Racer Session #345 | CHIVES | October 9, 2016
We're very excited to welcome CHIVES to the Racer Sessions this Sunday for their first presentation at our series! A trio based out of SF and Brooklyn, CHIVES will present a set of original music in celebration of their new release YEAUX. As the band members put it: "Our music is highly influenced by the world of song writing and everything else that isn't jazz." Read below for more information about this great trio's history together, and we look forward to seeing you at the Racer Sessions this Sunday, Oct. 9th at 8pm!
"These CHIVES guys, they’ve known each other since they were kids. That’s what you hear when you listen to this band. From how they approach their instruments to how they respond to one another, from the music they’ve written to how they actively engage with the unique musical space of each song, it's all tied together by a strong personal connective tissue that could only be developed over a long time. This is a group of three individuals that went from being friends in the same Bay Area grade school-music scene to being roommates in the same Brooklyn apartment over a 10 year span. And then they decided to form their own band.
Their latest release… let’s call it an “EP”. Do jazz musicians make mixtapes? Are CHIVES jazz? Either way, let’s actually call it a “mixtape”. This mixtape, Yeaux, is a rekindling. A rekindling of a certain kind of magic music that is uniquely CHIVES. All three are emotional players who can veer effortlessly from forlorn balladry to spindly improvisation to relentless grooves and back again. You can expect to hear all that and more on Yeaux. But why the RE-kindling? Why not just... kindling?
"Our music is highly influenced by the world of song writing and everything else that isn't jazz."
Well you see, after a few releases and tours and a few years living nearly on top of each other, a dormant period followed for CHIVES. During this time, Matt and Steven returned home to San Francisco, while Max stayed in Brooklyn (He claims he’s returning to the Bay “in two years”... every year). With time together at a premium, the trio has managed to maintain their evolving musical connection entirely because of their deep personal one.
Hence Yeaux, which is a rekindling of their creative partnership. Commenting on the title, drummer Max Jaffe said “‘Yeaux’ is French Creole for ‘Yo’, and it’s welcoming. ‘Yeaux! Come over, let’s play!’. I was home for the holidays and yo's were exchanged. We had a few casual afternoons playing together in Steven's living room, and getting the music written/arranged/rehearsed/recorded was effortless fun. I'd like to think of 'Yeaux' as our invitation for anyone to come hang out in Steven's living room while we play.”
OPENING SET
Chives presented several original pieces. Steven Lugerner (winds), Max Jaffe (drums), Giulio Cetto (bass)
JAM SESSION
1: Evan Woodle (drums), Steven Lugerner (alto sax), Neil Welch (tenor sax), Giulio Cetto (bass), Haley Freedlund (trombone), Janna Webbon (violin), Schuyler Asplin (trumpet)
2: Chives
3: Evan Captain (piano), Giulio Cetto (bass), Max Jaffe (drums), Simon Henneman (guitar)
4: Elias Hampton (guitar), Daniel Webbon (drums), Chris Cole (trumpet), Ryan Cutler (bass)
5: Neil Welch (tenor sax), Keeli McCarthy (drums) Janna Webbon (violin), Ryan Cutler (bass), Leo Vasanova, Schuyler Asplin (trumpet)
6: Tai Taitano (drums), Julio (bass), Ray Larsen (trumpet), Ian Mengedoht (sax), Simon Henneman (guitar)
7: Schuyler Asplin (trumpet), Haley Freedlund (trombone), Andrew Olmstead (piano), Max Jaffe (drums), Giulio Cetto (bass), Chris Cole (trumpet), Nick Mendonsa (guitar)