This week, Juno Award-winning jazz guitarist, vocalist, and composer Mike Rud has released his new single “The Lonely Sea Monster of Pigeon Lake, Alberta,” off the latest chapter of his creative journey: “The Paranormal Adventures of Uncle Mike.” The new single introduced me to the album, which debuted back in April, and while it’s not a Halloween album, it’s got a handful of tracks that will fit perfectly alongside other jazzy Halloween numbers like Lambert, Hendricks & Ross’ “Halloween Spooks.”
Born in Edmonton, Alberta, and based now in Nelson, British Columbia, Rud describes his latest work as, “…a travelogue of Canada—sort of. Filtered through monster movies, prairie dreams, and the heart’s truth of an 11-year-old boy in the ’70s.” Each song takes listeners into a fictionalized-yet-familiar Canada, from haunted manor houses in Streetsville, Ontario, to UFO sightings at CFB Southport, Manitoba.
While much of the album could find its way onto an off-beat, jazzy, Halloween playlist, the more obvious or safe selections would be tracks like “Your Neighbourhood Witch” and “The Manor House.” If you’re looking for something a little different to add to your playlist this year, or have a jazz-themed playlist you want to update, this album is definitely worth checking out:
