JAZZ CO-ORDINATION & PERFORMANCE by Eric Myers His Article
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Downbeat.Com March 2014 U.K. £3.50
£3.50 £3.50 U.K. DOWNBEAT.COM MARCH 2014 D O W N B E AT DIANNE REEVES /// LOU DONALDSON /// GEORGE COLLIGAN /// CRAIG HANDY /// JAZZ CAMP GUIDE MARCH 2014 March 2014 VOLUME 81 / NUMBER 3 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Editor Bobby Reed Associate Editor Davis Inman Contributing Editor Ed Enright Designer Ara Tirado Bookkeeper Margaret Stevens Circulation Manager Sue Mahal Circulation Assistant Evelyn Oakes Editorial Intern Kathleen Costanza Design Intern LoriAnne Nelson ADVERTISING SALES Record Companies & Schools Jennifer Ruban-Gentile 630-941-2030 [email protected] Musical Instruments & East Coast Schools Ritche Deraney 201-445-6260 [email protected] Advertising Sales Associate Pete Fenech 630-941-2030 [email protected] OFFICES 102 N. Haven Road, Elmhurst, IL 60126–2970 630-941-2030 / Fax: 630-941-3210 http://downbeat.com [email protected] CUSTOMER SERVICE 877-904-5299 / [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS Senior Contributors: Michael Bourne, Aaron Cohen, John McDonough Atlanta: Jon Ross; Austin: Kevin Whitehead; Boston: Fred Bouchard, Frank- John Hadley; Chicago: John Corbett, Alain Drouot, Michael Jackson, Peter Margasak, Bill Meyer, Mitch Myers, Paul Natkin, Howard Reich; Denver: Norman Provizer; Indiana: Mark Sheldon; Iowa: Will Smith; Los Angeles: Earl Gibson, Todd Jenkins, Kirk Silsbee, Chris Walker, Joe Woodard; Michigan: John Ephland; Minneapolis: Robin James; Nashville: Bob Doerschuk; New Orleans: Erika Goldring, David Kunian, Jennifer Odell; New York: Alan Bergman, Herb Boyd, Bill Douthart, Ira Gitler, Eugene -
The Necks Come to Castlemaine As Part of Their Australian Tour
IMPROVISATION GENIUSES THE NECKS COME TO CASTLEMAINE AS PART OF THEIR AUSTRALIAN TOUR Already on the road, the world famous improvising legends and one of Australia’s great cult bands THE NECKS return home for their much-anticipated annual Australian tour. Renowned for creating immersive, hypnotic concert experiences over two completely improvised one-hour sets, Chris Abrahams (piano), Lloyd Swanton (bass) and Tony Buck (drums/percussion) slowly conjure sound mountains out of thin air that leave audiences mesmerised. From humble beginnings over a quarter of a century ago as a private jamming project, The Necks now count Brian Eno and Nick Cave among their legions of fans. They have released 16 albums and have played packed concerts everywhere from the Sydney Opera House to The Barbican in London and Roulette in New York. More recently, in 2012, they completed two tours of Europe and the UK, garnering outstanding UK reviews from The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Financial Times, with The Telegraph’s Ivan Hewitt describing “A vast sound-mass suspended in vibrating, seething stillness, its colour and luminosity changing slowly, like a landscape observed from a car...”. 2012 also saw The Necks’ album ‘AETHER’ added to The Australian National Registry of Recorded Sound, and their legendary first album ‘SEX’ re-released through FUSE. The Necks’ commitment to the simple concept of truly “letting the music take care of itself” is at the core of their unique sound and their ability to constantly create exciting, engrossing music for themselves and their audiences. No two Necks concerts are ever the same. -
Monterey Jazz Festival
DECEMBER 2018 VOLUME 85 / NUMBER 12 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Editor Bobby Reed Reviews Editor Dave Cantor Contributing Editor Ed Enright Creative Director ŽanetaÎuntová Assistant to the Publisher Sue Mahal Bookkeeper Evelyn Oakes ADVERTISING SALES Record Companies & Schools Jennifer Ruban-Gentile Vice President of Sales 630-359-9345 [email protected] Musical Instruments & East Coast Schools Ritche Deraney Vice President of Sales 201-445-6260 [email protected] Advertising Sales Associate Grace Blackford 630-359-9358 [email protected] OFFICES 102 N. Haven Road, Elmhurst, IL 60126–2970 630-941-2030 / Fax: 630-941-3210 http://downbeat.com [email protected] CUSTOMER SERVICE 877-904-5299 / [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS Senior Contributors: Michael Bourne, Aaron Cohen, Howard Mandel, John McDonough Atlanta: Jon Ross; Austin: Kevin Whitehead; Boston: Fred Bouchard, Frank- John Hadley; Chicago: John Corbett, Alain Drouot, Michael Jackson, Peter Margasak, Bill Meyer, Mitch Myers, Paul Natkin, Howard Reich; Denver: Norman Provizer; Indiana: Mark Sheldon; Iowa: Will Smith; Los Angeles: Earl Gibson, Todd Jenkins, Kirk Silsbee, Chris Walker, Joe Woodard; Michigan: John Ephland; Minneapolis: Robin James; Nashville: Bob Doerschuk; New Orleans: Erika Goldring, David Kunian, Jennifer Odell; New York: Alan Bergman, Herb Boyd, Bill Douthart, Ira Gitler, Eugene Gologursky, Norm Harris, D.D. Jackson, Jimmy Katz, Jim Macnie, Ken Micallef, Dan Ouellette, Ted Panken, Richard Seidel, Tom Staudter, Jack Vartoogian, Michael Weintrob; -
Reimagining the Double Bass: Lloyd Swanton and the Necks
JOURNAL OF OF RESEARCH ONLINE MusicA JOURNALA JOURNAL OF OF THE THE MUSIC UNIVERSITY COUNCIL OF OF ADELAIDE AUSTRALIA REIMAGINING THE DOUBLE BASS: LLOYD SWANTON AND THE NECKS n this article, I address how Australian-born bassist Lloyd Swanton has reimagined BENJAMIN PHIPPS the role of the bass in The Necks and, in doing so, expands on the musical practices with which the bass player is associated in academic literature. Drawing n Ion fieldwork with Swanton and musical investigation, I provide a perspective on Office of Pro-Vice Chancellor Swanton’s processes of making music through the lens of his most well-known project, Education and Student Experience The Necks, a collaborative ensemble with pianist Chris Abrahams and drummer Tony University of New South Wales Buck. I argue that the equal ensemble role and the removal of soloing in The Necks Kensington creates a context in which Swanton reshapes the role and sound of the bass. Integral NSW 2052 to reimagining the sound and role of the bass is an element of cultural hybridity. I Australia also suggest that the sound of the bass and the role it plays is more diverse than the academic literature presents and actively shapes music making, a change that has been occurring since the 1960s (Dowdall 2018). The case study of Swanton suggests a vision for the bass role that does not necessarily need to keep precise metric time but can mark time differently and can be a primary source of musical information even [email protected] when notn soloing. This musical role would not be possible if the hierarchies of the ensemble were not levelled by the removal of the soloist as the featured performer in The Necks. -
The Transcendent Experience in Experimental Popular Music Performance
The transcendent experience in Experimental Popular Music performance Adrian Brian Barr, B. Mus (Hons) A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Western Sydney 2012 Acknowledgements My wife Elanor, thank you for all your love and support – I know I meant to finish this before we married, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! My parents Robert and Linda Barr; my family Jane, Daniel, Karen and Gene for supporting me through this journey; Matthew Robertson, my brother, great friend and musical ally; friends and colleagues at UWS, particularly Mitchell Hart, Noel Burgess, Eleanor McPhee, John Encarnacao, Samantha Ewart, Michelle Stead; and most importantly my supervisors Diana Blom and Ian Stevenson – thank you ever so much for your hard work and ongoing support. Thank you to all the inspiring musicians who kindly gave me the time to share their amazing experiences. Statement of Authentication This work has not been submitted for a higher degree at any other institution and an undertaking that the work is original and a result of the candidates own research endeavour. Signed: ____________________________ Adrian Barr 1 ABSTRACT The Transcendent Experience in Experimental Popular Music Performance Adrian Barr, B. Mus (Hons.) School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Music This thesis is an investigation into experiences of transcendence in music performance driven by the author’s own performance practice and the experimental popular music environment in which he is situated. Employing a phenomenological approach, 19 interviews were conducted with musicians, both locally and internationally, who were considered strong influences on the author’s own practice. -
1 the NECKS: a UNIQUE KIND of SUCCESS Eric
THE NECKS: A UNIQUE KIND OF SUCCESS Eric Myers interviews Lloyd Swanton ______________________________________________________________ [This piece appeared in the Aug/Sep, 1999, edition of JazzChord] he members of the Sydney trio The Necks have achieved a unique kind of success. Not only have they developed a substantial following in a number of Australian cities, T regularly drawing audiences of between 200 and 400, but also, after beginning to perform in Europe only in 1998, are soon to commence their third tour there, and without subsidies from bodies such as the Australia Council. What is the explanation for this success, which is so unusual for a jazz-orientated trio? Or, is it because their music isn’t quite orthodox jazz, that it has appeal to many who don’t relate to the jazz tradition? Their music is perhaps best described on their own web site at www.thenecks.com “Featuring lengthy pieces which slowly unravel in the most intoxicating fashion, frequently underpinned by an insistent deep groove, the six albums by The Necks stand up to re- listening time and time again. The deceptive simplicity of their music throws forth new charms on each hearing. Not entirely avant-garde, nor minimalist, nor ambient, nor jazz, the music of The Necks is possibly unique in the world today.” The Necks comprise Chris Abrahams (piano), Tony Buck (drums, percussion) and the bassist Lloyd Swanton. I spoke to Lloyd recently, and asked him to explain the Necks phenomenon. “It is hard for us to be objective about [our success],” says Lloyd, “and I would preface this by saying that the success we’re seeing, while heartening, is still on a fairly local scale, and, considering we’ve been together for 12 years, hardly premature! First up I should stress that there are really two versions of The Necks- the live Necks, and the recorded Necks, and they’re quite different things in a lot of ways. -
1 the NECKS: a UNIQUE KIND of SUCCESS Eric
THE NECKS: A UNIQUE KIND OF SUCCESS Eric Myers interviews Lloyd Swanton ______________________________________________________________ [This piece appeared in the Aug/Sep, 1999, edition of JazzChord] he members of the Sydney trio The Necks have achieved a unique kind of success. Not only have they developed a substantial following in a number of Australian cities, T regularly drawing audiences of between 200 and 400, but also, after beginning to perform in Europe only in 1998, are soon to commence their third tour there, and without subsidies from bodies such as the Australia Council. What is the explanation for this success, which is so unusual for a jazz-orientated trio? Or, is it because their music isn’t quite orthodox jazz, that it has appeal to many who don’t relate to the jazz tradition? Their music is perhaps best described on their own web site at www.thenecks.com “Featuring lengthy pieces which slowly unravel in the most intoxicating fashion, frequently underpinned by an insistent deep groove, the six albums by The Necks stand up to re- listening time and time again. The deceptive simplicity of their music throws forth new charms on each hearing. Not entirely avant-garde, nor minimalist, nor ambient, nor jazz, the music of The Necks is possibly unique in the world today.” The Necks comprise Chris Abrahams (piano), Tony Buck (drums, percussion) and the bassist Lloyd Swanton. I spoke to Lloyd recently, and asked him to explain the Necks phenomenon. “It is hard for us to be objective about [our success],” says Lloyd, “and I would preface this by saying that the success we’re seeing, while heartening, is still on a fairly local scale, and, considering we’ve been together for 12 years, hardly premature! First up I should stress that there are really two versions of The Necks- the live Necks, and the recorded Necks, and they’re quite different things in a lot of ways. -
Boys the Music Credits
Music by The Necks original music by The Necks published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing recorded and mixed by Ross A’Hern, Sony Studios music consultant Sean O’Brien ‘Hard On’ courtesy of Steve Lucas written & performed by Steve Lucas & A.R.M. ‘Beauty’ performed and composed by Allan Lamb courtesy of Dorobo Records Promotion: The music was used to promote the film and was made a feature in the DVD releases: CD: A CD of the soundtrack was released, and was re-released in 2004: Reviews: The Necks were promoted in a story in The Age on 19th September 1997: The disc was reviewed in the Sunday Age on 28th June 1998: The disc was reviewed in The Age on 6th August 1998: There are many other reviews of what became a cult item - this BBC review by Colin Buttimer in 2002 will serve as a sample and is available online here: As most other reviews of this release have noted, the big deal is that it comprises seven short tracks. The shock horror of this will need some explanation to those unfamiliar with Australian improvising trio The Necks: all their previous releases comprise one or at most two lengthy tracks. The shortest piece on The Boys clocks in at a mere three minutes and fifteen seconds (although three tracks do stretch to a shade over ten minutes). That's still, relatively speaking, a blink of the eye for the group. Which inevitably prompts the question as to whether the cumulative power of The Necks' music is diluted by its relative brevity on this outing. -
Coolerators-Diggin' Bones-PR-Draft4-JD
The Music Outpost Promotion Contact: Joyce Email: [email protected] Skype: Joy in DC Phone: (301) 589-8894 Artist: PHILLIP JOHNSTON & THE COOLERATORS Album: DIGGIN’ BONES Genre: Jazz Label & Catalogue #: Asynchronous 003 Release Date: September 2018 Phillip Johnston & the Coolerators: Diggin’ Bones (Asynchronous 003) Diggin’ Bones Down Under: NY Jazz Composer & Saxophonist Phillip Johnston (Microscopic Septet) Joins Forces in Australia with Bassist Lloyd Swanton (The Necks), Organist Alister Spence & Drummer Nic Cecire to Coolerate a New Sound & Release an Animated AlBum When composer / saxophonist / bandleader Phillip Johnston, leader of New York’s legendary jazz ensemble The Microscopic Septet, moved from the Big Apple to Sydney, he assembled several of Australia’s best musicians – Alister Spence, Lloyd Swanton, Nic Cecire – and began brewing a distinctive and lively Down Under ensemble. The Sydney-based Phillip Johnston & the Coolerators now releases its first album, Diggin’ Bones, whose unique sound combines funky organ combo jazz with modernist jazz composition, including a touch of klezmer. Produced by The Necks’ Lloyd Swanton and featuring some of Australia’s finest jazz/multi-genre improvisers, Diggin’ Bones shows a new side of Johnston’s music. The Coolerators brings together two of Australia’s most internationally acclaimed touring musicians, Alister Spence (Alister Spence Trio, Clarion Fracture Zone, AAO) and Lloyd Swanton (The Necks, the catholics) with one of Sydney’s most in- demand rhythm section players, Nic Cecire. The music covers a range of styles but avant organ jazz is at the centre of it. Johnston has led Phillip Johnston & the Coolerators since 2005, alongside several other live performance and recording projects, including Sydney’s Greasy Chicken Orchestra and New York’s Microscopic Septet, and while extensively touring with Wordless!, his multi-media theatrical collaboration with illustrator Art Spiegelman and the band The Silent Six. -
LINDA MAY HAN OH, the DOUBLE BASS, and ME by Ian Muldoon* ______
LINDA MAY HAN OH, THE DOUBLE BASS, AND ME by Ian Muldoon* _______________________________________________________ t was around 1990 that Lloyd Swanton’s double bass playing got me, a confirmed atheist, going back to “church”. The recital was at a little Chapel, of sandstone I and beauty, on the grounds of Sydney University organised by the indomitable Peter Rechniewski whose name was enough to get me to part with some of my hard earned cash in a performance by a band I’d never heard of called The Necks. The indomitable Peter Rechniewski: his tastes and Ian Muldoon’s seemed to be in perfect synchronicity… Rechniewski’s name was enough for me because his tastes and mine seemed to be in perfect synchronicity. Through his efforts over many years I was introduced to some outstanding music and groups, and the programme he organised always seemed great value for money. _________________________________________________________ *Ian Muldoon has been a jazz enthusiast since, as a child, he heard his aunt play Fats Waller and Duke Ellington on the household piano. At around ten years of age he was given a windup record player and a modest supply of steel needles, on which he played his record collection, consisting of two 78s, one featuring Dizzy Gillespie and the other Fats Waller. He listened to Eric Child’s ABC radio programs in the 1950s and has been a prolific jazz records collector wherever he lived in the world, including Sydney, Kowloon, Winnipeg, New York and Melbourne. He has been a jazz broadcaster on a number of community radio stations in various cities, and now lives in Coffs Harbour. -
BENEATH CLOUDS and the BOYS Jazz Artists Making Film Music
Screen Sound n2, 2011 BENEATH CLOUDS AND THE BOYS Jazz Artists Making Film Music Matthew Hill Abstract This article examines the compositional processes of established Australian jazz artists writing for film. Two specific case studies are discussed: the Necks’s score for the film The Boys (Rowan Woods, 1998) and Alistair Spence’s score for Beneath Clouds (Ivan Sen, 2002). Specific music cues from the films are analysed in relation to artists’ observations recorded in interviews. The artists featured in this research have well-established careers as improvising musicians and the application of their music making knowledge to the film scoring process is germane to the final film score. Key questions relevant to the film music concern the extent to which improvisation played a part in the scoring process, the application of improvisatory musical experience to the audiovisual domain, and the nature of the collaboration with the director. Keywords Alister Spence, The Necks, Australian film, composition, jazz film music Introduction Musicians with established careers as performing and recording jazz artists have been contracted to provide original music for film in numerous instances. Miles Davis’s music for the film Ascenseur pour L’Echafaud (Louis Malle, 1958 – French release) or Herbie Hancock’s music for Blow Up (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966 – USA release) are two prominent international examples. More recently, established Australian jazz artists including The Necks (Chris Abrahams, Lloyd Swanton and Tony Buck) have produced original music for the film The Boys (Rowan Woods, 1998) and pianist and composer Alister Spence has collaborated with Ivan Sen to produce the music for Beneath Clouds (Ivan Sen, 2002). -
Lloyd Swanton's Catholics
LLOYD SWANTON’S CATHOLICS: THE SERIOUSNESS OF JAZZ by Ian Muldoon* _______________________________________________________ [This piece arrived on Saturday, August 17, 2019.] usic does not exist in a vacuum. It brings with it connotations, denotations, cultural baggage, and history. The listener brings with him or her, M attitudes, influences, history, and personal experiences. When I was aged eight my Manly Vale Public School teacher Mr Furzer had us listen to, then sing and understand, a song called Old Black Joe written by Stephen Foster: Gone are the days when my heart was young and gay Gone are the toils of the cotton fields away Gone to the fields of a better land I know I hear those gentle voices calling, "Old Black Joe" I'm coming, I'm coming For my head is bending low I hear those gentle voices calling, "Old Black Joe" Stephen Foster, composer of ‘Old Black Joe’… _________________________________________________________ *Ian Muldoon has been a jazz enthusiast since, as a child, he heard his aunt play Fats Waller and Duke Ellington on the household piano. At around ten years of age he was given a windup record player and a modest supply of steel needles, on which he played his record collection, consisting of two 78s, one featuring Dizzy Gillespie and the other Fats Waller. He listened to Eric Child’s ABC radio programs in the 1950s and has been a prolific jazz records collector wherever he lived in the world, including Sydney, Kowloon, Winnipeg, New York and Melbourne. He has been a jazz broadcaster on a number of community radio stations in various cities, and now lives in Coffs Harbour.