BULLFROG
TD CANADA TRUST JAZZ FESTIVAL CALGARY
Thursday, July 1
Warehouse
Attempting to categorize Montreal group Bullfrog is a gesture in futility. Guitarist, singer-songwriter Mark Robertson isn’t any help either.
According to him, Bullfrog uses jazz, R and B, pop and hip-hop. They’ve been called a jam band, a live drum-and-bass outfit and a nujazz collective. They also have a healthy dose of electronic wizardry thanks to Canada’s favourite DJ Eric San (a.k.a. Kid Koala). Constantly changing their lineup doesn’t aid in the constant search for categorization. Although Robertson admits that Bullfrog is mainly a trio – including longtime friend and collaborator, bassist Paul Santiago – at one time or another Bullfrog has morphed from a simpletrio format to a six piece to a whopping nine-piece band with horn section and Fender Rhodes organ (they’re back to being a six piece). It seems to be a natural evolution for Bullfrog – constantly developing, experimenting and collaborating – all the while attempting to create the perfect blend of melodic sensibility and groovy hip-hop style.
Bullfrog may be considered an important part of Canadian jazz history. Back in 1996 when Bullfrog joined the lineup at the Montreal jazz festival, bringing turntables on stage wasn’t a big deal to them, but it turned out to be an important milestone for the festival. Including a DJ as part of the improvisational texture was a first for the festival and it left organizers and audience members wondering what the hell was going on. Robertson remembers people coming up to them wondering if it was a keyboard. Only 10 years later, the existence and relevance of jazz hinges on its ability to meld the old with the new – the improvisation tradition with electronic mediums.
Robertson is excited about the whole process, but is candid about the fact that Bullfrog has been doing it for years. "Now it’s a regular thing, bringing in a DJ," says Robertson. "The Montreal scene is DJ wild now. I think it’s a new direction for jazz. People have been poking about and getting influences from what hip-hop has to contribute – the turntable being an instrument, rap and even all the beats. A lot of jazz artists have been inspired by that… the idea of a live drummer sounding like a drum machine. I think the Roots and ?ueststlove have been an important influence. I consider that nujazz and there are all sorts of other projects like that. I’m finding that a lot of DJs are now collaborating with live musicians in order to experiment and get new sounds. The cool thing is that it’s a two-way street."
It works that way on the fans too.
"We used to play back in the day before Kid Koala got signed," says Robertson. "And people had never seen a guy on turntables and people would hire us because we were a good band to dance to, and they liked the groove. Now they’re amazed with what turntables were capable of doing."
CELEB TOP FIVE
The Top Five acts Mark Robertson of Bullfrog has ever seen at a jazz festival:
1. Miles Davis (Montreal Jazz Fest)
2. Maceo Parker and the J.B. Horns (Burlintgon Jazz Fest)
3. Pat Martino and Joey DeFrancesco (Vancouver Jazz Fest)
4. Herbie Hancock with and Wayne Shorter (Newport Jazz Fest)
5. Stanton Moore from Galactic (on tour now) |
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