Posts Tagged ‘Ontario’
LOLA Concert Series: Session01 – The Necks with Todor Kobakov and the Transmorphous Sound Ensemble
http://www.thenecks.com/
http://www.todor.ca
Museum London/Friday, January 22, 2010/7pm
Tickets available for purchase here
Artist Biography: The Necks
The Necks (established 1987) are one of the great cult bands of Australia and the world. With next to no publicity, their fourteen albums have sold in their thousands. Chris Abrahams (piano), Tony Buck (drums), and Lloyd Swanton (bass) conjure a chemistry together that defies description in orthodox terms. These three musicians are among the most respected and in-demand in Australia, working in every field from pop to avant-garde. Over 200 albums feature their presence individually or together, but the music of The Necks stands apart from everything else they have done. Featuring lengthy pieces which slowly unravel in the most intoxicating fashion, frequently underpinned by an insistent deep groove, the thirteen albums by The Necks stand up to re-listening time and time again. The deceptive simplicity of their music throws forth new charms on each hearing. Not entirely avant-garde, nor minimalist, nor ambient, nor jazz, the music of The Necks is possibly unique in the world today.
Unclassifiable, the Necks stand aside any other musical act Australia has gave birth to. Neither jazz nor rock, this deceptive piano trio has kept a single line of conduct throughout its career. They usually start playing a very basic melodic and rhythmic figure, and then keep going at it for an hour, gradually introducing microscopic changes and variations. Some critics have compared them to Krautrock groups like Can and Faust. Others find similarities in the works of minimalist composers like LaMonte Young, Tony Conrad, even Philip Glass. The Necks were formed in Sydney, Australia, back in 1987. The original lineup of pianist Chris Abrahams, bassist Lloyd Swanton, and drummer Tony Buck remained stable, even though they all lead busy and highly different careers. Abrahams is an acclaimed session keyboardist who has released a couple of solo piano albums, has written music for film and television, and toured the world in 1993 with the rock group Midnight Oil. Swanton is a much in-demand session jazz bassist and a regular of the jazz festival circuit. He has played in the Benders and the Catholics, and accompanied Stephen Cummings and Sting. Buck spends most of his time in avant-garde circles, with multiple collaborations and projects. His best known engagements have include the trio PERIL and the klezmer-punk group Kletka Red. The Necks’ first album came out in 1989 on their own label, Fish of Milk.
– François Couture, All Music Guide
Artist Biography: Todor Kobakov
Introducing Todor Kobakov, a Toronto based composer-musician-producer who has one foot planted at the centre of Canada’s alternative music scene, and the other placed deep within the world of classical music. Given his rather unique vantage point, it’s no wonder that Pop Music, Kobakov’s solo piano debut, might best be described as a classical album with indie cred. To understand how Pop Music came to be, it’s best to start at the beginning.
Music is quite literally in Todor’s blood. Born in Bulgaria in to a family of classical musicians, training at the piano bench began at home at just four years old. At age six Kobakov was accepted in to the prestigious Sofia School of Music, a full time day school for musically and academically gifted children, where he studied for eleven years. The first half of Todor’s life existed on or around the piano. “I practiced for 6 hours every day” remembers Kobakov, “before school, after school, and after dinner. Then we would play just for fun! It sounds a bit heavy, but it’s quite normal in Eastern Europe…music is just part of the culture.”
Todor Kobakov – Toronto Stories from Todor Kobakov on Vimeo.
