portico quartet on south bank photo by miljasson
This is how I first found out about PORTICO QUARTET.
I was walking along the South Bank, just passing under Waterloo Bridge. I was on my way, caught in a location scouting exercise; post production. Just like that practice in the movie industry, when they go looking for a location that suits the director's requirements for shooting a specific scene. I was doing the same thing, only long after the movie was shot, cut and released. It's a weird experience, something like going to see the empty frame that belonged to a famous painting.
Although still in February, it was an unexpectedly warm afternoon. In front of the National Theatre I pulled out my blasting headphones, as I noticed these four laid back, young lads playing their instruments for the passerby, catching his fancy. The crowd was thin, the sound was soft, and the music was inviting. I stepped forward and sat on the pavement very close to them. I wanted to get a good sense of what they were doing. Right away I was intrigued by their experimental, adventurous jazzy sound that was also surprisingly accessible. They used drums, double bass, saxophone and a central instrument for their music, a newly introduced percussion instrument, which I didn't know what to call at that time, but later found out it was called the hang - their piece de résistance.
The hang was developed at the beginning of the 21st century by two instrument-designers from Switzerland, working under the name PANart. It’s based on the principles of tuned metal, and it’s a combination between gongs, steel drums and bells. The hang is generally played with hands and fingers but also with mallets for a sharper sound. It looks like a metal turtle shell and produces a warm, melodic sound.
I could say their music had a strong luring feature, because not long had passed and the four musicians were surrounded from all sides. It is not that they put up an electrifying and energetic show; in fact it was a calm, tame performance. However, it was undoubtedly catchy as their music switched from ambiental, soothing moments to straight forward danceble passages. Even though they were performing in an open space, the richness and clearness of the sounds was impressive. The group used this environment as an aid to their music, which covered other apparently louder sounds, giving it a cool feeling.
The atmosphere persisted during the brakes when one of the members introduced the group to the audience and gave the title for the next song. Soon enough I made out that they were actually promoting a concert that was to take place in two weeks time. I was already thinking I was to see them again shortly. The flyer said this concert would take place in a chapel, and I thought of the difference in the acoustic. As my mind rambled on, a new song was just about to start. The two hangs were carefully passed between percussionists like two holy objects, and placed back on their laps, ready for another cluster of sound bubbles. This indeed is the instrument that gives Portico Quartet that specific, organic sound.
The light rhythm section sustains the double bass harmonic line, on which dense patterns of hang sounds are applied, completed by the spontaneous saxophone solos. Together they put out an inspirational combination of tunes for our time. It sounded like something you would hear on an electronic ambiental album. Only they played it live on acoustic instruments, which made the tunes sound fresh and vital.
Eventually , after I enjoyed a good chunk of their repertoire, they took a break to get verbal with some from the mass of people that gathered. And I took a break from them, returning to my initial plan to scout out the remains of an ex-movie-location. I was considering going to that chapel gig that was two weeks away. When time came I didn't go. Actually I didn't get to hear them play live since. About six months later I passed by on the street two of the guys from the group. I turned my head thinking "I know that guy, and his friend too. They make half of Portico Quartet." I didn't talk to them though.
portico quartet - a short film [shot and cut by Sian Lattimer]
More info on PQ
Portico Quartet came together as a busking group, usually performing just outside the National Theatre in London. Nick Mulvey plays the hang, Duncan Bellamy plays drums and hang, Milo Fitzpatrick plays double bass and Jack Wyllie plays saxophone. The four musicians were still in college when they first met and started this project. None of them went to a music school. In the present they all live together in a shared Clapham house.
They repeatedly played their usual spot on the South Bank and also toured Europe as a busking group. This seems to be a good model to gain attention, gather fans, and even impress the right people. They have also attended a number of jazz festivals. So, nearly two years after their first gig they eventually signed to Babel Label and released their first album – Knee Deep In The North Sea. This CD brought praise to the group from many London publications and also many specialized web sites. It was named “jazz world and folk album of the year” by TIMEOUT magazine. In 2008 their debut album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.
There is a slight debate over their affiliation to JAZZ and critics chose to call them post-jazz. But this kind of labeling might lead the casual listener too far beside the point because what this group is all about is delivering contemporary, sincere and catchy tunes.
note: edited ten times, easily.
