The catholics’ double CD ‘Shelter’ launch
Australia’s much loved jazz-worldbeat band are back with their tenth album, “Shelter”, a double CD just jam-packed with the sort of exuberance and imagination we’ve come to expect from this venerable ensemble over their 35 year existence.
With compositional contributions from almost the entire ensemble, “Shelter” is alive with influences from gospel, soul, funk, the Caribbean, Africa, and the East – all tied together with visits to those indefinable musical locations that only The catholics seem to know about.
Apart from showcasing for the first time the work of most recent recruit Julian Curwin on guitar, slide guitar and banjo (and two very fine compositions), “Shelter” also features long-time piano accordionist Gary Daley on two more firsts, with appearances on melodica and grand piano. (You have not heard melodica played like this!)
The perpetually-youthful catholics were never in any danger of going stale, but this big new release may surprise even those who thought they had the band pigeonholed.
Come along and join in the joyous celebration that is always the hallmark of the release of a new catholIcs album.
The catholics are one of Australia’s most distinctive contemporary groups.
Their leader, composer and bassist, Lloyd Swanton, is well known across Australia and internationally for his work with improvising legends The Necks, as well as appearances on over 100 albums, many of them ARIA Award winners, both for The Necks, and other artists including Vince Jones, Wendy Matthews and Bernie McGann.
With The catholics (always a lower-case “c”) he assembled some of the best musicians in Australia from a wide spectrum of musical backgrounds. The intention was to rejuvenate the contemporary jazz sound with an infusion of dance rhythms from around the globe. The result is one of the freshest-sounding acts around, even after all these years.
Formed in 1991, their personnel comprises:
Sandy Evans – saxophones,
James Greening – trombone and pocket trumpet,
Julian Curwin – guitar and banjo,
Gary Daley – piano accordion, melodica, piano,
Hamish Stuart – drums,
Fabian Hevia – percussion, with the leader on acoustic and electric bass.
Lloyd Swanton – double bass
Throughout The catholics’ beautifully crafted and instantly accessible pieces runs a strong, seductive dance strain found in the band’s various African, Caribbean, Latin and Eastern influences.
This 7-piece ensemble is one of Australia’s most popular jazz acts and has crisscrossed the nation to great response. They have won a Mo Award for Best Jazz Group, and three of their acclaimed albums have been nominated for ARIA Awards.
The catholics have made big waves outside of their home country too, with releases of several of their albums in North America to critical acclaim. The release of their album Simple in Europe earned them a nomination for the Deutsche Schallplattenkritik Award. Overseas performances have included tours of Canada and Europe, and concerts in Thailand as part of the King of Thailand’s Silver Jubilee celebrations.
By taking the catchiness of pop music, and combining it with infectious dance rhythms of the world and indisputably authoritative jazz blowing, The catholics are creating a rare thing indeed – a sound with an instant appeal, physical excitement, passion, and critical credibility.
Says Swanton: “The bottom line for me is that people who come to see a catholics show can enjoy us intellectually or emotionally, or they can just get up and dance.”
