Secret Society

There is a view that reaches far

Photo: James Matthew Daniel

I'm still recovering from Brooklyn Babylon but I wanted to extend my deepest thanks to everyone who came to see the show, and everyone who's written me to express your thoughts on the piece. The response has been truly amazing -- it's so invigorating to discover that this thing that we all wokred incredibly hard to create ended up being meaningful to others.

Here are two three additional reviews:

David Krasnow, Studio 360:

"This weekend, the Brooklyn Academy of Music presented a new work of originality, power, and beauty that left an audience slack-jawed. Brooklyn Babylon is a collaboration between the graphic novelist Danijel Zezelj and composer Darcy James Argue, and it is destined to be considered a classic of the evolving genre of multimedia performance."

Ralph A. Miriello, Huffington Post:

"The end result is an impressive narrative that offers visual splendor and musical majesty of the type not often experienced, a tour de force."

David Pearson, I Care If You Listen:

"The 4-night run of Brooklyn Babylon at Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Harvey Theatre this past week combined imaginative music and visual art to create a compelling theatrical performance that spoke directly to profound social questions of today. The innovative sounds of Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society and the provocative animation and live painting by Danijel Zezelj were a treat in their own right, and the performance was a riveting hour-long journey left you thinking, seeing, and hearing differently."

On the Tower

Photo: James Matthew Daniel

Tonight is the final performance of Brooklyn Babylon at BAM Next Wave. It's been an incredible run and we are looking forward to an exciting closing night.

Here are some of the reviews the show's been getting (though the spoiler-averse may want to proceed with caution):

Fred Kaplan, Stereophile blog:

"[Argue's] world premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this week—an hour-long suite, accompanying a mix of animation and live painting by graphic-novel artist Danijel Zezelj, called Brooklyn Babylon—puts the composer and his 18-piece big band, Secret Society, on the verge of a quantum leap."

Peter Matthews, Feast of Music:

"Darcy James Argue likes to think big […]. I've seen Darcy play all kinds of places over the past four years - everywhere from small dives like the Bowery Poetry Club to proper clubs like the Jazz Standard and Joe's Pub - and each time, it's been a joyous thrill ride. Now, Darcy's managed to one-up himself with Brooklyn Babylon: a fully staged, fully integrated sight-and-sound performance currently taking up residence at BAM's Harvey Theater."

Mia Drane-Maury, BRM:

"The presentation is so well integrated that, at times, it’s easy to forget you’re sitting before a live band. The musicians guide the story contained in the crude-only-in-its-simplicity animation in a way that spoken words never could. "

Finally, here is an extended interview with me and my co-creator, Danijel Zezelj, for BOMB Magazine.

Searching for an endless moment

Photo: James Matthew Daniel

Brooklyn Babylon premieres this Wednesday, Nov. 9 and runs through Saturday, Nov. 12. Tickets are selling briskly, so if you don't have yours yet, I'd counsel haste.

Some nice previews: 

• New York Times (Ben Ratliff): Animation Joins Jazz At the Next Wave Festival
• Salon (Martin Johnson): Could jazz provide the Occupy Wall Street Soundtrack?
• Time Out New York (Steve Smith): Composer Darcy James Argue brings a graphic-novel urban vista to life

Here are some audio clips from our Oct. 22 preview performance at SUNY Purchase:

Brooklyn Babylon - Chapter 1 - The Neighborhood [ext]
Solo: John Ellis, tenor sax

Brooklyn Babylon - Chapter 3 - The Tallest Tower in the World [ext]
Solos: Matt Holman, trumpet & Erica von Kleist, soprano sax

Brooklyn Babylon - Chapter 5 - Builders [ext]
Solo: Ingrid Jensen, trumpet & electronics

And here is a brand-new video, including interviews with me and my co-creator, Danijel Zezelj:

More videos and photos are available on the Brooklyn Babylon website. You can also follow the show on Twitter and Facebook.

Finally, if you come on opening night, you'll be among the first to taste Brooklyn Brewery's brand-new limited-edition BAMBoozle Ale. (Perhaps we can also persuade them to bring the Secret Society Espresso Porter to the masses?)