chris wong in sync

You can't miss Brad Muirhead when he's on a gig. The six foot, four inch Muirhead, with a wrap-around beard, is a sizeable presence on the bandstand. The 41-year-old also has a thing for playing low brass instruments-bass trombone, sousaphone, tuba and euphonium-that require significant lung power. "I'm used to generating a lot of air," says Muirhead, who must have developed muscles just from carrying these large instruments. But despite these dimensions, his clear sound can go from a thunderous howl that fills a room to a tender whisper.

I first heard Muirhead play about 20 years ago, as a member of the Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation (VEJI), the electrifying big band led by Hugh Fraser. Muirhead has spent a lot of time performing with big bands, starting with the Vancouver Community College ensemble led by Dave Robbins, which spawned VEJI. Muirhead has also played with Hard Rubber Orchestra, the NOW Orchestra and groups assembled as part of the annual Jazz Orchestra Workshop he and Fraser produced.

Muirhead's current focus, however, is on leading a smaller but no less dynamic group: Primal Orbit, which will perform March 23 at Norman Rothstein Theatre. The group began around 1990 as a trio, including guitarist Tony Wilson, drummer Stan Taylor and Muirhead on sousaphone (playing the low brass equivalent of bass lines). The trio performed for fun at venues including the Glass Slipper. "We got together and just played," says Muirhead. "It was purely a creative basement band, so to speak."

At one point Muirhead became interested in adding horns to the group. In fact Brass Roots, the band led by Muirhead that takes an alternative approach to funky, New Orleans-flavoured music, included a four-horn arrangement of a Primal Orbit tune ("Wallowin') on its 1993 Laconda Rift album. But Primal Orbit with horns didn't really become a reality until about two years ago, when Muirhead and Wilson started writing new tunes and re-arranging old ones for an expanded line-up.

As a septet, the band played a spirited set in Gastown at last year's jazz festival. After some changes, including Muirhead switching from sousaphone to trombone, Primal Orbit now consists of trumpeter Bill Clark (another VEJI veteran), alto saxophonist Saul Berson, tenor saxophonist Graham Ord, bassist Paul Blaney and original members Muirhead, Wilson and Taylor.

Two weeks ago I heard Primal Orbit (minus Clark, who had another gig that night) play at a certain downtown performance space for creative jazz run by a collective of local musicans. At the space, which you enter from an alley, the band showed its impressive range by deftly integrating through-composed material with open improvisation. Highlights included songs from Primal Orbit's three-track demo: "The Gentle Reminder", based on a lullaby Muirhead sings to his daughter every night, and "Sun's Run", by the intensely engaging Wilson (who will play with his quartet at the Cellar March 28).

Muirhead aims for Primal Orbit to project an "intuitive" quality, whether the band members-all seasoned musicians-are reading the group's challenging compositions or getting loose in improvised sections. Primal Orbit achieves that quality, even with subtle things, like the background lines the horn players spontaneously create behind soloists. All in all, Primal Orbit is an imaginatively versatile band with something to offer to both jazz listeners who need to hear structure, and others who go for a freer approach.

Aside from the concert at Norman Rothstein Theatre, Muirhead will also give a workshop March 22 (3:00 p.m.) in the Jewish Community Centre's Adult Lounge.

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Multi-instrumentalist/composer Gregg Moore has been on an interesting musical journey. For 20 years the American lived in Amsterdam, where he performed with adventurous jazz groups such as Willem Breuker Kollektief and Available Jelly. Moore, who plays trombone, tuba, mandolin and banjo, now lives in Evora, Portugal, where he's a music professor and active musician.

Moore has a strong interest in working with amateur musicians in alternative community music groups. The Carnaval Band has been making boisterous community music in Vancouver-at parade, festivals and other events-since 1997. Moore will lead world music workshops, hosted by the Carnival Band, March 21 to April 6 at the Britannia and Roundhouse community centres and Western Front. Brad Muirhead will contribute to the workshops.

The Carnival Band is looking for horn players to participate in the workshops. The Carnival Band, Moore and Muirhead (both on sousaphone) and others will also perform in a community dance April 6 at the Ukranian Hall (805 E. Pender). For details, go to www.thecarnivalband.com or call (604) 253-3207.

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As the Vancouver producer of CBC Radio shows Hot Air and Jazzbeat, Neil Ritchie has vast knowledge of jazz history. Ritchie will share that knowledge in a course for Simon Fraser University's Arts Downtown program: Intimate Portraits of the Jazz Giants. Using videos and CDs along with clips from interviews and documentaries, Ritchie will profile jazz masters like Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Billie Holiday. Students can attend specific sessions or all six sessions of the course, held Wednesdays from March 20 to April 24. For more information, go to www.sfu.ca/cstudies/artsdowntown or call (604) 291-5212.