Although there is a link to his website in our blogroll (at the extreme south end of the right column), it has been too long since we’ve caught up with Darcy James Argue and his Secret Society. That big band of brash young New Yorkers is less of a secret these days than when we first encountered it a couple of years ago. Now, they win polls and sell records. They also occasionally travel out of town.
If you’re interested in knowing something of the thinking of one element of the young artists who are helping to shape the future of music, this video from January at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, makes a few disclosures. The band’s roster follows the clip. The piece is Argue’s “Phobos.” He is the conductor. Jon Wikan gets things underway and ends them with his cajon, the box-like Peruvian percussion instrument of which he has become a master.
Winds:
David DeJesus,
Rob Wilkerson,
Sam Sadigursky,
Mark Small,
Josh Sinton.
Trumpets:
Seneca Black,
Tom Goehring,
Matt Holman,
Nadje Noordhuis,
David Smith.
Trombones:
Noah Bless,
Tim Sessions,
Kevin Moehringer,
Jennifer Wharton.
Guitar:
Sebastian Noelle.
Piano & Keyboards:
Red Wierenga.
Bass:
Matt Clohesy.
Drums & Percussion:
Jon Wikan.
The nonagenarian pianist presented de Barros with every biographer’s hope, unrestricted access to his subject’s personal papers and nearly unrestricted access to her private thoughts. He made the most of it, turning exhaustive research and hundreds of hours of interviews into a true story with the sweep of a novel. From the early discovery of McPartland’s musical gift through her wartime service, her ecstatic and stormy marriage to Jimmy McPartland, her growth as a pianist, her deep affair with Joe Morello, and the radio show that made her a national figure, she has had a fascinating life. It makes a splendid read.
Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band had three fewer musicians than most big jazz outfits. Its size permitted precision, flexibility and subtlety, yet the band had the power of sprung steel. In this concert from a half century ago, the CJB is as fresh as yesterday. Arrangements by Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn and Johnny Mandel set standards to which big band writers still aspire. Bassist Buddy Clark and drummer Mel Lewis inspired Mulligan, Brookmeyer, Conte Candoli, Gene Quill and Zoot Sims to some of the best soloing of their careers. This beautifully produced issue of the complete concert is a basic repertoire item.
I’ve heard of this group before but never actually heard them play – very cool music. Sam Sadigursky and I went to both the same high school and college (William Paterson), plus I had both Sam and Mark Small on my website’s podcast. Jazz is definitely a small world…
Thanks for sharing!