For interview etc. with Daniel Beban
BEGINNING TRACK:
- TRACK 1: Black Dog, 1989 [to remind listeners]
FORMATION STORY:
Stuart Porter on the early days, starting on a gifted saxophone:
“He didn't even tell me how to play it. He said just do whatever you do. Blow it. Wiggle your fingers. That's about all the advice I got from him. And that's pretty much the advice I give young saxophonists these days. Blow it and wiggle your fingers. See what comes out and see where it takes you. That's all you really need to know.'
"You didn't get any other tips about the saxophone, books about fingering and that sort of thing?' I ask.
'No. Why would I do that?' he says. 'It was enough for me just to be handling this thing and making big honking noises on it. I had no musical training up to that point at all. At that stage the saxophone was just about making a huge noise to me. I just decided to make noises on the saxophone and try in some way to make those noises into music, without playing notes.”
Anthony Donaldson on meeting Stuart Porter:
“'So I went up for an audition [at the Wellington Jazz School],” Anthony remembers. 'There were five people there, all the tutors. One of them said, "How long have you been playing for?" I said, "Well I've been playing for three months." Four of them left the room. They just got up and left.' After a few months in Wellington Anthony followed Bruno [’Lawrence’]s advice and got in touch with Bud Jones. … playing percussion in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra … ‘”…it was obvious that I didn't have what would be considered natural rhythm. I was practising six hours a day, five days a week for Bud, trying to keep up with what he was trying to do. Every other moment of my life I'm trying to play like Barry Altschul, trying to play sounds, just getting more and more into the free thing. See, I'd already worked out that you've gotta get your own sound, it's crucial. So I'd been doing that about a year when, where I was flatting, the woman next door, she'd heard me practising and said, "I know someone who plays like you, Stuart Porter, he's a sax player, you guys should play together." So I got his number and I rang him up.'
Q: Many overseas influences. Let’s go all the way back to the start, as I understand it. Tell us about the influence of Phil Davison coming to Wellington (who we’re just about to hear on Funhouse Blues)
- TRACK 2: Funhouse Blues [5:49] for Phil Davison’s solo sax, from perhaps the first album of improvised music/free jazz in NZ called 'Songs for the Dead of Gandamak', finally self-released in 1979
MORE TRACKS
- Primitive Art Group: Lannie’s Revenge 5:17 (Album: Primitive Jaw Clap, 1985)
- Primitive Art Group: Charles Mungbean 7:29 (Album: Primitive Jaw Clap, 1985)
- Primitive Art Group: Arctic Waltz “the single” 6:39 (Album: Five Tread Dropdown, 1984)
- Jungle Suite: ‘Pitch and Toss’ 2:39 (Album: A Walk of Snipe, 1986)
- Rabbitlock: Porridge (heavy broth) 6:16 (Album: The Backbone, 1986)
- Four Volts: Magpies 4:09 (Album: Somethings Burning, 1986)
- Front Lawn ‘When You Come Back Home’, 1989 3:37
- David Watson: A Code 3:38 (Albuym, Reference, 1986)
- Family Mallet: Bosch’s Bottom 2:33 (album: Bosch’s Bottom, 1986)
- Six Volts: Crying Shame 3:38 (single, 1991, Album: Stretch) - on CD
- Brainchilds: I Gotta KNOW 2:27 (Album, Braiinchilds1993) - on CD
- Thrashing Marlin: Ship of Fools/ boo bam/all you’ve got someday (feat. Len Lye) 4:35 (Album: Wits End, 2006)
- Mantarays: Dancing Round the Fire 4:01 (Album: Garden of Light, 2009) w Daniel Beban on guitar
SOUNDBED(S) FOR INTERVIEW:
- ‘Flower’, 20:05, by Spontaneous Music Ensemble
- ‘Swinging in the Rain,’ 14:46, Primitive Art Group
- The Black Sheep. 10:12, The Black Sheep
No comments:
Post a Comment