Tricycle

BANJO-EQUIPPED JAZZ CREW TRICYCLE TWANG UP A STORM AT THE DRAKE


There's something about live jazz that just doesn't translate to shiny discs and black wax. So as I headed out to the Drake , I wondered how Tricycle could outdo in person what they'd committed to tape for the excellent Emerge And See.

Richard Underhill worked his way through a typical top-notch laid-back set while people filed in, ordered up a drink and waited for the main event.

Tricycle is something of an anomaly. As the foursome took the stage, main man Jayme Stone humbly walked over to a red leather chair, sat down and began to pick at his banjo. Now, really, how many jazz bands – outside of Dixieland – are centred around the banjo? The sight alone was enough to make you question any preconceived notions you might have about what jazz is or is supposed to be. Yet within a minute, the sound coming off the stage was so soothingly hypnotic that you really didn't give a shit.

It's really roots jazz. The band puts bluegrass into jazz structures so seamlessly that the symbiotic relationship appears predetermined at birth. If Miles Davis had done the soundtrack for Deliverance, this is what it would sound like.

The rhythm section grounds the band and gives the songs a propulsive groove that any funk fan could dig, as evidenced by For Joy In Three Parts, the opening song on Emerge And See. While Tricycle would scoff at comparisons with today's jam bands, they do share a certain aesthetic. But where many go off on lazy, self-indulgent tangents, Tricycle display restraint and a unique ability to reel the tunes back into a cohesive, satisfying whole.

Maybe it's the relationship between Jayme and guitarist Kevin Manaugh . The interplay between the two can be revelatory. Kevin's playing and tone are remarkable – it's like Pat Metheny dropped a handful of acid and listened to nothing but Jerry Garcia for a year.

As the set came to a close, those in attendance clutched their CDs (included with the 10-buck ticket), aware that they'd been witness to something new, something special. Breaking new ground in any genre is no easy feat, yet Tricycle has done so without even seeming to try that hard. Their live set served notice that Tricycle has arrived.  
- NOW magazine

EMERGE AND SEE
TRICYCLE

(INDEPENDENT) Rating: NNNN

Tricycle is a jazz/roots quartet built around the banjo, and while purists will cry "novelty", the result is anything but. Main man Jayme Stone is a master plucker who has successfully incorporated old-time bluegrass and folk into a free jazz construct that works wonders. The drumming by Kevin Coady and Paul Mathew's double bass at once ground the numbers and allow them to take off on visceral journeys any Deadhead could appreciate. Maybe it's the effect Bela Fleck has on his students, but Stone is really onto something here. It will have jam band fans doing cartwheels in the street, and hardcore jazz fans reexamining their priorities. See for yourself at the Drake Hotel tonight (Thursday, April 29) at 9 pm, or Friday (April 30) at 7:30.
- Now magazine

Cosmopolitan quartet Tricycle prove to be something of an all terrain musical vehicle on their debut record, Emerge and see. Much like Bela Fleck (although distinctly less over the top), banjo maverick Jayme Stone and his cohorts- Kevin Manaugh (guitars), Kevin Coady (drums and percussion), Paul Mathew (double bass) and guest Gordon Allen (trumpet)- expertly blur the lines between traditional roots forms, mixing and matching shards of sparkling bluegrass, rousing blues, tuneful pop and bold jazz with subtle precision and purpose. From the moment Stone's rolling five string kicks off the breezy opener, For Joy, there exists a sense the musicians are free to roam at will, unbound by convention, ultimately driven by random inspirational impulse. The truth, however, is that both Stone and Manaugh (whose interplay is telepathic throughout) never let the proceedings wander too far. Their compositions are sharp, spacious and sweeping, but always meticulous.
4 stars - Ottawa Xpress

Emerge and See
Tricycle | Independent Records

The first question may well be this: what's the banjo doing in a jazz context? And if that did not cross your mind, it does not matter. What Tricycle has done is to expand, and expound, music that is grounded in bluegrass and country into a larger framework that incorporates the harmonies of jazz and the verve of a happy pop tune.

If there is the certainty of a jazz aesthetic, it comes on “For Joy,” where Jayme Stone sets up a bluegrass motif, on top of which Gordon Allen lets his trumpet add the jazz dynamics. Kevin Manaugh weaves harmonic spells on the guitar with thick notes that flesh his improvisations and bring in a bright resonance. There is an undeniable beckoning to “Bedouin Blues.” Manaugh sets the tone; his notes have a sharp edge this time and as he roves the landscape he is given the impetus by Kevin Coady on drums and Paul Matthew on bass, with Stone dropping into the conversation to add the blues. “The Roads We Know” brings in several delightful surprises. The first is how to land a reggae rhythm. If that wasn't happy augury enough, Stone straightens it with his bow. His lines curve and curl, and yowl just a little, a tasty harbinger for Manaugh, who gets to the essence of the melody, juices up the lines, and passes it on to Stone and his banjo for some country strut.

Choosen as the 'pick of the week' - All About Jazz

Emerge and See
Tricycle | Independent Records

With artists like Béla Fleck and Bill Frisell broadening the musical landscape over which improvised music can dwell, is it surprising that a group should come along that blends some of their more worldly concerns with a certain element of pop hook and singsong-iness? Banjo player Jayme Stone and guitarist Kevin Manaugh do just that with their group Tricycle, and their inaugural effort, Emerge and See, manages to mine a roots music space that blends catchy hooks with a foundation for soloing that brings it to the fringes of jazz without ever fully entering it.

Stone has studied with banjo masters including Tony Trischka and, not surprisingly, Fleck himself. While he lacks the same kind of virtuostic technique of either, he does demonstrate the melodic sensibility and genre-busting tendencies of both. With a playing history in a variety of genres, his songs run the gamut from the reggae-meets-folk of “The Roads We Know” to “For Joy,” which, with its shifting time feels and Midwestern melodies, would not feel out of place on a Flecktones record.

But whereas Fleck's reputation has partly been built on a complex sound where time signatures change on virtually a bar-by-bar basis, Stone's tunes are humbler vehicles with fewer movements. Still, he knows a thing or two about melody, and there is a certain naïve simplicity in his writing that is compelling, as in the relaxed lope of “Murmur,” which could come from one of Frisell's Americana records, but leans more towards overt soloing than anything Frisell has done in years.

Like Stone, Manaugh is less about technical wizardry and more about economy, space and lyricism. Unlike Frisell, who shares similar concerns but nevertheless possesses a broader reach, oblique melodicism is replaced by a more direct approach that goes straight to the heart of a theme rather than skirt around it. While much of the beauty of Frisell is in the gradual revelation of ideas, Manaugh's more straightforward concept is equally engaging. As a writer he is less quirky, with “Corrib Theme” being a heartfelt acoustic ballad that would fit comfortably on a record by Martin Simpson or Martin Carthy and “Four Strikes” demonstrating a more authentically countrified disposition.

With bassist Paul Mathew and drummer Kevin Coady providing comfortable and unobtrusive support, Emerge and See also features some elegant work from guest Gordon Allen on trumpet, especially on “Sing It Right,” where he contributes some appropriately singable ideas.

Emerge and See is a solid début that clearly knows its space. It may not forge its way into altogether new territory, but what it does accomplish is to consolidate the diverse backgrounds of Stone and Manaugh into an approachable and engaging set that, like some of its primary sources, will have a broad crossover appeal.


~ John Kelman

Style: Fringes of Jazz

Review Published: September 2004
- Jazzviews (UK)

“Tricycle is a band that bridges jazz and bluegrass - and everything in between - with smart compositions, playful jams, and a great sense of purpose. It's music that's difficult to describe, but easy to love.”
Andy Sheppard, host of CBC's afterhours

"Imagine a more chilled out Bela Fleck jamming with Trey Anastasio and the Americana side of Bill Frisell, and you're on Tricycle's track. 'emerge and see' is is an enjoyable and unpredictable ride."
Frets magazine

“Each track has something special, all anchored by the interplay between Stone and Manaugh and featuring outstanding banjo and guitar solos. The group obviously enjoys playing together and makes joyful music.”
Jazzreview.com

"Inhabiting a no-man’s land somewhere between the land of jazz and the land of folk, Tricycle prove that musical intelligence and good clean fun need not be mutually exclusive concepts."
Duck Baker, legendary fingerstyle guitarist, columnist at Jazztimes

“It's really roots jazz. The band puts bluegrass into jazz structures so seamlessly that the symbiotic relationship appears predetermined at birth.”
NOW magazine (Toronto)

“Taking the banjo beyond the gates of bluegrass, across the musical landscape of jazz and around the world.”
CBC radio’s Fresh Air

“Jayme Stone leads the group armed with loops, bow and a hypnotic use of the banjo to anchor the band’s sound. ’emerge and see’ reveals a band gelling together, its complementary parts weaving together in sync, producing a spellbinding sound.”
The Echo, Hamilton

“ ..offers the listener not just a revolutionary banjoistic outing, but also a voyage into the environs of cutting edge experimental instrumental music. Highly recommended.”
Banjo Newsletter

“Tricycle has a rare ability to balance musical accessibility with genuine musical innovation.”
Jesse Stewert, Assistant Artistic Director Guelph Jazz Festival

"A beautiful album...Jayme Stone's banjo is something to behold and it mixes wonderfully with Kevin Manaugh's guitars."
The Spectator (Hamilton)

"Kevin Manaugh weaves harmonic spells on the guitar."
All About Jazz

"Tricycle prove to be something of an all terrain musical vehicle, expertly blurring the lines between traditional roots forms, mixing and matching shards of sparkling bluegrass, rousing blues, tuneful pop and bold jazz with subtle precision and purpose."
Ottawa Xpress - Various