RVANews

Megafaun featuring RVA

Aaron Williams — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:00:20 +0000

Somewhere between Bon Iver's newest record, their sold out show at The National and trombonist Reggie Pace joining the band, Richmond discovered and fell in love with Justin Vernon's music. While many in Richmond are familiar with Bon Iver, fewer are familiar with Megafaun. That is about to change.

Now based in Durham, North Carolina, the members of Megafaun hail from Wisconsin and used to be in Deyarmond Edison with Justin Vernon. Their new record hits stores September 20th but you can stream it now on rollingstone.com. With a rigorous international tour and a new record, the band will undoubtedly get more national attention in the coming months.

This is good news for guitarist Matt White who arranged all of the horn parts for the record. The record also features many of Richmond's finest jazz musicians including John Lilley (saxophone), Jason Scott (woodwinds), Bob Miller (trumpet), Marcus Tenney (trumpet), Reggie Pace (trombone), Bryan Hooten (trombone), Toby Whitaker (trombone)and Reggie Chapman (bass trombone).

You can catch Megafaun September 23rd in Washington D.C. at The Red Palace with Matt White.

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Toby Whitaker Big Band at Balliceaux

Aaron Williams — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:00:18 +0000

Last week, we interviewed Toby Whitaker about his big band, his departure from Richmond and we dubbed him the newest judge for our DROP THE NEEDLE series. Wednesday night, his big band debuted to a packed house at Balliceaux.

After an incredible and rare set by Jason Scott's Small Town, 15 musicians crowded onto the undersized stage tucked in the back corner of the dark cement clad restaurant. Every seat was taken and an awkward mass of people clustered around the bar trying to distance themselves from the onslaught of twelve loud horns while still being engaged in the action.

Toby Whitaker stands next to the band as he directs and plays trombone.

While this was the live debut of TWBB, the first tune "#2" was featured on DROP THE NEEDLE in 2010. The tune began with large chords created by pyramids of horns grouped across sections. The composition utilized a nice balance between these pyramids and a simple melody interupted by loud horn hits.

The powerful horns eventually made way to Marlysse Simmons pounding away at her Nord keyboard. Drummer Pinson Chanselle Jr. and Cameron Ralston rounded out the rhythm section that pleasantly sounded like nothing I have ever heard before. Chanselle's style of big band drumming is unprecedented. His enthusiasm and willingness to distort the meter and form showed an amazing confidence in the other fourteen performers and their abilities to keep grooving.

Whitaker's writing for large ensemble is mature and it will be exciting to hear him grow during his graduate studies at Rutgers. His compositions feature modern harmony, interesting rhythm and a broad palette of textures.

"#1", another tune featured on DROP THE NEEDLE, started with a horn intro, but the music didn't truly take flight until the seductive bass melody entered. After the saxophones joined, the tempo picked up and Bob Miller delivered a solid trumpet solo. Whitaker took the final solo and his knowledge of the complex backgrounds paid off as the band's intensity built to the end.

Listen to #1:
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/%231.mp3|titles=#1|artists=Toby Whitaker Big Band]

The fourth tune of the night, "Future Caveman" contained some of the best solo work of the concert. Toby Whitaker, JC Kuhl and Scott Frock all traded phrases over a rim click drum groove, each of them outdoing the next until they all played at once. Finally, drummer Pinson Chanselle Jr. and bassist Cameron Ralston improvised together. Comfortably the two of them, both members of Fight the Big Bull, engaged in a satisfying rhythmic discussion.

Listen to Future Caveman:
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/FutureCaveman.mp3|titles=Future Caveman|artists=Toby Whitaker Big Band]

Saxophonist J.C. Kuhl trades bars with Scott Frock (Scott Frock) and Toby Whitaker (Trombone.)

The final tune of the night came too soon for many. "#3" started with a constant stream of quarter notes performed enthusiastically by the bobbing saxophones and clarinet of the front row. The bass added on before the brass entered full force and three different ideas combined to create a unique big band sound. Sticking in his upper register, Jason Scott fought to be heard during his clarinet solo. Simmons then took one last tranquil solo that set the stage for the intense last two minutes of the night.

Listen to Intro and #3:
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/Introand3.mp3|titles=Intro and #3|artists=Toby Whitaker Big Band]

Stefan Demetriadis came prepared for the dark back room at Balliceaux.

Six tunes after the down beat, the house music came back on as the fans were left desiring more. The immediate buzz: "when will this happen again?" I heard countless people state the need for a permanent original big band in Richmond, something that has been lacking since the days of Devil's Workshop Big Band. There is no doubt Richmond contains the talented musicians and composers needed to have a big band. More importantly, Wednesday showed us there is a crowd willing to listen.

Jason Scott (alto saxophone/ clarinet)

Toby Whitaker Big Band:
Reeds: Jason Scott, JC Kuhl, John Lilley, David Hood
Bones: Toby Whitaker, Stefan Demetriadis, Pete Anderson, Reggie Chapman
Trumpets: Rob Quallich, Bob Miller, Scott Frock, Marcus Tenney
Rhythm: Marlysse Simmons, Cameron Ralston, Pinson Chanselle Jr.

All photos by the talented Lauren Serpa

UTV.chamber: The First Letter

Aaron Williams — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:00:45 +0000

With 11 tracks and some of the coolest CD packaging ever seen, UTV.chamber’s freshman release, The First Letter, is an exciting new way to experience the band. The record contains fresh sounds even to the spoiled listeners of Richmond, Virginia, its music equally as progressive and original as its industrial cardboard case.

The band stands apart before it plays a note with unique instrumentation; Marcus Tenney (tenor saxophone), David Hood (alto saxophone) and Mary Lawrence Hicks (flugelhorn) stand on the front line with Reginald Chapman (bass trombone) and Paul Willson (guitar) adding to the drums of Devonne Harris and percussion of Stuart Jackson. Chelsea Temple adds vocals on eight of the tracks, but listen carefully as sometimes her voice is only used to add to the already complex textures of unison lines.

Leader Reginald Chapman calls himself a “collage artist.” His passive vision enables the eight unique voices of the band to combine into an even more unique collective voice. While Chapman is the creative leader behind many of the compositions, he says they really come from working together, free improvisations, and just spending time together playing music.

The personnel in UTV.chamber came together through friendship as opposed to some intricate plan. The band boasts jazz, classical, and rock musicians and all of those experiences have led to a diverse album with every track bringing something entirely new to the table. Self labeled as avant-pop, the album blends instrumental pop hooks that will stick in your head, with sections of freer improvisation that enable voices as different as Tenney and Willson to explore their ideas.

Listen to "Penultimate Knob":
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/04%20Penultimate%20Knob.mp3|titles=Penultimate Knob|artists=UTV.Chamber]

“Follow Your Bliss” is ready for mainstream radio play complete with a catchy chorus, incredible Marcus Tenney solo, and simple chord progression.

“Lessons in Unrequited Love” gives off a much more classical chamber ensemble vibe. John Cage comes to mind as the bass trombone loosely ties together prepared piano, a drum set ostinato and Willson playing percussive guitar. Not a second later, Tenney begins repeating a smooth theme. The drums cue in a through-composed fanfare with a loose canon feel.

The joy abruptly ends as the bass trombone covered in a heavy effect lays down a thumping bass line. Bouncing back and forth between the fanfare and the far more aggressive section, the journey finally descends into a loose chaos. Every percussion instrument imaginable plays off of Chapman and Willson until an abbreviated fanfare finally leaves the listener comfortable.

"Black Belly Dove" is a throw back to the band's origins. Chapman leaves character and plays more like a horn player; the lack of a bass voice leaves extra freedom for exploration and Harris’ drumming pushes all of the horn players to new creative heights.

The First Letter does a great job of capturing the band. Recorded almost entirely in complete takes over two days at Lance Koehler’s relaxed and homey Minimum Wage Recording, every member of the band sounds at ease. It has a live feeling but with the clarity of professional recording and mixing.

It is an entirely different listening experience than the band’s regular home at the Black Hand Coffee Company. Koehler masterfully captures the subtle complexities of the horn players that are often missed in the venues of Richmond. Additionally, mutli-tracked vocals, vocal effects and other techniques used on the horns add an entirely new dimension to the sound of the band.

While this album only scratches the surface of all the things that UTV.chamber has and will explore, it offers a fresh way to hear them play. With their potential as individuals and as a unit it will be exciting to see what the future holds for them.

Track Listing: Calculation Theme; Zoe; Black Belly Dove; Penultimate Knob; Lamplighter; Follow Your Bliss; The First Letter; Lessons in Unrequited Love; Homegrin; Earth; Old Man Theme

Personnel: Reginald Chapman, bass trombone; Chelsea Temple, vocals; David Hood, alto saxophone; Marcus Tenney, tenor saxophone; Mary Lawrence Hicks, flugelhorn; Paul Willson, guitar; Devonne Harris, drums; Stuart Jackson, percussion.

Listening Back: UTV.Chamber and Scott Clark 4-tet

Dean Christesen — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 11:00:23 +0000

As part of our new weekly series, we chronicle the happenings at The Camel's free weekly jazz series on Tuesday nights. Be there if you can. But if you can't, stop by here every Saturday morning for a recap in sights and sounds.

Maybe it was the HopSlam, or maybe it was The Camel's free weekly jazz series catching on. Either way, both UTV.Chamber and Scott Clark 4-tet had great audiences to play for on Tuesday night. Perhaps even more than last week, jazz's genre boundaries were stretched and the two sets varied greatly.

UTV considers itself to be "avant pop," made up of seven post-modern minds. Trombonist Reggie Chapman is the anchor, the conductor, and most often the instigator, although everyone from drummer Devonne Harris to vocalist Chelsea Temple play that role. In the middle, tenor saxophonist Marcus Tenney, alto saxophonist David Hood, and flugelhornist Mary Lawrence Hicks weave in and out of the limelight, and the band's most recent addition in guitarist Paul Willson is capable of changing textures instantly.

Listen to UTV.Chamber's set:
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/UTV%20@%20The%20Camel%20(01.11.10).mp3|titles=UTVChamber Live at the Camel Tuesday January 11 2011|artists=UTVChamber]

Scott Clark's quartet is a new favorite. Enlisting Fight the Big Bull players Jason Scott (saxophone), Bob Miller (trumpet), and Cameron Ralston (on bass, with whom Clark also plays in Glows in the Dark and Ilad), the drummer leads his band around adventurous compositions without limits. Ralston's playing anchors the band when it needs to and totally frees itself of strict rhythmic responsibility at other times, providing great counterpoint or conversing with drums in various tempos and meters. Bob Miller and Jason Scott are quite capable of starting a fire while it all churns alongside them.

Listen to Scott Clark 4-tet's set:
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/Scott%20Clark%204tet%20@%20The%20Camel%20(01.11.10).mp3|titles=Scott Clark 4-tet Live at the Camel Tuesday January 11 2011|artists=Scott Clark 4-tet]

Listen back to other gigs in Richmond

Thanks to Lucas Fritz for the audio, Shaun Lilley for photos

Two trios tear it up at The Camel

Dean Christesen — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:00:53 +0000

Last night at The Camel, Trio of Justice and Marcus Tenney Trio continued the venue's weekly jazz series to an enthusiastic crowd. Even trombonist Sam Savage was there to share in the magic, and we got audio from the whole night.

I've missed Trio of Justice. The sounds they get with their unorthodox instrumentation -- trombone, tuba, drums, give or take a few odd others -- are like no other. It's as if they broke out of a brass band and then took elements of what they heard in hip hop and math rock. Trombonist Reggie Pace and tubaist/trombonist Reggie Chapman, at least, help form No BS! Brass Band but here bring an entirely new harmonic palette to the table. Devonne Harris has a crisp sensibility on drums, and he's able to play powerfully while intuitively.

Listen to Trio of Justice's set:
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/Trio%20of%20Justice%20@%20The%20Camel%20(01.04.10).mp3|titles=Live at The Camel January 4 2011|artists=Trio of Justice]

Marcus Tenney used to play trumpet exclusively (think along the lines of Freddie Hubbard's style), but seems to only pick up his tenor saxophone these days (think Coltrane or Joe Henderson). It's no surprise, then, that he chooses to only play his newer instrument with his trio that features drummer Harris and bassist Andrew Randazzo. Tenney takes extended solos over Henderson's "Shade of Jade" and "Inner Urge," Coltrane's "A Moment's Notice," and Sam Rivers's "Beatrice," while his rhythm section urges him along.

Listen to Marcus Tenney Trio's set:
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/Marcus%20Tenney%20Trio%20@%20The%20Camel%20(01.04.10).mp3|titles=Live at The Camel January 4 2011|artists=Marcus Tenney Trio]

Tuesday night Jazz @ The Camel continues next week with Scott Clark 4tet and UTV. Visit thecamel.org for more info.

Thanks to Lucas Fritz for the audio, Shaun Lilley for photos

Chapman’s stick: UTV and The Black Hand

David Tenenholtz — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:00:04 +0000

Bass trombonist, composer, and creative spirit Reggie Chapman has been a fixture in the Richmond music community since beginning his music studies at VCU in 2004. As a member of No BS! Brass Band, and frequent presence in big bands, orchestras, and alternative rock groups, Reggie has made an indelible mark as a trombonist with a huge sound, a taste for exploration, and an affinity for playing from the heart. In the past two years, he has become a band leader with his own eclectic band Use the Vastness (or UTVchamber, in its most recent incarnation), a group that has the “heart of a singer-songwriter, and the mind of an avant,” and has pursued promoting a weekly music series at The Black Hand Coffee. In this interview, Reggie discusses his most cherished musical inspirations that feed his creative output with UTVchamber, and what keeps him moving in the Richmond community that has meant so much for him.

RVANews: How did UTV start? What’s the background?

Reggie Chapman: It started about two years ago while I was taking a semester off from school. Of course, I was doing No BS! Brass Band stuff, but I had a lot of time on my hands. I started recording with Lance Koehler, the owner of Minimum Wage Studios, and I was doing a lot of creating at home. Just making these scratches of ideas that I had.

Also at the time I was really into Eastern philosophy [ laughs] and in that vein, came a lot of openness, and exploration and “seeing” and just that train of thought of accepting things as they arise no matter what they might be. There were a bunch of us that at that time didn’t have another identity. These were all my friends, like Marcus Tenney, Mary-Lawrence Hicks, Stuart Jackson, Brett Ripley, Chelsea Temple, and David Hood. There are all these other bands like Fight the Big Bull, Glows in the Dark, and No BS! So a bunch of us that were all friends would make these scratches on my computer with my little Mbox and my condenser mics. So we would build these songs by playing free for hours.

We worked a lot on playing free, because playing free is a thing. It’s a language. We would be asking things of each other like “What does that mean to be reactionary or not reactionary to what’s going on around you? How do you be in the moment?” That sort of playing became the underlying vibe for the band, where everyone has free reign but also responsibility for the sound that is happening. We’d continue to do that, and then we’d learn songs, and then try to forget them and then play them again. [laughs]

Listen to "Lamplighter":
[audio: http://media.rvanews.com/lamplight.mp3|titles=Lamplighter|artists=UTVchamber]

Chapman recording with No BS! Brass, March 2010. Photo by Lucas Fritz

What was the first show you guys did as a band?

I’m not sure which came first, but we did a backyard jam at Lucas Fritz’ place, and also a basement show. The basement show had a lot of raw energy, so it was a lot of fun. People were freaking out! My whole group thing is taking a harmonically and melodically explorative sound, and making it palatable to those that otherwise wouldn’t listen to that music or it wouldn’t be as accessible to them. So it was great to see these VCU kids in a basement dancing to this horn-based experimental music. The show at Lucas’ backyard was where we literally improvised the entire time! [laughs]. It was great, and we had some sketches of tunes that we had been working on, but it was completely open. It was cool!

You guys did a recital too, right?

Yes, and this backyard jam was before the recital. Since these two shows, we’ve gone from there, and it’s been this whole continuum of through-composed stuff. We never write anything down. Everything is memorized. I’ll sit at a piano, and say, “play this, or play this.” Or we’ll make scratches and then learn it all by ear. More recently there have been a couple things written down.

It’s in response to groups where there is sort of a totalitarian rule. UTV was supposed to be an answer to that and supposed to be the exact opposite. Anything anyone wants to do is fair game, no matter what line of thought it’s coming from. The goal is for there to be no boundaries. And in that our natural boundaries are augmented, because we’re not trying to force the boundaries. There are already unsaid boundaries. We can’t help but have our sound. I’ve been way more intentional with the sound, but even when we play the tunes, they’re never the same twice. Everyone has an ear towards the whole sound, and it still works. It’s still cohesive.

Marcus Tenney, David Hood, and Mary Lawrence Hicks with UTV at a VCU recital, Oct. 2009. Photo by Dean Christesen

Have there been other inspirations for the music outside of Eastern philosophy and free improvisation?

Oh, of course. Since getting the band started, it’s begun evolving, and isn’t quite as loose anymore. Everything is getting more intentional. For me, most recently, I got into Christianity and that thought and I feel like that’s changed the way I work with the band and my motives for the music. Ultimately, I want to affect people and write from the heart and be honest with myself and the people around me as much as possible.

Other than that, I got really into punk rock music and the Richmond vibe and just the openness. The elevator speech for UTV right now is “the heart of the singer-songwriter meets the mind of an avant.” We’re going for avant-pop as a genre. And I feel like that’s Richmond. We’re finding things that are very conventional and mixing those with what’s unconventional and creative, and everybody is okay with that. That is post-modern society, if you will.

I think that’s the thing, is realizing that, “Yeah, I play a bass trombone, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be this or that.” Realizing that being creative or artistic can be off-the-wall, and mystical, and even ridiculous, and sometimes ugly. We’re not afraid to be ugly, because that’s part of the artistic continuum. But sometimes also it can be very “inside” and very beautiful. That whole spectrum is nice to be a part of. My whole philosophy and study of theology are usually the driving force behind my creativity. Affecting people is the most important part of it.

It started as Use the Vastness, was given the acronym UTV, and has also been seen as UTVchamber. How have the different names come around, and what do they mean?

On the fly, I named it Use the Vastness. But that was too long for people to grasp, and it was shortened to UTV.

UTV performing at Musicircus 2009. Photo by Dean Christesen

Where did “Use the Vastness” come from? Was it a quote, or something else?

It was a philosophical statement, something that I was thinking about at the time. Basically, there’s complete freedom in form, and it’s something that popped into my head one day. It’s about using it all, using everything. Maybe one day I’ll understand more of what it means. But basically with the UTVchamber thing, I thought that maybe UTV wasn’t an adequate enough name, but I wanted to express the Third Stream vibe of Use the Vastness.

I don’t want us to be seen as a jazz group, really. To be honest, somehow it sounds nobler and like a more serious art group with “chamber” in the name. I was directly trying to be unconventional by calling it a “chamber ensemble,” but doing free improvisation, and maybe by changing the name a little bit, it might lodge the name in more peoples’ heads that have already heard of it.

We also learned at least another forty-five minutes worth of music over the summer, and we got Devonne Harris on drums when Brett Ripley left. That was indicative of us remaking ourselves, and we have a whole lot more tunes and it’s not quite as nebulous as it used to be. With playing free, it’s a risk, and sometimes it’s great, and sometimes it goes nowhere. Now we’re being a little bit more intentional, and working on framing our freeness.

How has the band developed over the past couple years?

It was off to a good start, and then there was a hiatus while we were all too busy. It’s been ebbing and flowing, and it’s kind of been on the backburner since school and playing with No BS! and surviving have been higher priorities. But then I got energized and said, “I’m going to do this, because there are people that believe in this and are showing up to rehearsals.” So we decided to just push through again, and in building the scheme, we wanted to get shows going regularly at The Black Hand, and be in residency there. This was in the summertime last year. We also wanted to talk with different bands and have them bring in different audiences to expand the energy of what we’re trying to do.

photo by Clay Gilbert

What can we expect for The Black Hand series?

The Black Hand series was every other week. Now I’ve decided to push it to every week, and starting next Sunday it’s going to be from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. We’ll have two bands, and there’s good food, coffee, and it’s a small, really good listening environment. It’s not a bar, but they have really good beer there too. It’s free, and we’re trying to get a community to develop around it.

How did you get in touch with the people at The Black Hand, or did you know them previously?

I knew the owner Clay, who told me I could book shows in there whenever I want. He’s so stoked about it. I also used to go there frequently. That was my spot, probably for the last four or five years I’ve been going there. I really like that place because it’s really homey, and part of the social architecture of the Fan. That’s really important to the music that we play.

Yeah, there are good opportunities in all these little Fan coffee shops or sandwich shops, as a place also for musicians to come in and do their thing.

Yeah, and the communion is the music and it’s obvious when you go in there. People watch intently, and that’s different. They’re up in your face, and it’s not incidental music at the time. It’s the main event. When that place is packed, which is kind of easy to do, it feels awesome!

What will UTV be doing in the next couple months?

UTV will be there roughly every other week. Narod Ensemble is playing, Jason Scott, and Paul Willson both have groups that will be there. To all the musicians around, contact me if you want to play at The Black Hand. For UTV, we just finished our first CD, and it’s going to be released soon. We have some dates at The Camel in January. Hopefully the CD release party will be in the next couple months. I’m also a member of Murphy’s Kids, which is a punk/dub/rock band, and I’ve been playing with them a whole lot. I’ve learned a lot about showmanship and work. No BS! is going to be playing with them at Happy Skalidays coming up.

I’m also working at Lamplighter Café and Roasting Co., and from my bosses and the people that go there, I’m learning a lot about being an entrepreneur and being creative. They take what they love, and they manifest it in a very viable way, and it’s obvious because of all the people that flock to them. They never give up on who they are, and that’s what’s beautiful. The place has so much character. And I take that home with me, in terms of my music. I don’t ever want to give up on the things that I cherish.

In the future, I may or may not go to The University of Illinois where trombonist Jim Pugh offered me a full tuition waiver and fellowship. I’m still in school at VCU and doing my senior recital in February. On Sunday mornings, I’m also playing at Redemption Hill Church.

You’re keeping really busy, Reggie!

Definitely.

What is your favorite thing to eat or drink at The Black Hand?

Try the PCP. [laughs] It’s a sandwich!

The Black Hand Coffee music series begins this Sunday with Narod Ensemble and Hannah Standiford. View event details. Watch this space for more information on the next UTV shows.

No BS! releases No BS!

Dean Christesen — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:02:47 +0000

With every album, every tour, every sold out show, and every Thursday night rehearsal, No BS! Brass is finding their sound, and they might be the closest they’ve ever been on that search. The third album from the 10-man collective of brass, drums, and saxophone, No BS! represents a solidified concept and a path for growth with nothing standing in their way.

A lot of that has to do with the band maturing over time. “The music is written with the reference of everyone in the band knowing what we sound like now,” says trombonist and No BS! co-leader Reggie Pace. “We know the best way to learn the music. We know the best way to voice things.” Efficiency has cleared the trail for creating the band’s finest work yet.

It’s also a departure from the jazz- and funk-laced norm that they’ve developed, with more material leaning toward rock, punk, and pop. Drummer and co-leader Lance Koehler’s “To The Day,” relies heavily on vocals that pay tribute to Richmond, with lines like, “You know it’s crucial the way we’re living life today / Living in RVA.” Written while biking around the city’s Fan District, Pace says the band’s performance of it is indicative of how they approach the different tunes. “‘To The Day’ was written as love for the city,” he says, “and we all understand that, so the piece exudes it.”

“The tunes are all written from very different places,” he continues, “so they attack your spirit in very different ways.” Like Pace’s “Dr. Wiley,” inspired by childhood video games, or bass trombonist and vocalist Reggie Chapman’s “Hoodie,” which the composer calls a “triumph over tragedy” that he wrote during a bad summer.

Pace’s “Hadji” -- named for the character on Johnny Quest -- is a result of his studying African music. What began as inspiration while sitting in an Ethiopian restaurant combined with what he had learned about music from Africa and how that traced to Brazilian and Haitian music. The two parts represent that divide, the second with the energy of Brazilian Carnival.

A road trip to San Francisco and a very friendly bartender contributed to Koehler’s “Bad Sake,” which features alto saxophonist David Hood and trumpeter and tenor saxophonist Marcus Tenney, here on sax. After an evening of the free libations, Koehler and his friend were so obliterated that his friend -- who had lived in the city for years -- couldn’t find Chinatown from a few blocks away. Koehler’s multilayered composition represents the stumbling duo as well his and the band’s often Ellingtonian approach. “We’ve been writing songs for specific players,” he explains. “The instruments are secondary to the musicians playing them.”

Another Koehler contribution is Agent Orange’s “Everything Turns Grey,” a favorite from his teenage years (Pace notes the first time he heard the song was on Beavis and Butt-Head in 6th grade), and an appropriate addition to No BS! Koehler says, “I like the fact that when I listen to this record, I forget I’m listening to a brass band a lot of the time. It’s just a rock band!” The timbres of the brass certainly help, trombonist Bryan Hooten’s chainsaw trombone similar to his work with Fight the Big Bull, trumpeter Rob Quallich’s shredding high solo that might as well be on a guitar, and Stefan Demetriadis’s tuba buzzing like a bass on a fuzz pedal.

“I like that we don’t sound like a band from New Orleans or like a jazz band,” Pace says. “There are tons of jazz bands that play jazz better than I do, and all the brass bands in New Orleans play New Orleans music better than we do. So let’s not write any of those kinds of tunes.”

Chapman adds, “Not all of the tunes on the album were written for brass; they’re written as entities in themselves. We play them and we just happen to play brass instruments.”

They do their own thing, and they do it extremely well. Songs like “Brass Scene Kids” are staples to their live performances. Chapman’s singing and screaming through a ThunderPower megaphone is paralleled by exemplary solos and dense textures that consume the listeners, enveloping them in sound like any great rock band would.

Like their two-day CD release stint at The Camel this past weekend, they are consistently selling out their live shows to young audiences who may just want to dance and party. Or they may realize that they’re listening to some of Richmond’s greatest musicians and improvisers. Whichever it is, they bring change to a generation obsessed with what it already knows.

Personnel: Reggie Pace: trombone; Bryan Hooten: trombone; Dillard Watt: trombone; Reginald Chapman: bass trombone, vocals; Rob Quallich: trumpet; Marcus Tenney: trumpet, tenor saxophone; Taylor Barnett: trumpet; David Hood: alto saxophone; Stefan Demetriadis: tuba; Lance Koehler: drums, vocals. All: percussion.

Track listing: Brass Scene Kids, Dr. Wiley, Everything Turns Grey, Hoodie, Khan!!!, Representing, Boss Battle, Hadji, To The Day, Bad Sake, *hidden track* NO BS!

To purchase, look for the album soon on CD Baby and iTunes. No BS! Brass plays the Richmond Folk Festival this weekend. Visit No BS! online.

Brass boys in the studio

Dean Christesen — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:00:34 +0000

Photos by Lucas Fritz

Richmond's favorite brass band entered their resident studio this past weekend to record for their next album. The large group of brass players plus lone reedsman and drummer that make up No BS Brass got down to business at the eccentric and popular Minimum Wage studio, owned and operated by No BS drummer and co-leader Lance Koehler.

The guys recorded eight songs over the weekend, with a couple more to do to complete the album that should be out by September, co-leader and trombonist Reggie Pace said. A few tunes will have singing (or screaming) by band members, which explains photos of the dudes standing around a microphone sans instruments. Jesse Harper may contribute his vocals to a track.

Once again, Lucas Fritz was there and took some photos. Click here to check out the entire album.

Reggie Chapman looks on

Trumpeter Rob Quallich

Rob Quallich, Taylor Barnett, Marcus Tenney, David Hood

Bryan Hooten and Reggie Pace singing

Trombonist Reggie Chapman

Trumpeter Marcus Tenney

Saxophone: the only reed instrument in No BS!

Quallich, Barnett, Tenney, Hood, Hooten, Pace

Drummer Lance Koehler

Playback

View the entire album on Flickr

Trio of Justice: Without hesitation

Bryan Hooten — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:00:44 +0000

The other day, I ambushed Trio of Justice (formerly R2DToo), a relatively new band comprised of Reggie Pace, Reginald Chapman, and Devonne Harris, after one of their rehearsals. We got to talking about the band, their music, their new name and what makes Richmond such a trombone-friendly city. Devonne even talks a little smack, ensuring his place in the RVA Trombone mafia for years to come. They all speak with the same humor, spontaneity and sophistication that inspire their music. Trio of Justice will perform at RVAJazzfest this Saturday along with the Adam Larrabee Trio and Ombak+Ray Anderson.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/8870703[/vimeo]

View more photos of Trio of Justice on Flickr

RVAJazzfest featuring Ray Anderson & Ombak, Adam Larrabee Trio, and Trio of Justice takes place on Saturday, February 6, 2010, at 9pm at The Camel, 1621 W Broad St., Richmond VA. Click here to purchase tickets.

Model for a Monday

Dean Christesen — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:11:41 +0000

There's something special about jazz on Monday nights around here. The evening is often left blank on the calendars, reserved for people to stay home and lament the return of the working week. Not all of us are lamenters, though, and some people can really get behind a solid night of Monday music. In this case, solid it was last night at The Camel with three bands: two brand new quintets and a trio with a new name.

The evening began with Trio of Justice, the sousaphone-trombone-drums trio formerly known as R2Dtoo (named for its members Reggie Chapman, Reggie Pace, and Devonne Harris). Low brass and percussion -- perhaps the two instrument families capable of the loudest volumes and heaviest weights -- are their tools, and their only ones. Their sound is deep: aside from the snare drum's crack and the cymbals's pings and washes, very few tones from the band register as anything but bass or baritone. The upper registers that people are used to hearing in music are not as present, but the three seem to realize this and use their inventive abilities to accommodate for the missing frequencies. They are experts in natural-sounding grooves in the oddest of meter combinations (that are guided by melody, not contrived logic) and loose time feels that speed and slow to radical extremes.

Like most Richmond musicians, the men of the Jason Scott 5 are no strangers to playing together, but it's new to see them collaborating in a group like this one. Guitarist Scott Burton augments the small group of Fight the Big Bull members: tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Scott, trumpeter Bob Miller, bassist Cameron Ralston, and drummer Pinson Chanselle. Despite the personnel, a FTBB microcosm is the last thing that the Jason Scott 5 is.

With an affection for the music of Lennie Tristano, Warne Marsh, and Lee Konitz (his gig last week featured the music of all three), some of Jason's original compositions are melodically quick, complex, and thrilling. "Department of Ed." was glorious and constantly evolved to new sections, each one related to the last but still different. The Ornette Coleman-ish "E.M.T." began with a Blackwell/Haden drum and bass vamp before a staggering melody entered, diving in and out of three-part harmony. "Character 2052" told the tale of Jason's essay-writing frustrations and difficulties with the Richmond Department of Education in a klezmer-rock and, again, evolving style. "ANA" was simply beautiful.

Many of the tunes were composed by Jason for his graduate recital at NYU seven years ago. With a strong group giving the music life once again, this group would make a brilliant album. And hopefully they do, soon.

The lights dimmed for the Alan Parker 5, another new combination of familiar musicians. This time, the guitarist has added bassist Andrew Randazzo and tenor saxophonist Kevin Simpson along with his former AP Connect 4 members Billy Williams on drums and tenor saxophonist Marcus Tenney. Marcus is still a relatively new convert from the trumpet to tenor sax, but he more than just holds his own on the new instrument. His and Kevin's playing offset each other nicely: Marcus's tone is bright with Coltrane-like flurries and arpeggios, while Kevin has more of a weathered sound. Billy's drumming is similar to other contemporary and "urban" jazz drummers like Chris Dave and Jamire Williams: explosive, pulling from modern sources of rhythm, and heavily syncopated.

Alan's compositions are Jazz Now material, exciting and challenging, but extremely accessible thanks to fat beats and funky melodies.

Using, exploring, and championing the vastness

Dean Christesen — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:50:35 +0000

Use The Vastness (UTV) is doing something right. Still only a new project by bass trombonist Reggie Chapman, the band is quickly finding its sound and its musical niche. It's postmodern music from a postmodern generation, yet it urges our scatterbrained youth to slow down with long and thoughtful group improvisations and tantalizing orchestrations.

At a special recital at VCU's James Black Recital Hall yesterday, the group delivered one of their finest performances yet. The hall has a character all its own. (Musicians and audiences will debate whether it's a good or bad character) The space that used to be a church has high ceilings, a large stage, and church pew seating, and you never forget where you are while watching a performance. Put a unique band like UTV on the stage and a memorable set ensues.

The band's instrumentation is a curious one. Led by Chapman, the ensemble consists of Marcus Tenney on tenor saxophone, David Hood on alto saxophone, Mary Lawrence Hicks on flugelhorn, Chelsea Temple on vocals, Devonne Harris on wurlitzer, and Brett Ripley on drums. All ranges of the sonic spectrum are covered, but in unusual ways. Chapman's trombone often fills the bass role, and sometimes Ripley's bass drum alone provides the low end. All other instruments run the gamut; melodies and inner voices are played by all.

The set began with a free improvisation, whitenoise from a radio as the catalyst. Harris's wurlitzer played a note that bled in and out of the radio's fading static. The hall lent reverb to each sound that entered: Hicks's trumpet clinking against her vest's metal buttons, a mallet striking a drum's rim, a radio DJ's voice quickly tuning into static.

Tactfully segueing into their rendition of Minus The Bear's "Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse," recent trumpeter-cum-saxophonist Tenney demonstrated his quickly achieved facility on the instrument, accompanied only by Chapman's bass line. The other horns entered, and the piece began to bear semblance to beautifully orchestrated chamber pop.

The drum kit is the instrument that seems the most out of place, but Ripley makes it work with unconventional ways of playing. After all, everyone in the band is a remarkable time keeper, freeing Ripley to create textures to counter or add to that of the horns.

"The First Letter" welcomed Temple to the stage. Her clean and straight-toned voice sang a wordless melody, wandering and tone row-ish, while the rest of the band illustrated looking into a deep abyss, their dark harmonies mystifying. Harris's keys had trouble peeking through the lush texture of the front line, but when they did, they only enhanced the moment.

"Calculation Theme" had an indie-rock sensibility to it in Temple's simple melody. (One would only have to replace the array of horns with an acoustic guitar) But the band thrives on this kind of thing. The drama in the chorus's lyrics -- "I wish we were lovers..." -- was heightened by the intensity in the horns, keys, and drums.

The first of two Indian-inspired pieces was Ravi Shankar's "Asato Maa." The piece took on so many lives in its various sections. Electronic tanpura began with its buzzing drone and the section built with the addition of saxophones, a chain link dragged on a floor-dwelling drum, a stately melody declared by Chapman and Hicks, Harris toying with a harmonica. The piece ended in a group vocal chant with Chapman securing the bass and Hicks -- surprisingly -- just above him in harmony.

Chapman's notable No BS! Brass contribution, "Brass Scene Kids," was converted into a UTV tune with the addition of vocals. The trombonist displayed his quick chops that people are accustomed to hearing in the brass band. A couple brooding breaks improvised among the band came off as slightly cliché, and one impromptu section before the final chorus wore thin. The ending forgives all, though, in a moment of intensity that stands up to even No BS!

"Penultimate Knob," aptly placed in the set, began with an unforgettable theme between tenor sax and bass trombone. There was an unevenness to Tenney's line, but drums kicked in with a straight beat just in time. The tune was filled with room for Chapman to play. His ability to alter his tone is respectable: he's capable of imitating the smooth portamento of a fretless bass and the vibrating harshness of a chain saw where it sees fit.

The tanpura drone returned for the final piece, Ripley's "Blue Raga." In one of the most stunning moments of the evening, Chapman's trombone -- muted with a Harmon mute, stem in -- and Hicks's flugelhorn -- played into a metal mixing bowl on a chair -- imitated a sitar with striking accuracy. The music developed with the entrance of Ripley's strong doumbek playing creating a multi-metered phrase. Smoothly and effectively, the four horn players split two and two into the wings, clapping the tala and chanting, while Harris mused on the wurlitzer.

In just over an hour, UTV played a set of great variety and execution. Their music was dynamic, creative, and thought-provoking, and there's not much more to ask for than that.

Use The Vastness is: Reggie Chapman: bass trombone; Marcus Tenney: tenor saxophone; David Hood: alto saxophone; Mary Lawrence Hicks: flugelhorn; Chelsea Temple: vocals; Devonne Harris: wurlitzer; Brett Ripley: drums, percussion.

Set list: Free improvisation, Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse, The First Letter, Calculation Theme, Asato Maa, Brass Scene Kids, Penultimate Knob, Blue Raga.

View more photos from the recital

Visit Use The Vastness on Myspace

No BS! Brass Tour Reflection, Pt. 2

Dean Christesen — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:42:00 +0000

From August 5-8, No BS Brass, Richmond’s Manliest Band (as described by Style Weekly) set out on a busking tour. We drove, we played on the street, we drove again. These are our adventures, as told by Bryan Hooten, trombonist and usually successful navigator.

After what would be our last full night’s sleep for a few days, we reconvened at Lance’s to depart for DC, Philadelphia and New York. We had planned to busk at a few locations in the first two cities and come to rest in Brooklyn during the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, reports of bad weather canceled our stop in DC and we decided to press northwards. The previous day’s driving music had included Tuvan throat singing, Tabla music, Armenian jazz and Balinese Jaw-Harp duets. Today we checked out the new (unreleased) Fight the Big Bull/Steven Bernstein album, among other things. As we rolled into Philly, Reggie put on the only reasonable choice, The Roots. The sounds of their first album, Do You Want More ?!!!??!, thumped through the van, summoning many an approving roof punch.

Lance snaked the van through the neighborhoods of west Philadelphia until we eased to a stop on South Street, the area’s main drag. Pouring out of the van, clown-car style, we each went in search of liquid related activities. Reggie Chapman, our resident tea aficionado, found a hip coffee shop managed by a stunning and friendly attendant. As per his recommendation, almost all of us made a trip into the shop at least once during our time on South Street. Another group of us went in search of restrooms and found relief in a nearby fire station. The fire-fighters were equally friendly and curious about why we all had on the same shirts. Come to think of it, we were getting a lot of looks that said the same thing. We explained that we were in a band, an answer that always gets a smile and a nod.

Directly across the street from the fire department was an abandoned Subway restaurant, the perfect place for a busk. With blinding speed we retrieved our gear from the van, hurried to our spot and set up. Not sure how long we’d get to play before the cops or store-owners or neighbors would shut us down. By the time we looked up from the first tune, we were again surrounded by a crowd of smiling, fascinated people. It felt good to hear Reggie Pace speak over the bullhorn what would become our mantra for the trip:

"Hey everybody! We are the No BS Brass band and we’re from Richmond, Virginia!"

As we played though our set, the crowd grew, Marcus’ trumpet case filled with dollar bills, email lists were signed, CD’s were bought, stickers were handed out, and a good, sweaty time was had by all. Out of the corner of my eye, through the multiple tuning slides on Chapman’s bass trombone, I could see a mass of bike cops starting to form. They sat motionless, leaning over their handlebars, sunglasses reflecting the cityscape. At the end of the last tune a few of them coasted over to our corner. Were we getting a ticket? Were we being asked to leave? Were we in big trouble?

“Where are you guys from?”
“Richmond, Virginia. We’re on the way up to New York.”
“I really like your music. Can I get a CD?"

A few of us handled several different versions of this conversation with the cops and with the bystanders and we were once again encouraged by the response. Reggie even sold one of the officers a CD. After a few more minutes of hand-shaking and thank-yous, We packed up the van and went walking in search of the most sough-after of all Philadelphia cuisine, the cheesesteak.

While the rest of the guys piled into Jim’s for a cheesesteak, David and I found a killer falafel place around the corner. Over our dinner, we spoke, as men do, of the world and its people, of music and of growing old.

A post-dinner van-cruise looking for another happening place to busk didn’t turn up much and we decided to make our way to New York, leaving Philadelphia at 11:30pm. The drive up was largely uneventful until some combination of Lance’s driving and my navigation led us into Manhattan even though our directions had us passing below it to get to Brooklyn. Almost everyone in the band was asleep at this point so nobody really noticed the detour until we arrived at our destination at around 4 am. We stayed the night at our friend Josh’s apartment. Josh used to play with Richmond guitarist and bandleader Scott Burton in a group called Ones and Zeroes and now lives in Brooklyn, building guitars. The Richmond musical community reaches far and wide, but always feels like a family. Stumbling wearily in to the basement of the apartment that had been Glows in the Dark’s refuge a few weeks prior, Reggie Chapman and Reggie Pace found spots to crash on a couch and air mattress respectively while the rest of us spread out on the linoleum floor. Short as it was, that night contained some of the most efficient sleep of my life.

Read part 1

No BS! Brass Tour Reflection, Pt. 1

Dean Christesen — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:24:00 +0000

Last week, No BS Brass, Richmond’s Manliest Band (as described by Style Weekly) set out on a busking tour. We drove, we played on the street, we drove again. These are our adventures, as told by Bryan Hooten, trombonist and usually successful navigator.

Busking is the practice of performing in public places for tips or gratuities.

The band members start arriving at Lance Koehler’s (drums) house around 2pm on Wednesday afternoon. For those not in the know, Lance’s house is also home to Minimum Wage Recording, where No BS, Fight the Big Bull, Ombak, Glows in the Dark, Bio Ritmo, Brian Jones and countless other Richmond bands have laid down their records. Many of us were rolling in immediately after some serious travel. Taylor Barnett (trumpet) had just returned from Hong Kong, where he was visiting family and performing. Luckily the jet-lag/time-change was on his side this time. After some last-minute stuff-grabbing and packing of the trailer, we all piled into a fifteen passenger van by about 3pm. Most of us spent the quick drive to Charlottesville catching up and telling stories. I had been out of town for the previous month so I had plenty to hear. At some point in the journey, during a discussion of when the band would get some food and who would pay for it, Rob, our lead trumpet player, shouted from the back seat “I don’t even need to eat, I’ll just go get that killin’ Chris Potter record.” Hilarity ensued. A cacophonous roar of laughter and van-roof punching erupted into our confined space. This quote would be repeated countless times over the course of the week in varying accurate impersonations of Rob’s voice.

Before we go on, I must explain a bit of the history of this van-roof punching business. During my time in the salsa band, Bio Ritmo, punching the roof of the tour van became an expression of anger, frustration, excitement or just the punctuation at the end of a declarative sentence. Roof-punching has now become part of the No BS vocabulary. Dillard, one of our trombonists, attempted several times that day to master the technique with little success. He’s young though. He will learn.

We found a place to park near the downtown mall in Charlottesville, a picturesque strip of the city that is closed to cars and frames a slew of local shops and restaurants. After scouting out a spot towards the center of the mall, we set up the drums and arranged the stickers, CD’s and T-Shirts. We started playing not totally sure how our enormous size and volume would be received. Within a few bars of "Lando," however, we were surrounded by fascinated, head-bobbing onlookers, including one uncomfortably enthusiastic dancer. As the crowd gathered, we quickly found our groove. Marcus and Reggie Pace (trombone) dealt out thrilling solos while Lance and Stefan (tuba) laid a rock-solid foundation. Reggie Chapman (bass trombone) electrified the crowd with his megaphone singing and trombone intros. All the dance moves came out as well. When not playing, Taylor often took on the role of email-list distributor, stepping out of the band to pass around paper and pen, collecting the addresses of new No BS fans.

LESSON #1: Bring someone with you to work the crowd.

Our tip jar quickly filled up and by the time we were respectfully given the ‘15 more minutes’ sign by a local police officer, we had played for almost an hour. New fans and old friends came rushing up after the final tune, including former member Hayden Hopkins, for whom the tune ‘HH’ is named. This busk was a great one, and foreshadowed more adventures. After a quick pack-up and single file procession past the counter of a delicious dumpling joint, we navigated the van through the winding streets of the UVA campus and up to the hill-top studios of WTJU.

We were met by a crew of three friendly guys and hurried to set up in their small auxiliary studio. Somehow, we crammed the whole band in to a 10’x10’ room, with a significant amount of that space taken up by the soundboard. If you have seen No BS live, you will recognize this as a towering achievement. No BS is a huge band both in numbers and individual size. Marcus and I had to be especially careful, however, since we were positioned almost on top Lance’s crash and ride cymbal, respectively. After a brief intro by a DJ who seemed to be surprised by our name every time he read it, we started playing around 9:15 pm, blowing through many of our most up-tempo tunes. It was fun hearing the band play just as hard alone in a room as it does in front of our home crowd at The Camel in Richmond. The set was broken up by a quick interview, during which Reggie Pace uttered the phrase “We’re trying to go international, and such.” An hour later, once our time on the air was over, we took a look around the studio, mostly focusing on WTJU’s enormous record collection. We had a good hang up there, listening to some music and checking out a sneak peak of the live recording from the radio show. I found out that Cameron Ralston, bassist for Ombak, Glows in the Dark, Fight the Big Bull and Ilad, was once a DJ at the station.

After a quick stop at a sandwich place and entertaining Jesse Harper’s idea crashing a gig somewhere else in Charlottesville, we decided to head back to Richmond, knowing we had a long journey ahead of us.