MUSKOX at the Tranzac Main Hall (292 Brunswick), Wednesday (September 14), 9 pm. $8, $15 with CD. tranzac.org. See listing.
When NOW named Muskox Toronto’s best jazz act in 2008, it was done in the spirit of keeping the genre’s definition as open as possible. Jazz may not be the most accurate category for their sound, but where else are you going to slot instrumental banjo prog folk?
Luckily, Muskox main man Mike Smith is getting used to the label, even if the band was originally supposed to be an escape from the genre for him.
“At first I found it really frustrating, actually, because at the time I was coming from a place where I was tired of playing jazz. I got over it after a while and realized that it doesn’t really matter. I don’t know what else to call it either.”
Muskox’s newest disc, Invocation/Transformations (independent), finds the group in more of a rock mood, wrapping their trademark intricate polyrhythms around the wide-eyed, then-futuristic vibes of 70s prog rock and the Canterbury scene.
Not the most expected place for a banjo-led band to go, but then again, considering that the instrument was once as integral to Dixieland jazz as it was to bluegrass, why not bring it into jazz fusion?
“It certainly was big in early jazz, although that would be the four-string tenor banjo. It was all over the place back then because the instrument was loud enough to be heard within a band, whereas guitar didn’t really come into play until amplifiers were invented.
“Because of the rhythmic nature of the music, it’s an appealing instrument for me. There aren’t any sustained tones, but it still has the ability to play pitches and function in both ways.”
Considering how integral the banjo is to Muskox’s sound, it’s surprising to learn that Smith, originally the bass player, only took it up after his original player quit. While the concept of the band had always been built around the banjo’s tones, Smith says the switch to playing it himself opened up a new world of possibilities.
“From a composer’s standpoint, it’s a much better position to be in than playing bass. I can get a much clearer picture of what the overall group is sounding like.”
benjaminb@nowtoronto.com
