Fri Mar 3 7:30 pm all ages welcome $16 advance/$20 door
First Unitarian Church, 605 Morewood Ave., Shadyside
(note: Don't call the church. Info line is 412-682-0591)

Legendary improvisational trio from Australia since 1987!
THE NECKS http://www.thenecks.com/
[Tony Buck + Chris Abrahams + Lloyd Swanton]

Tickets: Juke Records (Bloomfield), Acoustic Music Works (Squirrel Hill), Caliban Books (Oakland), and Dave's Music Mine (South Side) Online at Brown Paper Tickets:
http://theneckspittsburgh.brownpapertickets.com/

The Necks are one of the great cult bands of Australia.

Chris Abrahams (piano), Tony Buck (drums), and Lloyd Swanton (bass) conjure a chemistry together that defies description in orthodox terms.

Featuring lengthy pieces which slowly unravel in mesmerising fashion, underpinned by an insistent deep groove, the eighteen albums by The Necks stand up to re-listening time and time again.

The deceptive simplicity of their music throws forth new charms on each hearing. Not entirely avant-garde, nor minimalist, nor ambient, nor jazz, the music of The Necks is possibly unique in the world today.

Chris Abrahams
Chris became active in Sydney in the early eighties playing with Mark Simmonds’ Freeboppers and The Keys Music Orchestra. With Lloyd Swanton he formed the modern jazz-influenced The Benders in 1982. During its day, the band released three albums - E, False Laughter and Distance. In 1984 Chris recorded and released his first solo piano album - Piano, followed in 1986 by Walk.

Chris collaborated with Melanie Oxley throughout the nineties. There are five releases with her: Resisting Calm (1990), Welcome to Violet (1992), Coal (1994), Jerusalem Bay (1998) and Blood Oranges (2003).

Chris released a third solo piano album, Glow, in 2001. This was followed in 2003 by Streaming, and then Thrown (2004), Play Scar (2010) and Memory Night (2013). Chris collaborated, both recording and performance, with contemporary improvising musicians including Burkhard Beins, Mike Cooper and Anthony Pateras.

Tony Buck

Tony is regarded as one of Australia's most creative and adventurous exports, with vast global experience involved in a highly diverse array of projects.

Early on, he moved deep in the jazz scene Down Under, touring with visiting international artists Vincent Herring, Clifford Jordan, Mickey Tucker, Branford Marsalis and Ernie Watts, as well as Australians Mark Simmonds, Paul Grabowsky, Sandy Evans and Dale Barlow.
Following time in Japan forming PERIL with Otomo Yoshihide and Kato Hideki, Tony moved to Europe, and assisted in development of "virtual" MIDI controllers at STEIM in Amsterdam.

Tony played, toured or recorded with Jon Rose, Nicolas Collins, Tenko, John Zorn, Tom Cora, Phil Minton, Haino, The Machine for Making Sense, Ne Zhdali, The EX, Peter Brotzmann, Hans Reichel, Little Red Spiders, Subrito Roy Chowdury, Clifford Jordan, Kletka Red, Han Bennink, Shelley Hirsch, Wayne Horvitz, and Ground Zero.

Lloyd Swanton

Described by Billboard as "outstanding and imaginative Australian bassist and composer", Lloyd Swanton has released eight albums, all predominantly composed by him, with long-running group, The Catholics. Three albums received ARIA Award nominations, and Simple was nominated for the Deutsche Schallplattenkritik Award.

His 12-part suite Ambon, from his uncle Stuart's secret diary kept whilst a prisoner in WWII, had its premiere in 2015, and is released as a double CD. Overseas exposure with numerous groups includes performances in nearly 40 countries. For 14 years, Lloyd Swanton hosted Mixed Marriage, a very popular radio program examining crossings of jazz with other musical styles, on Eastside Radio in Sydney.