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The Jazz Protagonists have been making music together for fifteen years. They've been hailed by music critics, audiences, children, and drunks alike as a band without equal in San Antonio. Their specialty is classic jazz in the tradition of Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson. No fancy noisemakers, no electronic gimmicks -- just great improvisational music. Audiences are always delighted with the Protagonists. Their style is a cool blend of the old and the new, with classic jazz standards like "Mood Indigo" and "Blues By Five," mixed in with out-of-the-way numbers like "Dido's Lament (from the opera Dido and Aeneas)" and "Amazing Grace," further mixed with unlikely recent tunes like "Thriller" and "The Boy is Mine," as well as a steady stream of originals, all performed with playfulness, confidence, and high style. In fact, the SA News Music Awards voted them as the 'Number One Jazz Band in SA,' and they're regularly given superlative reviews in the local rags (as you'll see on their website, jazzprotagonists.com). In their own words: We love listening to the greats of jazz, and have always loved that warm tone, and that real feeling of celebration in all good jazz music. We also notice that the current way of doing recordings is a way of getting rid of most of what we find exciting about jazz. These days, each musician gets into a soundproof booth and plays his part over and over till it's perfect, then they cut and paste them all together by computer to make one big performance. This kind of recording -- multitracking -- has been around in one form or other since the late 60s, and it's great for certain kinds of music. Beck, for instance, or the Chemical Brothers. But not what we do. We get five good microphones into a seasoned hall, and get to playing, live without a net. It gets a great sound, and something else happens too: an unmistakable energy and fun that comes through in every note. So many 'jazz' groups end up playing something that sounds more like rock -- boisterous, gadgety, intrusive. We do the real stuff, the stuff that makes you feel ten feet tall, the stuff that makes you glad to be alive. Music that makes you cool just because you're hearing it. Jazz the way you remember it. Check out the artist's website: http://jazzprotagonists.com Track List: 1. The Shower Song 2. Baby Talk 3. Chaconne 4. Porta 5. Tip Jar 6. Lunitude 7. Get Busy 8. 50-50 9. Sanhedrin 10. Expelliarmus Suggested CDs:Other Genres: |