Kinda Out West

ARETHA TILLOTSON

BRR-202508CD

Track Listing

  1. Jill of All 4:31
  2. Kinda Out West 4:48
  3. Cricklewood Lane 5:33
  4. Lullaby to Those Before 6:23
  5. Sphere of Influence 5:31
  6. 35 5:57
  7. Gauche Caviar 5:58
  8. Sad Junie (to Highway Jake) 4:48
  9. Kinda Out West (alt take) 6:38

Kinda Out West is an ode to the musicians of Aretha’s native Alberta and the neighbouring province of British Columbia: artists whose work is fuelled by the prairies and grasslands; by the ocean and the mountains. The musicians who play on this album are, by birth or by choice, intrinsically linked to this landscape. 

Aretha’s quartet follows in the tradition of the great chordless bands of saxophonists Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The compositions on this album are as varied as Western Canada’s breathtaking landscapes: the straight-ahead title track exhibits close ties to Rollins’ classic 1957 album Way Out West; Sad Junie brings to mind saxophonist Joe Henderson’s masterful modal writing of the 1970’s; and Aretha’s modern compositions 35 and Jill of All are both inspired by the album’s incredible horn frontline: Nanaimo, BC born sisters Ingrid and Christine Jensen.

Thank you to my husband Jacob, friends and family, band members, Lisa and my management team and audience for this support.
It has taken over 50 artists across all disciplines to create this album, and I am forever thankful. 

Album Credits

All compositions performed by:

Christine Jensen – Alto Sax
Ingrid Jensen – Trumpet
Dave Laing – Drums
Aretha Tillotson – Bass

Produced by Aretha Tillotson & Padraig Buttner-Schnirer
Recorded at OCL Studios
Recorded & Mixed by
Padraig Buttner-Schnirer
Mastered by Reuben Ghose
All songs composed by Aretha Tillotson
Album Design by Kristjan Buckingham
Photography by Heather Saitz
Executive Producer Craig Monk
Bent River Records Team 2025: Kristjan Buckingham, Padraig Buttner-Schnirer, Russell Comrie, Heather Fitzsimmons Frey, Paul Johnston, John McMillan, Thomas Shenher
Special thanks to MacEwan University’s Provost, Dr. Craig Monk, for his ongoing support of Bent River Records.