As a follow-up to the news that the Guelph Jazz Fest will be presenting a band at the Hillside Festival this year, here is some background information about The Tallboys.
This three-piece includes phenomenal percussionist Jesse Stewart, as well as cello and guitar virtuosos, Kevin Breit and Matt Brubeck respectively. These accomplished musicians have come together for amazing improvised sets at venues such as this past fall's Guelph Jazz Festival. I've been told the Tallboys are a sight to see (and not just because they all tower well over six-feet in height either).
Showing posts with label jesse stewart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jesse stewart. Show all posts
Monday, June 08, 2009
The Tallboys
Monday, May 25, 2009
Jesse & the Everything Else
After his unique waterphone performance the night before, Jesse was back at it, this time with a full range of percussion instruments at Ed Video. He did open with a bit of waterphone, and then intricately played the edge of a regular drum cymbal with a bow. There was a drumset piece done bongo-style with his hands (actually there were some bongos involved with the drumset itself). Then a drumming set with a variety of sticks. He is just so creative and has the ability to morph a sound on and on, drawing in the listener and creating unique arrangements - all with just his hands and feet. After an amusing story about the coffin-shaped vibraphone being sent to his door unannounced from his father, he incorporated this oversized-xylophone (with the motor disengaged) into the next piece. It was all rather impressive, the different beats he could create and the way in which this was done. For example, while playing the kick-drum, cymbals with his other foot, a shaker and/or a drumstick in one hand, he'd snap the other drumstick down on the edge of a drum so it would waver and reverberate like a diving board after a dive.
Not only is Jesse an excellent musician, but he comes across as completely down-to-earth, humble and friendly. He answered questions about his instruments and set, as well as inviting everyone to come up and try their hand at any of his instruments after the show, while he greeted us with an authentic smile and willingness to chat. Everyone I spoke with about the show afterward was blown away with his ingenuity, and excited by the spectacle they'd witnessed.
Jesse & the Waterphone
Jesse Stewart wowed the crowd in the Attic on Thursday, by playing a little known instrument called a waterphone. Start by picturing the MLB World Series trophy, now remove everything within the flagpoles and replace with a tall, hollow cylinder that acts both as a handle as well as the only entrance/exit for the water which partially fills the classic-spaceship shaped hollow stainless steel base. Does the image in your head look anything like this? If you're intrigued by the way that this instrument looks, you'd be dumbfounded by the ways that Jesse has discovered to play it...
The waterphone is traditionally played by running a bow along the outside of the tines (the flagpoles, with the flags removed) which historically has produced eerie soundtracks to movies such as The Poltergeist and The Matrix. However Jesse has been developing a style all his own, something he has dubbed "waterphonics." Basically this is playing the waterphone in any other way you can imagine.
He displayed these techniques in what was an incredible set, that built from the beginning with very quiet, haunting echoes from within the instrument that made the occupants of the small space lean in, and then developed into sweeping and brushing before culminating in tapping and snapping.
Sometimes the waterphone would sit upright in his lap, then in the midst of playing he would hold it by the handle, tilting to allow the water to slosh to one side which altered the echoing sounds. Then it would be held sideways to expose the stainless steel underbelly which could be tapped upon, and sometimes it was carefully tipped upside-down (to avoid wet feet) where the full base was available for playing.
By the end he had tapped it, smacked it, rubbed it, snapped upon it, strummed it, brushed it, swept it, picked it, and just about any other percussive hand motion you can make, Jesse had used to great effect. Then he did all of the same things with chopstick-like drumsticks, sticks with bouncy balls attached to the ends, regular sticks, and sticks adorned with balls of cloth (and probably more which I can't even recall). Maintaining the piece the entire time he never paused, even when switching sticks and ad-libbing by playing upon the wood-paneled wall. It was quite an awe-inspiring performance and it was only the first half of a set.
After a short break from the warm attic, Jesse returned to play the instrument more traditionally with sometimes one, and other times two, bows. Despite the slightly unpredictable nature of the instrument he was able to make it work with lovely results, managing to avoid making the traditionally haunting instrument sound too creepy. An incredibly creative way that he played was by threading both bows through two sets of tines each, like a Kerplunk stick. Jesse proved himself to be a wizard on an instrument that very few others have even attempted to master, and it made for a unique and amazing show.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Jesse Stewart Still On
Despite the Guelph River Run's Centre flooding trying to rain on the Jesse Stewart shows this week, alternate arrangements have been made and the shows will go on! The Attic show (14 Northumberland St.) continues as planned Thursday (8pm tonight!), while Friday night's show location has been moved to Ed Video (40 baker street) with tickets going for $10(pwyc) and an 8pm start time. (RRC tickets will likely be refunded and NOT honoured at Ed Video).
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