Black / Arguelles/ Guilfoyle Irish Tour
March 10 – Dolan's Limerick
March 12 – Triskel, Cork
March 13 – Mermaid, Bray
March 14 – Pendulum Club, JJ Smyths, Dublin
Click here for full tour info
Tempus fugit, and its eight years since this stellar international trio played two blistering sets in JJs that were subsequently released as Live in Dublin on the adventurous Italian label Auand. “By turns scorching and lyrical, sweet and sour, this is a tour de force of saxophone trio playing.” is how the Sunday Tribune felt on its release. Certainly, in this instrumental format where the bar is set high, Julian Argüelles, Ronan Guilfoyle and Jim Black add something substantial to the tenor/bass/drums continuum.
Whatever the occasion, English saxophonist Julian Argüelles mines a rich seam that yields music that is always creative, always personal, and his innate lyricism is contrasted here with the inspired devilment of US drummer Jim Black, that master of the unexpected. Irish bassist Ronan Guilfoyle is likely in his most conducive environment here, adopting the role of provocateur, cracking the rhythmic whip and not averse to dropping the occasional bomb as taste decrees. It’s intense, and fun to boot, with a free wheeling spontaneity in both groove and melody as the trio romp over standards, originals, wherever the creative appetite takes them.
Whatever the occasion, English saxophonist Julian Argüelles mines a rich seam that yields music that is always creative, always personal, and his innate lyricism is contrasted here with the inspired devilment of US drummer Jim Black, that master of the unexpected. Irish bassist Ronan Guilfoyle is likely in his most conducive environment here, adopting the role of provocateur, cracking the rhythmic whip and not averse to dropping the occasional bomb as taste decrees. It’s intense, and fun to boot, with a free wheeling spontaneity in both groove and melody as the trio romp over standards, originals, wherever the creative appetite takes them.
More on Jim Black
"A complete musician and wonderfully fertile composer... Black has produced a masterpiece of future jazz." - Andy Hamilton, The Wire
"Fluent in all languages." -Time Out NY
"wickedly inventive... A revelation." -CMJ
Jim Black is at the forefront of a new generation of musicians bringing jazz into the 21st century. In addition to being one of the most influential drummers of our time, he is also the leader of one of the world's most forward-thinking bands, AlasNoAxis, featuring his longtime collaborators Chris Speed, Hilmar Jensson and Skúli Sverrisson. Based on the foundation of his virtuosic but highly personal approach to jazz drumming, Black's aesthetic has expanded to include Balkan rhythms, rock songcraft and laptop soundscapes. Though he is revered worldwide for his limitless technique and futuristic concepts, what many listeners treasure in most Jim Black's work is the relentless feeling of joy and invention he brings to his performances. Jim Black's smiling, kinetic, unpredictable presence has enthralled and inspired audiences worldwide for over twenty years.
Since the mid-90's, Black has played a major role in the incorporation of new sounds and techniques into the jazz/creative music context. As a member of the collective group Pachora (with Speed, Sverrisson, and guitarist Brad Shepik) Black was one of the leaders in the study and adaptation of Balkan music into jazz-based music. His advanced techniques abstracted the odd time signatures of the Balkans into a new polyrhythmic language equally informed by modern jazz, drum&bass and the dumbeks of the Balkans. Black has also been an innovator in the use of electronics in improvisation, bridging the gap between electro-acoustic improv and more jazz-based traditions. Today, Black's performances are just as likely to feature his laptop-based electronic textures as his drumming.
Born in 1967, Jim Black grew up in Seattle alongside future colleagues Chris Speed, Andrew D'Angelo and Cuong Vu. After cementing their personal and artistic relationships in Seattle's various youth jazz ensembles, in 1985 they moved to Boston, where Black entered the Berklee School of Music. In Boston, Black, Speed and D'Angelo formed Human Feel with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, which rapidly attracted the attention of the jazz cognoscenti in Boston, New York and beyond.
By 1991, Black and the other members of Human Feel had moved to New York City, where they electrified the Downtown music scene then centered around the Knitting Factory and rapidly became among the city's busiest sidemen. Black's early years in New York saw him take featured roles in some of the most critically acclaimed bands of the time, like Tim Berne's Bloodcount, Ellery Eskelin's trio, and Dave Douglas's Tiny Bell Trio. Thus began fifteen years of near-constant touring and recording, with the above bands as well as artists like Uri Caine, Satoko Fujii and Laurie Anderson.
Since the mid-90's, Black has played a major role in the incorporation of new sounds and techniques into the jazz/creative music context. As a member of the collective group Pachora (with Speed, Sverrisson, and guitarist Brad Shepik) Black was one of the leaders in the study and adaptation of Balkan music into jazz-based music. His advanced techniques abstracted the odd time signatures of the Balkans into a new polyrhythmic language equally informed by modern jazz, drum&bass and the dumbeks of the Balkans. Black has also been an innovator in the use of electronics in improvisation, bridging the gap between electro-acoustic improv and more jazz-based traditions. Today, Black's performances are just as likely to feature his laptop-based electronic textures as his drumming.
Born in 1967, Jim Black grew up in Seattle alongside future colleagues Chris Speed, Andrew D'Angelo and Cuong Vu. After cementing their personal and artistic relationships in Seattle's various youth jazz ensembles, in 1985 they moved to Boston, where Black entered the Berklee School of Music. In Boston, Black, Speed and D'Angelo formed Human Feel with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, which rapidly attracted the attention of the jazz cognoscenti in Boston, New York and beyond.
By 1991, Black and the other members of Human Feel had moved to New York City, where they electrified the Downtown music scene then centered around the Knitting Factory and rapidly became among the city's busiest sidemen. Black's early years in New York saw him take featured roles in some of the most critically acclaimed bands of the time, like Tim Berne's Bloodcount, Ellery Eskelin's trio, and Dave Douglas's Tiny Bell Trio. Thus began fifteen years of near-constant touring and recording, with the above bands as well as artists like Uri Caine, Satoko Fujii and Laurie Anderson.
