Jazz/funk fusion with a nonstop melodic drive is what fuels Octave Records' latest release, Protostar from the Black Hole Boogie Band. The album, named for the process of stars being born, combines old-school Chicago jazz/funk/fusion vibes with the energy of newborn creation, recorded with powerful presence in high-resolution you-are-there Pure DSD audio.
The Black Hole Boogie Band includes Nate McMahon on tenor saxophone and electronic wind instruments, Braden Barrentine on trombone and keyboards, plus electric bassist Jordan Lovinger, electric guitarist Wagner Sanchez, and Dillon Defelice on drums. The selections on Protostar range from the relaxed yet deep groove of the opener, “Downturn” to the propulsive drive of “Soul Surprise,” encompassing everything from intricate tightly-performed melodies and ensemble playing to daring flights of improvisation. “When we get together, we’ve got a pretty open musical environment, so nobody’s afraid to say, ‘hey, I don’t like that,’ or ‘hey, could you try this?,’” noted Nate McMahon. “I just want to be open-minded.”
Protostar was recorded primarily live in the studio, to capture the spontaneous interplay and organic feel between the musicians that only happens in the moment. The album was recorded using Octave Records’ custom-built Pyramix-based 32-channel DSD 256 setup, with a combination of mics and direct feeds to capture the individual instruments, and room mics to add the ambience and superb acoustics of Octave’s new recording studio space.
Protostar was recorded and mixed by Paul McGowan, with Jessica Carson as producer and recording and mixing assistant, and Terri McGowan assisting. The album was mastered by Gus Skinas. The clarity of the instruments are conveyed with outstanding realism and each player has a distinct presence in the soundstage. The tonality and texture of the instruments are faithfully rendered, enveloping listeners in the music.
“Downturn” leads off the record with a show of the Black Hole Boogie Band’s strengths, with a lush Rhodes electric piano, locked-in bass and drums groove, and the sax and trombone harmonizing on the melody before Barrentine takes off on an extended solo. “Soul Surprise” picks up the pace with a syncopated drive and the first of many solos by guitarist Sanchez, whose rich overdriven guitar tone soars throughout the album. The album’s cover song, Wayne Shorter’s classic “Footprints,” brings a funky rhythm to the piece and showcases Jordan Lovinger’s dexterous bass lines.
“Fuze Waltz” mates a three-against-four feel with an extended Braden Barrentine trombone solo and adept ensemble playing. Additional highlights of the album include the loping groove and extended synthesizer and guitar solos of “Billy Mays,” the electronic saxophone effects and doubled guitar on the melody of “Anti-Gravity,” and the easygoing ensemble playing of “Black Hole.”
Protostar features Octave’s premium gold disc formulation, and the disc is playable on any SACD, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray player. It also has a high-resolution DSD layer that is accessible by using any SACD player or a PS Audio SACD transport. In addition, the master DSD and PCM files are available for purchase and download, including DSD 512, DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64, and DSDDirect Mastered 352.8 kHz/24-bit, 176.2 kHz/24-bit, 88.2 kHz/24-bit, and 44.1 kHz/24-bit PCM.
I spoke with Nate about his musical background and the making of Protostar.
Frank Doris: How did the Black Hole Boogie Band get together?
Nate McMahon: We started up this group about two years ago. I had worked out a few tunes before I started calling musicians to play, just trying to get the right guys in the room. I found a bunch of players that I had worked with before on projects that didn't necessarily work out, but I still kept in touch with.
I belong to a bunch of Facebook groups. Paul [McGowan] had posted a YouTube video on PS Audio’s channel, basically saying, “hey, we know how hard it is to record an album and how expensive it can be. If you think you would be a good fit, send us something.” I sent Jessica [Carson] an e-mail and didn't hear back for about three months. Then I get an e-mail that says, “Hey, do you guys want to record that album?”
FD: It sounds like you did it live in the studio.
NM: With just a few little augmentations. Our trombone player is also our keyboard player.
FD: So many great jazz albums result in having the musicians just play, and then picking the best take. What was spontaneous at the time then becomes iconic.
NM: Well, Braden [Barrantine] and I have masters in jazz studies. I finished my bachelor's degree in sax and performance after some time in the US Marine Corps bands. We grew up in a heavily jazz-influenced environment.
FD: It's a treat to hear trombone on record.
NM: I started playing lead alto in a local jazz big band in Colorado Springs, and Braden was the lead trombone player, who I had met at a party before. About two weeks later I decided to put the group together. So just he was right there.
FD: How do you write your material? Most of the album is original.
NM: We weren’t locked into the way this one came together. Four of the [songs] were written by me, and the other four by our trombonist. I'll lay down the basic ideas for tracks, either via MIDI or whatever instrument I'm actually capable of playing. Then I'll chart everything, or at least the [basic structure and] chords. Of course, it evolves a little bit over time with what everybody's comfortable playing, and little tweaks that everybody makes to their parts.
FD: I have to single out the rhythm section. The bass player, Jordan Lovinger, is so funky, especially the way he locks in with drummer Dillon Defelice. The rhythm section is where I could see you saying, “guys, just do your thing.”
NM: Yeah. Here's the basic outline. But if you’ve got something better, just do it!
FD: How did your guitar player Wagner Sanchez, get that rich, overdriven sound?
NM: He is using a Fractal Audio AX8 [amp modeler and multi-effects processor]. He is not even using an amp. He does a great job of designing the sounds for his stuff. I also have an effects rig for my saxophone. I use an electronic wind instrument but [some of the sounds] are actually a saxophone with effects pedals.
FD: I was wondering how you got some of the flute and other sounds.
NM: I do play flute, but it’s just a nightmare to get everything miked up every time you need to switch instruments!
FD: So it's easier to just step on a button and use effects.
I’m going to ask the inevitable question: who are your musical influences?
NM: As far as the biggest effect on me, it’s always been Miles Davis. His evolution throughout music from the early days to the later days just makes it hard to lock in on other players, because he evolved so much in the 40 to 50 years [he was playing]. That's kind of the goal. I just want to be open-minded to play whatever.
Don't get me wrong, I love the jazz world, but It's hard to get a new voice in there. And the people who are [playing] outside the box are probably just not getting hired.
FD: Yeah. I am the most total jazz guy there is, but when I first heard Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come, I was like, “what the heck is this?” It took a while to really have it sink in. But your music is just inviting, with that funky groove, and the fact that you’re also doing your own thing. What are the inspirations for some of the songs?
NM: I don't know that I have a terribly set process. The first track on the album is “Downturn.” Are you familiar with what a contrafact is?
FD: A what?
NM: It's when you write a song to chord changes that are already from another song. So “Downturn” is actually “My Funny Valentine.” But nobody recognizes it because it’s about twice as fast and with some slight reharmonizations. I think some of my stuff is just like, man, I hear a groove in my head and I go sit down and play the keyboard and see if I can hammer something out over it.
FD: Did you have an overall theme for the album, with the title being Protostar and songs like “Anti-Gravity” and Black Hole, to fit the name of the band? Or did you have the album in the can and you thought, god, now I have to think of a title for this!
NM: Definitely the latter! We are not very good at naming things. We come to the right spot eventually. But we were just spitting things out off the top of our head, man. And we were a couple of months in. We came up with themes, and then we put those into Chat GPT! We took some ideas from the AI-generated names and then settled on Black Hole Boogie Band.
FD: It was easier back in the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties, before all the good band names were taken.
Shifting gears, what kind of saxophones do you play?
NM: I do a little bit of everything. I frequently play baritone sax in some big band stuff around here, as well as alto. I primarily play tenor in Black Hole Boogie Band, and on a lot of trio gigs. I have a soprano and play it whenever people want me to bring it. The saxes I take out these days are from a small Chinese company called Eastern Music. I came across them because my primary alto and tenor were both a Selmer Mark VI.
FD: Why did I know you were going to say that? (Selmer Mark VI models are considered by many players to be the best saxophones ever made, even better than later Mark versions.) I guess they're becoming a little too valuable to take out.
NM: Yeah. I mean, do I want to take my $9,000 horns to a gig that's going to pay me $150?
FD: You're getting paid better than me!
NM: These Eastern Music horns are built really well. They're sturdy. They sound really good. I recommend them to all my saxophone students.
FD: Colorado seems to be a good environment for musicians.
NM: Yeah. I moved here right before the pandemic, from Pittsburgh. It had its own unique scene, but very different, a lot of blues and rock. A lot of great jazz musicians came from the city of Pittsburgh. One of the guys I regularly played with was the touring slide guitarist for Foghat and there were some really great musicians in the blues scene, but it wasn't necessarily what I wanted to be doing.
FD: How did you come to write a song called “Billy Mays?” (He was an “As Seen on TV” pitchman for various products.)
NM: I don't know exactly why we named it “Billy Mays,” but it was ear-catching and kind of stuck. You look into this, and then, do you really know what to expect about this song?
FD: But it's really been having fun listening to it and the rest of the album. And the Octave Records recorded sound is so good.
NM: They would like us to do a follow up album of unique versions of cover tunes. It was so much fun to work with Paul in the studio.
I actually moved to Colorado [around] November of 2019 right before everything shut down [for the pandemic]. I went from playing 125 dates a year in Pittsburgh to nothing for a couple of years. I did have to take an IT job for a few years there. I've been lucky to get back into music.
FD: A hundred-plus gigs a year. Wow, talk about keeping your chops up.
NM: That was nothing compared to our time when I was in the Marine Corps field band. I think my first year we played 300 gigs, and that was with two weeks off in the summer and two weeks off in the winter. It was brutal. But it was great for me at the ages of 19 to 24.
FD: Well, all that experience shows.
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