When tenor saxophonist Claire Devlin, alto saxophonist/bass clarinetist Allison Burik, bassist Eli Davidovici and drummer Mili Hong decided to pool their talents in 2021, these up-and-coming talents of the Montreal jazz scene saw a lot of potential to make great music through great synergy. Bluebird is that potential, realized.
Often a band touts itself as a democratic collective but with Bellbird, it truly sounds that way. The distinguishing voice is not one or two players but the entire band, with Devlin and Burik fitting together nicely to make up a rich, lithe harmonious unit. Meanwhile the rhythm section of Davidovici and Hong complement them by setting the right tempo and cadence. Everyone’s so devoted to harmony that the lack of a guitar or piano isn’t noticed at all.
Root in Tandem is Bellbird’s just-released debut album and the video above introduces a tune from that record, “Pigeons & Disco,” where vigor, melody and group interplay come together. That starts with Burik’s opening remarks on alto sax, followed by her and Devlin harmonizing on the head and then a Devlin solo that’s linear and logical. But as we asserted already, Bellbird is a republic not a kingdom, and Davidovici gets his licks in as well. Hong, whose propulsive drive is undeniable, pushes the hardest at the climactic end when the reedists are bobbing and weaving notes around each other.
Root in Tandem is out now. Get your copy from Bandcamp.
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