Vertical Squirrels

Hold True (Accroche-toi)

Label: Ambiances Magnetiques Country: Canada

"Like the music they play, the Vertical Squirrels came together through a mixture of chance and perseverance. Long-time collaborators in and outside the academy (in projects musical and non- musical), Daniel Fischlin, Ajay Heble, and Lewis Melville started officially playing together as a group upon the arrival in Guelph of drummer/percussionist Rob Wallace, in 2008. Starting partially as an informal outlet to get Heble back into playing piano after years of curating the Guelph Jazz Festival (but rarely performing himself), the Vertical Squirrels quickly morphed into a recording and gigging band focused on their distinctive brand of in-the-moment improvisation. They bring together years of diverse individual musical experiences, a sense of humor and friendship to their playing, and a deep commitment to multiple forms of sonic expression and freedom."-Ambiances Magnetiques

"[...] Vertical Squirrels plays collective improvisations that, from the recorded evidence on Hold True, notably draw on groove elements of funk and rock and feature, in particular, Wallace's sensitive drumming and Fischlin's adventurous Abercrombie- and Frisell-inflected guitar-playing.

Other passages explore spatious, out-of-tempo and textural material, with Heble's dense piano at the extreme of the treble register coming to the fore and multi-instrumentalist Melville's inventive playing adding to the insurgent sonic palette. Bravo to the four Vertical Squirrels, whose collective contribution to Guelph's musical life in general is incalculable, and who are offering up a timely new document of their own creative work at this year's Festival."-Guelph Jazz Festival