Composing music can be a difficult process, especially writing a catchy song with broad appeal. The four musicians in the Seattle instrumental group How Now Brown Cow (HNBC) are making it look easy.
Their new album Don’t Spill the Milk – It’s Spoiled is a completely improvised collection of ten songs recorded in concert at the Sea Monster Lounge in the North Seattle neighborhood of Wallingford. A live jazz recording is not rare, but the strength of these songs is something special.
HNBC formed nearly 20 years ago. The band's bassist Dave Kurtiak and drummer Donovan Pfeifer both bring rock 'n' roll backgrounds and a love of improvisation to the band.
After several lineup changes, HNBC settled into a trio formation, classically trained pianist Kerry O’Conner also joins in on electric keys and reed player Brad Schrandt, from Olympia, Washington, sits in when he's available.
As consistent improvisers with HNBC and other groups, each member is very comfortable making it up as they go.
"We just call out a key and go,” Kurtiak said. “And we go clockwise, it’ll be Kerry, then it will be Don, then it’ll be me, and then Brad, and we just keep going around in a circle.”
Rather than making individual musical statements, the members of HNBC prioritize the song.
“We set each other up for success a lot of the time, and I think we make it easy on each other,” Kurtiak said of the band’s camaraderie.
Pfeifer explained their musical philosophy is to “make a thing out of the thing.” Or, to create a complete song from its opening riffs or vibe. They’re very aware when it’s not working and give themselves the freedom to stop and try again.
“We just all appreciate when a song is a thing and then it’s done and you enjoy it. It didn’t overstay its welcome and it didn’t meander, it made a point and got out,” Pfeifer said.
The relaxed atmosphere at Sea Monster Lounge, where HNBC performs regularly, is a less obvious element in the band’s music.
Kurtiak, who moved to Seattle in the '90s, lives nearby to the Sea Monster and compares the club to his favorite jazz spots in New York City. When he found the Sea Monster, he thought "Oh my God, I found a home!"
"It’s more gritty, it’s more funky, that’s what I like," he said.
HNBC are a laid-back bunch who don’t take themselves too seriously. The name of their band and song titles makes that clear. The songs, though, are seriously good.
"Don't Drink the Milk" flows exactly as their performance did the night HNBC were recorded.
The tune “No Cat Having Bag” opens with jabbing Fender Rhodes notes from O’Conner, followed by just the right beat and groove from Pfeifer and Kurtiak. Once they're cooking, Schrandt’s soulful sax enters with a melody that gets to the heart of the song.
O’Conner answers Schrandt’s lines with a tasty organ solo, with the rhythm section lifting the song into a climax before a concluding section that hints at the impromptu nature of the band.
“Not My Monkeys, Not My Circus” finds Pfeifer’s drums and cowbell introducing the groove, as Kurtiak plays alternating chords on his bass, and O’Conner offers an ascending keyboard riff. Schrandt dials in a melodic line that fits perfectly with the backing trio’s complex waltz figures.
The album’s longest track is “South of No North,” a ballad with a bass intro suggesting a progressive rock exploration. Schrandt, O’Conner and Pfeifer play sensitively with Kurtiak leading the way.
The sax enters with long lines floating above the slowly pulsing beat. O’Conner’s searching solo on Fender Rhodes allows room for her bandmates. A cool vibe takes precedence over the ambiguous melody, as if inspired from afar by the modal sounds of Miles Davis’ masterpiece, Kind of Blue.
After the recording was finished, the quality of song structures even surprised the band. Pfeifer produced and mixed the album from a six-track recording.
“I listen to it a million times, but every time [I think] how did that come together like that?," he said.
Schrandt, who is director of jazz bands at South Puget Sound Community College, is also glad about the finished product.
"One of my students asked if they could get the sheet music!," he said.
There's no better way to learn the art of jazz than in the improvisation, communication, cooperative spirit of these musicians putting their egos aside and creating a greater whole.
Check out How Now Brown Cow monthly at the Sea Monster Lounge in their trio arrangement. They hope to bring Schrandt back for gigs in the summer. Or, enjoy a live concert from HNBC any time you want with a listen to the new record.
