Hill Collective
Hill Collective @ The Rose Hill, Brighton, UK, 20 April 2024,
May 15, 2024
Photo by Nick Roseblade
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There are some gigs where you wonder how it's all going to work out. This could be because the band uses a lot of graphics, for example Gorillaz, or they have props, Flaming Lips I'm looking at you here, or there are an obscene number of musicians involved. The latter was on my mind as I walked to The Rose Hill for Hill Collective's 'Tonal Prophecy' album release concert. The Hill Collective is a jazz octet group. Yes. You read that right, it's eight. Pete Piskov – alto sax and flute, Joe Edwards on drums, Federico Micheli on bass, Luke Congdon on piano, Will Roberts on trombone, Phil Smith on trumpet, Jojo Circle on harp and Sudhi S Pooniyil on percussion. “Where are they all going to go?” I wondered. To call it a tight squeeze was a bit of an understatement, but everyone got up there. But more on that in a bit…
The evening was divided into two sets. The first was the album Tonal Prophecy completely. Then, after the break, the Hill Collective would reconvene and do some improvisational exercises. As expected, the band played the album in its entirety, from start to finish. It showed their skillful playing and Piskov's ear for composition. While they were playing I thought to myself “This would be great at a kids birthday party”. That's not much, but there was something about the music that I could imagine a bunch of elementary school kids going in and dancing to. The music is serious but doesn't take itself too seriously. That's a problem with live jazz. It's all very serious. You can't smile or you're showing the masses that you somehow haven't got it. To show enjoyment is to miss the point, but that misses the point of jazz entirely. Live, it's about appreciating great players who create huge pieces of music. Music can be played at a million miles a minute until their fingers go numb. Or it can be subtle and gentle, but it's always about the skillful skill of the player. That's what Hill Collective did on “Health and Virtue,” “Dogma Loves You,” and “A Joyous Sound.” On paper the first set was why we were here, but it didn't end up being the most enjoyable part of the show. Oh no… That happened after the break.
The second part of the set was the band improvising with different themes. The first theme saw the horns play off each other. Building tension through delightful patterns and melodies. When he reached the climax he blasted, squealing and screaming until the mood died down and they started again. Under this band he kept a steady beat. “It's never completely free. There is always some structure. These things that aren't completely free allow for incredible freedom.” The next song featured stops throughout the track. Drummer Joe made the stops. The group then said “Keep breathing” and they went off again. The plan was to make about 10 stops. Joe's drumming started out scattered and then gradually morphed into something more fluid. The same was true of the game. As the stops went on, the group got braver with what they could, or couldn't, get away with. As Piskov said, it wasn't completely free, but it was pretty close. The next topic was fun. The band hunkered down and picked an audience member and just played with them. As they searched the audience for a member to focus on, they searched the horizon and looked people up and down. There was a genuine “Will it be me?” Also the band are pretty funny people and this bit of physical theater worked well. The band played a variation on “Happy Birthday” over and over again. Sometimes coordinated. Other times not. It didn't seem to matter, as the person in question looked pretty squishy. The next topic is musical divination. An audience member wrote a question for the band. They then played it back to him. They then discussed what it might mean for him. The band began playing a carefree version of the Countdown Theme while the question was being asked. The music was some of the best they played all night. There was no real cohesion between the players. They weren't pulling against each other, but they weren't pulling for each other either. Yet somehow, they managed to create this wonderful cacophony that worked so well. It had a lot of bounce to it, but it also had depth and emotion. The question was “What is the sound of the color brown?” Yep, that's pretty much what we heard. They then played something that was part of the “Mario Theme” and a beach calypso band that played for a group of vacationers on their last night. As we walked out into the cold, dark, dark Brighton night, it was a bit of a culture shock, but we all had smiles on our faces and springs in our steps.
What makes the Hill Collective such an enchanting experience is how joyful their music is. It's incredibly complicated at times, but it's also very whimsical while not being shit. That's one of the hardest things in music. Especially jazz. Jazz has a reputation for being serious, provocative and elitist. The Hill Collective takes all of that away. They offer an evening of dancing, laughter and absolute pleasure. It's hard not to be entertained. The band members exude charisma and charm. Their liaisons were funny, a little weird, staged but ultimately charming. If you're a jazz fan who likes things casual and ad hoc, Hill Collective is for you. If you're not into jazz, Hill Collective is for you. If you just like to have a great time, Hill Collective is for you and their tonal prophecies will be the soundtrack of your life.
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