Toronto trumpeter, singer and composer Marie Goudy’s debut album The Bitter Suite is an ambitious and beautiful act of storytelling – a vivid depiction of young love as reflected in the distinct character of each of the year’s four seasons. This haunting, lyrical song cycle features her lifelong friend, vocalist Jocelyn Barth, and 10 of Toronto’s most exciting young instrumentalists.
The Bitter Suite is an exciting addition to Canada’s large jazz ensemble tradition. Producer John MacLeod – one of Canada’s best known big band leaders and trumpeters – helps connect it to that storied history. In addition to jazz influences, The Bitter Suite is also heavily informed by Mariachi music, a style in which Marie has worked for years - it features pieces written in the Son Jailciense and Huapango styles. Marie seamlessly integrates these sounds into her music: she has created an incredible new fusion of jazz and Mariachi that brings to mind both Kenny Wheeler’s gorgeous Music for Large Ensemble and of Miles Davis’s texturally innovative Sketches of Spain.
Closing the album is ‘Remember The Days’, a evocation to Marie and Jocelyn’s time growing up together. As an album, The Bitter Suite is ultimately a tribute to Marie and Jocelyn’ musical and personal relationship. It is a poignant and heartfelt record, sure to please all curious ears.
A native of Toronto, trumpet player/vocalist Marie Goudy started her professional career at the age of sixteen. By the age of nineteen, she had already played with many notable musicians including Benny Golson, Cleo Laine and Maria Schneider. Since then she has performed with Michael Buble, Donny McCaslin, and many others.She graduated from the University of Toronto's Masters in Jazz Performance program in 2017. She has made her mark on the Toronto music scene playing jazz, funk, mariachi, folk and Latin music, and was a featured soloist in the 2018 SOCAN Awards. Marie has played on three JUNO-nominated albums with folk-funk singer/songwriter Alysha Brilla and toured to France, Chile, Yellowknife, and Singapore with that group.
The Bitter Suite will be released worldwide on Friday, October 12th 2018 and the release will be celebrated with a performance at the Rex Hotel & Jazz Bar in Toronto on Wednesday, October 17th, 2018.
