Necks, The – Hanging Gardens CD

Australian trio the Necks have caused a huge stir recently, creating ripples in the usually calm waters of improvised contemporary jazz. Their daring fusion of improvised jazz with chill-out dance music and minimalism has been hailed by the international music press, and with ten years of recording and playing live behind them, they have established a substantial following. With just acoustic piano, double bass, drums and the odd sample they have created their own unmistakable style. The method is simple; they start playing, and whatever it is they start with they just keep doing it, while any changes are only allowed to be gradual. It makes for a hypnotic dream-like experience, as if Miles Davis's In A Silent Way had been filtered through the minimalist concepts of Terry Riley and Phillip Glass, and then performed with more than half an ear towards ambient dance music.