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