This concert features Tāmaki Makaurau saxophonist and composer Callum Passells and his ensemble LCR. Their extended work Solid Spirit, Liquid Body, commissioned by Wellington Jazz Festival, was inspired by the composer’s experience of attending the 2020 Black Lives Matter rallies in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Callum Passells says, "The sound of a crowd moving and speaking with purpose has unbelievable strength but is also decentralised and fluid; songs erupt out of nowhere as rhythms clash and shift against one another.” This new suite, made up of nine short pieces, explores the protest chant as a musical motif.
LCR stands for Left Centre Right, and that’s exactly what the listener will experience: Three ensembles, each consisting of alto sax, bass, and drums, arranged on the left, centre and right of the stage. The groups sometimes work together, and sometimes against each other, as the music evolves over the course of the performance.
Wellington Jazz Festival 2021 - Callum Passells with LCR, St. Peter's On Willis Photo: Stephen A'Court
Audiences at LCR performances have described the experience as both 'a sensory overload' and also 'surprisingly easy to follow'. Like all improvised music, it strikes each audience member and listener in a different and unique way.
The three bands in LCR are:
LEFT: JY Lee (alto sax), Tom Dennison (bass), Tristan Deck (drums)
CENTRE: Callum Passells (alto sax), Eamon Edmundson-Wells (bass), Ron Samsom (drums)
RIGHT: Eilish Wilson (alto sax), Phoebe Johnson (bass), Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (drums)
Produced and engineered by William Saunders for RNZ Concert
Recorded at St. Peter’s on Willis, Wellington
Video by SOUNZ with audio by RNZ
