Mai-Liis - Kaleidoscope
By the time Canadian vocalist/composer Mai-Liis (my LEASE) recorded her debut recording Mai-Liis On Life (OA2 Records, 2021), it had taken her 30 years to become an overnight sensation—and she may be skeptical of that. Refreshing is the fact that there is not one jazz standard on either her debut or its follow-up, Kaleidoscope. That fact alone places Mai-Liis in a class by herself. As a songwriter, critics have compared her to Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, and Leonard Cohen. they are just low-hanging fruit for writers. Mai-Liis is far more clever than these three, better approximating a Lorraine Feather or Dave Frishberg.
The disc opens with “Book,” a clever metaphor the singer has for a love interest, featuring the slippery open-bell trumpet of Charlie Porter buoyed by a lilting island-Brazilian vibe. But can Mai-Liis swing? Following the gentle ballad of “Wash Away The Wrong” comes the deceptive “What If I Met You Then,” a ballad in name only before slipping between 3 and 4 time. Susan Pascal provides a soft touch on vibraphone, adding to the airy, dream-like nature of the song. “New Year’s Ditty” is the casual stroll of a single woman wanting to be other, accented by Alexey Nikolaev’s tenor saxophone.
Mai-Liis gets her vamp on with “Elmo,” a quasi-blues as fresh as “…kid’s watching Elmo on her iPad.” Clipper Anderson, whose bass holds the tempo steady, issues a swinging solo before saxophonist Nikolaev’s. The singer pulls out the blues proper with “Daddy’s Gil Blues” propelled by the dual forces of pianist David Lee Joyner and bassist Anderson. Monroney hits every flatted-fifth blue note, issuing a stinging solo, drawing outside the lines of polite jazz. Mai-Liis sings with a muscular confidence that extends her commanding alto horizontally and vertically, revealing her composing and lyrics as novel and time worthy.