BRASS JAW - 'MINTED'

BRASS JAW - 'MINTED' 

'Onliner Notes'

We hope you are enjoying our new album 'Minted'. If you haven't got your copy, you can get it by clicking HERE

Below you'll find some notes on the tunes on the album. Liner notes, but online...so 'Onliner Notes' if you like ;-)

BRASS JAW - 'MINTED' 

1. Heads Down, Thumbs Up (3:31) (P.Towndrow)

'Heads Down, Thumbs Up' was children's classroom game from the 1980s thought to have originated in West Central Scotland, where all four members of Brass Jaw grew up. It is thought to derive from and earlier game called 'Seven Up', which is referenced in Mark Twain's 'River Intelligence'. This takes us full circle, all the way back to the music's birth place. The Mississippi. 

The phrase could also describe the posture of the modern citizen sending SMS's, tweets, emails, updating Facebook, and engaging many other secretive activities on their hand held device.

The tune combines raucous melodic assertion with odd time signature misbehaviour, paving the way for solos first from Paul, then Konrad. 

2. Always The Last Word (3:26) (A.Beauvoisin)

"A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still" Benjamin Franklin

This was one of those rare occasions where a composition was written and finished within half an hour.  The original concept for this piece was that it would emulate a jam session between the three lead voices however when encompassed with the other material within the CD it seemed more fitting as a trumpet feature.

3. For Those Of Us (4:38) (R.Quigley)

"Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant" or "Hail Caesar, those of us about to die salute you" was chanted by Gladiators before they fought.

This tune is built over a 3/4 vamp figure and features solo and collective improvisations. The 'fade out' effect at the end of this tune was achieved by the musicians walking away from the mics into the depths of the building.

4. Imaginary Friend (6:36) (R.Quigley)

Anyone who has observed a child at play, or indeed remembers what it was like to be one will be aware of the fanciful worlds that children create around them. Blissful ignorance is a blessing to them as the realities and uncertainties of the world which surround them have not yet been revealed. Unfortunately, many people often carry these fanciful ideas into adulthood, where they are no longer cute, nor blissful. Just damaging and often destructive. This composition represents an emotional journey across the spectrum of delusion; from innocence to ignorance.

5. Walk Tall (2:41) (Joe Zawinul)

"There are times when things don't lay the way they're supposed to lay. But regardless, you're supposed to raise your head up high and Walk Tall!" That's how Cannonball Adderley famously introduced this classic Joe Zawinul number. We can do nothing but agree with his sentiments both verbally and musically. Here we go! Walk Tall!

6. Comin' Home Baby (3:50) (Ben Tucker)

This is our version of a tune written by pianist Ben Tucker in 1961 for The Donald Bailey Quartet. It was later adopted by flautist Herbie Mann and later became a hit for Mel Torme .

We often start our live shows with this tune as it gives us all a chance to blow freely and get used to the evening's acoustic!

7. Talisman Home (2:54) (R.Quigley)

Named following a typical late night Brass Jaw adventure in Eastern Europe. The musicians are spread out over a town square late at night. Paul is arguing with two ladies who are offering to dance for him for 10Euro if he comes to their club. Paul is offering to dance for them for FREE if they come to his. Ryan has ducked into a smokey burger joint in search of sustenance, and Konrad is frantically trying to find a phone signal so he can call home. Meanwhile, Allon is doing his best to round up the Brass Jaw troops as he is the only one who knows where the hotel is, or as he put it, their 'Talisman Home'.

The music owes much to the minimalist styles of Steve Reich and Philip Glass, and the intricate weaving together of parts sees the ensemble work both apart and together.

8. Propeller Beanie (3:46)  (P.Towndrow)

The Bill Waterson cartoon strip, Calvin and Hobbes provides the inspiration for this tune. A feature of this strip was the vivid 'realism' of Calvin's childish daydreams juxtaposed with the stark and often heartbreaking adult reality. The story in question sees Calvin save up tokens from a cereal packet in order to obtain a hat which he believes will allow him to fly. It doesn't. Instead…it breaks.

The composition exposes and then combines two main themes, one angular and dissonant, the other dreamlike and consonant. 

http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2010/04/12

9. I Can Hear Your Smile (3:04) (R.Quigley)

When you're on the phone to a loved one, it's always possible to tell what sort of mood they are in by the subtleties in their voice. Sometimes, if you listen hard enough, you can even hear them smile.

This reflective ballad throws the melody duties around the group; first Ryan, then Konrad, then Paul.

10. Lester Gibson Blues (3:08) (P.Towndrow)

Lester Gibson is a real legend. He exists in the past present and future. He is a symmetrical and Zen-like figure but one who is not to be messed with. If you don't know who he is, you'd be right to think you wish you did.

As with several of Paul's previous compositions 'Blues' does not refer to a standard 12 bar structure, but more to the overall flavour of the piece. Inspiration here comes from the funky horns of James Brown and also features some big band style soli writing combined with some trademark Brass Jaw collective improvisation.

11. Little Allegory (3:04) (K.Wiszniewski)

"Little Allegory" is based on a painting by Scottish artist (Konrad's uncle), Adrian Wiszniewski. The painting depicts an idyllic country scene, reflected by the impressionistic nature of the music. All is not as it seems and the piece takes a few twists and turns.

http://artsalesindex.artinfo.com/asi/lots/4553974

12. Last October (3:19)  (A.Beauvoisin)

This composition explores the texture of four individual lines working together to create a unified whole. The inspiration for this piece was a personal tipping point where what was, is no longer. 

13. Pulling A Quigley (6:00) (A.Beauvoisin)

A tribute to Ryan Quigley's incredible luck.  Its relentless frequency of occurrence on tour has lead to the band coining the phrase "he's pulled a Quigley" as he strolls to his business class upgrade. This also has brought into question the assertion that "there are only ever coincidences".

14. Sunny (2:31) (Bobby Hebb)

This is our take on a great popular song. We usually play this at the end of our shows and it is universally popular. We've enjoyed playing this song in countries all over the world.

15. Charles Franklin Blues (3:26)  (P.Towndrow)

This is a reworking of a tune which first appeared on our album 'Deal With It'. The tune is a dedication to soul singer Aretha Franklin, but owes equally to the great jazz bassist and bandleader Charlie Mingus. The two names were put together to form a fictional character. This version features the first ever five-piece incarnation of Brass Jaw, with trombonist Michael Owers joining us. As before the 'fade-in' effect is a result of the musicians moving towards the mics from positions further away in the hall.

Brass Jaw in Norway

We've had a great time here in Norway, the festival promoters once again playing the game (as admittedly invited by us!) of "What Can We Get Brass Jaw To Do?". Well. This time we were up a mountain :

Yes, so we played a couple of sets at a ski resort about 20km outside of Voss. Apparently it was -14c in the shade...a bit warmer in the sun. And the 'acoustic' was minimal. We did spend some time experimenting with which of Ryan's high notes could cause an avalanche. (The answer is 'D' by the way!)

Our main set in the evening was at 1am in the main centralised festival venue. 

Here we have Ryan and Paul sitting in the middle of a frozen lake, summing up the experience.

Brass Jaw In Algeria

Fri 11th May 2012 

Arrived in Algiers after an overnight stay in Gatwick Airport. We were met at the airport by our friendly driver, Sid Ali who escorted us to our massive 4x4 transport – a special green number plate denoting diplomatic transportation. The general approach to getting around on the roads is pretty frenzied but nobody seems to get to worked up. Pedestrians seem to arbitrarily wander out into busy traffic - We reckon that the general rule is that if the driver sounds his horn (and he does so frequently) It essentially means that he’s not prepared to give way and the pedestrian needs get the f*** out of the way.

Sid Ali

The security is tight with huge police presence and check points everywhere. Despite this however, their presence is never overbearing. It also seems that the green number plate seems to give us some sort of diplomatic immunity, or at least we hope so as Sid Ali is pulling some pretty cool stunts!

Arrived safely at our hotel in El Biar – Paul & Ryan have found the local coffee joint, so all is well. Fun times ahead :-)

Sat 12th May 2012

Great day today including a performance and workshop at the National Institute of Music in Algiers, and a very interesting encounter between a prickly sea creature and Beauv's feet.

Konrad with some of the college students

The workshop involved working with a number of students on varied instruments, including voice and bassoon. The students seemed to really warm to us after having the chance to hear a bit of what we do – and many of them volunteered to participate in improvising with us.

Bassoon 101

Paul posing in Tipaza

After the workshop we headed out to the beach and decided to take a dip in the Mediterranean at a beach in Tipaza – unfortunately this resulted in The Beauv, and to a slightly lesser extent Paul & Ryan, being spiked by some sea urchins. Konrad was fine as he didn’t even take his sandals off. This was all much to the amusement of our driver, Sid Ali!

Ryan Resting on Roman Ruins

In other news we got our first glimpses of central Algiers – vibrant city with a huge amount of historical and political heritage.

The main square in Algiers

We’re staying outwith the centre, in El Biar – a buzzing wee area. The general vibe of the locals is to hang around – usually next to a broken car or motorcyle, or sit on a wall, invariably talking about one of three football matches: 1. The one they appear to be on their way to play, presumably in a park or piece of wasteland somewhere 2. The one they’ve just come back from playing. Or 3. The one they’re going to watch on TV tonight. It’s all very relaxed.





Sun 13th May 2012

Unbelievable reaction to our performance and a huge amount of press coverage. We gave interviews to several newspapers, radio stations, and television shows (including Canal Algiers Morning TV)… The auditorium was packed and we received an amzing reaction from the audience, culmination in a standing ovation, cheering, chanting…the whole works.

Our concert - opening the 2012 European Cultural Festival

It was actually pretty overwhelming for a wee band from Glasgow! We fly back to London tomorrow morning before our series of gigs at Jazz Sous Les Pommiers festival in Coutances, in northern France.

At The Martyr's Monument, Algiers

Big thanks to everyone at British Council for making this possible, and to the wonderful people who made us feel so welcome in Algeria. We will remember you always! Much love, Brass Jaw x

More photos from the trip HERE

Jazz Education

We're off to do a masterclass this evening with East Dunbartonshire Schools Jazz Orchestra. This sort of learning work is something that has become central to Brass Jaw's sphere of activity. Improvisation and ear work is central to our approach, but should there be an overhaul of the way music is taught in our schools' education system?

I feel a more extensive blog entry on this subject coming on! But maybe this will provide some food for thought in the meantime :

A Message From Paul regarding Merchandising & Commission

A gentle word from Paul regarding venues' merchandise policies...



Anyone who knows me professionally is likely to have heard me rant about the issue of venues charging small/independent artists unreasonable commission on CD sales. I just wanted to address this now to make my position completely clear.

Many venues and festivals are likely to charge 10% commission, quite often 20% and sometimes even higher, not making any distinction between artists signed to major record labels, and independent artists trying to subsidise their living by selling a small number of CDs after a gig.

The highest rate of commission ever proposed to me was at a gig in the Royal Albert Hall Café-Bar, where they were insisting on taking 40% for us to sell our own CDs from the stage!
This appalled me to the degree that I dealt with it by giving CDs away for FREE….Yup, 40% of nothing is…?
What is unreasonable here is that the venue is making no distinction between a major artist like George Michael performing in the main hall to 5000 people per night (charge= 40% on merchandise) ,and a small independent, unsigned jazz group from Glasgow playing to 50 people in a café (charge=40% on merchandise). Not only that but the venue was offering no service whatsoever for their 40%. So why should they get a cut of a product that they have made zero investment in?! It’s ludicrous! Imagine that on Dragon’s Den! “OK, I’ll make you an offer – I want 40% equity in your business, for which I’m going to give you NO money, and on top of that, offer you NONE of my expertise.” Ha HA! No thank you Theo!!

How about this for an idea – we’ll give you 40% of our CD revenue if you give us 40% of your café and bar takings. After all, we’re bringing in customers to YOUR venue, who WE sourced at OUR expense through building a fan base, and who wouldn’t otherwise be buying your overly-priced beer, coffee or pain-au-cholcolate. We’re providing you with customers FREE of charge! Perhaps it would be reasonable, in return, to let us sell our product free of charge. That is to say, a product which is the culmination of years and years of study, practice, composition, arranging investment of time, money, blood, sweat, tears, late nights, arguments, market research etc.etc…

Just a thought – fair’s fair…or give us 40% of the bar takings, it’s up to you.

Don’t get me wrong, I do see why it can seem perfectly reasonable for venues to impose some sort of commission on merchandise, and it’s been a fact of life for years. However – it is now the 21st Century, and the music business - especially the record industry - has changed vastly, while music venue policies in this area have failed to adapt accordingly. We need to start introducing some common sense into this area, specifically that venues make policy distinctions between small, independent artists selling a handful of CDs, and huge commercial acts signed to Sony, or EMI – rather than aggressively pursuing flat-rate merchandise commission as a non-flexible piece of income revenue. Venues need to look at their policies and be prepared to exercise some reason and common sense, supporting and encouraging enterprising artists who are investing a great deal of time in building audience, not only for themselves but for the venue too. One good way of showing this support to artists is to consider exercising discretion in merchandise commission policy. It could be like a ‘thank you’ to the artist for bringing their fan base to the venue. All of this is ultimately going to be good for the reputation of the venue, the quality of its relationships with artists, and its successful integration with the modern music industry.

Then there’s the responsibility that lies with artists. We need to start standing up for ourselves in general, but also not allow venues to bully us by ambushing us, often on the evening of the gig, with whatever commission they see fit. If we want to do this properly, it has to be viewed as a business proposal with a contract that is negotiable and not one sided. If a venue is to take a cut on merch sales, we need ask the question “What service are you going to provide for your 20%?” In other words, what are the variables here? Will CDs be available before the gig? During the interval? After the gig? And for how long after? Where will the merchandise stand be located and how will it be presented? How will it be staffed? Will there be appropriate signage provided by the venue? If you are a club charging commission, do you offer a table to table service?....These are things that should be offered by the venue if they are going to insist on commission – artist’s shouldn’t simply sit back and allow them to take this lazy option for additional revenue.

There needs to be a fair deal.

It might also be a good idea to negotiate a sliding scale with variable rates of commission depending on how many units are sold. This provides incentive for the venue to be more proactive in selling the product, and driving CD sales. More CD sales means more revenue for both the artist AND the venue.

So, rather than a venue blindly hitting artist with a commission fee without obligation to provide any sort of quality of service, perhaps we should be using something like this as a basis for negotiating the terms of our contract:

First 5 CDs – No Commission
5 – 20 CDs – 10%
20 CDs and over – 20%
Services to be provided by venue :
- CDs to be available for purchase 30mins before the show, during the interval, and for 30mins after the show.
- Well presented table in a clearly visable location in foyer, bar or other suitable
- Printed posters directing audience to point of sale, displayed around the venue.
- CD presentation stands – maximised product visability
- Clear pricing notices at the table
- 2 Staff
- Allow audience members to sign up to our mailing list

To me this seems completely reasonable, and it is beyond me why we continue to let this area of our income lie solely in the hands of a venue’s bureaucracy.

Rather, we need to take control of the revenue stream that WE created.

Power to the artist!

P x

Independence and Flexibility in a Changing Jazz Industry

This article written by Paul was originally published in Wiltshire Jazz Festival's 2011 brochure.

It's a really great event, check out the programme (which includes Brazilian pianist Eliane Elias) for June 2012 http://www.wiltshirejazzfestival.co.uk/


“Independence and Flexibility in a Changing Jazz Industry”
By Paul Towndrow

Some time in 2002, a lifelong friend of mine sat next to me on a park bench in Glasgow and outlined his vision for creating and touring an ensemble comprising four saxophones and one car, with no rhythm section or start-up capital - along with the question “was I in?”.

The friend was baritone saxophonist Allon Beauvoisin, and the good part of a decade, and several personnel adjustments later – Brass Jaw (now three saxes and one trumpet) has begun to find its feet, and to carve out a clear ‘modus operandi’ in the ever-changing jazz industry. Importantly for us, we have needed this time, in order to mature musically and to learn about how we can best co-ordinate both our musical, and extra-musical values within the fractured and nebulous infrastructure of the music scene.

Long gone are the days where jazz groups seek out management, major label backing, and the team of experts who take care of all things business, so the musicians can concentrate on the music and on ‘being creative’. The 21st Century Jazz Musician is a much more independent beast, finding himself dealing as best he can with a multitude of different jobs : Musician, composer, arranger, accountant, tour manager, educator, sound engineer, driver, politician, fly-poster, publicist, motivational speaker, web designer, graphic artist…the list goes on. The secret to survival for us has been to use the strength of our creative resources, to help us compensate for not having that ‘team of experts’ that many artists in the mainstream take for granted.

The more keen minded and forward thinking music promoters, festivals and funding bodies, have realised that this sort of independence and creative work ethic is worth supporting and developing. We are fortunate to have received a great deal of help and mentoring from friends on this side of the business, particularly from those behind London and Glasgow Jazz Festivals, and from funding bodies like Jazz Services, the Scottish Arts Council (now Creative Scotland). London based music production company Serious provide some fantastic opportunities for emerging artists in the area of professional development. This sort of thing just didn’t exist twenty years ago, and now we are seeing the results of initiatives like this – a new breed of independent and hard working jazz artist.

Good musicians seem to share the same set of core values, in particular the desire to maintain an unfettered creative outlet, produce consistently high quality work, and to reach as many people as they can with their music. As a group, Brass Jaw is driven by all of these ideals – not just in our music, but in how we manage the business aspects of our group as well.

It was with these core values in mind, that when trumpeter Ryan Quigley joined Brass Jaw in 2008 we started to examine the efficiency of how we were working. We realised that we had many unique traits as a group. We performed completely acoustically, we had no additional equipment other than our horns, we could fit (with only small amount of discomfort) into one vehicle, we all liked each other, we all loved to be involved in education, we could all find humour within and outwith our music. We realised that our sound check routine of turning up several hours before the gig only to inform a delighted sound engineer that we didn’t need any microphones, thus allowing us a leisurely dinner and pint before the gig, could be time used to serve a greater purpose. So we began to make it our policy, that wherever possible we would use the extra time afforded to us to deliver workshops, masterclasses, and generally to hang out with the local musicians and members of the community. Lo and behold, these people would then turn up to our evening gigs, dragging a few friends along with them and as a result our audience figures and CD sales began to rise.

All of the members of Brass Jaw are friends, and have been since we were young. This is something we owe to the Scottish music scene’s strong youth jazz initiatives in the 1990s . A sense of friendship, respect, and lack of inhibition in an ensemble is a real boon as it opens the door to musical risk-taking, open and frank discussions in rehearsals, and above all a huge sense of fun and mischief, both onstage and off. We have a fairly open policy about the things we get up to on stage too. So that means if it feels right to gaffer-tape somebody’s feet to the stage, or chain them to a music stand, or wander off stage and dance with the audience, then we just go right ahead and do it. We are very careful not to contrive this sort of thing, but we don’t suppress it either. It’s easy for musicians to forget that music can be great fun at one point, and serious at another. But who wants to look at four po-faced musicians for an hour, standing stalk still and delivering their music like automatons anyway – when I go to a gig I want to see them have some fun!

Over the last couple of years, we have found that festivals have been able to utilise our flexibility, mobility and willingness to use unconventional spaces. For us this has meant being programmed to play at every conceivable type of venue from concert halls and jazz clubs, to open-top buses and trams, and from nightclubs and churches, to bandstands in the middle of ponds! Festivals who book us have also found that, because of our acoustic nature, and our short set up time – more time is afforded to have us on call for photo shoots and radio & TV broadcasts, all amounting to greater exposure for the festival, and for us.

The way I see it is that all of this visibility, and community involvement is good for the image of jazz. Jazz is a wonderfully rich and socially aware art form, that came out of the community and should always return there.

As a group we have been labelled as ‘quirky’, ‘unusual’ in our instrumentation and attitude towards making music – but perhaps a look at the origins of a community driven, mobile, joyous, colourful, wind instrument based music in New Orleans at the beginning of the 20th century would show that Brass Jaw isn’t that unusual after all.

Tour Date Cancelled Due To Hurricane

It's very rare that circumstances would be severe enough for us to be forced to cancel a gig, but that was sadly the case yesterday when our trip to Grimsby fell victim to 'Hurricane Bawbag' (so named following a bout of Glaswegian viral-tweetery!).



This was perhaps one of the most striking images of the storms damaging effect - one of the wind turbines catching fire and subsequently collapsing. On the roads, lorries overturned and roofs got blown off of a wide variety of buildings.

Delighted to see however, that this wee guy dealt with the situation exactly how we would have. Get the jacket up in the air like a sail and try to FLY!!!




And of course - one of the viral classics from yesterday's storm "OMG TRAMPOLINE OMG!"




Our apologies go to our followers in Grimsby - sorry we couldn't make it down on this occasion, but we hope to make it up to you in 2012.