NEW LANGUAGES FESTIVAL: Respect Sextet, Hall of Mirrors, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society @ McCarren Hall, 9/17/09
SEPT 17, 2009 --WILLIAMSBURG: Approaching the New Languages festival, there was no sign on the seemingly vacant warehouse building in North Williamsburg. There was just a woman sitting in a chair outside an open door with music blaring out. The inside was equally unassuming: a large open black space with a stage. Except for a bar in the back corner the McCarren center could have been used by day as the sort of crime-ridden lair Walker, Texas Ranger might bust.
But enough about my childhood fantasies, on to the music. The minimalist setting actually suited the music very well. Unfortunately, I only caught the last two tunes or the Respect Sextet but upon listening I will definitely check them out again. For a mostly free sounding group they utilized a wide range of colors and idioms, drawing from choral-style harmonies to raucous quasi-dixieland sound even within one tune.
Next up was House of Mirrors, brainchild of Ty Cumbie. Cumbie's compositions book-ended the set, which also featured compositions by sax player Jonathan Moritz and one by bassist James Ilgenfritz. The sax carried most of the melodic weight in this group, but the guitar acted as a thread holding the whole thing loosely together, weaving in and out of thick complex colors. Normally I'm not a huge fan of whistling and squeaking on a horn, but Moritz won me over quickly because he implemented these techniques with complete consideration for the music. The first tune was actually swinging, which was refreshing to hear in a "new" group. Ilgenfritz's tune "Discomfiture" was paradoxically comforting and all-around the prettiest tune of the night. I kept waiting for the lyricism and sweet harmonies to be overtaken by something darker and it never happened. But maybe that was the point.
Finally the band I'd come to see came on at 11:30pm, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society.
This was my third time in the last 8 months seeing the band live and although the repertoire has remained mostly unchanging, it never grows stale. The thought that always comes to mind when I hear Secret Society is that of a rock band that added 14 horns just to get a little more power. Of course, the results are much more than that - adding an incredible amount of depth and color to the compositions - but the point is, it's a big band palate considered from an entirely different point of view. Take guitar-heavy tune "Ferromagnetic" for example: The tune is guitar heavy throughout and could probably stand along as a great rock tune without any help from big band, but when the brass begins to sweep widely overhead the tune takes wings and becomes something totally unique. Another tune, "Red Eye" features guitarist Sebastien Noel, this time utilizing looping to create layers of guitar. This continues through most of the piece until the riff is smoothly handed off to the piano.
I'm always impressed with Secret Society's powerhouse trombone section, three of the four players taking great solos. Each tune only had one to two solos, which really made those solos stand out. I was disappointed that trumpeter Ingrid Jensen wasn't present (she usually is), but tons of other great players made me quickly forget her absence.
The highlight of the set for me had to be "Phobos" which Darcy introduced as a tribute to the doomed moon for Mars. He explained that the moon is set to meet one of two fates - either crashing into the planet or disintegrating into a cloud of dust, creating a ring around Mars. The tune immediately took on an epic scale, utilizing drummer Jon Wikan's "electro-cajon" (Wikan is notably a master of Peruvian and other world rhythms). As the piece progresses you can actually hear a moon hurling towards a planet. Later, the piece ends by actually depicting a moon disintegrating into a cloud of dust. This kind of musical imagery could only be possible with a large ensemble, combined with Argue's incredible compositional prowess. I suspect there is some black magic involved as well.
If you get a chance to make it out to the festival, try the official beer: Lagunitas IPA. As one Emcee put it "it will change your life."
