CyberHalides Jazz » 2018 » WANG - The Three Seas - 4 Nov 2018

There has been something of a debate, both before and after Wang, about whether this was jazz, or at least whether it contained enough jazz. I definitely thought so. I thought that Matt Keegan and Steven Elphick injected a clear jazz flavour and rhythms, and interwove it with the West Bengali folk music of their colleagues very cleverly. In any case, Wang has always given recognised jazz musicians license to push the boundaries of what constitutes jazz, and The Three Seas was very much in keeping with that. The baritone sax as a lead instrument can sometimes be an acquired taste, but Matt really brought out the best in the instrument in an enthusiastic and engaging performance, and created some beguiling textures in combination with a collection of unique Indian instruments and powerful voices. I enjoyed this set so much that bought tickets to hear another performance of this work a week later in Canberra
 
The Three Seas (Matt Keegan - saxophone; Steve Elphick - bass; Raju Das Baul - vocals, khamak; Deo Ashis Mothey - vocals, guitar, dotora; Gaurab Chatterjee - dubki, drums; Cameron Deyell - guitar; Special Guest - James Greening) performing in the WPAC Theatre at the 2018 Wangaratta Festival of Jazz