Saturday, June 27, 2009


Wow...this is a pretty great review. Timely too as we head to the West Coast next week. Awesome.
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Tim Posgate Hornband cracks the code to a new form of jazz on Banjo Hockey
By Alexander Varty

Tim Posgate Hornband
Banjo Hockey (Black Hen)

Let’s see: trumpet, tenor sax, banjo, and tuba? Tunes that smash modern jazz, klezmer, Celtic, bluegrass, and New Orleans styles together with cracked abandon? On paper, Banjo Hockey sounds like a little bit of a mess, but in practice Tim Posgate has cracked the code to a new form of jazz, one that’s wildly creative but that also has plenty of populist appeal.

Posgate, a Toronto guitarist who turns to his trusty banjo for most of this disc’s 11 tunes, has a keen ear for melody and an even better one for supportive collaborators. On Banjo Hockey, he scores big points for enlisting jazz legend Howard Johnson, a veteran tuba and baritone sax player who’s worked with the Gil Evans Orchestra, Taj Mahal, and the Band, among many others. But the other Hornband horns—Lina Allemano on trumpet and Quinsin Nachoff on tenor sax and clarinet—are equally attuned to their leader’s playful, genre-bending ways.

Whether channelling the spirit of Louis Armstrong and friends on “Big Top Blues”, adding Eastern European spice to a funky hoedown on “Moosamin Eh!”, or sounding like a tiny big band on “Going to the Island”, these four make smart music that’s also unusually friendly. In fact, it’s hard to listen to this disc without cracking a smile; it’s a rough-hewn yet highly sophisticated treat from start to finish.

Friday, June 26, 2009

It is hard to get surprised in music these days but thank god it keeps happening occasionally. Tonight I played at the Tranzac with Ronley Teper and the Lipliners. Yes, she surprised us with some songs we had never played before but the opening band was the real surprise.

They are from Wolfville New Brunswick (am I making that up?...am I way off?) Anyways; they are called Thugs @ Bay and they are really fun and interesting. They are a duo with mostly fiddle/voice and Guitar/bass or percussive vocalization. The compositions are well thought out. Interesting use of different metres simultaneously and they have fun lyrics and a great stage vibe.

I hope you can catch them. Apparently they will be at the Tan Cafe near queen and ossington all week as part of the jazz festival. Sorry I don't know more than that. If you are really curious drop me a line and I will try to find out more for you. They are worth it!

tim

Monday, June 22, 2009

BurlingtonPost.com: News: Story: Tim Posgate happy to be returning to his roots

A nice little article in the Burlington Post before our weekend gig. (I used to deliver this paper as is mentioned in the article.)

BurlingtonPost.com: News: Story: Tim Posgate happy to be returning to his roots

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