For their second album titled Live, the leading LOOP Collective multireedsman-composer Tom Challenger' s Brass Mask joins a rich catalogue of jazz ensembles that have made a powerful statement in ' live' performance. From the irresistible juggernaut of John Coltrane' s Live atVillageVanguard sessions through to the exiled Township ensemble Brotherhood of Breath' s Live at Wilisau, the London-based 8-piece Brass Mask' s new CD recorded at Dalston' s hip Servant Jazz Quarters can be said to lie firmly in that tradition. While it might seem like exalted company, Brass Mask excel in live performance, buzzing with a raw energy and freewheeling collective jazz spirit. The aural evidence suggests playing on a stage in front of an audience is their natural home. They were formed in London in 2012 and debuted on the Babel Label the following year withthe album Spy Boy. Says Challenger, ' Brass Mask IS a live band. I was really proud of the first album. I felt it showed lots of qualities inherent in the music, concept and the musicians. However it was very different to our live thing which has always developed gig to gig. Now it's a real mish mash of styles, rhythms and colours. I felt it was important for this to be documented too."Produced by Challenger himself and mixed by the trumpeter Alex Bonney, Brass Mask Live aims at the heart and soul as well as for the jugular, drawing on the spiritual roots of the influential music of the New Orleans' Mardi Gras Indians, second line and street carnival bands. But always with a 21st century twist. The impact of online media on younger jazz generations whether on Youtube, Vimeo or simply via social media' s word of mouth cannot be underestimated. Challenger cites the current exciting new discoveries of ' live' bootlegs appearing online as important sources of inspiration, ranging from the entirely raw recordings of the John Coltrane quartet at the Show Boat and Half Note in the early to mid-1960s through to recordings of street gatherings of Mardi Gras Indians and Haitian Rahrah bands. Challenger has scrutinized and assimilated hours of this footage online. It relates distinctly as well to his experiments with electronica, samples and loops, as documented initially in his excellent post-Miles electronica ensemble MA, and heard on Live in the form of loops made up of treated samples of the band from rehearsals and gigs as well as, "mangled youtube and iPhone" samples of found sound, sounding not unlike a contemporary version of a field recording or the location recordings of the pan-Caribbean ritualistic sounds that Challenger cites as key to the Brass Mask aesthetic. Challenger explains how he, "wants to present the live show or gig in a different way, certainly compared to how live gigs are normally released ie. just a plain recording of a concert. I intended to set the recording of the gig within the context of contrasting musical scenarios, I guess to create a different base to colour the listener' s perception of the gig itself."Of the mostly London based personnel, the outstanding young tuba player Theon Cross is key, an inspiring young experimenter, pushing the sonic envelope from deep vibrating cosmic hums to big fat brassy bass lines. In Challenger' s highly engaging compositions, wailing vocalized saxes introduce mournful funeral dirges (' Francilia/Shallow Water' ); second line grooves back a joyous African-infused spirit recalling the 1980' s cult Brit ensemble Loose Tubes (' lil' Liza Jane' ); an intriguing Haitian Rahrah trance-dance sets off a brilliantly executed, blustery trumpet lead by Challenger' s LOOP collective associate Rory Simmons (' The Bague' ); an Ellingtonian funeral theme becomes a feverish free jazz improv (' I Thank You Jesus' ); an ambient prog haze has the brilliantly maverick keyboardist Dan Nichols' trancey free improv take a route into a more angular New York-ish contemporary soundscape with Simmons and Bonney' s trumpets colliding in a fiercely contrapuntal duo. (' Francis P' )Brass Mask has moved on since forming four years ago. Challenger says that, "the big difference is the band is a lot freer, a lot more free blowing."On the new release, BrassMask prove they are in a field of their own as a young contemporary large ensemble on the UK ' live' jazz circuit. Brass Mask on Liveis: Tom Challenger (Sax/Clarinet) George Crowley (Sax/Clarinet) Dan Nicholls (keys/organ) Rory Simmons (Trumpet) Alex Bonney (Trumpet) Nathaniel Cross (Trombone) Theon Cross (Tuba) John Blease (Drums/Percussion) Jon Scott (additional Percussion) Tom Challenger is a core member of ' Loop Collective' . As well as leading Brassmask, he co-leads Wedding Music, Ma and Dice Factory, a quartet who released their debut album in 2012. He is a member of Outhouse and Outhouse Ruhabi, and has worked with Red Snapper, Michael Garrick, Django Bates and many others. George Crowley has played and recorded with many ensembles and musicians on the London scene, including Rick Simpson, Gareth Lockrane, Michael Janisch, Chris Batchelor, Jeff Williams, Dave Smith Ivo Neame and Jim Hart. He released his debut album, Paper Universe, in 2012. Dan Nicholls is a keyboardist, reeds player, composer and producer, also working with video and animation. His work is inspired by prevalent issues such as exploring environment, experience and identity, as well as the use of various forms of media for political and social influence. Rory Simmons has worked with leading names in British and European jazz including Gerard Presencer, John Etheridge, FIRE Collective, Byron Wallen, and others. He has worked with Alex Bonney on a repertoire of contemporary trumpet duets, and with a trio, Monocled Man, featuring Chris Montague and Jon Scott. Alex Bonney leads the Alex Bonney Trio and co-leads Splice, Leverton Fox, BABs and an improvising duo with bassist Dave Kane. He is a sideman with several projects including World Sanguine Report, Golden Age of Steam and Examples of Twelves, and has collaborated with Paul Dunmall, Mark Sanders and others. Nathaniel Cross has worked with a wide range of artists, including Jazz Jamaica, Nu Civilisation Orchestra, Abram Wilson, David Murray and Macy Gray. Theon Cross has performed with many musicians and ensembles including the Nu Civilisation Orchestra, NYJO, Tomorrow' s Warriors, The Grand Union Orchestra, Dan Zanes and friends, Abram Wilson' s delta blues project, Shabaka Hutchings and more. John Blease has worked with artists including Newton Faulkner, Hue & Cry, Mose Allison, Tim Minchin, Massive Attack, Ghostpoet, Anthony & The Johnsons, Tommy Smith, Royal Shakespeare Company, Jamie Cullum, Ellie Goulding, Labrinth, Gilad Atzmon, The Streets and Georgie Fame. Jon Scott quickly established a reputation as one of the most creative and flexible young players on the UK and European jazz scene and has worked with bands including the 2011 MOBO "Best Jazz" award winners Kairos 4Tet , Challenger' s Dice Factory, George Crowley's Can of Worms, Rory Simmons' "Monocled Man", and Anglo-German collaboration Paragon (nominated for the 2012 Neuer Deutsche Jazzpreis). In addition he has performed/recorded with artists including Chris Cheek, David Binney, Julian Argüelles, Will Vinson, Julian Siegel, Julian Joseph, Byron Wallen, Kit Downes.
