Toronto contemporary jazz trio Shapeshifter is saxophonist Brittany Pitt’s first time as bandleader and you wouldn’t know it if you weren’t told. Written primarily by Brittany Pitt, with additions from guitarist Dan Pitt, the compositions on new album, Shapeshifter, are enthralling, smooth, smart and out now via Lit Soc Records.
The tone of Brittany’s tenor sax is a fat and intoxicating, yet airy and deliberate centerpiece. Dan Pitt and his guitar are painting strokes of Bitches Brew in careful places throughout. Meanwhile, drummer Aidan McConnell is stylishly syncopated and somehow in multiple places at once. This is a debut to stand behind with pride.
The title track ‘Shapeshifter’ is a sparsely playful seduction that builds like the high of a new crush. The percussion is flirty and the guitar is unpredictable and free.
A few tracks later, we have made it to ‘Mentally Heavy’ and you can hear it. In the beginning, the guitar and saxophone are hand in hand. So aligned in moments that the guitar sort of serves to electrify the sax like its own effects pedal. Later on, the guitar’s sudden distortions are a clever metaphor for agitation. On a tune meant to illustrate mental weight, McConnell’s patterns are like distractions, impulsive thoughts, and tastefully misfiring synapses.
D. Pitt, M. Robin, V. Heins
Next, ‘Prospect’ is there to help us come down a little from the mental chaos. Brittany Pitt’s warm, full tone lulls and intoxicates for the entire track. It’s lovely. I don’t have more thoughts than that because I was too busy floating and landing gently.
‘The Meaningful Conversation’ continues to soothe with Pitt’s wonderful tone. They all convey emotion so well here and guitar adds a little psychedelia.
At this point, it is clear this group is skilled enough to push at the confines of their individual roles and parts to create soundscapes that are much more layered than what you might expect from a trio.
Three isn’t sparse or a crowd on this project, but the perfect amount of energy. The purposeful sound dynamics never allow for things to feel thin or for the tunes to feel crammed to compensate. Pitt makes the conscious choice to keep the sounds of a shifting embouchure and tapped keys on the record, which reminded me that this entire album is a live performance recorded at Sellers and Newel in Toronto. Can’t you almost hear the proximity?
This trio’s intentionality as a whole is what makes this such a strong and fresh feeling debut. By the final track ‘Entranced’, that is exactly what I was.
Listen to and download / purchase Shapeshifter here.
Find Shapeshifter on instagram | bandcamp | litsocrecords.com