All Bluff & Porterage No Bluffing in this U.S. Premiere

By Lauren Vogel Weiss

he British orchestra began assembling onstage before the first rehearsal. “Who’s on percussion today?” asked Hear an audio file of “M2” from Tone of the violinists. “Oh, it’s all bluff Web Extra and porterage!” replied one of the wind play- All Bluff and Porterage’s CD ers, drawing laughter from the nearby musi- cians. If you’re smiling, then you may know Double Bluff and Porterage at that “porterage” is equivalent to the American term “cartage,” which means being paid extra www.pas.org/publications/september2010webextras.aspx to schlep all that cumbersome percussion equipment. If you’re still a bit puzzled, perhaps Chris Baron can enlighten you. “All Bluff and Porterage is a tongue-in- and percussionist in a wide range of musical work. Currently performing in the West End cheek derogatory term meaning they [the genres. Based in , Baron has a busy production of Mamma Mia, Fairbank has also percussionists] are bluffing their way through career as a percussionist and drummer, playing worked on Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Sun- the parts but getting paid loads of porterage,” for recording sessions (TV, CDs, radio, and set Boulevard, and Saturday Night Fever. His Baron says with a grin. “It’s an ironic title for films includingLord of the Rings, Harry Potter, studio work can be heard on many television our ensemble as we don’t get any money for King Arthur, Hitchhiker’s Guide, and Golden shows, including Victoria Wood, the British porterage—and hopefully there is no bluffing!” Compass), major London orchestras, West End sketch comedy show French and Saunders, and Making its Reeves & Mortimer American debut at as well as the film PASIC 2010, the Evita, numer- British percussion ous jingles, and ensemble All Bluff many pop, library, and Portage is and cast . comprised of Julian Fairbank has also Fairbank (), played on a free- Justin Woodward lance basis with (vibes), Chris the London Sym- Baron (), phony Orchestra, and Tim Goodyer BBC Symphony (drums). “The Orchestra, London group was origi- Sinfonietta, and nally formed in the the Orchestra of early 1990s,” recalls the Royal Opera Baron. “Julian Fair- House at Covent bank was known Garden, among for his timpani bass others. And he re- lines during his cently appeared as performances in “ Man” the London pro- in a Direct Line TV duction of Pirates commercial. of Penzance. When Justin Wood- we started work- ward left London’s ing together in Miss Saigon, we experimented shows (including Follies, Miss Saigon, Chicago, Royal College of Music in 1996 and has had with various grooves to see how a percussion Evita, and currently The Lion King), the arena a varied musical career. Five years with Lord group with timpani bass lines would work. We tour of Strictly Come Dancing, and occasional Yehudi Menuhin’s Live Music Now organiza- enjoyed the results and formed the band.” ventures including the BBC Big Band, tion provided numerous flute and marimba Roger Beaujolais, the London Jazz Orchestra, duo recitals. Woodward’s jazz THE ENSEMBLE and Under the Influence. playing has led him to work with the BBC Chris Baron studied at the Guildhall School Timpanist Julian Fairbank also studied at Big Band, Anthony Kerr, , and of Music in London. Since leaving in 1985, the Guildhall. Since then, he has enjoyed a many other groups. He has also played with he has been well known both as a drummer varied career in theatre, orchestral, and studio the Philharmonia Orchestra, City of London percussive notes 12 SEPTEMBER 2010 an extremely wide variety of musical styles, Journées de Percussions (Paris, 2005), Royal All Bluff & Porterage and I’ve always been impressed by his original- Northern Day of Percussion (2004), and the ity and musicality.” Sheffield Jazz Festival, to name a few. Ensemble Showcase Concert All Bluff & Porterage is known for its But the audience in Indianapolis may be the Saturday 12:00 p.m. inspiring live concerts. The group’s unique per- most important one yet for this British percus- PN formances appeal to varied and diverse audi- sion quartet. ences, from classical to jazz to folk enthusiasts, as well as corporate clients, young people, and Ballet, Rambert Dance Company, and Britten anyone with a particular interest in percussion. Sinfonia as well as on numerous education They also give workshops on individual and projects with many of the London orchestras. group improvisation skills in addition to their Woodward has worked at the National Theatre introduction to folk, jazz, and world music tra- on Matthew Bourne’s Play Without Words, has ditions. played marimba in the West End produc- Some of AB&P’s recent performances in- tion of The Lion King, and is currently playing clude PASUK (2009), the Royal Opera House, drums in the musical Mary Poppins. His folk- music band also performs regularly for HRH the Prince of Wales. Tim Goodyer is the resident drummer for the London production of Dirty Dancing. Other recent performances include Avenue Q, Saturday Night Fever, How to Solve a Prob- lem Like Maria, Marcella Detroit, the BBC Concert Orchestra, Elaine Page, and Natalie Williams. Last year, Goodyer played on ses- sions for Toyota, Sony Classics, Olivier Theatre Awards, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the Earth, Wind and Fire tribute band Serpentine Fire. Other musicians who have played with All Bluff & Porterage over the years are Paul Clarvis, Frank Ricotti, Anthony Kerr, Roger Beaujolais, and Dave Hassell. THE MUSIC All Bluff and Porterage has released three recordings: All Bluff and Porterage 1and 2, and the recently released Double Bluff & Porter- age, which includes “M2,” “Fairbank Funks,” “Octopus,” “No Change,” “Dog’s Off,” “Top O’ the Mornin’,” “Frevo Em Masseio,” and “Just a 2nd.” “We will be playing several tunes from our most recent CD, along with a couple of favor- ites from our earlier recordings,” Baron says. “Most of our music is composed by members of the group, but we also play some arrange- ments of traditional world music.” The ensemble’s usual instrumentation is vibes, marimba, drums/percussion, and timpani. “We try to get the most out of our instruments rather than alter orchestration each time the arrangement requires a change of mood, timbre, or dynamic,” explains Baron. “AB&P’s music involves a high element of improvisation and requires stylistic awareness from a variety of musical styles.” Their PASIC concert will also feature the premiere of a new piece written for the en- semble by British composer and arranger Paul Honey. “The piece is designed to be expand- able so that we can adapt performances to include students and workshop participants in each concert,” Baron elaborates. “I’ve worked for Paul Honey on numerous sessions covering

percussive notes 13 SEPTEMBER 2010