Showing posts with label maxwell stover. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maxwell stover. Show all posts

Thursday, June 11, 2026

Recording: C'est la fête Large Ensemble

Artist: C'est la fête Large Ensemble

Song: [set 1 excerpt]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Musica Universalis), May 6, 2026.

C'est la fête Large Ensemble - [set 1 excerpt]

Noting that their earliest phase was as a trio, one could note that C'est la fête has been slowly expanding, up to its current five-piece formation with the incorporation of saxophonists Maxwell Stover and Colin Fisher; this show pushed further in that direction by bringing in a pair of guests (Karen Ng and Mark Hundevad) familiar to all involved. That left opportunities for plenty of honkin', but some of the maximalist tendencies were reined in by Fisher's compositional fragments, and a willingness by the players to let things drop down to occasional duos and trios. All of that's in play in the piece excerpted here, which drifts along at the start while the players look in real time for directions to move together — and then gets real inneresting.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

[Musica Universalis will be back in the Southern Cross with more music from Colin Fisher & friends on June 19th.]

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Recording: Ben Mike & The Beatles

Artist: Ben Mike & The Beatles

Song: "...the forest, the virgin forest, the life of a woodcutter" [middle section]

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), March 14, 2026.

Ben Mike & The Beatles - "...the forest, the virgin forest, the life of a woodcutter" [middle section]

Catching these Beatles for the second time, I noted — given the consistency of the membership — that this was definitely more than a thrown-together jam. With only what looked like a photocopied page of notes for a score, the grounp moved together effortlessly through a variety of moods, from atmospheric drift to the rocking On The Corner-style funk heard here (and leaning back at the end to listen to some Cat Stevens). There was a wonderfully-mythic (though possibly apocryphal) origin story of sorts given at the start, but this is a unit built to carry some myths.

So far as I can tell (correct me if I'm wrong!) the full ensemble was:

  • Ray Goudy, Josh Sparks, Dylan Burrett (Guitars)
  • Maxwell Stover, Ben Rositsan, Zack Goldstein (Reeds and Woodwinds)
  • Lauren Dillen (Vocals)
  • Steven Noronha, Ben Mike, Will Hunt (Keyboards)
  • Sara May (Violin)
  • Aidan McConnell (Percussion)

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

[Ben Mike & The Beatles will be reassembling at Dina's Tavern Thursday, May 14th. Chris Ma is also on the bill.]

Recording: Down Town

Artist: Down Town

Song: unknown*

Recorded at The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge), March 14, 2026.

Down Town - unknown

Very intriguing work from this duo of Maxwell Stover (soprano sax, laptop) and Ian Afif (eleectric bass). The former, of course, has been doing great sax work in a variety of contexts, while the latter's name was hitherto known to me through some excellent recording credits. Together, they were prepelling themselves in a different direction with some melt-drifting Hassell vibes. Only three pieces in this set, but there was word that there'll be some recordings coming soon.

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube:

* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Recording: Many People

Artist: Many People

Song: [excerpt]

Recorded at Wenona Lodge (Music Hosted by Karen Ng: A fundraiser show for Earlobe), February 18, 2025.

Many People - [excerpt]

This musical concept from Karen Ng continues to evolve from its origins as a massive horn section — though that's still at the heart of it, percussion and other noises are now increasingly incorporated, making the performances more akin to swelling jams than lingering zones. This particular instance of the group was convened to celebrate the launch of Earlobe, the new website/mailing list "listing experimental music and sound art events happening in Toronto", three of whose organizers were performing. The full ensemble was:

  • Karen Ng - alto sax
  • Maxwell Stover - tenor sax
  • Marilyn Yogarajah - trumpet
  • Heather Saumer - trombone
  • Fahmid Nibesh - guitar
  • Heraclitus Akimbo - electronics
  • Kieran Maraj - bass
  • %%30%30 - percussion
  • Germaine Liu - percussion
  • Mark Zurawinsky - percussion

You can check out some more from this set over on youtube: