Photo by Lindsay Beyerstein

Tonight, Darcy James Argue‘s acclaimed 18-piece big band Secret Society will perform two sets at New York’s Jazz Standard as part of Hot and Cool: 40 Years of Jazz at NEC, a week-long series of concerts celebrating the 40th anniversary of New England Conservatory (NEC)’s groundbreaking jazz program.

Argue, who earned a Master’s Degree in Music Composition from NEC in 2002, is among a select group of high-profile alumni and faculty headlining events at various clubs around New York from March 20th through March 27th, with proceeds going to support jazz scholarships.

“I hold my studies with Bob Brookmeyer at NEC responsible for enabling my big band habit in the first place,” says Argue. “Having access to musicians like George Russell, Lee Hyla, Ran Blake, and George Garzone—being able to pick their brains on a regular basis—made for a highly stimulating creative environment, but no less important were the musical partnerships I forged with my peers. Many of those collaborations continue to this day—NEC is where I first encountered Secret Society co-conspirators Josh Sinton and Sebastian Noelle.”

The JUNO-nominated ensemble will next perform in New York on April 10th, when it returns to Galapagos Art Space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for the first time since the official CD release concert for its acclaimed 2009 debut, Infernal Machines (New Amsterdam), last May.

Photo by Ben Anaman

Bob Young profiles Darcy James Argue and his 18-piece big band, Secret Society, in today’s Boston Herald.

The article, which previews the Argue’s Thursday night performance at Regattabar in Harvard Square, focuses on the steampunk aspects of the band and how they pertain to its music.

“Steampunk is how one of the hottest young composers in jazz, New England Conservatory grad Darcy James Argue, describes the sound of his big band, which has earned nods as ‘the most pioneering’ and ‘coolest’ outfit in the business,” Young writes. “Steampunk is a modern, relatively underground movement that reveres the world of steam engines, Victorian-era England and Jules Verne-like flying machines as symbolic antidotes to contemporary high-tech life and culture. Argue basically uses the traditional jazz big band and its emphatically acoustic sound to twist tradition with sonic elements that give a nod to indie rock as well as to Duke Ellington.”

He adds, “H.G. Wells and Sun Ra both would be proud.”

Photo by Lindsay Beyerstein

On Tuesday, March 23rd, Darcy James Argue‘s acclaimed 18-piece big band Secret Society will perform two sets at New York’s Jazz Standard as part of Hot and Cool: 40 Years of Jazz at NEC, a week-long series of concerts celebrating the 40th anniversary of New England Conservatory’s groundbreaking jazz program. Argue, who earned a Master’s Degree in Music Composition from NEC in 2002, is among a select group of high-profile alumni and faculty headlining events at various clubs around New York from March 20th through March 27th, with proceeds going to support jazz scholarships.

“I hold my studies with Bob Brookmeyer at NEC responsible for enabling my big band habit in the first place,” says Argue. “Having access to musicians like George Russell, Lee Hyla, Ran Blake, and George Garzone—being able to pick their brains on a regular basis—made for a highly stimulating creative environment, but no less important were the musical partnerships I forged with my peers. Many of those collaborations continue to this day—NEC is where I first encountered Secret Society co-conspirators Josh Sinton and Sebastian Noelle.”

Secret Society has been Argue’s exclusive outlet as a bandleader since the so-called steampunk big band’s May 2005 debut at the iconic rock club, CBGB. The genre-defiant ensemble’s 2009 release, Infernal Machines (New Amsterdam Records), made Argue one of the year’s most talked about jazz musicians and earned a spot on more than 70 best-of lists, including Best Debut honors in the prestigious Village Voice Jazz Critics Poll. In addition to widespread attention within the jazz world, he has been profiled on National Public Radio (NPR), as well as in publications such as Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal, and the band’s June concert in Philadelphia was the subject of a recent episode of WHYY’s On Canvas. Learn more about Argue and Secret Society at http://secretsociety.typepad.com

Photo by Lindsay Beyerstein

On Thursday, February 25th, acclaimed New York-based composer, and New England Conservatory alumnus, Darcy James Argue will return to Boston with his innovative 18-piece big band, Secret Society, for a performance at Regattabar. This will be the four year-old ensemble’s Boston debut, and first concert in New England since the release of its celebrated 2009 recording, Infernal Machines (New Amsterdam Records), which appeared on more than 70 best-of-the-year lists and was named Best Debut in the prestigious Village Voice Jazz Critics Poll.

“Argue’s tunes can command your attention anywhere,” writes Newsweek‘s Seth Colter Walls, “no small feat in our media-saturated world.” Critics called the record “a seven-track marvel of imagination” (David R. Adler, Time Out New York), “a fully integrated sound world as current as it is timeless” (Troy Collins, AllAboutJazz.com), “a nearly perfect creative synthesis between tradition and innovation” (John Eyles, BBC) and “a wickedly intelligent dispatch from the fading border between orchestral jazz and post-rock and classical minimalism” (Nate Chinen, New York Times). JazzTimes‘ Michael J. West adds, “With their haunting compositions and imaginative experiments, Argue’s Secret Society might do for jazz what Radiohead did for rock—and poach some of its audience, too.”

A Vancouver native, and former member of the Montreal jazz scene, Argue moved to New York in 2003 after earning a Master’s Degree in Boston while studying with legendary composer/arranger Bob Brookmeyer. Heralded for both his composing skills and his role as one of the jazz world’s most prominent bloggers, he has been profiled on National Public Radio (NPR) and in publications such as Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal. His rise to prominence in 2009 was further aided by notable performances around New York as well as in Germany, The Netherlands and Canada, where he conducted an all-star performance of a new, specially commissioned piece at the National Jazz Awards. The Boston Globe‘s Joan Anderman concludes, “Argue is that rare bird in any genre—an original thinker—but his real gift is in transposing big ideas into music that is as inviting as it is innovative.”

Photo by Matthew Fried

On Friday, April 24th, Firehouse 12 will present a two-set performance by tenor saxophonist/composer Noah Preminger and his quartet. The Hartford native and widely acclaimed wunderkind is on the road building on the success of his 2008 debut, Dry Bridge Road (Nowt Records), which earned Best Debut of the Year honors in the prestigious Village Voice Jazz Poll. His group features the veteran talents of pianist Frank Kimbrough, bassist Joe Martin and drummer Jeff Davis.

In a recent feature in the Boston Globe, Siddhartha Mitter wrote, “all the evidence thus far says Preminger is ahead of the game. He plays with not just chops and composure, but already a distinct voice: His approach privileges mood and reflectiveness, favoring weaving lines that can be complex but are also concise, without a trace of over-playing or bravado.” Other critics have called him “a young and exciting saxophonist who, at the age of 22, seems calm, cool and collected” (Michael P. Gladstone, AllAboutJazz.com) and “a composer of wit, substance, and intrigue whose music requires close listening to reveal all the intricacies therein” (Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide).

A 2008 graduate of Boston’s New England Conservatory, where he studied with such notable musicians as Rakalam Bob Moses and Danilo Pérez, Preminger moved to New York this past summer and currently resides in Brooklyn. In addition to his own band, he is already working with a number of established leaders, including Dave Allen, Bruno Råberg and his producer and mentor, John McNeil. “Noah Preminger may be in his early 20s but the maturity of his musical choices shows he’s a good listener and very talented,” explains the Hartford Courant‘s Richard Kamins. “Dry Bridge Road is a very strong start to what one hopes is a long and creative career.” 

2009 Spring Jazz Series Schedule:

03/20: Julian Lage Group
03/27: Jimmy Greene Quartet
04/03: Pete Robbins/Mario Pavone/Tyshawn Sorey
04/10: George Colligan Trio
04/17: Wadada Leo Smith’s Organic Resonance
04/24: Noah Preminger Quartet
05/01: Michaël Attias Quintet
05/08: Peter Brötzmann/Nasheet Waits
05/15: James Carney Group
05/22: Michael Musillami Trio + 3
05/29: Ben Allison & Man Size Safe
06/05: Carl Maguire’s Floriculture
06/12: Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher

Tickets and more information available at:
http://firehouse12.com/performance_space_calendar.asp