Saxsyndrum

Divan Orange, Montreal QC, September 20

Photo: Steve Louie

BY Matt BobkinPublished Sep 21, 2014

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Saxophone. Drums. Violin. A smorgasbord of pedals and synth sequencers. While these elements don't initially sound like they'd fit together, the ingenious composition team of drummer Nick Schofield and saxophonist Dave Switchenko combined those pieces to exceed the sum of their parts last night (September 20), creating a funky sound that blended jazz with electronics to turn the 1 a.m. crowd into a sweaty dance party. Joined by a guest violinist for most of the set, and a visiting saxophonist for one number, the troupe executed track after track of electro-funk excellence.

Occasionally, the tracks tended to blend together, especially as they seemed to rearrange the same parts over and over again, but notable standouts were the poppier third number, and the one-song encore, an "older cut" that began with the Super Mario level completion jingle and then proceeded to sound like the plumber's celebration party. The band merged jazzy instrumentation with well-executed effects, blending past and present musical innovations for a great, late-night party.

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