BBtv: Russell Porter with post-jazz band Portico Quartet (music)

BBtv's UK music correspondent Russell Porter interviews British modern "post-jazz" group Portico Quartet about the eclectic influences behind their sound -- and how it felt to be nominated for this year's Mercury Prize. Here are previous BBtv episodes with music features from Russell. Listen to Portico Quartet at Last.fm, and you can pick up their new album Knee Deep in the North Sea (just released a few weeks ago!) on iTunes or Amazon.

Link to Boing Boing tv blog post with downloadable video.

[#1 posted by Shrdlu , September 22, 2008 2:40 PM]

What does post jazz have to do with jazz, apart from the acoustic bass? Nothing as far as I can see. Is it just that Brits have always though of it as cool to refer to themselves as "jazz snobs" because they own a copy of Bitches Brew and a few Paul Weller albums?

[#2 posted by Anonymous , September 22, 2008 3:10 PM]

Interesting

[#3 posted by Karl Elvis , September 22, 2008 5:17 PM]

I'd never heard of portico quartet but man, I LOVE them.

Nevermind meaningless labels like 'post jazz'; the music is lovely.

[#4 posted by Anonymous , September 22, 2008 7:41 PM]

Portico's music is sweet. If you're into this style of music (intelligent, melodious, chill, etc...) then check out anathallo. They are my favorite band and Portico's feel reminds me of them somewhat.

http://www.myspace.com/anathallo

They would be great on tour together!

P.S. I'm not affiliated with Anathallo at all... I just love them.

Now (due to this post) I'm starting to get into Portico as well. Lovely.

[#5 posted by Eater of beef , September 22, 2008 9:17 PM]

I agree with the other posters. Drop the "post-jazz" nonsense.

Tagging something as jazz doesn't automatically make it edgy and cool.

[#6 posted by mattxb , September 23, 2008 10:10 AM]

Isn't "post-jazz" just an invention of music critics and jazz-club bookers, created to justify bands like Portico Quartet (and Polar Bear, Acoustic Ladyland, Fraud?, etc...) having to play jazz clubs, jazz festivals, and having their record reviews confined to the "Jazz" columns?

Is it just that Brits have always though of it as cool to refer to themselves as "jazz snobs" because they own a copy of Bitches Brew and a few Paul Weller albums?

Perhaps the term "post-jazz" is just being courteous to the jazz snobs who refuse to allow anything to be called "jazz" unless it sounds like it could have been recorded for Blue Note in 1965? (Or, the jazz snobs who refuse to allow anything to be called "jazz" unless it's american?)

[#7 posted by Pope Ratzo , October 1, 2008 5:03 AM]

Is it just that Brits have always though of it as cool

There's quite a bit of garbage the "Brits have always thought of as cool". I remember reading the old UK rock mags like Trouser Press and wondering what was in the water over there.