Ecstatic

 

Sean gave me a rundown on the workshop that afternoon by Number Junky on jazz rhythms and odd meters.  It fitted perfectly with the band's title, Number Junky, and even with some of the patter on stage.  Kristian spoke of odd times and we shared counts at one stage: what I'd heard as 6-5 he thought of as 11, but it's all the same.  Some of the counts were much more complex or varied or less clear due to improvisational divisions within bars and that difficult odd count at speed, where you think 12 or 14 but realise it's 13.  Thus was the concert, although there were some fours and even some walks; just not many.  Another thing I noticed was volume.  NJ were very restrained in volume, but they were immensely intense, sharp, correct, inventive, changing, blistering at times with speed but but strangely more in melodies than in solos.  Kristian could be fast and always crystal clear although often enough with reverb/echo effects and rich in his chordal choices.  Peter was intriguing on LH kit, again not excessively fast but sharp and spot on and just wonderfully inviting.  Of course I will follow bassist Zac, beautifully toned, using a mixed pickup (Full Circle?) and external mic on Jeremy's borrowed bass, richly changing, blistering in unison melodies with Kristian, accompanying with fascinating improvised lines of long intervals both up and across the neck and repeated fast notes and just an occasional really quick line up the G-string.  He told me of his history: we share the Evolving Bassist with many others and classical orchestras, and he's essentially Simandl.  I admired the nicely functional relaxation in his hands but excuse this bass banter.  I bought a CD.  I noticed it was mixed and mastered in NYC.  That's often the way now.  He mentioned playing/recording with Fabian Almazan and Will Vinson and again that internationalism is a thing these days.  This music entranced, was insistent at low volumes, bouncy with accompaniments and solos, intellectually challenging with odd and varying counts, ecstatic with mad unison melodies.  Just great stuff.

Number Junky performed at Smiths.  NJ are Kristian Borring (guitar), Zac Grafton (bass) and Peter Evans (drums).

This is CJBlog post no. 2,800.

Blowouts

What of a CD release by Jamie Oehlers? He's a supremely exciting tenor player, renowned for prizewinning and now just extravagantly virtuosic and writing great material. He was joined by Ben Vanderwall, a deliriously fascinating, busy, intriguing drummer, always ready to explore percusson sounds and deeply polyrhythmic when he chooses that or rabidly funky too. The other three were unknowns to me (other than Ricki Malet who I'd seen in a big band context) but they were wonderfully satisfying. Bass Zac was all deeply funky syncopations on a PB, playing with fingers or thumbs for that thumpy dub sound. Ricki was a great pleasure on some demanding heads and satisfying solos. Harry was playing Nord but it was all Rhodes tones and perhaps ring mod, absolutely the part for this sound, widely different from the abandon of Jamie but also so suitable as a contrasting style, two hands widely spread across keys, chordal left hand and richly arpeggiated right. Not music for the fainthearted, though. This was very complex and hence demanding but a huge source of pleasure. Style and preferences differ but the best stands monumental. This was fabulous. Drummer Mark commented that Ben is the best and world-worthy (the drummers were obviously awe-struck) and that the difficulty in his playing is not obvious. Not sure I agree. I was basking in drums and sax and speculative keys and deep grooves and trumpet and intrigued by the ease of it all, those grooves, those intricate rhythmic embellishments, those odd syncopations that sat so deeply, those rich, delicate phrases that came so easily but demanded such harmonic wit. What else to say when you hear such stuff. A blast.

Jamie Oehlers (tenor) led his band with Ricki Malet (trumpet), Harry Mitchell (piano), Zac Grafton (bass) and Ben Vanderwal (drums) at Smiths.