by ATM15
ATM15Human Music (PBS feature record)
Big band jazz is too often disregarded as being music of a bygone era – great for its time, but not relevant today. There are certainly many bands who perform music much in the way it sounded many decades ago. But there are also some wonderful big bands performing modern, contemporary, ground-breaking jazz & improvised music. Some of them are right here in Melbourne. One is Melbourne-based 15-piece big band ATM15, led by award winning composer & conductor Andrew Murray. Their new album is “Human Music” & it’s a triumph of composition, orchestration & musicianship. Performing 8 of Murray’s original compositions & under his expert direction, some of the best improvising musicians in Melbourne deliver a sound that combines contemporary, modern jazz along with enough grooves to make you want to dance. Throughout the album Murray shows great skill in getting not only top individual performances but also in generating a wonderful collective sound from the entire ensemble.
It’s not possible to single out a favourite track. They’re all good. This is an album of great quality & scope & is highly likely to change your understanding of modern big band jazz.
By Ross Nable – Impressions
PikeletTronc (Featured on The Breakfast Spread)
Pikelet’s new album Tronc is one of the most important of the year so far. It's an honest exploration of a society that can be isolating, unforgiving and very confusing. But at the same time Evelyn Morris' music offers hope in coming to terms with her place in that society, which we all must do at some point. ‘Interface Dystopia’ sets the scene, chanting “everything is poison, everything is torture” but reminding people of the beautiful power in a collective, by calling “take your hands off your eyes, maybe we could do something together.” At the other end of the album Evelyn reminds us “don’t listen to them” which when repeated over and over acts as a mantra or a call to action for anyone who is feeling like they don’t matter, or that their opinions don’t count. Somehow the album is beautifully unpredictable yet comforting all at once, using combinations of electronic instruments, piano and guitar. Tronc needs to, and deserves to be, listened to from start to finish over and over. It's an inspiring record that is also a subtle reflection of broader shifts that are happening in our society.
By Cat– The Breakfast Spread
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