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Buy your copy of Al McLean & Azar Lawrence's iconic CONDUIT now!
https://itunes.apple.com/album/conduit/id951876223

Al McLean and Azar Lawrence blast through the Frank Foster tune "Simone" with a blistering interpretation. The pair show us both their unbridled intensity as improvisers, and their deep connection to the common root of their work; the late '60's language of John Coltrane.

Created in Montreal's storied Jazz community, 'CONDUIT' captures two giants of the saxophone in a mesmerizing recording and film. American saxophone legend Azar Lawrence (McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Woody Shaw, Miles Davis) joins Canadian phenom Al McLean, and the session is set in strikingly beautiful Montreal museum, Le Musée des Maîtres et Artisans du Québec (The Museum of Masters and Artisans of Quebec).

The session was essentially a 'live from the floor' recording, with most of the songs captured in a single, uninterrupted take. "I don't know if I would do a recording like this again in one day", says producer Randy Cole, "it was a bit risky, but by the midpoint of the session, the music was flowing like a river. Those of us who were present... we were speechless".

The session took place during the opening hours of the museum, which houses a collection of artisanal artifacts from all walks of life and art. In a sense, the recording became a piece of performance art, with the ensemble creating a living tableau of mastery.

The result is magic. 'CONDUIT' is iconic, and remains true to the most classic of Jazz recordings. Perhaps it is because this session revolves around the theme of spirituality, that the music has such a penetrating, powerful drive. This session stands alongside other great Canadian offerings of recent years, and hopefully is not the last by McLean & Lawrence. Truly worth a listen.

Al McLean & Azar Lawrence - Saxophones
Andre White - Drums
Adrian Vedady - Bass
Sean Fyfe - Piano

A film by Randy Cole
2nd camera operator - Joshua Hansen
3rd camera operator - David Cape

Produced by Randy Cole & Al McLean