INTRO

IF IT’S OUT THERE, IT’S IN HERE

Inspired by their own private “jazz club” after soundchecks with Steven Wilson, veteran trio Nick Beggs, Adam Holzman and Craig Blundell present their debut album, Fragments.

When a run of Steven Wilson tour dates ended, bassist Nick Beggs, keyboardist Adam Holzman and drummer Craig Blundell decided they’d been having so much fun creating jazz-infused jams at soundcheck that they should form a band and take it further. The result is Fragments, to be released in the summer via Kscope under the band name Trifecta – a betting term for trying to predict the first three horses in a race.

“I said, ‘You know, there’s other bands called Trifecta,’” Beggs recalls. “Adam said, ‘Yeah, but most of them are like tribute bands – there’s nobody of any notoriety.’ I quite like it because the three of us have a certain notoriety.”

But there’s no jockeying for position within the trio.

“We’re very laid-back as people,” Beggs assures. “We’ve been touring together on and off for years. It was a slow burn because it became a real bone of contention with the road crew. Steve doesn’t like a prolonged soundcheck, so we’d do a few tunes and then he’d be off, and we’d stay onstage and start jamming. The crew were like, ‘Jazz club! How come we can’t get rid of these assholes?!’

“I was recording it on my phone and Adam was saying, ‘Some of this really interesting.’ It was a reaction to what Craig was playing – these very irregular metered pieces on the drums – and Adam and I would just jump in. It was a complete joy because Craig is a genius and Adam is a genius. And I just found it very easy to be the lukewarm water!”

Some of those jams can be heard on the album, each listed as a numbered “fragment” with an additional title. “FragmentOne is Clean Up On Aisle Five,” he reports. “There’s a piece called Hold It Like That which is quite unusual. There’s one called Have You Seen What The Neighbours Are Doing? One of my favourites is The Enigma Of Mr Fripp – it sounds a bit like a King Crimson pastiche; it’s not, but it doffs its cap in that direction. There’s only one vocal track and it’s called Pavlov’s Dog Killed Schrodinger’s Cat.”

Beggs describes Trifecta’s music as “fission – it’s similar to fusion but less controlled and much more dangerous.” He adds: “It’s got a lot of fusion tropes. Lots of stuff that we love. There’s a lot of Miles Davis and Brand X – Adam played with Miles – and I think jazz is at the centre of this, much more than straight rock.”

All bets are off: Holzman, Beggs and Blundell decide to pursue a dream.

“If you were to ask my wife she’d tell you it’s the worst thing she’s heard!”

While he believes it would be “very easy” to play shows with Holzman and Blundell, Beggs proves that there’s no point trying to make predictions at the moment: “I was supposed to be rehearsing for a potential Cruise To The Edge with The Mute Gods. I’d have just finished a South American trip with Steven Wilson and I’d have been starting festivals with Howard Jones. So how could I possibly tell you what’s going to happen? I don’t recognise the world that we’re being asked to function in any more.”

For now, the only certainty is the arrival of Fragments with at least four videos to accompany the tracks, mainly shot by Beggs himself with help from his drone.

He adds: “In terms of finding an audience, I took my hands off the controls. I think it’ll land, but it’s like a child – you want the best for it, but once you’ve given birth you’ve just got to release it into the world and let it find its way.

“I’m very proud of what we’ve done. Although, if you were to ask my wife, she’d tell you it’s the worst thing she’s ever heard!”

See www.kscopemusic.com/artists/trifecta.

MK

KSCOPE

This month, Intro was compiled by

Jeremy Allen

Jerry Ewing

Paul Goodge

Martin Kielty

Dannii Leivers

Rhodri Marsden

Kris Needs

Alison Reijman

Natasha Scharf

Nick Shilton

Phil Weller

David West

THE BLACKHEART ORCHESTRA GO MUTE

Interim album of reinventions without vocals is “visit to alternative universe”.

Bridging the gap: Mostyn and Pilkington.

PRESS

The Blackheart Orchestra admit to fear over the release of their interim album Mute, which arrives on May 7. Designed as a stopgap while lockdown prevented progress on their “proper” sixth LP, it features reboots of older material, with greater experimentation than ever before and a widened range of timbres and dynamics – but the complete absence of vocals.

The project began when the duo were asked to prepare instrumental versions with the idea of chasing movie soundtrack placements. “Then we thought, ‘Let’s just do it as a fan release’,” lead vocalist Chrissy Mostyn says. “We don’t want to confuse people into thinking this is what we’re going to do from now on, because it’s not. But when we listened to what we’d done, changing things so much, we realised it had taken on its own life. The music is so different. I think people need more instrumental music in their lives –I do!”

Rick Pilkington adds: “We’re a bit scared of it –I still don’t even recognise some of the songs! We’re still worried that people won’t understand it. It’s a visit to an alternative universe; it was an important building block in the bridge to get out of lockdown, but we won’t be going back there again.”

Meanwhile, they’re proceeding well with the direct follow-up to 2019’s Mesmeranto, with all songs written and several of them already recorded. “It was going so well, then we had to stop,” Mostyn says. “We think we know what it’s called… but it’ll probably change!”

Details can be found at www.theblackheartorchestra.com.

MK

SAVE £25 ON THE COMPLETE YES UNION 30 LIVE BOX SET

Strictly limited offer open to first 100 Prog readers.

Fast-acting Prog readers have the chance to save money on the ultimate version of Yes’ Union 30 Live release. Marking the 30th anniversary of the tour that saw all eight Yes alumni on the road together, the presentation focuses on recordings made during the journey. The super-deluxe flight case edition contains 30 discs plus replica memorabilia, and it’s presented in a hand-decorated case with destination stickers. The four-disc vinyl version features the show at California’s Shoreline Amphitheatre and also includes replica souvenirs.

The Union 30 Live set on offer to Prog readers.

GONZO MULTIMEDIA

Gonzo Multimedia have put both sets together in a strictly limited run of 100 units, costing just £275 –a saving of £25 from buying them separately. The ultimate package is available on a first-come-first-served basis and is restricted to three purchases per household.

Visit www.cutt.ly/yesunion30progoffer to purchase and www.musicglue.com/yes-union-30 for the full range of Union 30 Live products.

MK

WMBB DREAM BIG ON LATEST ALBUM

Daniel Tompkins says The Cost Of Dreaming is a massive step up for this side project.

New age: White Moth Black Butterfly’s Turner and Tompkins.

PRESS/CHRIS WR COX PHOTOGRAPHY

Multi-continental progressive pop project White Moth Black Butterfly, led by TesseracT and ex-Skyharbour vocalist Daniel Tompkins, will release third album The Cost Of Dreaming via Kscope on May 28.