aaamusic | On 14, Feb 2011

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London, 9th February

When I was 17 years old, one friend of mine invited me for a coffee in his house on the Garda Lake, (Verona, Italy). It was a lovely summer day and he prepared me a breakfast on the balcony overlooking the lake. The soundtrack background of the Breakfast? Penguin cafe Orchestra… Such a wonderful way to start the day. After almost ten years, finally I have seen them live, and I was lucky enough to discover also the great Portico Quartet.

Formed four years ago, the Portico are a bunch of guys who play instrumental music: “a fresh, unclichéd resynthesis and reinvention of music that’s both pleasingly familiar and thrillingly new, like World Music from the future. With largely acoustic resources – percussion, bass and wind instruments – they have conjured and refined a group signature that’s immediately recognisable”. No doubt that the Hang drum, played by Nick Mulvey, is the secret of this group, giving them a unique sound and allowing the creation of dreamy atmosphere. From the first moment I tried to put the band in a musical genre. Their sound reminds me giants like Pat Metheny Group and Kronos Quartet, placing the band firmly in the jazz and world music camp, especially with the use of saxophones (Jack Wyllie) and double bass (Milo Fitzpatrick). On the other side the use of the hang drum adds a new age sound. Together with Mulvey, Duncan Ballamy (Drums, percussions and electronics) invests a major role in the band. I was very impressed by his fantasy and above all the delicacy with which he played his instrument, attempting to extract every possible sound from it. The continuous change of dynamics, and the wall of sound created by the group, constantly stimulated strong emotions. Even the role played by the looping is really evident listening to the quartet, indeed both Jack and Duncan were concentrated in preparing and triggering loops, sending ethereal noises into the sonic backdrop. The quartet has given us such wonderful songs from the debut and follow-up albums, Knee-Deep in the North Sea and Isla, as: “Lifemask”, “News from Verona”, “Line”, “Clipper”. Now I understand why they are the 2008 Mercury-nominated modern jazz quartet… I just had to close my eyes and listen… “how beautiful is this music?… thanks guys”.

After this incredible experience, it is the turn of a band that needs no introduction, the Penguin Café headed by Arthur Jeffes (son of Simon Jeffes, the founder of this musical project). Attention, we are not talking about the Penguin Café Orchestra, it is not a reboot. “The ensemble appearing now, represents a remarkable rebirth. The new Penguin Cafe is more than a tribute band, a third of its repertoire is new”. Tension rise and finally 11 elements appear on stage, many of them dressed as if they’d just escaped from the Victorian era. The sound of an orchestra that tunes its instruments have always fascinated me and reminds to the audience the concert is starting. “Dirt”, “From the economist”, “Swing the Cat”, “In the back of a taxi” the people can not help but move the head and shoulders. I’m sincerely touched form their music. “That not that” is one of the new songs and the first violin enchants us with its sweet melody, and percussions create a sounds carpet really warm and groovy. “Peal Pich Jukebox”, closing my eyes I dream wonderful grasslands, plains of Africa under a clear blue sky. I really feel at peace. After other few songs, such as: “Landau” and “Different Trains”, where the Penguins show a grand design of a superbly simple piece of musical architecture, the notes of an harmonium surround us. People immediately begin to clap enthusiastically… it is “Music for a found harmonium”, which has been given a fresh reboot. The new compositions, from the freshly-released “A Matter of Life…” album, in the same spirit stand up well, and give us strong emotions, as “Pale Peach Jukebox”. Also “Telephone and Rubber Band”, and “Perpetuum Mobile” were played and by the end of the night half the audience were up on their feet to give an ovation.

Author & Photos: Francesco Morello