- NOW MAGAZINE, June 19-25, 1997. Matt Galloway
- EXCLAIM MAGAZINE, September, 1997. James Keast
- NOW MAGAZINE, June 19-25, 1997.
- Author: Matt Galloway
- Headline: GUH'S jazzy Flog coherent but baffling
- Rating: NNNN
With their unruly three-CD debut now out of the way, the local ensemble has returned, this time with a single disk that is a tad more approachable on all fronts. In many ways, Flog is GUH's most traditional as an ensemble led by bagpipes, trumpet, tuba, guitar, sax and dueling percussion can get. With the septet occasionally expanding to include vibes, organ, and extra trombone, melodic solos and a few moments of swing appear amongst the standard funereal dirges, courtyard marches and brain-scratching arrangements. The whole thing sounds as if it was recorded live with one microphone, with the solos suddenly appearing far in the background of the upfront noise. Of course, any sense of normality is shattered when the disc grinds to a halt with the title track, featuring a chorus chanted in Latin. Delightfully baffling. GUH plays the Rivoli June 27 as part of the Next Wave Series of the du Maurier Downtown Jazz Festival.
- EXCLAIM MAGAZINE, September 1997.
- Author: James Keast
- Section: Orderly Chaos
Toronto compositional ensemble Guh begins their latest effort, Flog, with a bang. The swelling, filmic sweep of bagpiper Henry Muth's opening gambit, "Python's Pall #1 Full Casket Adagio" is as epic as its title. With that, the loosely structured ensemble, which ranges in size from eight into the high teens in recent performance, launches an album that seems bite- sized and easily digestible compared to recent work. It was just a year ago that the group made its CD debut with a triple disc and Flog is only less ambitious in size- the first three songs all explore different styles, from the classically structured opener, into guitarist J Clarke's big band swinger "Baby Black Shingles," into an intense and (not surprisingly) percussive piece from drummer Blake Howard, called "Mental Mantel." But all this talk seems too arty and pretentious for Guh; the band's goal is to recall the heady joy of hearing truly great, complexly arranged music, played really loud- the first time Bach went on the stereo when your parents weren't home, and you try to shake pictures and frighten the cat. Flog is also excellent for headphone listening, recorded in radical stereo by Brenndan McGuire at Toronto's Gas Station; check out the inside sleeve for a drawn representation of their two-mic recording technique. But first and foremost, check out Flog. Your heart and mind will thank you even if your cat won't.
