"RhythmPals" Realistic Orchestra Homage to Loose Tubes Yoshis San Francisco July 2011.mov

This piece, entitled "RhythmPals" was commissioned to link the great success of an earlier avant garde big band, Loose Tubes, with the pioneering work of Realistic Orchestra today. Loose tubes became very popular in the UK in the mid 80s by forging a new kind of music that re invented the notion of what a big band could sound like. Like many innovators in jazz they took ideas from others and built on them. Although they split up by the end of the 80s they helped establish the careers of many of today's prominent British jazz musicians --bands like the Bad Plus are big fans. When I first heard Realistic back in 2000 I was struck by the similarity between these two bands -- not the specifics of the music but the spirit of how they approached jazz. Realistic Orchestra was a band of very strong individual players -- many leaders in their own right who came together to make great original music as well as tributes. And like Loose tubes they melded styles -- Realistic introduced someone from my generation to the meld of Jazz and Hip hop -- and got me listening to hip hop with new ears. Like Loose tubes I am also convinced that many of the musicians you are hearing in Realistic either already are or will go on to become some of the nationally respected musicians of their generation.


The piece is a Realistic Orchestra reinterpretation of some of the early work of Loose Tubes. It quotes passages sometimes much as jazz soloist have always done and then grows it into an overall song with their own Realistic take. The music used to inspire this compostion is all from a BBC Radio 2 live recording from about 1984 that covers most of Loose Tubes first album. Musicial quotes are from Eden Express, Mr Zee, No Beginning, Sticklebacks, Sweet William, The Last Word and Open Letter to Dudu Pakwana. The last section is mostly improvised and careers towards a delightful precipice but never quite goes off it.


Much of the arranging comes from Jeanne Geiger with some from Adam Theis. Dublin the MC wrote the words, riffing on the work of Gil Scott Heron who was the closest my generation came to hearing a rapper. Dublin has a very similar sense of humor to the original Loose tubes players especially Django Bates. The reason it is commissioned now is that a very important person in my musical education was there this night and it was his first time in San Francisco for 20 years. He got me to take chances on many new bands and we joking referred to ourselves as Rhythm Pals -- hence the title. So this is for Paul Lashmar, the man who introduced me to Loose Tubes in a small south east London pub (The Prince of Orange) just weeks after they formed -- and who led me to much great live music including in a round about way the music of Realistic heard here. Cheers Paul

Credits:

Sound recording by Art Lashmar (from the audience - so excuse background chatter)

The Band (this list is incomplete and may have some wrong entries -- please send corrections):
Adam Theis: bandleader, bass, trombone
Eric Garland: bandleader, drums
Evan Francis: alto sax, flute
Joe Cohen: tenor/alto sax
Matt Nelson: tenor sax
Rita Thies: tenor sax
Sheldon Brown: tenor sax, clarinet, bass clarinet
Eric Crystal: tenor sax
Doug Rowan: bari sax
Joel Behrman: trombone, trumpet
Jeanne Gieger : trombone
Rich Armstrong: trumpet/vocals
Mike Olmos: trumpet
Erik Jekabson: trumpet
Colin Hogan: keys
Tommy Folen: electric bass
Dublin: vocals

All Music and Images used with permission

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Realistic Orchestra
• Loose Tubes
• Jazz Mafia
• Bill Evans Photos
• Yoshis
• San Francisco

[modalman1]

thanks - the radio recording used for examples of Loose Tubes songs by the composers and arrangers in Jazz Mafia is from BBC Radio 2 show - I think called Jazz on 2 or something similar with Peter Clayton in the chair - it was from about 84 or 85 as it is almost the entire first album and a couple from the second. I taped it off the radio and kept it - how about that for anorak behaviour! Keep an eye on YouTube, Jazz Mafia is saying they'll do a proper studio recording and I'll post that.

[sccrash420]

This band is so amazing.

[jazzllenraf]

Check out the real thing. Loose Tubes Dancing on Frith Street recorded live at Ronnie Scotts Club in London in 1990 now released on Django Bates Lost Marble label.

[MrSax84]

I enjoyed this. As a Loose Tubes obsessive it was interesting to hear some re-workings of their tunes. I'm guessing the radio recording you're referring to is infact the 'proms' concert which was 1987. What a great gig!