Fresh, hot and homemade
Cutting-edge act Byproduct combines skilful playing with the drive to create
something new. And they're just one of a host of Montreal-based performers
on the festival schedule
IRWIN BLOCK
The Gazette
Saturday, June 21, 2003
The scene at Upstairs Jazz Club on a damp Sunday night last fall was unusual and inspiring. There was no room for the waiters at the basement bar; it was packed with family, friends, fellow musicians and aficionados who had come to listen to Byproduct and celebrate the launch of the group's first CD.
They had watched these three men, still in their 20s, rise up from the obscurity of West Island garage bands and mature into a cutting-edge contemporary jazz unit that is garnering respect and accolades in the jazz community.
These are some of the hottest young players in town, and on stage, brothers Jim and Chester (Chet) Doxas and their high-school and college buddy, Zack Lober, combined skilful playing with the drive to create something new that reflects a variety of influences. One of them is Jim and Chet's dad, drummer and teacher George Doxas, who directs the band at Lindsay Place High School in Pointe Claire, where both studied.
Jim Doxas, 26, is the drummer, Lober, 25, is on acoustic bass, and Chester, 23, plays saxophone. He also plays with the rhythm and shifts the sonority by using a range of electronica - a soundboard, a variety of pedals, and a sampler with various beats programmed in. He drums on pots and pans and pickups, while the bassist adds to the mix singing into an electronic sensor.
"Chet's the ringmaster, and he can shut me off at any time," Jim joked in the St. Henri flat the brothers share. Lober comes by often - "to eat." The flat is in a mainly industrial area, so they can play all night and not have to worry about the neighbours.
The result, on their self-produced CD and on stage, is an edgy sound that appeals to younger ears while retaining traditional references. The crowds have been enthusiastic at their regular Wednesday night gig at the Bistro Duluth through most of the year. Said Lober: "Performing every week has allowed us to refine our sound and our interaction and take everything up to a special level."
Their achievements are being recognized. They were selected by veteran pianist Oliver Jones to open the jazz and jeans series at the Montreal Chamber Music Festival earlier in June and are one of only three local groups to play in the Montreal International Jazz Festival's Contemporary Jazz series, performing July 4 at 9 p.m. at Musée d'Art Contemporain