I’m very much looking forward to my sax quartet, Saxtivity, gig on 31 May, 8PM at the Sefton Park Cricket Club in Liverpool. This monthly jazz programme under the banner of Jazz on the Hill, is organised by Liverpool singer and promoter, Simonne Dale.
One of the greatest aspects of writing for and leading a sax quartet is that one can write practically ANYTHING for saxophones (as long as it doesn’t include playing multiphonics while standing on one’s head) as they always welcome a challenge. They attack ridiculously fast flurries of notes (also known as “grapes”) as well as relentless changes of metres and grooves. A composer/arranger really has to go out of their way to render these finger-happy and lung capacity stretching sax wielding animals helpless.
Part of the reason for this is that having a group of like instruments without a rhythm section to support or goad them on brings about a unique kind of unity helping to bond the group together. Each member has to play a dual role of melodicist and rhythm section (keeping the beat) concurrently. There are often cases of the band coming unstuck (also known as a “train wreck”) during a piece but this is largely undetectable by the audience. It might just be interpreted as “that bit of the introduction sounded a bit modern for Gershwin, but it was certainly interesting” kind of reaction but nobody gets hurt in the end.
Sativity’s repertoire is quite varied ranging from adaptations of Kurt Weill’s “Three Penny Opera” to arrangements of Gershwin, Porter and Bacharach songs as well as tunes of jazz composers like Fats Waller, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and Bobby Watson. There a few tangos as well as original pieces of the leader, some of which are on the funky/bluesey side allowing for the members to fully improvise on. This is a vital componet of what Saxtivity is about- rockin and groovin sans rhythm section.
The details of the concert are below.
31 May, 8PM
£5 admission
Sefton Park Cricket Club, Liverpool, L17 1AP
For more information ring Simonne on 07481 155077
Hope to see you there!
Stay tuned…Frank