New Orchestra VVarkshap Society June 26, 1980 ADVANCE NOTICE: PRESS RELEASE THE 2nd ANNUAL VANCOUVER CREATIVE MUSIC FESTIVAL The VANCOUVER CREATIVE MUSIC FESTIVAL intends to cultivate and promote an understanding and appreciation of creative music by establishing in Vancouver, an annual presentation of performances and workshops by Canadian and International artists. To understand the term CREATIVE MUSIC, one must look beyond cultural and stylistic differences to an idea of music that is devoted to the development of human and personal expression. This concern is a timeless one, common to all places, found in all the great musical traditions of the world. Creative Music acknowledges the teachings of the past and utilizes them according to their relevance to the cultural needs of the present. The 2nd ANNUAL VANCOUVER CREATIVE MUSIC FESTIVAL will take place NOVEMBER 7, 8, and 9, and NOVEMBER 14, 15, and 16, 1980 at the ROBSON SQUARE THEATRE, ROBSON SQUARE, VANCOUVER, and the WESTERN FRONT LODGE, 303 E. 8th Ave., Vancouver. The following artists are scheduled to perform: from Vancouver from Victoria, B.C. Trio Non Troppo Paul Plirnley Al Neil Bob Murphy Druick/Ellis Phillips Contemporary String Quartet Don Druick A-Group Vancouver Creative Music Orchestra John Celona from Toronto from Germany and South Africa Bill Smith Ense_rnble Maury Coles CCMC Udo Kasemetz John Oswald Peter Brotzmann Harry Miller Louis Muhol o from the U.S. Joe McPhee Vinny Golia Seattle Composers and Improvisors Orchestra with Art Lande Henry Kaiser Darrell Devore 55 WEST 44th AVE. VANCOUVER B. C. V5Y 2V2 TEL. 327- 2837 CANADIAN ENSEMBLES New Orchestra Quintet Up 'Til Now New Orchestra Records NOR 001 Paul Cram - alto and tenor ,i;axophones; Ralph Eppel - trombone and euphonium; Paul Plimley piano ; L.S. Lansall-Ellis - bass; Gregg Simpson percussion. 10 X 10; Up 'Ti/ Now; Terminal Shift; Delicate Chestnut Roll. Bill Smith Pick A Number Onari 004 Bill Smith - soprano and sopranino saxophones, alto clarinet; David Lee • bass, cello; David Prentice - violin. Up (A Love Song) For Captain Robot; Little Boo; Bones & Giggles; Interludes. The state of improvising ensembles in Canada is well represented by these two recordings. The two main strains that run through these performances are an avid assimilation of planet·wide activity and an interfacing and/or apposition of composition and improvisation . Where these recordings differ is in the cogency of the material and the ability of the musicians to forward their ideas without peril to the ensemble effort. In these respects, Bill Smith's trio (formerly the New . Art Music Ensemble • N .A.M.E . ) fares better than the New Orchestra Quintet. While the N .O.Q . seems to take more [ daring conceptual and structural risks, ,the abrupt juxtapositions and flaring tangent~ that punctuate "Up 'Tit Now" have generally less effect than the deliberate thematic developments of "Pick A Number". L.S. Lansall -Ellis' 10 X 10 is an immediate example of how the various jazz ahd new music components used falter in building a synergistic whole. Conspicuously absent is the emotional consistency of Smith's Interludes, a side-long excursion that bears the imprint of Anthony Bra x ton, to whom the piece is dedicated. Despite this probl em, "Up 'Til Now" reveal s the N ew Orchestra Quint et as fiv e abl e vo icus that occ as ionally coal esce for an excu pti onul performanc e. Paul Pliml ey 's Delicate Chestnut Roll is such a performance. Aft er an engauing freebop ensemble passage, Paul Cram d elivers some tough ten or, supported incessantly by Lansall-Ellis and drummer Gregg Simpson . A smooth transition into a solo piano passage' finds Plimley ruminating with such verve that his ample borrowings from Cecil Taylor go unnoticed . Ending his solo o n tranquil turf, Plimley then leads the quintet through a sardonic passage that draws fr o m Charl es Min gus and Roscoe Mitc hell's Old. So lid so los fr o m tromboni st Ralph Eppel and Lan~a ll -E lli s ensue before th e inf ec ti o us o pening paswgu wwps thing s up. Given Bill Smith 's edi to ri al pr ed i lec ti ons over th e years, is is no t surpri s, ng th at "Pi ck A Number" is far-reaching in co ncept and well centered in performance. Whil e th e mu sic ol this formidable trio is shorn o f the traditi onal rhythmic basis of ja zz it has the m o men t urr and immediacy of ja zz tha t is p rim aril y defin ec by rhythm. Written for Steve L acy , wh o ha! purveyed this type of mu sic f or so m an y yea rs. Captain Robd't is a fin e vehicl e for the tr io to explore both lead/support and c oll ec ti ve ar eas of improvisat'!on, as it circumven ts t he rough edited feel of the N.O.Q.'s assemb lages. Smith' s sopranino follows, for the m os t part , Lac y' s splicing of short bursting phrases and lo J1ger undulating passages. As part o f ·an impr ess iv11 recording detfot, vi o linist Da v id Pren t ice seern • ingly descends from th e st ra tosph ere wi t h puro tone and a sure sense for th e w ell -placed phr ase his duet with Smith at th e end o f Bones 8, Giggles is ex cell ent . Add ing gravity and nuance to the piece, bassist/celli st Da vid L ee int ermit, tently propel s the mu sic with a dark rumbling ~, is brisk and elastic; Lee al so put s in an exceptional performance (on cello) on Bones & Giggles. These promising first recordings suggest that much of this activity in Canada is realized on a collective basis. Certainly , most of th e fin er moments on both albums - sections of Terminal Shift and the forementioned Bones & Giggles occur when the collective ba sis is most evid ent. It is much too early to tell from this van tage if the differences in ideas and projections o n th ese two albums stem only from the individuals or if the same kind of geographical factors that'have shaped the music in the U .S. and Eur ope are also at play here. And, ex cept for th e recen t extended visit of saxophonist Maury Col es t0 the N .O .Q.'s home turf o f Vancou ver , t here s little to indicate that the itin erancy preval er t in the U.S. and Europe ex ist s in Canada b<,yond domestic t ouring . Subseq uently , the d, ivelopment of a Canadian mu sic w ill suffer an ::J gain from relative iso lati on . No t th at t h is isolation is apparent o n t hese recordings. l11 stead , these recording s seem t o ha ve bunef i t~d from the growing internati o nali sm of the m u s- CODA issue # 173, 1980 I c, especially Smith's. What would seem to be a · pertinent task for Canadian mu ~i cians at this point would be to enter the international arena and let the seeds sown at hom e bear fruit in other lands : Americans, especial ' y, have a long tradition of this. Already posse:;sing the ideas and musicianship that are the prerequisites, the N.O.Q. and the Smith / Lee/Prentice Trio are at that point where they should journey and bring home a Canadian music. - Bill Shoemaker (Both of these records are available from Coda; in addition, NOR 001 is distributed by Black Swan Records, 2936 W. 4th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V6K 1 R2 Canada. from whi ch single copies are available for $7.00 each post paid) .