Tuesday, April 21, 2020

COVID-19 Lockdown: Day 27


New Zealand Jazz This morning had me listening the self-titled, and as far as I’m aware.. only, release from Boat – Steve Cournane (drums/keys/voice), Simon Bowden (guitar) and Nils Olsen (saxes/clarinets/voice). Although I heard each of the members of the trio many times in a variety of settings, I never heard Boat live. The last time I heard this album was about 20 years ago when my friend John lent it to me. Not sure why I didn’t buy it from the guys back then, and I’ve never seen the physical disc for sale since. but thanks to Bandcamp we’re back in action. 

The album is comprised of live and studio (I’ll use that term loosely) recordings dating from 1996-1998. Only a couple of the 14 pieces clock in at over 5 minutes... which is pretty refreshing. I like the vibe and it’s still sounding pretty fresh. I’m probably digging it more now than I did back then (not that I have much memory my feelings of it back then). It’s kind of a little like C.L.Bob if half the band didn’t show up - from wild improvisations to quirky fun, it’s a 48 minute ride of eclectic mix of jazz and music that knows about jazz. Fairly recently Simon and Steve have resurrected Boat as a duo and they were booked to play at CubaDupa but alas, the pandemic put a stop to that. But hopefully they'll be back when this is all said and done. Until then, Boat will be getting a few spins.

No comments: