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The
Oxford Gargoyles - Not Just a Pretty Face
New College Chapel, Thursday 1st March, 8pm
The
Oxford Gargoyles are six men and six women committed to giving Oxford's
choral music scene a shake-up, and to expanding the boundaries of
a cappella (unaccompanied) singing and repertoire. Singing
an eclectic and invigorating mix of jazz, latin and pop, with some
more unusual numbers thrown in, they are rapidly establishing themselves
as one of the most innovative and exciting student musical groups
in town.
In the three short years since their genesis, the Gargoyles have been
booked to perform at an enviable and ever-increasing list of functions,
from dinners, to garden parties, to college balls, in addition to
giving their own solo concerts. Somewhere along the line they have
also found time to record two CDs, the second of which, Not Just
a Pretty Face, is due for release some time in the next few days.
Next on the agenda is a trip to the States, where they will share
their talents with audiences in Boston and New York, and also join
forces with American College Barbershop giants the Harvard-Radcliffe
Veritones and the Princeton Tigerlilies and Tigertones.
The secret of their success? Shrewd marketing is part of it. The design
and professionalism of their promotional material leaves most other
student groups standing, and recently won the Gargoyles a £1500
bursary from Citibank. The rest is due to a generous measure of talent.
Their new CD is a brave and impressive piece of recording. No splice-editing
here: Not Just a Pretty Face consists of ten single takes - including
two recorded in live performance - giving the singers nowhere to hide.
The singing is precise, vibrant and impeccably tuned - essential qualities
for any a cappella outfit - and the energy and enjoyment of
the performers is clearly evident throughout. The disc gives a good
cross-section of the group's repertoire, with tracks ranging from
the barbershop classics such as A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley
Square to a nippy arrangement of Crazy Little Thing Called
Love, spiced up with the atmospheric African Cantus Iteratus.
The Gargoyles make many of their own arrangements, which tells in
the way they use the varying vocal timbres of their members to best
effect.
The applause recorded on the live tracks is testament to the Gargoyles'
ability to drive their audiences into a frenzy. Recently they have
also been working with a choreographer to give an added dimension
to their performances. Oxford audiences have one last chance to see
them before they cross the pond, tonight at 8pm in New College Chapel;
it promises to be an engaging, foot-tapping and musically refreshing
evening - a must for anyone looking for something a bit different.
M
J Rogers, 28 / 2 / 01
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