When I ran into Darcy James Argue on the second night of Winter Jazz Fest, his big band had just premiered some new music that evening at the Jazz Gallery. He said it was a bit shaky, so he was wondering (and I paraphrase): "Why do critics always want to review first night performances? I know they need to get the word out so people can see the gigs, but if they really wanted to see orchestras or ensembles at their best, they would wait until, like, the fourth or fifth show when the band has played together several times already." The man has a point.
Luckily, Secret Society had just come off a European tour when it played in Philadelphia (for Ars Nova Workshop) in June of 2009, and it sounds tight. WHYY's On Canvas television program with was there to interview and film the performance, and yesterday they aired the episode featuring DJA. The band plays "Phobos," "Obsidian Flow," and "Transit"; all the while, a (flu-bitten) Argue is intermittently talking about the band. He has more info on his blog. The full 28+ minutes can't be embedded, but you can hit the jump for "Transit," and visit the following link to see the whole thing. You may want to check out the episodes with Arturo O'Farrill, Lionel Loueke, Melody Gardot and Terence Blanchard while you're browsing too ... a vast archive we have found here. [WHYY's On Canvas: Darcy James Argue's Secret Society]
Related At NPR Music: My profile of Argue for the radio. Additional Q&A at the blog. Interview with Josh Jackson.
Video of Darcy James Argue's Secret Society playing "Transit," after the jump.
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