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Review of Stephen Galvin album Modal Behaviour - James Robb

12/10/2021

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"...a dictionary of jazz..
"...a formidable range of genres..."

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Many years ago in Auckland there was an upstairs bar where a jazz band played every Friday night. It was probably the only regular weekly jazz gig in town at the time; no doubt the band felt a bit lucky to get it. At any rate, they seemed to make a special effort to satisfy all tastes – demonstrating their skills in a wide range of jazz styles. And even if, at times, they struggled to make themselves heard above the talking, they certainly kept their regular audience happy with that range of styles.

I was reminded of those times as I listened to Stephen Galvin’s album Modal Behaviour. This album is like a dictionary of jazz – with tracks ranging from an almost BB-King-style blues through Bebop and Latin cha-cha, to the French Gypsy-jazz of Django Reinhardt. It’s a formidable range of genres, and the musicians delight in showing their competence right across the range. Each track is briefly introduced by Galvin, which lends the set the feel of a live performance in a quiet bar.

This album had me hooked on the first track, a homage to Django Reinhardt which faithfully reproduces the spirit of the original. Galvin mimics Reinhardt’s legendary guitar-picking, and even some of his actual phrases, on a fretless bass – a feat in itself.

Another outstanding track is Woody Would, in bebop style. There are some great solos on this track – and elsewhere on the album – particularly those of Ben Hunt on trumpet and of Andre Paris on sax. It seems a long time since I heard musicians this good live.

I’ve been searching, the Blues piece, is also very fine, one of the few tracks where vocals are a major element. If I have a criticism, it is only that the lyrics didn’t seem to get quite the same careful attention as the compositions and the performances. At times they can seem a little repetitive – but this is a small matter compared to the wealth of musical interest here. Once again, this track has some great improvisations, on trumpet, sax, and keyboard.

Galvin notes the ways the musicians on Modal behaviour were affected by the Covid pandemic and the resulting lockdowns and cancellations of live music. The track Lockup expresses this frustration, and to some degree the whole album is a product of the constraints of lockdown.

But if you find yourself stuck in lockdown at home on some Friday night in the future, unable to listen to a live performance, then open a beer and listen to this album – it’s a pretty good substitute.
-James Robb
https://www.abcstudioz.com/model_behaviour.html
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Review of Modal Behaviour

16/8/2021

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Review

 A great concept executed to perfection. A sort of ode to one of Europe’s most significant and original jazzmen, Django Reinhardt. This album is a great listen, with ample complexity to command your full attention and yet with groove so smooth, a perfect backdrop to an atmospheric evening in, or a scenic drive. It is time to tune in, and tune out. Bravo, Stephen! 
-Dmitri Goloub

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Album Review

5/8/2021

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Stephen Galvin: Modal Behaviour

The following is a reprint of a review by Pedro Santos published in NZMusician August 2021.

Had I stumbled across this album by Stephen Galvin with its vaguely academic title while scanning Spotify I’m not sure that I would know what to make of it. The 10 tracks here cover so much musical ground, and while not evidently covers as such, mostly imbue a comfortable familiarity that might encourage such an assumption.
Possibly the blame lies in the choice of Django to open the album? Not that it’s a wrong move, actually as the album’s most lively track it makes the best entrée, but because the music is so convincingly in the free-wheeling style of gypsy-jazz that M. Reinhardt, who died back in the early ‘50s, is renowned for.

From that song Stephen Galvin’s mostly instrumental album cosies up to a delicate jazz guitar ballad, followed by bebop, some electric blues (with vocals), Latin rock, ’70s funk, Cuban pop – you get the picture. If that makes it sound confused and perhaps tiring, it’s not, but learning that Galvin is a long-time music teacher helps in the making sense of all that diversity. It also helps explain why he has chosen to ignore the global distributors like Spotify or Bandcamp (as per the intro above) in favour of releasing this work exclusively on his own abcstudioz (.com) site. That private platform choice allows him to briefly explain each track – whether the musical, social or historical origins – as well as acknowledge the input of his fellow musicians.

Auckland-based Galvin headed to Wellington’s Matrix Studio to record, with David Feehan producing and Feehan’s own band playing (though Galvin himself gets credits for guitar, bass and vocals on the two songs). There’s brass and woodwind, Latin percussion and endless motifs, with each instrument/artist afforded the opportunity to solo in the way you might expect of a live jazz recording.

Galvin describes ‘Modal Behaviour’ as ‘an album of original New Zealand jazz and contemporary music’, by which I gather he is saying that in their playing of familiar genres and evident styles, these Kiwi musicians can match those high international standards, yet somehow have their own intrinsic feel. It’s a commendable contention, and if the more esoteric local releases really aren’t your kind of jazz there’s bound to be some tracks here that are. Overall the mood is one of restraint, making for an album that could be an ideal conversational backdrop, or as a relaxed mood soundtrack that rewards focus, but entertains and gently stimulates without demanding it.



Stephen Galvin with the Modal Band
Left to right: Andre Paris, David Feehan, Stephen Galvin, Paul Mouncey, Jacob Randall, Phil Hornblow, Ben Hunt
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Modal Behaviour Release Date: Ist of August 2021 -Finally

28/7/2021

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Finally, we have made a decision. The Ist of August, an august occasion, the public release of the acclaimed New Zealand Jazz album Modal Behaviour. Be soothed with sensual sonorities and sinuous serendipities of human harmony, expertly expressed elegantly, authentically authored with authority and conviction by non-convicts. From gypsy jazz to Mount Cook jam, guitar ballads to gorgeous blues, Latin rock to lovely rhythms, Cuban montuno to Cuba Street musicality, Modal behaviour to mesmerising beauty, each individual chord is finely tuned to engage your ears and your mind with charm, pleasure, joy, great love, exhilarating excitement and seventh chords, additive rhythms and tactile technique serving you with musical delight at every turn of this impeccably modelled modal masterpiece of sonic art.
At once ordinary, while capturing a few moments of musical collaboration, the musicians on these tracks take a few moments out from their lives, to record melody, in the carefully made, and expertly crafted Matrix Studios in Wellington's Mount Cook, and unique, each track works its magic through the craft and training of local musicians, no inflated egos here, just music made for music. Please listen and enjoy.
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Front: Phil Adams Simon Blackwell David Feehan
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Album Release

29/3/2021

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From ABC Studioz. When to Release? When not to release? Profound questions. Profound questions indeed for those of us interested in this music. My thoughts are to have a release party. You know a gig with a live band playing the music. People can dance, have a good time, listen to the music, meet their friends  and let music do what music does best. Just thinking about the date. What do you think?
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    Stephen Galvin
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    ABC Studioz

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