7/10

There was never much point in trying to reproduce 'The Last Waltz' exactly as it was. What made The Band’s 1976 farewell so enduring was the sense of musicians from different worlds converging around a shared body of songs, and on 'The 21st Century Last Waltz (Live)', Chest Fever understand that distinction and build from it.

Recorded during a five-hour concert at Toronto’s Massey Hall in November 2023, the album brings together musicians with direct links to The Band alongside a younger generation of Canadian and American artists. The result is almost a living continuation, with the arrangements deliberately reshaped rather than recreated note for note.

And that generational crossover gives the record much of its appeal. Cindy Cashdollar, Scarlet Rivera, Colin Linden, Sylvia Tyson and Albert Lee appear alongside artists such as Devin Cuddy, Skye Wallace and The Pairs, allowing the music to move between reverence and reinterpretation. Wallace’s take on ‘Dry Your Eyes’, for example, pushes the song into a tougher, more contemporary space, while Sylvia Tyson’s appearance on ‘Four Strong Winds’ reconnects the evening with a much older strand of Canadian folk tradition.

The arrangements also benefit from the scale of the production. Horn and string parts were newly developed for the show, with Jesse Audelo working alongside original Last Waltz arranger Tom “Bones” Malone, while “Blue” Lou Marini adds further weight to the brass section.

But what comes through most strong is the communal nature of the music. This new collection succeeds because it treats The Band’s catalogue as something still capable of movement, reinterpretation and shared ownership.

For Chest Fever, it's a reminder that great songs endure best when people keep finding new ways to play them.