Johnny Griffith Quintet The Lion, Camel & Child

Johnny Griffith Quintet
The Lion, Camel & Child
G-B Records

Toronto saxophonist Griffith leads his Quintet of fellow Toronto jazz All-Stars, Adrean Farrugia - Piano; Jon Maharaj - Bass; and Ethan Ardelli - Drums; along with the great Jeremy Pelt on trumpet. This is Griffith's second recording, and he drew inspiration from the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche - specifically the book Three Metamorphoses. As Griffith explains, “Metamorphoses is concerned with what propels each new phase of human growth, so it seemed fitting to frame this as a suite – each track individual unto itself, yet when listened to as a whole representing the arc of the personal struggle to know more and be more.”

Opening this recording is the four-part title suite illustrates the phases of Nietzsche and the qualities defining: "The Lion," virtuous and rebellious; "The Camel," courageous and dutiful; and "The Child," playful and free of spirit. "The Lion" opens at a brisk tempo with the leader displaying a full robust tone and a fertile musical imagination with Pelt in a melodic vein and centered in the middle range with occasional upper range bursts. One also is impressed by this first-class rhythm section, that transitions into the relaxed walking pace of "The Camel" that features Farrugia's stately piano solo as Maharaj and Ardelli provide a hint of the Mid-East caravan procession enhanced by the joint horns. A solo "Cadenza" by Griffith transitions into "The Child" a vigorous performance opening with heated tenor sax, followed by fiery trumpet and strong two-handed piano and a dynamic drum solo.

Not just the writing, but the entire ensemble displays its considerable virtues throughout this CD. "Narcomedusae," is another notable performance with Pelt exceptional here on a composition that might evoke comparison to classic sixties Blue Note recordings. Then there is the animated hard bop of "Strawberry Qwik," a lovely ballad "Amarone," with Pelt's pretty muted trumpet along with Griffith's own marvelous ballad playing. Other notable performances include the fiery "For a Derailed Painter" with explosive solos from the horns and pianist Farrugia. Bassist Maharaj solos at the beginning of "Deliciously Ambiguous" a relaxed groover with more engaging solos by Griffith, Pelt, and Farrugia.

Johnny Griffith impresses as a composer, saxophonist, and leader He has a fabulous band here with Pelt and a wonderful rhythm section that play superlatively throughout this outstanding recording.

I received a download to review from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the March-April 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 383).