Vocalist Will Clements explores the themes of love through a queer lens on his third album, COMPASS. Having spent significant time in Montreal, Paraguay, and Vancouver, Clements brings influences from these cities into a new collection of compositions and arrangements, ranging from traditional swing music to South American-inspired sounds.
The album's stories have the common thread of being lost and found over a decade of maturing into adulthood. Clements was mentored through the songwriting process by Juno-nominated bassist Jodi Proznick; his originals, which comprise the majority of the album, weave through many moods and contain surprises while keeping root in mainstream vocal jazz.
From its two lead singles – the optimistic standard "On a Clear Day" and a reworking of Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" – COMPASS presents Clements in collaboration with a diverse band of Canadian musicians. Clements, also an adept arranger, invites featured guests Allison Au on saxophone, Rachel Therrien on trumpet, and Atley King on vibraphone to unveil a cross-section of the country’s rising talents from the younger generation. The addition of guitarist Alvin Brendan, pianist Miles Black, and emerging drummer Todd Stewart from the Vancouver scene forms an ideal, inter-generational rhythm section.
credits
released August 11, 2023
Will Clements, vocals
Jodi Proznick, bass
Miles Black, piano / keyboard
Alvin Brendan, guitar
Todd Stewart, drums
Allison Au, saxophone
Rachel Therrien, trumpet / flugelhorn
Atley King, vibraphone
Photography by Laura Harvey
Engineered, mixed, and mastered by David Sikula
Assistant engineer: Lilli Carr
Compositional support: Jodi Proznick
Production assistance by Ben Dadoun, Chiara Susanto, Kaya Kurz, Eric Hadley
With love and gratitude to ma famille, Louise Cournoyer, Steve Clements, and Eric Hadley
Recorded at Monarch Studios, 2022
Additional mixing and mastering at Demitone Studios, 2022
Described by CBC Music as “a fantastic and easy voice", vocalist Will Clements presents the music of his upcoming third
album, COMPASS, which will be released in August 2023. The album explores the themes of love through a queer lens, as its stories have the common thread of being lost and found over a decade of maturing into adulthood....more
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