Greg Amirault: A Change of Pace

SELF PRODUCED (RELEASED AUGUST 19, 2024)

Montreal jazz fans are more than likely familiar with guitarist Greg Amirault. Since arriving in that city in 1987 from Nova Scotia, Amirault has made a name for himself as a busy player on the scene, the host of a weekly jam session (with the trio on this recording) and a jazz instructor at McGill and Concordia Universities. Now the rest us can experience his artistry with A Change of Pace. What “change” does the title refer to? For starters, following his last recording with a quartet, Amirault opted to return to the classic sounds of a guitar/bass/drum trio. The “change” could also refer to the nine tunes (including six Amirault originals) which offer a palette of styles and tempos. “That’s a Fact,” a contrafact based on “You Don’t What Love Is” kicks off the session with its juxtaposition of Latin and straight-ahead swing. Harry Warren’s “I Wish I Knew” is given a classic ballad treatment with Amirault caressing the melody with his graceful single note approach and subtle comping behind a lyrical bass solo. “Ballad pour la Butte” and “Ancestral” display the trio’s folksy side on tunes reminiscent of Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden’s country roots, while “Open String Blues” shows off the trio’s approach to down-home blues. Amirault, along with bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Andre White, approach these tunes and others with a style similar to the trio recordings of Jim Hall or Ed Bickert. There is something for everyone to enjoy on A Change of Pace, but most of all you will enjoy the honest, clean and straight-
forward playing of some of Montreal’s finest musicians.

BOTTOM LINE: As a jazz instructor, guitarist Greg Amirault teaches his students the art of improvising, composing, arranging and how to make a band swing. A Change of Pace is a textbook example of just that — nine selections varying from originals to standards — demonstrating Amirault truly knows what he is lecturing about.