Classical and Jazz: Preview - Flea Circus at LSO St Luke’s on March 3rd
Published: 24 February, 2011
by SEBASTIAN TAYLOR
EAR-bashing amplification has been the curse of the jazz circuit for so long that audiences have forgotten what a musical instrument sounds like.
The most ridiculous use of amplification I’ve had the misfortune to endure was at the small Pizza Express basement club in Soho. Super jazz pianists Liane Carroll and Ian Shaw played together on two Steinways in what should have been a wonderful gig. But fed through a system abounding in mikes, wires and speakers, it was hard to disentangle one piano from another.
I’ve had similar experiences at Lauderdale House, The Forge, Vortex, Ronnie Scott’s and pub rooms galore. What’s so weird is that classical musicians play without amplification, making their instruments and voices heard in small and large venues.
It’s cheering, then, that the hegemony of amplification in jazz is being challenged by Flea Circus, a new acoustic group formed by young West Hampstead trumpeter Jack Davies. The group is making its debut next Thursday at LSO St Luke’s In Old Street.
In addition to trumpet, the group comprises a bass clarinet, accordion and double bass.
“I’m really attracted to the natural sound of instruments, for instance, the bass sounds a different instrument when it’s not being piped through a speaker,” says Jack. “Our bass player makes a beautiful sound and there’s a really visceral feeling when the double bass is naturally vibrating – that definitely gets lost when amplification is involved.
“One of the most enjoyable things about Flea Circus is the natural blend of the trumpet, bass clarinet, double bass and accordion. The fact that we don’t use amplification means the dynamic range isn’t compressed – we can play really pianissimo.”
The group’s name comes from a scene in the film La Cité des Enfants Perdus (City of lost children) in which a flea circus owner uses a flea to inject a hypnotic drug into people with its proboscis.
Flea Circus is playing at LSO St Luke’s before top American trumpeter Jeremy Pelt takes to the stage with his acclaimed all-star quintet – amplified, of course.