Blue notes
For jazz fans the place to be this Thursday evening will undoubtedly be Backstage Live where Blaine Whittaker has assembled an all-star band for the official Hong Kong launch of his latest CD, Sound Barrier, on Saxis Records.
In recent years Whittaker has commuted between Hong Kong and Sydney, performing live and recording in both cities. Sound Barrier, although it includes one tune composed by his long-standing Hong Kong associate Allen Youngblood, was recorded in Sydney with Australian musicians.
For this gig, however, Whittaker will play with an entirely different cast of characters. 'I've some of the best soloists in Hong Kong, with Eugene Pao on guitar, Allen on piano, and Robbin Harris on drums. I've been working with these cats for years now. I'm very excited about playing with New York bass player Sergio Brandao - that will be a first. Our vocalist Pete Moore is a great R&B singer from Sydney. You can't have too many Aussies in your band,' he says.
Brandao is certainly a name to conjure with. A leading bassist on the demanding New York scene, the Brazilian has recorded with Flora Purim and Airto Moreira, Ivan Lins, Paquito d'Rivera, Herbie Mann, Chico Freeman and more.
It will be interesting to see how he fits in with the Sound Barrier tunes, which for Whittaker represent a departure from his well established bebop-based style - on record at least. The saxophonist says the album is a reflection of the way his music has evolved during his stints in Asia. 'It pretty much represents the style of music I've been playing a lot of over the past few years, especially here in Hong Kong - funk and groove,' he says.
For those who particularly enjoy Whittaker's more mainstream work the gig should not be too jarring. There will be no DJ on stage. On the CD one 'DJ Bonez' contributes scratches and samples. 'I was searching for a new sound,' Whittaker says. 'I was apprehensive about using a DJ on the CD. Then somebody explained to me that DJs are not the enemy. It's simply a different sound - like putting a wah wah pedal on the sax. I love it cause it's a different sound.'
He will have his wah wah pedal plugged in. Although the set will include other material, about 60 per cent of it will be drawn from the album and the band will be working to recreate the grooves of the record, although solos will most definitely be fresh and their own. Pianist Youngblood, for example, will have the opportunity to play Pure Rain, which he wrote, the way he sees it. It will also be interesting to hear the leader and Pao trading solos. New material yet to be recorded will also be featured.
There is a possibility Whittaker may relocate again to Hong Kong in the fairly near future. 'Hong Kong is great,' he says. 'Where else can you go and hear an African band from Senegal, then walk down the street and hear serious Brazilian music, turn a corner and catch a great indie rock band, and then finish your night at a bebop jam session? And this is pretty much any night of the week. I think that's unique in this part of the world.'
Blaine Whittaker and his band appear at Backstage Live, Thursday, 9pm, HK$150 on the door with one drink. Sound Barrier will be available at the venue on the night and also from Jazzworld in the Yip Fung Building in D'Aguilar Street.
