this friday night couldn't come soon enough having been through a very interesting week
with some memorable low points but even more significant high points
mostly to do with re-establishing contact with various long ignored friends
tonight by chance followed that trend with the company of a workmate not seen for 5 or so years
getting much braver in my enthusiasm now for all things sound lounge and extending some invitations
tonights lineup is another unknown quantity except some connection to dig - directions in groove
baecastuff are a 6 piece lineup nicely balanced between keyboards, brass, percussion and rhythm sections
the first tune post performance is announced with the title of blue groper
as seems to be the case with this kind of lineup it's the one used to ease into the performance
i find myself looking for something beyond an almost mor-ish sunday afternoon-ish cruisey number
the sound of vocal-less sade comes to mind which is not a bad thing
if in doubt check sade lovers live dvd for some smooth operating and impressive playing
but those thoughts and comparisons are quickly forgotten with the introduction of the second tune
a very nervous saxophonist and leader rick robertson tells us the tune is titled nabigail (spelling?)
and is inspired by and dedicated to the original inhabitants of this country
i'm expecting to hear sax or trumpet sounds emulating a didgeridoo
but surprisingly it is bass player alex hewetson seated at stage rear who provides that sound
using his electric bass to great effect to provide a continual looping didge sounding bass line
i'm a big fan of dual percussion particularly since witnessing dual drummers at work with m ward earlier this year
in this case simon barker on drums and aykho akhriff on percussion were on separate types of equipment
but as in this tune actually worked very closely together to play out a harmonious beat
likewise the brass section of rick robertson on sax and phil slater on trumpet worked together
leaving matt mcmahon to provide subtle splashes of piano and electric piano
overall the piece struck me as being very original and true to it's inspiration
at it's conclusion the band seem well pleased and likewise the audience is now tuned in
rick tells us that the band has been together for 11 years now including 3 cd's over that time
a leadup to the next tune titled ozone that he suggests needs to be updated to be called global warming or similar
it's another long, rambling piece of music that would suggest has a structure that is being followed
they seem to be a very well rehearsed outfit relying on each knowing their part rather than a fallback to improvisation
the one time i sensed this happen was at the end of one tune when it occurred to me they were enjoying the moment so much they just let go
and then had the problem of how to wind up the song
many on-stage glances were exchanged before bass-player alex basically pulled out
leaving the others to also one by one lay down instruments and let the song die a natural death
this i felt set them up to really enjoy the evening and their playing then seemed more confident
the sima brochure warned that this band 'cooks'
that would be a fair assessment as they certainly were fired up at various times
there are several good things about witnessing the performance of a larger ensemble
particularly one such as this which has effectively 4 separate and distinct sections
aurally there are options in terms of what to lend an ear to at any time
and equally visually there are a number of places to focus the eyes on
so if the music is right i find transcendence can easily occur
clear the head, go with the music, enjoy the occassion
and join in loud appreciation at the conclusion
i very much enjoyed this performance
wound up the week nicely
thanks guys
