victor Schertzinger's 'Tangerine', an established tune from 1941. This is followed by 'I Cried For You (Now It's Your Turn To Cry Over Me)', another chestnut that is probably best known from the version recorded by Billie Holiday. Closing side one is the Modern Jazz Quartet's 'Django', written by their pianist John Lewis in tribute to the legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. The trio takes the song to a relaxed tempo, leaving plenty of room for Gannon to solo. Over on side two are four more excellent tracks: George Bassman and Ned Washington's 'I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You' and Neil Hefti's 'L'il Darlin'', as well as 'Lush Life' and 'My Funny Valentine'. 'Lush Life', the beautiful ballad written by Billy Strayhorn in the 1930s, is without a doubt the standout track on the second side.
Throughout the album, the trio play with taste and restraint, leaving space that accentuates the high quality of the musicianship on display. MacPherson's playing is relaxed and to these ears has a West Coast feel to it, not a surprise considering he was a Vancouverite. As indicated earlier, Concord felt so strongly about the excellence of this recording that they chose to re-release it on their own imprint (with one technical note being that the Concord LP was remixed prior to its release).
Live at the Planetarium has only ever been released on vinyl but nevertheless is highly recommended.
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