|
|
|
Written by By Paul Raymore
|
|
Tuesday, 08 April 2008 |
|
|
|
|
 Dapp Theory unites jazz, funk, hip-hop and other diverse musical elements into one.
Photo by Hal Horowitz
Moody’s Bistro & Lounge will once again host one of the country’s most talented musical artists when Dapp Theory takes to the stage with its blend of jazz infused with contemporary funk, groove and hip-hop during two free shows on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12.
Canadian-born pianist/composer, Andy Milne, one of the most important and respected young voices in jazz today, will team up with saxophonist Loren Stillman, vocalist/percussive poet/MC John Moon, bassist Chris Tordini, and drummer Kenny Grohowski to deliver an unforgettable performance that will collectively help to re-draw and extend the boundaries of jazz. When these five musicians get together it is certain to put a new spin on Truckee nightlife.
The group is adept at weaving a number of musical styles into their jazz compositions. According to LA Weekly, Dapp Theory blends “contemporary funk, groove and hip-hop into jazz with such seamless, casual precision it’s almost freaky.”
Dapp Theory’s style is indefinable yet highly recognizable, blending influences ranging from Joni Mitchell and KRS One to Thelonious Monk and Van Halen.
Often compared to innovators like Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner, Milne has an original style that places him among young pianists poised to continue the legacy of inventiveness. He formed the band in 1998 to “tell passionate stories, promote peace and inspire collective responsibility towards uplifting the human spiritual condition,” according to the band’s Web site.
 Tahoe World Web Editor Paul Raymore caught up with Milne by phone last week while he and the group were in Vancouver, B.C. as part of their ongoing West Coast tour. Dapp Theory will close out their tour with their two-night gig at Moody’s on April 11 and 12.
Tahoe World: Have you been through the Tahoe area before? Played Moody’s before?
Andy Milne: I played there a year ago with Ralph Alessi’s band. So I knew it was a good little place to stop off and maybe do some skiing at the end of the tour.
TW: How would you describe the music Dapp Theory plays?
AM: The group is really about trying to take the essence of jazz and sprinkling hip-hop and funk into it. [We’re] trying to create music that’s creative, but it’s also going to make you bob your head. I try to find ways of creating strong melodic content that grooves and has this socially-relevant lyrical content that can be sprinkled in and out depending on the song.
TW: Does having a lyricist change how the band plays?
AM: No, I just have to find someone who understands what we’re going to do, and has an open enough musical sense to figure out how they’re going to fit in to that musical structure. But I don’t think of it as changing what I’m doing in any kind of specific way. Because when I’m writing the music, I’m writing for the people that I have in the group. So it’s not a restriction, but when I’m writing I’m looking in my mind for a series of rhythms or harmonies or background that’s going to support what I think a spoken-word poet might contribute in this particular song. But it’s not like I sit there and go ‘Damn, this is a drag, I’ve got to really dumb this down,’ because that’s just not the case. And I don’t think I’d have someone like that in the band who couldn’t handle it.
TW: Dapp Theory has certainly changed quite a bit over the years. What is it you’re looking for when putting together the latest incarnation of the group?
AM: It’s an ongoing thing. One person leaves, one person doesn’t work out… It’s not like finding everybody at one time, it’s a continuum. But every time I’m looking for a new musician, I want to find a person who has good solid musical instincts who can find their place and contribute in a consistent way… They can be fantastic at what they do, but if there’s not a part of them that intersects with the rest of us, then usually you’re in trouble.
TW: How much improvisation do you bring to your live performances?
AM: Tons. At the heart of it, that’s why I consider the music still coming from jazz — because it is improvised. There is an increasing amount of composition that goes into the music from me, but you still have to be an improviser to play it. If you’re not an improviser, you can “read the parts.” But you’re not going to be able to play the music.
The more we play it on the road, the more the improvisational component of what we do increases. You shift away from the paper — even though there may be a specific arrangement that we all understand. Different songs sort of lend themselves to an opening of the way as someone presents something. And it can be like, ‘Oh wow, we thought of that at the same time. Let’s go.’
Even the spoken-word poet is speaking about themes that he and I understand the song might be about, but he’s not delivering the same lyric every night. It’s constantly being modified.
TW: With improvisation playing such a central role in your live shows, how do you decide what specific arrangements you’re going to record when you go to the studio and record an album, like your brand new CD Layers Of Chance?
AM: Some songs on the CD were easy because we sort of road tested them and played them a bit. Other songs were newer and I just think about it and decide what’s going to give them a certain sense of balance. I listen to the music in my head a lot before it even gets to the band, and in most cases I have a sense of the arrangement, but sometimes that changes. Other times, when I’m playing with people in the band, I hear that maybe this section should repeat before it goes here.
It’s just a matter of using my own sense of judgment, which is informed by my own aesthetic for balance. And balance is usually what sort of guides me.
TW: How is the tour going so far? And do you tour outside of New York City often?
AM: This is the first time the band’s been on the road in two years, and it’s going great. I’ve been busy doing a lot of other projects the last couple of years — just sort of broadening my scope of what I wanted to work on and express myself. I’ve been doing a bit less with Dapp Theory in the last couple years, but even doing this tour here now, a lot goes into producing a CD and you’ve got to support it. It’s crucial to do it. And you kind of reenergize everyone’s commitment to it.
TW: What got you into such diverse music?
AM: As a musician you’re developing and learning more about music, learning more about the things you don’t know about, and being exposed to things. And you work with lots of different musicians and you get influenced by their diversity and their inspiration for growing.
So when I write music, it’s informed by everything I’ve ever experienced and the total person that I am. But that’s the challenge in being able to recognize where you might utilize your ideas. And for a long time, ideas that didn’t necessarily have a place in this band didn’t really go anywhere. And so the transition for me was to be able to take these ideas and go somewhere. So that’s the big change for me.
TW: Where will the tour take you for the rest of your West Coast swing?
AM: Through New Mexico, then California and Oregon. And [Moody’s] will be our last stop.
The Players:
Andy Milne has toured and recorded with Ravi Coltrane, Ralph Alessi, Carlos Ward and Carla Cook and has collaborated with a range of artists including Sekou Sundiata, Avery Brooks, Bruce Cockburn, and Dianne Reeves. Milne moved to New York in 1991 when Steve Coleman, his teacher at the Banff Centre for Fine Arts, invited him to join his core unit Five Elements. Milne recorded 12 CDs with Coleman and remained an integral member of all of his projects until 1997. Previously, Milne also was the sideman for Sonny Greenwich, Joe Lovano, Archie Shepp, and Ranee Lee.
Praised by the New York Times and National Public Radio as one of today’s truly creative voices, saxophonist Loren Stillman was a semifinalist in the 2002 Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition and has performed with Charlie Haden, The Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Carla Bley, Michelle Rosewoman, and John Ambercrombie.
Vocalist/percussive poet/MC John Moon uses sound and visuals to change the way people interpret what they hear. Inspired equally by Salvador Dali and Ornette Coleman, he is a graduate of Duke Ellington High School for the Arts, and has performed with the Free Style Union and Amphibians Collective.
Bassist Chris Tordini, a graduate of the New School University, has performed with some of today’s most compelling musicians, including Dafnis Prieto, Mark Shim, John Ellis, and Rich Perry.
Drummer Kenny Grohowski’s rich musical background is demonstrated through the growing list of his collaborators, including Vernon Reid, Bobby Sanabria, Rory Stuart, Cassandra Wilson, Domingo Quinones, and Bobby Valentin. Grohowski also performed in the 2007 Latin Grammy Awards with the award-winning group RBD.
The Venue:
Located inside the historic Truckee Hotel on Commercial Row, Moody’s lounge is known for bringing top U.S. and international jazz artists to Truckee. Moody’s is located at 10007 Bridge Street in Truckee (on the corner of Commercial Row). For reservations, call (530) 587-8688 or visit www.moodysbistro.com.
Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 08 April 2008 )
|
|
|
