Arthur Street Loft Orchestra - Rosie Langabeer & Zirkus

After a 13 year hiatus, last Monday the Third Eye was the scene of the revival of the Rosie Langabeer's large ensemble, Zirkus. It was part of the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra series, which continues providing plenty of variety for those interested in hearing original large ensemble music (although they may be looking for a new home in 2021). The group included some of the original members plus some new faces (19 musicians in total). And with people in from out-of-town to play and listen along with fond memories of the group "back in the day", there was a great vibe in the room even before things got started. Those good vibes are something I have always associated with Zirkus. That, and a little but of quirkiness/zaniness. I'm pretty certain most (all?) of the tunes came from the Sirius Music recording and hopefully more gigs might expand on that repertoire. At times the band teeters on the brink of chaos - just long enough to keep things interesting - and I was impressed by how well they navigated it considering that lack of rehearsal time leading into ASLO gigs (try getting the same 19 musician's in the same room at the same time on more than one occasion). I think of it more of a collective effort than as a band for soloists, although there were some nice solo contributions - Blair Latham (tenor sax) Mike Taylor (trumpet) and Nick Van Dijk (tuba) come to mind. Fun is the glue, it kept things moving and engaged the audience, but not at the expense of the music. Instead it is an integral part of the music. It was a really enjoyable evening, and hopefully we don't have to wait another 13 years to hear Zirkus fire up again.

none of the pics I took that night really captured the mood

Arthur Street Loft Orchestra - Elliot Vaughan and Tristan Carter

After many moons away, I’ve moved back to Wellington. The last time I lived here was 2009, in some ways things haven’t changed much... in some ways. It would be nice to document some of the gigs I attend to try and kick start getting back to a somewhat semi regular blog schedule. It has been taking of a sideline to the radio show (which hasn’t had much of a mention here... I need to work on that). It’s not the first gig attended since the move (a couple of weeks ago), just the first I’ve written about. In fact, following my first day at the new job, the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra (ASLO) was just the ticket.

This week the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra featured works by Elliot Vaughan and Tristan Carter. Having heard Tristan with The Troubles and The Noveltones, I was keen to hear what he came up with for a large ensemble. I hadn't heard any of Elliot's music before. This time around the ensemble was a ten-piece - 2x violin, 2x bass, viola/voice, cello, drums, bass clarinet, trombone and baritone sax. I wasn’t too keen on the music playing as everyone was milling about... not hitting the mood of what was to come. It would have bugged me if I was about to play. But the opening blast put an end to that! And it was a very enjoyable night of music with a bit of, if not everything, then plenty - raucousness, shuffle, swing, abstraction, fun, even some more tender moments. At times there was bit of a 'The Troubles' vibe, not surprising as 6 or 7 of this incarnation of ASLO are regulars with John Rae's group. A couple of things popped out when I looked at my (very messy) notes the next day. The first piece, "Surreal Multiverse", paired sections of the ensemble - horns/strings, strings/rhythm, and rhythm/horns - for a long time before the entire unit played together. Subtle yet very effective as I waited for the full group sound to be revealed. The penultimate piece was a three-part suite. The last movement wound down the evening beautifully and harnessed cellphones in an unexpectedly enjoyable way. For me, that could have been it for the night, but they played one more piece. It made for a much more energetic end to the night. The only thing wrong with the piece was its placement in the programme.... I minor complaint. It sounds like there are a couple of interesting shows coming up, so I'll try and keep up a bit of blog momentum.

Arthur Street Loft Orchestra: Daniel Beban

It’s always bit of a rush to get into Wellington straight from work but I made it nevertheless. I was keen to get along this week as a Daniel Beban led large ensemble is hard to resist, plus I missed him last time I was part of the ASLO series. This was the first time I’ve managed to get along to season 10(?). Also, it was first gig I have attended during level two restrictions. Social distancing was in place (as best it could be) and ticket sales were limited to 40 in order to help facilitate this. It was nice to see a decent crowd in – I guess it was sold out.

 

The evening started with Beban’s composition for two tubas and percussion. Joe Lindsay and Dan Yeabsley were droning on the tubas and Cory Anderson and Daniel Beban filled bowls, placed inside the tuba bells, with various bits and pieces to rattle around (balls, beads, chain, tambourines etc). The constant drone with the ever-changing shimmer and rattling made for a nice way to relax following the drive into the city. The piece ended somewhat abruptly, to applause and laughter, as Dan ran out of steam and the tuba won.

 

The main event was “Daily Deaths” - sonic interpretations of COVID--19 daily death counts from eight countries (I recall Italy and Afghanistan getting a mention, and saw Brazil was on the conductors music stand). The 16-piece ensemble comprised of pairs of Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, Alto Sax, Bass Clarinet, Flute, Violin, and Bass. And each pair was assigned a country to play. It might seem a pretty opportunistic approach to music making (much like all those streaming playlists that take advantage of words like COVID or isolation). But, unlike those playlists, the results were worthwhile. Early on, breathe sounds were prominent and the droning vibe continued. At times there was a disorientating feeling as I couldn’t always tell what instruments were producing what sounds. Beban was conducting the work, and while the hands signals meant nothing to me (and sometimes I didn’t notice a marked difference when he signalled something), when he took control of the dynamics the piece took on some welcome variety. Up until then, dynamic shifts had been less abrupt, but this section had various parts of the of the ensemble swelling and falling bring a completely different energy to the piece. Jake Baxendale used the term “beautifully tragic” to describe the music - he was on point.

 

Once again, solid programming from the Jake - this season has had plenty of variety, and hopefully I can get to more. 

 

Arthur Street Loft Orchestra: Jeff Henderson

While I tend to pick and choose the gigs I attend (and sometimes work dictates what I can get to), I like the variety that the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra series has produced over the past year or so. What other series features Jeff Henderson's group one week and then follows up with the Rodger Fox Big Band seven days later?

The Wellington jazz scene is lucky to have Jake organizing this series - without which a lot of music would not have been created and heard. I know it took a while to draw in consistent crowds, but attendance is consistently strong now. And on Monday (18 Nov), a full house was in attendance to hear Jeff's work tackled by a 20-piece ensemble comprised of (including doubles) 4 basses, 2 tubas, 2 bass clarinets, 2 trumpets, euphonium, cello, 2 violins, drums, percussion, soprano sax, vibraphone, a couple of stringed instruments that I don't know the name of, plus Jeff conducting and blowing some clarinet too (the largest group of the series so far?). At the end of the set Jeff took an auctioneer-like approach to rattle off the all the names.
 
It was a night for something completely different (but not entirely unexpected from Jeff) and it was thoroughly enjoyable. The highlight for me was a section (probably about half way through the set) that featured Bridget Kelly blowing some melodic bass clarinet over the top of the four basses. As additional instruments joined in (starting with Cory's vibes and then Blair's bass clarinet) Bridget's bass clarinet was gradually consumed by the ensemble with the section wrapping up as Jeff wailed over the dirge-ish full ensemble.

It's always a treat to have a roomful of people come out to listen to improvised music and it was nice not having to rush off at the end of the gig, giving me the chance to catch up with both Jake and Jeff - keep up the good work chaps.

Arthur Street Loft Orchestra: The Big Troubles

Last Monday night saw the final installment of season seven of the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra. It was great to have a packed house with standing room only (get there early folks!). It has taken a while to build the following but they seem to get solid audiences on a pretty regular basis now. Hats off to Jake.

This week, John Rae was back with The Big Troubles, a group comprised of strings (2 each of violin, viola, cello and bass), brass (2 trumpet, 3 trombones), reeds (3 sax, 1 clarinet), vocal, guitar and drums. Unsurprisingly, it was a night of good vibes and plenty of energy. Maybe it's just the flow on effect of having 20 musicians on the bandstand, but there seemed to be a real buzz in the room before the music started.

That energy carried through into the performance, and it was more about the collective energy rather than listening for delicate inner moving parts (although they do exist). There were some nice solo moments too - Ben Hunt's plunger work and Al Campbell's blues solo - but it was Tristan Carter's violin solo was my pick for the evening (with bonus points applied for the scarcity of string soloist on the local jazz scene). Vocalist, Eugene (what's his last name?) had a couple of features (the same two tunes as the last time I heard the group). Once again, the blues was excellent. Last time I heard them I wasn't convinced by their take on “Crazy He Calls Me”, but it must be growing on me (the vocals and the arrangement) as I started getting into it this time around. The balance of the band seemed better, so maybe that helped.

After a short break, ASLO will be back for season eight. If you're in Wellington on a Monday night, they're well worth checking out.

Arthur Street Loft Orchestra: Blair Latham & Anton Wuts

Blair Latham (b.cl/ts) Anton Wuts (as/ts/bs) Jake Baxendale (as/b.cl) Bent Hunt (trpt) Jasmine Lovell-Smith (ss) Alistair Isdale (b) Thomas Friggens (d)

I had been well overdue getting along to another Arthur Street Loft Orchestra concert, but I really didn't want to miss out on this week which featured Little Symphony Sax Quartet and Noveltones (with Ben's trumpet in place of Tristan's violin) and joining forces to play music written by Anton and Blair. There's always plenty of energy from these two and a bit of humour too. Plus their music works well together too with the set moving seamlessly between works from both composers. So often you hear original compositions just once, but I'm glad that Blair's “Message in a Bottle” has reappeared at a few gigs - I must have heard three versions for different instrumentation so far. It's nice when artists have a chance to only present original music, but also the oppourtunity to develop works over time. Week to week there's plenty of variety at the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra gigs both in terms of instrumentation and content. There's three weeks left in Season 7 – Louisa Williamson, Daniel Hayles and John Rae – I'll need to check my work schedule but I hope to get to at least one of these.

It can be bit of a rush to get in straight from work. Or at least it feels like a rush, but I always seem to get in with time to spare (great... now I've just hexed it for next time!). Although, I have to remember to stand next time... too much time sitting (in the car, at the gig, in the car again). It makes for a long day – about 7am-11pm - but it's worth the effort.

Arthur Street Loft Orchestra: The Big Troubles

Okay, I've been a little slack with the updates during NZ Music Month, but I've finally got this post together albeit a week late. It was The Troubles a couple of weeks ago and then I followed that up a couple of nights later with The Big Troubles at Third Eye for the latest installment of the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra.

You could never accuse John of not having fun. High energy, raucous, nostelgic, and funny. In some ways reminds me of ICP, but less edgy. The expanded ensemble included an extra cello, guitar, and a stack of brass bringing the grand total to 3 bones, 3 trumpets, 3 saxes, 3 rhythm, and 4 strings. The addition of vocalist Eugene Wolfe on a couple of pieces was a surprise. He handled the set-opening blues prety well, but his take on “Crazy she calls me” didn’t convince me (the arrangement was interesting though).

It was great to have near to a full house in attendance, but I did wonder, where were the dancers?

Arthur Street Loft Orchestra: Lucien Johnson's "Party Sax"

I’ve been a bit slack getting this post together. On Monday night (25 March) I made the trek in for the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra. This week featured the work of Lucien Johnson and an 8-piece group (trombone, 2 trumpets, sax, piano, bass, drums & percussion). Under the title of “Party Sax,” it was indeed a night of good vibes, groove, riffage and plenty of wailing saxophone (Lucien largely stuck to tenor but he also busted out a little baritone). It was a rarity in that the set wasn’t 100% original compositions (the emphasis on the series has been on writing original work). Lucien included pieces by David Murray and Butch Morris (“Morning Song” and “Spooning” respectively) and I think there was one from Art Blakey too. The choices were very much in fitting with the overall vibe of the night. Solo-wise the emphasis was on Lucien (no complaints there), but there some other nice contributions too. James (sorry, I don’t know you’re surname!) blew a nice muted trumpet solo on the final piece of the night and Dan Hayles stretched out early on in the set I haven’t heard him playing much in a context that I dig, but he was the right choice for the piano chair tonight. Cory Anderson took care of business from the drum throne. I think this was the groups pre-CubaDupa gig, and based on what I heard, I’m sure it would have gone down well the following weekend. A fun night.

Arthur Street Loft Orchestra - Blair Latham and Anton Wuts

This week the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra was a 10-piece group comprised of five reeds, two brass, guitar, bass and drums playing compositions by Blair Latham and Anton Wuts. I was really keen to get along as I hadn’t heard Blair live for quite some time (years), and I can’t recall hearing Anton since he moved out of Wellington (15 years ago!).

I always found their music to be have plenty of energy with a quirky edge. And not much had changed in that regard. The evening had an interesting contrast between buoyancy and darkness. Tunes often moved in unexpected ways, sometimes the changes were abrupt, other times smooth. Blair’s “Message in a Bottle” featured a great soprano solo from Jasmine Lovell-Smith, who was wonderfully melodic and mysterious (that intriguing combination of light and dark). My only real complaint is that I would have enjoyed both Anton and Blair giving themselves a bit more room to stretch out.

The inspiration for some of the tunes hit home. The increased celebration of military is something I too had noticed on my return home. However, Blair's “Unknown “Warrior”, chose to celebrate the unknown musical warriors he heard while in Mexico. The “Daily Grind” is a familiar concept to many, and increasingly why I want to find an outlet for my music. And “Money Isn’t Everything” is something I can get behind.

This next paragraph is in no way directed at the music written by Anton and Blair - just a comment on the series in general. Last week while chatting to Jeff Henderson about the series, I mentioned the under-rehearsed nature of the group and he has a great suggestion - if you’re composing knowing that there will be minimal rehearsal time, it should inform your writing. Wise words.

I'd like to see the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra record a selection of tracks from the various composers. The series is a welcome addition to the scene and it would be a shame not to see the efforts of those involved documented. Or how about a featured spot at the Wellington Jazz Festival? The latter will have to wait until 2020 now as the headliners have been announced - and based on that, I’ll likely be checking out the lower profile local groups - I’m looking forward to seeing the full program.

Arthur Street Loft Orchestra - Callum Allardice and Daniel Hayles

Last week the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra featured a 17-piece band alternating pieces by Callum Allardice and Daniel Hayles. It was the most together I've heard the band sounding (usually they are somewhat under-rehearsed). I'd like to get along this week (John Rae) but I'm not sure the schedule will work in my favor - its bound to be an entertaining night. On March 11, Anton Watts and Blair Latham are the featured composers. I haven't heard either Anton or Blair live in a long time so I hope I can get along.