Fraser MacPherson is a Canadian jazz musician originally from Manitoba. He moved to British Columbia as a child, and eventually settled in Vancouver, which was to be his home.
“Live At The Planetarium” was his first small group album as a leader. It is a trio recording, featuring guitarist Oliver Gannon and bassist Wyatt Ruther. Oliver Gannon was born in Ireland, but moved to Canada with his family in 1957 when he was 14 years old. In 1969, he moved to Vancouver, where he became a staple on the local jazz scene. In 1975, Oliver was asked to join a trio that Fraser wanted to form. The third member of the trio Wyatt Ruther was an American jazz musician who moved to Vancouver around 1973 or 74, and resided there until the mid 1980’s. During that time, he worked extensively with Fraser MacPherson (among others).
The album has an interesting history. It was originally recorded for broadcast on the French language CBC network. Fraser MacPherson then leased the master tapes, and released the performance on his own label, West End Records. Subsequent to that release, the album became known to the Concord Jazz label from California. That label was so impressed they offered to release the record themselves. According to the liner notes on the Concord release, Carl E. Jefferson, the President of Concord Jazz stated “This album by Fraser MacPherson was released in Canada with very limited distribution. It has been recorded extremely well, has superb musical quality and we are most delighted to release it on our label. If you are already a Concord Jazz fan, this will fit very nicely in your library”. High praise indeed. One technical note is that according to the fine print, this version of the record was remixed prior to Concord releasing it.
The songs on this record are all well known jazz standards. There are seven tracks altogether, with three on side one and four on side two. Side one opens up with “Tangerine”, an established tune from 1941. This track is followed by “ I Cried For You (Now It’s Your Turn To Cry Over Me)", another chestnut, probably best known from the version recorded by Billie Holiday. The last song on side one is the Modern Jazz Quartet number “Django” (written by their pianist John Lewis in tribute to the legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt). The trio takes it a relaxed tempo, leaving plenty of room for Oliver to solo. Side two features “I’m Gettin’ Sentimental Over You”, “L’il Darlin’”, “Lush Life” and “My Funny Valentine”. “Lush Life”, written by Billy Strayhorn is a beautiful ballad and without a doubt is the standout track on this side. Throughout the album, the trio play with taste and restraint, leaving space that accentuates the high quality of the musicianship on display. As indicated earlier, Concord felt so strongly about the excellence of this recording that they re-released it on their own imprint. Fraser MacPherson’s playing is relaxed and to these ears has a “West Coast” feel to it (not a surprise considering he was a Vancouverite). It would appear this was only ever released on vinyl, and there doesn't seem to be a no compact disc version. As I like to say, highly recommended.
