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There are two great events taking place this Saturday,
and I couldn’t decide which one to write about, but then it hit me
like a bolt from the blue: Cover them both, man! On reaching this
astounding conclusion I couldn’t help but notice not only the
disparate genres of the two shows but also how passionate the musicians are
about their respective performances. Peggy Lowder, who began singing professionally at age
14, continued to write songs and perform with her husband, Jaigh, even as
she spent years rearing children Josie and Bo. Last year, about the time
the kids were leaving the nest, she decided that the time was ripe to get
the thoughts of a lifetime down on disk. Combining previously recorded material from Jaigh
Recorders (Mr. Lowder owned and operated one of Springfield’s longest
running recording studios in the 1980s and ’90s) and working at Troy
Roark Studio on fresh recordings, Lowder came up with a 21-song tribute to
family, faith, and the goodness of life, titled Only You. The music is smoothly
melodic, beautifully played, and without surprises. The plaintive songs are
well crafted, carefully cruising through various popular genres, meant to
be easy listening in the true sense of the term. On the other end of the scale we have the Springfield
Freejazz and Creative Music Forum, hosted by the End Times Trio, a local
instrumental ensemble whose members have termed their music “uneasy
listening.” The trio’s music — also described as
“creatively improvised” — may be difficult for the
average listener to understand; the musicians vamp on unusual scales and
tempos, sounding at times as if they aren’t even playing together.
But they are, and that’s the point: It’s supposed to stretch
the boundaries of your listening capabilities and challenge your
preconceived notions of melody, harmony, and rhythm. Richard Gilman-Opalsky, an acclaimed freejazz
percussionist and drummer, moved to Springfield from New York City last
year to take a position as assistant professor of political philosophy at
the University of Illinois at Springfield. Music gods be blessed, he found
Frank Trompeter, local jazz saxophonist, avid free-jazz performer, and, a
few years back, main organizer of the Innovators New Music Series, the
closest thing to avant-garde jazz music Springfield has heard. With the
addition of Mark Schwartz on bass and guitar, the group was ready to, in
their words, “play dynamic improvised music that treads a sonic
terrain from sparse and melodic to dense, blustery cacophony.” The
trio, now working on a recording for a small label based in Maine, has
invited the Nu Orbit Ensemble, from Champaign-Urbana, to participate in the
upcoming forum and intends to bring more free-jazz groups to Springfield
for future gatherings in dissonance.
Peggy Lowder celebrates the CD release of Only You, 6-10 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at the
Capital City Bar & Grill (3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy., 217-529-8580). The End
Times Trio and Nu Orbit Ensemble entertain during the Springfield Freejazz
and Creative Music Forum in the Lincoln Room of Andiamo! (204 S. Sixth St.,
217-523-3262), 6-8 p.m. Saturday, June 30.
Contact Tom Irwin at tirwin@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Jun 21-27, 2007.
