Inspired by the drums, saxophone, and guitar format of Paul Motian’s trio with Joe Lovano and Bill Frisell, Turtleboy connects to currents of post-bop and post-rock – Mahavishnu Orchestra and Radiohead, to name a couple of touchstones – in a set of melody-laden compositions and improvisations.
– Mark Werlin, AllAboutJazz
Inspired by Paul Motian’s bassless trio with Joe Lovano and Bill Frisell, Turtleboy was formed in 2007 in Montreal. Smart Matter, their second record, reveals a talented, big-ears collective who loved playing together and were always looking for new ways to reach listeners with music that doesn’t sacrifice smarts to accessibility (and vice versa). By then they’d integrated their influences (including Stan Getz and Bill McHenry, Wayne Krantz and Ben Monder, Radiohead and electronica) into an original sound. As their press kit put it: Turtleboy blends concepts from free jazz and other parts of the jazz tradition with aspects of indie rock, creating an experience that is ‘steeped in atmospheric space, loose grooves and intelligent improvised interactions.’ The twin poles of ambient soundscaping and prog rock are noticeable here and there, as are grunge and minimalism; throughout there’s an emphasis on melody and concision. The record includes a Radiohead cover (“Pyramid Song”) and a classic of Canadian folk, “Northwest Passage”, in an instrumental/vocal arrangement, as well as original compositions by all three members and short collective improvisations.
This is a band that clearly values emotional connection and beauty over hipness or technical complexity. Jon Linhorst admits, “As a sax player I’m envious of the ability of singers to communicate their message in such a direct way….We approach this band like it’s a rock band, both in identity and musical structure. Some of the newer tunes that Ryan has brought in are folkier than ever, and we’re playing more covers all the time, just for fun.” They look to The Bad Plus as a role model, according to Ryan: “They’ve managed to come up with a musically sophisticated sound that appeals to a very wide audience.” But equally they’re attracted to Jim Black’s Alas No Axis. Jon: “If we can break out of the avant-garde jazz world, that’d be nice. But I still love, LOVE, avant-garde music, and no matter what I do, my music is always going to have a bit of a twist to it.”
The name Turtleboy was inspired by Paul Motian. Jon explains: “Honestly, the first time I saw Paul play I thought he looked like a turtle. He’s bald and really skinny, and was wearing a green wool sweater….In keeping with my esoteric sense of humour, and love of sci-fi and comics, I also created a Turtleboy character with a whole backstory.” But, says Adam, “In Smart Matter it’s taken on an aspect of turtle symbolism, such as patience, wisdom and so forth. Also, there are various creation myths that have the world on the back of a turtle….These ideas are beginning to give the name Turtleboy a more cosmic reference.”
Turtleboy
Jonathan Lindhorst – tenor saxophone
Ryan Butler – electric & acoustic guitars
Adam Miller – drums, voice
Tracklist
Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.Total time: 00:58:04
Additional information
| Label | |
|---|---|
| SKU | SGL15902 |
| Qualities | DSD 512 fs, DSD 256 fs, DSD 128 fs, DSD 64 fs, DXD 24 Bit, WAV 88.2 kHz, FLAC 96 kHz |
| Channels | |
| Artists | |
| Composers | Butler, Greenwood, Lindhorst, Miller, O'Brien, Rogers, Selway, Yorke |
| Genres | |
| Original Recording Format | |
| Instruments | |
| Recording Engineer | Tim Gowdy |
| Recording Location | Studio 451, Verdun, Quebec |
| Mixing & Mastering | Mixed by Tim Gowdy, Mastered by Graemme Brown at Zen Mastering. |
| Release Date | October 6, 2025 |
Press reviews
Spontaneous Combustion
There are moments where one could swear more than three musicians are playing thanks in large part to the textured fretwork of Ryan Butler. Butler synthesizes some of the major cross-currents in contemporary guitar – there are hints of Frisell, Greenwood and Rosenwinkel on ‘Separation Anxiety” – without ever losing sight of his own musicality….On ‘Inner Space,’ Butler’s sympathetic ears drive Jonathan Lindhorst to find a lyrical intensity not often heard on the tenor saxophone…every note Lindhorst plays sounds thoughtful and well considered.
Something Else!
…Turtleboy shares the same formulation as Motian’s combo, but the sound coming from them is quite different, even though they caught Motian’s adventurous spirit. The younger guys combine alt-rock with progressive jazz, but the absence of bass makes the music airier than it would otherwise be by combining these two music forms. Their alt-rock fealty is confirmed with a Radiohead cover (‘Pyramid Song’), but there’s improvisational mojo going on all over, and more often it’s going on a group level than an individual one. Miller’s wordless vocals on some cuts like ‘Smart Matter’ and ‘Vampyroteuthus Infernalis’ amplify the melodies well…Combining the directness and resonance of indie rock with the sophistication and unpredictability of avant garde jazz, Turtleboy’s Smart Matter transcribes the ideas of Motian for a younger generation.
NYC Jazz Record
Canadian trio Turtleboy is definitely melodically inclined but also quite trippy and their sax/guitar/drums lineup creates an airy feel that is used to best advantage on Smart Matter’s longer excursions. Tenor saxophonist Jonathan Lindhorst is the jazz maven of the group while electric guitarist Ryan Butler adeptly straddles a heady jazz/rock intersection, not through searing blues-based guitar licks but more with delicate arpeggios and grindingly hypnotic chordal palettes. While the lineup draws inspiration from other like-constructed jazz trios, Turtleboy owes as much to ‘90s grunge and Pink Floyd as it does to drummer Paul Motian’s trio. Like Motian, however, drummer Adam Miller is an equal partner and as much a jazz/rock denizen as Butler while being beautifully textural…Lindhorst is an expressively vocal tenor player whether he is stating a catchy melody, wailing a line over which Butler can solo or blowing full bore in tandem with guitar. He also blends remarkably well with some overt vocalizing by the other bandmembers…For this sophomore offering, Turtleboy do stick their necks out a bit more to reveal a well-developed group dynamic and a heady compositional sophistication.
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