Trihornophone

Bill Blackmore | trumpet
Seán Óg | alto saxophone
Kelan Walsh | baritone saxophone
Dennis Cassidy | drum kit

Trihornophone are a decidedly unusual group. Featuring trumpet, two saxophones and a drum kit, they turn every notion of convention on its head. Stranger still, despite stubbornly insisting on performing their own brand of mini-brass band music which relies heavily on improvisation, they always manage to balance freedom with form, creating a vibrant and accessible show. Lead by Seán Óg, winner of Cork Jazz Festival’s Best Young Artist 2008, this quartet is one of Ireland’s most creatively engaging bands today.

Winners of Music Network's Youngmusicwide Award 2007, Trihornophone's second album was released by Diatribe Recordings in October 2008 to critical and popular acclaim. Available now from www.diatribe.ie and Irish record stores. Trihornophone disbanded in 2009.

"Since forming in Dublin four years ago, the lively, progressive quartet Trihornophone has been intriguing audiences with improvised music that is playful, open, and always fresh. With Breathing Time, their second album, this forward-thinking group brings its unique sound to ten original compositions, all written by leader Seán Óg, and the surprise, wit, and sense of musical exploration that wehave come to expect from the band is maintained and extended throughout the recording with variety and panache.

With Seán Óg on alto sax, Bill Blackmore on trumpet, Kelan Walsh on baritone sax and Dennis Cassidy behind the drum kit, Trihornophone’s ensemble playing does without bass or the chordal accompaniment of piano or guitar. The result is a clean, uncluttered sound, much aided by Seán Óg’s careful production, which allows listeners to focus on the interesting interactions between the horns. This approach depends on excellent musicianship, a willingness to take risks, and trust between band members – there is no room to hide. If it is not to sound precious, such a line-up also requires good writing, and the album’s compositions are well-structured and engaging, and bear repeated listening.

The first tune, ‘our voices through the air’, sets the tone with a muted, breathy drone that sounds almost electronic in its effect, followed by a simple melody that is subtly varied by the three horns before resolving into a march driven by Cassidy’s drums. Breathing time, indeed. As its name implies, ‘warp & woof’ is an intricately woven piece that swings relentlessy, with tightly defined ensemble statements alternating with bright improvisatory passages. And ‘ampersand’, with its mock big-band riffs, sinuous solos, and complex connecting statements, is characteristic of the whole recording’s uniqueness – you never quite know where these tunes are going to bring you, but you nod your head with appreciation when you arrive.

Paradoxically, Trihornophone has hints of both New Orleans funeral bands (tracks like ‘clover’ have a pronounced elegiac feel) and the free-jazz experiments of Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry. I can’t imagine there are many bands that can claim that breadth of suggestion. But within those extremes there is much else happening; the band is agnostic in its influences and unafraid to incorporate elements of pop, folk, and world music into its playing. And it is utterly contemporary: ‘yousaythenicestthings’, in some ways the most ambitious piece on the album, mixes muted trumpet, quiet, percussive sections, and resonant ambient sounds to create a collage-like piece with its own inner logic. This logic extends to the whole of Breathing Time, so that we hear not just a satisfying document of the current, but creative channels that can be explored in the future – and which tell us that this is a band that continues to be one to watch."
- Kevin Stevens, JMI, Jan 2009

"Together Seán Óg (alto/composer), Bill Blackmore (trumpet), Kelan Walsh (baritone) and Dennis Cassidy (drums/percussion) are a fascinating group, with an old-time feel and a contemporary freedom to handle rhythm and harmony, judiciously mixed with rigorously scored ensembles whose use seems as likely cued as pre-determined.

Embedded in this structured openness, soloists have licence to roam to good effect on the most successful performances, Clover, Ampersand and Rims, Shells & Bells .

Seán Óg's settings, so packed with ideas, show a determination to shun the obvious and familiar at almost any price, but their wit, invention and the sheer warmth of what is a very together band are palpable." - Ray Comiskey, The Irish Times

"The trick with playing music that is in any way avant-garde – if you want anyone to actually listen to it, that is - is to make it accessible. It's not an easy balance, but Irish quartet Trihornophone have succeeded admirably with their debut recording. Saxophonist Seán Óg, who composed all the music, leads a group that includes trumpeter Bill Blackmore, baritone saxophonist Kelan Walsh and drummer Dennis Cassidy through a set of tunes that are full of musical adventure, but full also of humour. Check them out live and pick up a record on the way out." - Cormac Larkin, Sunday Tribune