Item Details

Sex and the sonic smorgasbord: The Necks—extending the ‘jazz’ piano trio format

Issue: Vol 8 No. 1-2 (2014)

Journal: Jazz Research Journal

Subject Areas: Popular Music

DOI: 10.1558/jazz.v8i1-2.26902

Abstract:

This article looks at how The Necks extend the parameters of the ‘jazz’ piano trio, and what distinguishes them from most other Australian jazz groups. Their fusion of jazz, minimalism, ambient, ‘new music’ and world influences has established a cult following both in Australia and internationally. In some ways their work is an enigma, as its parameters are simultaneously open and restricted. Despite having established certain conventions such as one-hour live sets, subverting any overt ‘virtuoso’ style in favour of a less formalized and more meditative approach, the fascination in their music lies in how they manage to create individual, discrete, original sound works, characterized by a clearly focused, improvised narrative. In this article, I explore how the international achievements of The Necks over a 25 year-plus career have established them as one of the most important and distinctive Australian jazz groups.

Author: Jane Galbraith

View Original Web Page

References :

Clare, J. (1995) Bodgie Dada and the Cult of Cool. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.


Galbraith, J., and T. Mitchell (2005) ‘Interview with Chris Abrahams—The Necks’. Sydney: Unpublished.


Johnson, B., and G. Poole (2005) ‘Scoring: Sexuality and Australian Film Music, 1990–2003’. In Reel Tracks: Australian Feature Film Music and Cultural Identities, ed. Rebecca Coyle, 97–121. Eastleigh, UK: John Libbey Publishing.


Mitchell, T. (2005)Minimalist Menace: The Necks Score “The Boys”’. Screening the Past 18. http://tlweb.latrobe.edu.au/humanities/screeningthepast/firstrelease/fr_18/TMfr18a.html (accessed 20 October 2014).


——(2014) Review of Open. www.musictrust.com.au (accessed 13 December 2014).


Ross, A. (2009) The Rest is Noise. London: Harper Perennial.


Shand, J. (2009) Jazz: The Australian Accent. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.