Examples of Twelves
- This is just me gathering my research re. Examples of Twelves:
There seems to be no pics or website so straight on to biography and albums:
Examples of Twelves biography:
" Indebted to greats such as Sun Ra, Mingus, Neil Ardley and Mike Westbrook, Examples of Twelves are a band-headed by Nostalgia 77 bassist Riaan Vosloo. Collectively, the players have a wealth of experience both live and on record, with the Examples of Twelves sets seeing some of their most personal and adventurous work to date.
In demand for their mixture of new material and re-arrangements of both standards and cult club jazz tracks, the group are unique in their ability to switch between deep, Mingus-esque workouts and uptempo swinging grooves that have proved a hit at numerous Jazz sessions in and around London.
"With two cult albums, The Way Things Were and The Way Things Are, composer-bassist Riaan Vosloo has created a moody, idiosyncratic soundworld all his own under the name Examples of Twelves. It is simultaneously futuristic and retro, wrangling electronics, improv, beats and swing within a contemporary jazz framework. His live sextet features three horns and two drummers, playing acoustic and electronic sets."
"The Guardian"
- From Progarchives.
Riaan Vosloo - Double Bass, Graham Fox - Drums, Mark Hanslip - Tenor Sax, Johnny Spall - Alto Sax, Tom Allan - Trumpet, Trevor Mires - Trombone, Ross Stanley - Keys, Chris Allard - Guitar, Steph Cavey/Sophie Coles - Violins, Nat Cavey - Viola, Lucy Ralton - Cello
"Examples of Twelves is a project from Riaan Vosloo, a wide ranging and ambitious album that lives up to some of the best British jazz of the past thirty years.
Indebted to greats such as Sun Ra, Mingus, Neil Ardley and Mike Westbrook, Examples of Twelves are headed by Nostalgia 77 bassist Riaan Vosloo. Collectively, the players have a wealth of experience both live and on record, with the Examples of Twelves sets seeing some of their most personal and adventurous work to date.
"This project is an attempt at a unification of many styles under the umbrella of brit jazz. The project is made up of the players from the nostalgia 77 octet and is one of the many side projects associated with that band.
The many styles that are referenced are a reflection of the music that I/ our generation grew up with, as well as being a reflection of the people and culture that surround us. The influence of the individual is shown in the themes and also the episodic nature of the music. This episodic style is perhaps also down to the influence of the moving image, both television and film. The pieces are long and interlinked because I hoped to show that contemporary/popular music need not be confined to 8-10 minutes." (Riaan Vosloo)
Riaan Vosloo... has concocted a peculiarly British take on 21st century jazz. Its shifting themes and moods touch on Neil Ardley-ish arrangements...He creates crushing, post-jungle breaks, with fat horn stabs and at least one gnarled trombone solo. All of which makes the quieter moments seem all the more mature and moving, with unobtrusive yet luxuriant string and horn arrangements providing velvety depth one moment, the next painting delicate, elegiac colors like a rainy Northern sky. Its a classy statement from one to watch."
(Jazzwise magazine, March 2007)
- Impossible Ark Records 2007 - (3,09 GBP here)
"With two cult albums, The Way Things Were and The Way Things Are, composer-bassist Riaan Vosloo has created a moody, idiosyncratic soundworld all his own under the name Examples of Twelves. It is simultaneously futuristic and retro, wrangling electronics, improv, beats and swing within a contemporary jazz framework. His live sextet features three horns and two drummers, playing acoustic and electronic sets.
Horace Tapscotts Desert Fairy Princess evokes the beatnik basement jazz of movies like A Bucket of Blood and All Night Long. Vosloos own pieces, with inspired ensemble writing, maintain the mood, and the high bass lines of Part 3 of The Way Things Were tug the heartstrings. With no piano nor guitar, the compositional and improvisational nuances are easy to hear. Free Spirits, by Mary Lou Williams, and a strident, thundering version of Sun Ras A Call for All Demons broaden the 60s jazz palette. Tenor saxist Mark Hanslip shines on the former, while Fulvio Sigurtà is outstanding on trumpet and flugel.
Vosloos The Way Things Are takes up all the second set. Sigurtàs muted trumpet emerges, Miles-like, from the electronic heat-haze, while the two drummers create polyrhythms against Vosloos resonant bass. Delicate ensemble passages give way to intense solos, including Johnny Spalls ferocious alto sax. Vosloo uses the remaining horns in conjunction with the laptop samples to create background textures and harmonies. Sigurtà makes good use of electronics, too, to process his searing trumpet lines.
The band shift from abstraction to grooves with an accomplished ease that make Cinematic Orchestras live band sound like dabblers. If a nightclub band were ever needed for an extra-noir directors cut of Blade Runner, Examples of Twelves would be it.
- The Guardian.
- Impossible Ark Records 2009
There seems to be no pics or website so straight on to biography and albums:
Examples of Twelves biography:
" Indebted to greats such as Sun Ra, Mingus, Neil Ardley and Mike Westbrook, Examples of Twelves are a band-headed by Nostalgia 77 bassist Riaan Vosloo. Collectively, the players have a wealth of experience both live and on record, with the Examples of Twelves sets seeing some of their most personal and adventurous work to date.
In demand for their mixture of new material and re-arrangements of both standards and cult club jazz tracks, the group are unique in their ability to switch between deep, Mingus-esque workouts and uptempo swinging grooves that have proved a hit at numerous Jazz sessions in and around London.
"With two cult albums, The Way Things Were and The Way Things Are, composer-bassist Riaan Vosloo has created a moody, idiosyncratic soundworld all his own under the name Examples of Twelves. It is simultaneously futuristic and retro, wrangling electronics, improv, beats and swing within a contemporary jazz framework. His live sextet features three horns and two drummers, playing acoustic and electronic sets."
"The Guardian"
- From Progarchives.
Riaan Vosloo - Double Bass, Graham Fox - Drums, Mark Hanslip - Tenor Sax, Johnny Spall - Alto Sax, Tom Allan - Trumpet, Trevor Mires - Trombone, Ross Stanley - Keys, Chris Allard - Guitar, Steph Cavey/Sophie Coles - Violins, Nat Cavey - Viola, Lucy Ralton - Cello
"Examples of Twelves is a project from Riaan Vosloo, a wide ranging and ambitious album that lives up to some of the best British jazz of the past thirty years.
Indebted to greats such as Sun Ra, Mingus, Neil Ardley and Mike Westbrook, Examples of Twelves are headed by Nostalgia 77 bassist Riaan Vosloo. Collectively, the players have a wealth of experience both live and on record, with the Examples of Twelves sets seeing some of their most personal and adventurous work to date.
"This project is an attempt at a unification of many styles under the umbrella of brit jazz. The project is made up of the players from the nostalgia 77 octet and is one of the many side projects associated with that band.
The many styles that are referenced are a reflection of the music that I/ our generation grew up with, as well as being a reflection of the people and culture that surround us. The influence of the individual is shown in the themes and also the episodic nature of the music. This episodic style is perhaps also down to the influence of the moving image, both television and film. The pieces are long and interlinked because I hoped to show that contemporary/popular music need not be confined to 8-10 minutes." (Riaan Vosloo)
Riaan Vosloo... has concocted a peculiarly British take on 21st century jazz. Its shifting themes and moods touch on Neil Ardley-ish arrangements...He creates crushing, post-jungle breaks, with fat horn stabs and at least one gnarled trombone solo. All of which makes the quieter moments seem all the more mature and moving, with unobtrusive yet luxuriant string and horn arrangements providing velvety depth one moment, the next painting delicate, elegiac colors like a rainy Northern sky. Its a classy statement from one to watch."
(Jazzwise magazine, March 2007)
- Impossible Ark Records 2007 - (3,09 GBP here)
"With two cult albums, The Way Things Were and The Way Things Are, composer-bassist Riaan Vosloo has created a moody, idiosyncratic soundworld all his own under the name Examples of Twelves. It is simultaneously futuristic and retro, wrangling electronics, improv, beats and swing within a contemporary jazz framework. His live sextet features three horns and two drummers, playing acoustic and electronic sets.
Horace Tapscotts Desert Fairy Princess evokes the beatnik basement jazz of movies like A Bucket of Blood and All Night Long. Vosloos own pieces, with inspired ensemble writing, maintain the mood, and the high bass lines of Part 3 of The Way Things Were tug the heartstrings. With no piano nor guitar, the compositional and improvisational nuances are easy to hear. Free Spirits, by Mary Lou Williams, and a strident, thundering version of Sun Ras A Call for All Demons broaden the 60s jazz palette. Tenor saxist Mark Hanslip shines on the former, while Fulvio Sigurtà is outstanding on trumpet and flugel.
Vosloos The Way Things Are takes up all the second set. Sigurtàs muted trumpet emerges, Miles-like, from the electronic heat-haze, while the two drummers create polyrhythms against Vosloos resonant bass. Delicate ensemble passages give way to intense solos, including Johnny Spalls ferocious alto sax. Vosloo uses the remaining horns in conjunction with the laptop samples to create background textures and harmonies. Sigurtà makes good use of electronics, too, to process his searing trumpet lines.
The band shift from abstraction to grooves with an accomplished ease that make Cinematic Orchestras live band sound like dabblers. If a nightclub band were ever needed for an extra-noir directors cut of Blade Runner, Examples of Twelves would be it.
- The Guardian.
- Impossible Ark Records 2009
Comments
I sent Riann some info on the AAJ dotd. He sounded interested in his correspondence. On the other hand, I have a bunch of emails with follow-up flags in my aaj inbox for people who said they were interested but never filled out the submission form. We'll see.
Either way it goes, Twelves was a very nice find, BN. Cheers.
Here's the link to their last album, a very solid outing.
- And here's a link to the Cardboard Music review.
I found out that I downloaded the "Are" and "Were" albums back in 2009 but I have no idea how these came to my awareness in the first place (it could be just the band name).
- I found out about the new "Things" album by recieving an email from Impossible Ark Recordings: - Now, I got this because I downloaded the free Impossible Ark Records compilation from Bandcamp some time ago:
- Here's an opportunity to check out 3 tracks from the above mentioned Nostalgia 77 (Riaan Vosloo on bass). (recommended)