MUSIC
Karl Silveira Quintet
The Karl Silveira Quintet has been active since the release of their first album "A Porta Aperta" in 2022. The band has since been steadily increasing it's activity playing shows at various venues like The Jazz Bistro, The Waterloo Jazz Room, Drom Taberna, The Emmett Ray, La Rev as well as holding multiple residencies at the Rex and performing as part the TUJF in 2024.
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The band features Allison Au on alto Saxophone, Chris Pruden on Piano, Dan Fortin on bass, Nico Dann on drums and Karl Silveira on trombone and compositions.
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The album has performed well in Canadian radio ranking #2 for the month of April 2022 according to Earshot and has been reviewed very well by critics.
Reviews of A PORTA APERTA
Will Chernoff (Rhythm Changes)
"What makes a jazz album heavy? I still don't know. It's definitely the right word for this kind of listening, but it's hard to pin down. It's one of those words that, as Karl suggests, means multiple things at once.
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And with this project, Karl is going for it; he wrote every tune on the album and plays excellent trombone throughout. Kudos to Karl and his band for making such a fully-formed debut statement, one that made me think and smile all the way. At the same time."
Dan McClenaghan – All About Jazz
“… he has come up with a beautiful and distinctive group sound… The curse of many debut recordings—wavering focus and lack of continuity of mood and sound—are avoided via Silveira always engaging and unorthodox compositional style and his superb arrangements… a polished, remarkable, superbly-played jazz sound coming out of Toronto.”
Ron Schepper (Textura)
Silveira's considered approach results in a style of jazz that's often chamber-like in its sophistication. While there's no shortage of energy to the performances, A Porta Aperta is no incendiary blowing session. The tracks are compact statements that never overstay their welcome, and the focus is on refined ensemble playing with solo spots judiciously woven into the writing. It's a recording, in other words, where polyphony, counterpoint, and ensemble colour are as important as individual expression. Interestingly, the album title accommodates two diametrically opposed meanings: in Latin, it means “the open door,” in Portuguese, “the door squeezes.” Despite the fact that Portuguese is Silveira's first language, it's the Latin definition that applies most when A Porta Aperta registers as the sound of a musical career and identity opening wide."
Karl Silveira - A PORTA APERTA
Karl Silveira's Debut Album Featuring
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KS - Trombone and Compositions
Allison Au - Alto Saxophone
David French - Tenor Saxophone
Dan Fortin - Upright Bass
Nico Dann - Drums
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Recorded at Union Sound Company in Toronto
Engineering/Mixing by David Hermiston
Mastering by Joao Carvalho
"Echoes of Shorter, Hancock, Tristano, and others arise as the album unfolds, but Silveira uses his influences well. None of the tunes sounds overly derivative or as if he's aping another's style. Instead, the impression left is of a dedicated student who's absorbed the music of others in the service of building his own sound… Silveira's considered approach results in a style of jazz that's often chamber-like in its sophistication. While there's no shortage of energy to the performances, A Porta Aperta is no incendiary blowing session. The tracks are compact statements that never overstay their welcome, and the focus is on refined ensemble playing with solo spots judiciously woven into the writing. It's a recording, in other words, where polyphony, counterpoint, and ensemble colour are as important as individual expression… A Porta Aperta registers as the sound of a musical career and identity opening wide."
Ron Schepper - Textura
"… he has come up with a beautiful and distinctive group sound… The curse of many debut recordings—wavering focus and lack of continuity of mood and sound—are avoided via Silveira's always engaging and unorthodox compositional style and his superb arrangements… a polished, remarkable, superbly-played jazz sound coming out of Toronto."
Dan McClenaghan – All About Jazz
"Silveira’s playing has something of Curtis Fuller in its sonic elegance or Steve Turre in the narrative verve he sometimes uses. Excellent performances by Silveira’s companions (David French and Allison Au on saxes, alternating, Chris Pruden on piano, Dan Fortin on double bass and Nico Dann on drums). An opportunity to discover what’s going on in the Toronto jazz scene."
Frédéric Cardin – PanM 360
"Karl is going for it; he wrote every tune on the album and plays excellent trombone throughout. Kudos to Karl and his band for making such a fully-formed debut statement, one that made me think and smile all the way. At the same time."
Will Chernoff – Rhythm Changes
"The depth and range of trombonist/composer/educator Karl Silveira’s musical upbringing and experiences come to the fore in his magnificent self-released self-produced all-original A Porta Aperta debut."
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Mike Greenblatt – Goldmine Magazine
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"Fortin sets the tone in the opening track (Nymark Plaza) with a minimalist bass line that gently propels things along. Other highlights include Far, Shimmy, the title track and Silveira’s solo on Rye and Lilacs."
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David Reed – Belleville Intelligencer
"Energetic and engaging with a lot of switch backs and surprises, they all know their jazz and how to make contemporary music that grabs your attention and doesn't let go. Well played throughout."
Chris Spector – Midwest Record
"The cumulative result doesn’t so much sway as much as it glides, and even then, Aperta’s motion negotiates glass shards and patches of sand. Silveira’s is an auspicious debut boding promisingly for him and his ensemble as well as his city’s creative music community. "
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Jamie Lee Rake - Shepherd Express
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