I got back from FL yesterday and needed some music. I couldn't get out in time for the first set, which I remember had Mike Pride in it. I did get there just in time for the 2nd band. Richard decided to charge me $6 instead of the usual $10 since I missed the first set, I thought that was nice, especially since the set was worth at least $10. I mean, 9 pieces should get a little more. I never understand that.
Anyway, this was a great show. Lots of saxes, many of which also had flutes and/or trumpets. I recognized the guitar player as helping run things at Vision Fest type events, but I didn't know he's a musician. It makes sense. He was great as were they all. I was surprised there were so many great people there I never saw before.
It was the guitar player's band, but Matt Lavelle was directing the music. I mean, that many horns had to have some direction. It did get quite loud in there. It wasn't too bad, but I wished I had remembered my earplugs.
I loved all of the music, the horns, guitar, bass an drums. Everyone had plenty of chances to shine. I seemed like Ras and Daniel were the anchors who got to do a lot of stretched out improvising while the other horns did more playing together. They definitely had their chances to stretch out. Toward the end, Matt tried to get the horns to follow him marching band style, but that didn't go over too well. It seemed like a foreign concept to most of them.
I didn't mind the speeches coming from the laptop. I mean, it's not really my philosophy, although I skirted by it in my younger years. It did remind of going to Revolutionary Books in Chicago just because it was a bookstore and I love books. I found a few, and the guy kept following me around telling me there was a lot going on that weekend. I had no idea what he was talking about. Then, he slipped a revolutionary paper in my bag when I bought the books. I laughed when I took it out since it really didn't resonate with me and I was surprised that they existed. That must have been 98-00 since that was when I was living there.
Here's the listing:
People's Revolutionary Party, a 9-piece improvising big bang, will bring their advanced ideological line to Brecht Forum on Sunday, August 31 at 9 PM. Tickets will be $10 general admission and $8 for students and seniors.
Performing music described by the group's founder, guitarist/laptopist James Keepnews, as "post-everything Ascension funk," People's Revolutionary Party combines the hardcore fire of downtown jazz with the real-time processing and sampling of contemporary experimental electronic music, occasionally engaging with excerpts from speeches given by noted figures from the struggle for social liberation, ranging from Malcolm X to Bill Hicks. The vigorous, spontaneous vibrational fire of these nine accomplished musicians in performance is something wondrous to hear and behold.
People's Revolutionary Party is:
Daniel Carter on saxophones, clarinet, flute and trumpet;
Tomchess on saxophones, flute and Turkish ney;
Welf Dorr on saxophones;
Nick Gianni on saxophones;
Michael Golub on drums;
James Keepnews on guitar, laptop and electronics;
Matt Lavelle on trumpet and bass clarinet;
Ras Moshe on saxophones and flute and subbing for Ted McEvoy,
Todd Nicholson on bass.
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3 comments:
hi Terri,..thanks for checking us out.what the marching band concept is started with sun ra and continued in william parkers little huey orchestra,.the horns march around the room,or out the door to the street,or they give a multiple seranade,.it goes all the way back to early new orleans jazz most likely.having done it with little huey,.the idea came to me to try it with PRP,..but nobody knew the idea was coming,.(including me).thanks for coming and rolling with us.in music,.matt
www.myspace.com/mattLavelle
It was a very enjoyable show, and yes, pretty loud to boot. I think there were four flutes going at one point, too. Himalayas sometimes marches into the crowd or street, though as a marching band, we tend to expect it. I thought it wound up working out OK, though you could defintely see the horns were a little surprised. Musically, the whole thing flowed quite nicely--at the end of the first piece(s?), when the original head came back, that was a very pleasant surprise--an "oh, yeah, that!" kind of moment.
Where were you sitting?
--SubAquaHead
I was just to the right and behind the woman with the video camera.
Now I keep thinking about a couple of Albert Ayler recordings I've heard that are reminiscent of marching bands. I'm not sure if they ever marched, but I love that music. I'll have to find it and dig it out.
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