"Beautifully haunting melodies accompanied by the swinging harmonies of the acoustic guitar with adventurous improvisations and dynamic rhythms".
That is one sentence that describes the music of the Black Spider Stomp Quintet, coming to the Whanganui Jazz Club at the RSA on Sunday, December 3. It is the season finale for the Club, while at the same time the herald of the upcoming holiday season.
Black Spider Stomp features Sam Thurston (guitar), James Quick (guitar), Adrian Jensen (guitar), Oscar Laven (horns) and Scott Maynard (bass). They play traditional style Gypsy Swing Jazz focusing on original compositions as well as a mix of Django Reinhardt and early swing jazz classics. James Quick and Sam Thurston established the band in 2012. They initially played as a duo around Wellington, concentrating on building their repertoire and writing original music. Heavily influenced by Django and his music, they looked to have a traditional line up similar to his Quintette du Hot Club de France. Black Spider features a horn player rather than a violinist, playing with three guitarists and a double bass.
The band is concentrating on writing and polishing up new material in preparation for recording their sixth project in the New Year. CDs and vinyl from their discography will be available on the night.
Their future aspiration is to tour through Europe and especially France, learning more about the history, style and culture of gypsy jazz and incorporating this experience into their music.
Doors open at 5.30pm and the music begins at 6.30pm.
JAZZ IS….about personality. "I myself don't recognise the word 'jazz'…I just feel that I play (pause) John Coltrane," from one of the greatest artists the music has ever known.
