Secret Architecture

Secret Architecture at The Jazz Bar

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Review

Secret Architecture

With their combined age of 65 the three members of Secret Architecture are as fresh faced as they come. The band itself is similarly youthful – just nine months old and as yet unsigned – but it’s such a slick operation you’d never know.

The technical brilliance of individual band members – percussionist Zach Mangan, saxophonist Fraser Campbell and guitarist Ilan Bar-Lavi – is mesmerising, and the trio's charismatic performance, which involves a fair amount of wild swaying and jumping about to the music, certainly makes for dynamic viewing.

But what is truly prodigious about Secret Architecture is the astounding musical sensitivity that characterises the group’s performance; the intelligent use of dynamics, the pinpoint rhythmic accuracy and the perceptive accompaniment supporting the frequent virtuoso passages demonstrate the trio’s exceptional talent.

And then there’s the music itself. Composed by Mangan and Campbell, the experimental, lyric-free tracks reference a wide variety of musical styles. This blending of disparate genres is undoubtedly influenced by the band members’ own multi-national roots, which link the trio to Scotland, America, Israel and Mexico. Mixing compositional devices gleaned from contemporary jazz with influences from the genres of rock, pop and folk, as well as music from Africa and India, Mangan and Campbell create an exciting and truly original sound that transgresses traditional generic boundaries.

‘On the rail’, for example, begins with a two note motif on the guitar – a theme that recurs three times throughout the track – accompanied by light tapping of the cymbal, but soon develops through an accelerando into a heavy rock guitar base with a lilting jazz-inspired saxophone melody overlaid.

In contrast, ‘Almost Criminal’ opens with a snare drum solo reminiscent of the military march, and progresses into complex ascending and descending jazz runs played in unison with the utmost precision by Campbell and Bar-Lavi. Other tunes – the beautiful ‘Sunshine Song’, for example – showcase polyphonic exchanges between the pair.

The trio often break the melodic flow to launch into digressional sections mid-track, confounding the expectations of the audience and juxtaposing stylistically opposed fragments of music. But at other points during the set the music slips seamlessly from one genre into another, the transition facilitated by Mangan’s masterful control over the drum kit and the rhythmic innovation he injects into the performance.

Indeed, whilst all three instrumentalists are to be commended, it is Mangan who really shines: even when assuming an accompanying role, the complexity of his performance, and its accuracy, is breathtaking. The glorious five-minute drum kit solo at the beginning of ‘Time for bed said Zebedee’ is one of the high points of the performance, in which Mangan abandons his sticks for bare hands and pummels his drum kit like an Indian tabla.

Despite the energetic two-hour performance, the trio barely break a sweat and hop down from the stage at the end of the gig, eager to flog the remaining tour merchandise to the crowd. If they maintain this winning combination of enthusiasm, exceptional talent and innovative writing, Secret Architecture won't remain under the radar for long.

They'll certainly sell out of t-shirts before the end of their next tour.

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