Pyramid Club present Aldebaran and Greg Malcolm, as part of Wellington Jazz Festival's 2018 programme.
ALDEBARAN QUARTET
John Bell (vibes) leads Aldebaran, a stellar line-up featuring Patrick Bleakley (bass), Chris O'Connor (drums) and Matt Steele (keys). They explore modal jazz through original compositions and bring you jazz vibes resonating from deep space.
The vibraphone quartet is a line-up with a long history – think the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) or Bobby Hutcherson with McCoy Tyner, Gary Burton, George Cable and others, who’ve offered interesting angles on this classic combination. Aldebaran will take the vibes into yet another new direction. Aldebaran is a red giant star, the eye of Taurus, and in Arabic means ‘the follower’.
John Bell is one of Australasia’s leading vibes players. He has performed everywhere on earth from Berlins Bb club to Fukuokas New Combo jazz club. He was also leader of the critically acclaimed bands Spoilers of Utopia and NZDCCB. John has played with many jazz luminaries in New Zealand, Australia, South Korea and Europe including Steve Lacy, Han Bennink, Alfred Harth and Sun Bae Choi.
Matt Steele is one of the leading lights of the new generation of New Zealand jazz pianists. Patrick Bleakley's jazz history goes all the way back to working with Blerta in the 1970s. Over the decades he's developed a reputation as a double bass player with a huge tone and a deep groove.
Chris O'Connor is New Zealand's most in-demand drummer, working with Phoenix Foundation, Neil Finn, Don McGlashan, Nadia Reid, From Scratch and many others.
“Taking off from a rare precinct (the trio music of Bobby Hutcherson and Walt Dickerson), John Bell’s vibes find absorbing new trails on that most unexplored of jazz instruments” The Wire
John Bell is an extraordinary vibes player who can swing like ‘Hamp’ then merge that groove seamlessly into an irregular pulse. The one thing that stands out however is his musical courage. John shows an integrity that few vibists do. While a lovely ringing vibrato is what we most often associate with the vibes (early Gary Burton or Bags), the instrument is capable of more besides. He is recapturing the history of the vibraphone while showing us a possible future path John Fenton JazzLocal32.com
GREG MALCOM
Enter the subtle, evocative musical world of Greg Malcolm, recognised internationally as one of the world’s most original guitarists.
Reimagining the music of Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy and other jazz greats, he uses all manner of objects to coax magical sounds from his instruments. You can expect Greg Malcolm to be playing three guitars on the night – one with his hands and two played on the floor for percussion and drones.
With playing this innovative, Greg Malcolm extends the lineage of solo guitarists, incorporating elements of John Fahey, Derek Bailey, Fred Frith and Eugene Chadborne, but always with a distinct approach and sound that is quite his own.
Doors - 8pm
Aldebaran - 8:30pm
Greg Malcolm - 9:30pm
