Return of the Guitar Man - The New York City Jazz Record

Loose Torque
by Ken Waxman
Loose Torque is the audio equivalent of a small press
publisher that concentrates on aesthetics. Just as those
firms’ limited-edition books are printed on highquality
paper with covers produced by hand-operated
letterpress, Loose Torque CDRs are computer-burned
in batches of 100, using specialist Taiyo Yuden discs,
with professionally designed packaging.
Loose Torque is the brainchild of veteran British
bassist Nick Stephens, who describes himself as “artistproducer-runner.
I play on and record the music, mix
and edit it, think of titles, burn, print and pack the
discs and take them to the post office.” Founded in
2005, Loose Torque has already released 21 CDRs,
ranging from archival sessions with such major UK
players as alto saxophonist Dudu Pukwana and
drummer John Stevens to contemporary dates that
showcase Norwegian saxophonist Frode Gjerstad,
British trumpeter Jon Corbett and South African
drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo among others. The
label’s literal in-house art staff is Stephens’ wife Fay,
an illustrator and New Media designer, who also
maintains the website.
Loose Torque’s genesis resulted from a combination
of serendipity and frustration. “I had a lot of tapes in
my cupboard mostly from my 17-or-so years with John
Stevens,” Stephens explains. “Similarly Dudu recorded
everything he did and not long before he died he gave
me a shoebox full of tapes.” Also on hand was a studio
Antwerp 1988
John Stevens’ Fast Colour
LABEL SPOTLIGHT
JC STYLLES is a guitarist originally from Australia,
who first hit New York City in the period 1992-95
before returning permanently in 2005. He specializes
in the guitar/organ trio format and has performed
with many leading Hammond B-3 organists. Recently
signed to the Motéma Music label, Stylles currently
leads a trio featuring the exciting organist Pat Bianchi.
Teachers: Mostly self-taught before attending jazz
camp as a teenager featuring Vic Juris, Steve Erquiaga,
John Scofield and others. Undertook master classes in
the early ‘90s by Pat Martino, Tal Farlow, John
Abercrombie and Barry Harris and one-on-one studies
during the same period with Rodney Jones.
Influences: Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Charlie
Parker, Bobby Hutcherson, Jimmy Smith and others.
Current Projects: New CD Exhilaration & other states on
Motéma Music and completing an instructional video
on the right-hand picking technique developed by
George Benson.
By Day: Trying out new recipes, accompanied by a
glass of red wine, while listening to Bobby Hutcherson.
I knew I wanted to be a musician when... I heard
Bird’s ballads from the Dial sessions at around eight
years old, but really knew it when as a teenager I was
a salad hand in a restaurant and had to clean out pots
‘round midnight that were big enough to bath in.
Calling Signals
LISTEN UP!
12 October 2011 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD
Gjerstad/Moholo/Poulsen/Stephens
effort recorded in 1996 by Calling Signals, Stephens’
band with Gjerstad, which didn’t interest commercial
labels. But “the clincher was my Septet. I was very
proud of the group, had two years worth of recordings,
but couldn’t get it on record.” Meanwhile Stephens
had already built a home-studio. “I was coming-up 60
and beginning to feel unsure about my immortality. I
wanted some way of documenting musicians and our
place in the music of the time,” he remembers.
Soon he discovered the advantages of Taiyo Yuden,
a company in business since 1950, which patented the
world’s first CDR. “I wanted short runs. I’ve heard
independent label owners say having 1,000 CDs leaves
them with a garage full of unsold discs. But ours is
genuinely a cottage industry. Up until recently I burned
the discs one at a time to order. I’ve now bought a
seven-CD tower, but I still thermal print each disc one
at a time.” Another long-time improviser who often
plays with Stephens, Corbett thought up the label
name: “Loose Torque suggests informal dialogue and I
thought that it quite aptly described improvised music
where the participants interact with each other.”
The label’s first batch of seven releases included
Fast Colour Antwerp 1988, by a Stevens-led septet never
documented on record. Besides the drummer and
bassist, personnel included trumpeter Harry Beckett,
Pukwana and Evan Parker on saxophones, trombonist
Annie Whitehead and vocalist Pinise Saul. Over the
years, “Fast Colour has been our best seller, but anything
with The Vikings - Frode and Paal [Nilssen-Love] - or
Louis [Moholo-Moholo] on it also causes some
interest,” Stephens notes.
“Nick and I are friends so when we do something
Integration
John Stevens Away
Dream Band: A Charlie Parker-Wes Montgomery-
Bobby Hutcherson frontline with a mid ‘60s Herbie
Hancock trio.
Did you know? I grew up in a commune-like
environment in a predominantly aboriginal town in
tropical Australia.
For more information, visit jcstylles.com
JC Stylles
Chris Welcome
From sparse chamber-jazz to spastic avant-metal,
guitarist CHRIS WELCOME lends his unique voice to
a variety of ensembles. His compositions combine
space and pointillism with extended techniques and a
loose jazz sensibility. Born in 1980 in New York,
Welcome grew up around Chicago and lives in
Brooklyn.
Teachers: I’m lucky to have studied with two great
guitar teachers, Frank Portolese and Vic Juris. I also
Don’t Answer It
The Schizo Quartet
together he’ll record it and if he and I think it’s OK,
he’ll release it,” reports Gjerstad. “A CDR reflects the
fact that this is a small music. But it shows that it’s
possible to release stuff without having a major label
contract. Limited distribution doesn’t bother me. When
I tour I bring CDs along and people buy them. Loose
Torque may be a kitchen operation, but at the end of
the day, the artist still makes a little money. Some
companies want all rights in exchange for releasing a
CD. And with downloads and streaming it’s easy to
lose control. But Nick will give me as many discs as I
want [to sell].”
Recording new material is part of Stephens’ desire
to document under-recorded players. “Recording
sessions are like a social club, guys who know each
other meeting in a relaxed atmosphere with no
temporal or financial restrictions, apart from pub
opening hours,” says Corbett. “You don’t get that from
more commercial labels. Nick is very open to
suggestions and you can get involved in the editing
and mixing if you so wish, or leave it to his excellent ears.”
As for archival discs, “the decisions over which
old material to release are based on sustained quality
of music and sound, potential interest and my time,”
Stephens explains. Dangerous Musics In ‘91, for
instance, with himself, Corbett and drummer Roger
Turner was “a group that was influential at the time,
but unrecorded and hardly known outside of London.”
The CDR is drawn from two cassette tapes; one from a
session at Turner’s flat and one “from a tape that Jon
found down the back of his sofa which must have been
given to him by someone after a gig.”
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 41)
studied harmony and theory with Ralph Bowen and
Stanley Cowell at Rutgers University.
Influences: Charlie Parker, Derek Bailey, Sonny
Sharrock, Anthony Braxton, Webern, Hendrix, Joe
Maneri, Stockhausen, Miles, Monk, Sonny Rollins,
John Cage, Black Sabbath, all my teachers.
Current Projects: Chris Welcome Quartet; Mothguts,
Trio Caveat; trios with Lisa Mezzacappa and Mike
Pride and Kirk Knuffke and Federico Ughi; duos with
Shayna Dulberger, Bonnie Kane and Mike Noordzy.
By Day: Drink coffee, write music, practice, teach
lessons (in that order).
I knew I wanted to be a musician when... I’ve been
obsessed with music my entire life. I can’t remember a
time when I didn’t want to be a musician.
Dream Band: Playing with Jonathan Moritz, Shayna
Dulberger and John McLellan in my quartet is pretty
dreamy!
Did you know? I’ve also written a lot of chamber and
electroacoustic music. You can hear recordings of some
of these pieces at chriswelcome.com.
For more information, visit chriswelcome.com. Welcome is
at Douglass Street Music Collective Oct. 3rd and Prospect
Series Oct. 8th. See Calendar.
Attic Antics
Lonberg-Holm/Stephens