This group is SO MUCH FUN... we play graphic scores, gamepieces and have an all round stellar time making ourselves and each other giggle and grunt our way through the improvised music forest. We released THE NUDGER in Nov of '08, on Now Orchestra Records, and the reviews have been roundly glowing. I will let the words of others speak for themselves...
Nilan Perera - Exclaim Magazine
"The music is vital, varied and consistently well executed. The ensemble play each composition with close attention to the elements provided and improvise with imagination and cohesion. Tunes like "Silt" sustain quiet moods without a drop in energy, while the free improv of "Rug Stain Saint" showcases an exuberance and high level of communication that speaks well of the commitment of each musician to the music."
Stuart Broomer - Ezz-thetics
"...on The Nudger the band creates an intriguing middle-ground between free jazz and improvised music, moving through rapidly changing events in which the musicians seem likely to genuinely surprise one another. Younger is a minimalist both as a guitarist and a composer, emphasizing subtle electronic undersounds and evasive notes that seem to arise with the turn of a volume knob."
Mule Hughes - Difficult Music
"...each gig is an off-kilter musical feast, as well as an exhibition of human frailty and emotion as the performers grin, grimace, try, fail, surrender, thrust, parry, and, I think, grow as people through the experience (as does the audience). The Nudger captures them on a couple 2007 dates at The Cellar running through seven Sandbox selections. I found it interesting to come at this purely as a listener instead of as an audience member. With nothing but the music before me, I felt more like a passenger, able to focus on and enjoy the "scenery" rather than worry about keeping tabs on the surrounding traffic. Nuances emerge; subtleties that get lost in the distracting (for me) flurry of onstage activity. The band's range is impressive. At one end, "Rug Stain Saint" is the kind of improv blowout you might expect when you unleash five monster players such as these. At the other extreme, "Silt" is a gentle, almost post-rock, meditation that, like its title, drifts and gradually settles into a heap. I don't know what it would be like to come at this music without having seen the Sandbox live, but I will say that it makes perfect sense once you've seen what they can do on stage."Recorded live at The Jazz Cellar here in Vancouver, and mixed and mastered by Chris Gestrin, the album has the band ripping up six of my compositions and one fully improvised piece. Everyone sounds amazing on it, and the album really captures both the intensity and playfullness of the band. This is one of the projects I'm most excited about because we've really developed a distinct character as a group, and the music is really in the moment and really exciting. Audiences have been truly digging it, the band is having a killer time playing, and I'm loving writing for these amazing musicians. You should buy this record! Seriously.
Personnel:
Kristian Naso - trumpet
Darren Williams - tenor saxophone
Jeff Younger - guitar/electronics
Dave Chokroun - upright bass
Ben Wilson - drums
-Multimedia:
MP3's
Rug Stain Saint.mp3
02 Lucky Charms 2.mp3
