Advertisement
Scott Amendola’s SticklerPhonics explores a world of brass ‘n’ skin possibilitiesbrass-powered Berkeley trio
Scott Amendola, the drummer, composer and bandleader who’s been acreative force on the Bay Area jazz scene (and far beyond) for the pastthree decades, knows all about the power of subtraction.
His new strippeddown trio SticklerPhonics brings together long-time collaborators Raffi Garabedian on tenor saxophone and trombonist Danny Lubin-Laden, New York-seasoned improvisers who’ve worked together since their formative
years in the vaunted Berkeley High Jazz Band, circa 2003.
The trio has plunged into the unmediated terrain that opens up in theabsence of the usual guidelines, “a situation where there’s no bass and nochords,” Amendola said. “The sound is ever evolving. We’re really settlingin, but there’s also the feeling like there are places to go. We’ve been adding my electronics and Danny bringing in a little looper. We’re just getting started.”
With all three players contributing original compositions, SticklerPhonics is a volatile combo that can draw on a vast continuum of jazz practices, from traditional jazz polyphony and ambient soundscapes to funk and free jazz.
Amendola, who first gained national attention in the Grammy-nominatedthree-guitar and drums band T.J. Kirk, has a deep well of experience in unusual instrumental settings. His long-running duo with Hammond B-3 organist Wil Blades got its start when they developed an impressively detailed version of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s late masterpiece Far East Suite.
There aren’t many models to follow for SticklerPhonics, though Barondown with tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin and trombonist Steve Swell is a major source of inspiration.
“Scott hipped me to that group,” said Garabedian. “It’s fun to be in this almost uncomfortable situation. You need melody, rhythm,
and harmony, and the challenge is how can you successfully get all that with what you’re working with.”
Advertisement
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Drytown Social Club, 15950 State Highway 49, Drytown, CA 95699-8015, United States,Drytown, California
Tickets
