Maguire Twins Seeking Higher Ground The Maguire Twins'
mastery of their craft as jazz instrumentalists and composers is in sparkling
evidence throughout their U.S. debut recording, Seeking Higher Ground, which
will be released by Three Tree Records on March 30. Drummer Carl Seitaro
Maguire and bassist Alan Shutaro Maguire, who'll turn 22 on March 19, take
their place in the lineage of jazz brothers that includes such illustrious last
names as Heath, Farmer, Montgomery, Mangione, Brecker, and Marsalis.
Produced by Memphis legend Donald Brown, the CD finds the
twins living up to its title by more than holding their own in the heady
company of saxophonist Gregory Tardy, trumpeter Bill Mobley, and pianist Aaron
Goldberg. The Maguires contribute two originals each to the program, which
includes songs by their bandmates and producer. And without sacrificing
cohesiveness, the songs are stylistically diverse.
Tardy's "Theodicy" is a timely commentary on
misguided religion. He plays tenor with his usual Coltrane-like intensity and,
says Carl, "I try to somewhat embody Elvin Jones, who is one of my
heroes." Brown's tricky "The Early Bird Gets the Short End of the
Stick" boasts sudden time shifts and dramatic swoops that both twins
laughingly said they were greatly relieved to have handled after numerous
attempts.
Carl's "Machi no Michi" (translation: "The
Road of the Town") is an elegant tribute to his Japanese origins, as
reflected in the Japanese scale in the bassline and the traditional taiko drum
feel in the composer's playing. "I love the taiko drum's huge sound and
the commanding way it is played," says Carl, who tunes his snares tightly
to highlight the melody.
Goldberg's composition, "Shed," was the first
modern jazz tune the Maguires learned to play, having heard the pianist play it
as both sideman and leader. "It has been one of our favorites for the
longest time," says Carl. "Just watching Aaron count off his tunes
helped me internalize time, made my time stronger," says Alan.
Born in Tokyo in 1996 to a Japanese mother and an American
father who both worked in the airline industry, identical twins Carl Seitaro
Maguire (above left) and Alan Shutaro Maguire (above right) were raised in Hong
Kong from age 3 and moved with their family, at 15, to musically rich Memphis.
There they enrolled at the Stax Music Academy and started playing jazz.
"Memphis is where most of our musical growing happened," says Carl.
"I can't imagine us getting to where we are if we hadn't come here."
They learned to improvise listening to musicians at jazz
clubs. "The music just took us over," says Carl. "When I heard a
bassist, I would tell Alan about it. When he heard a drummer, he would make
suggestions to me based on what he saw and heard. We helped each other out.
Maguire Twins "We were open to criticism from each
other as well as ideas," he adds. "Friends don't want to be too
harsh, but we can criticize each other as much as we want."
Saxophonist Kirk Whalum, then artist in residence at Stax, had
much to do with their development as did Donald Brown, whom they met when he
came to scout students as a faculty member at the University of
Tennessee-Knoxville. They went on to study there with him, Gregory Tardy, and
bassist Jon Hamar, who composed one of the new album's heartfelt ballads,
"Clarity."
"It all goes back to Donald," says Alan. "He
has kept us motivated. He's always giving us something new to work on, new CDs
to check out, keeps us listening to all kinds of music and encourages us to get
as many lessons from as many people as we can."
When the Maguire family made its annual visit to Japan to
visit the twins' maternal grandmother in the inland town of Kitaakita City, the
boys performed in various spots, building a following among local musicians as
well as fans. Requests for CDs led them to record, at 18, The Sound of Music, a
demo-style album released in 2014.
With each tour of Japan and Hong Kong, where they began
performing on an annual basis in 2013, their Asian following has grown. So has
the talent pool they draw from over there. The twins have performed with
artists such as guitarist Yosuke Onuma, trombonist Shigeharu Mukai, pianist
Yuichi Inoue, and saxophonist Yosuke Sato in Japan as well as pianist Ted Lo in
Hong Kong.
"Now when we go back to Japan," says Carl,
"where jazz has been really important to a lot of people for a long time,
we do so as individuals who really appreciate this music. It's been quite an
awakening for us, and it keeps getting more fun."
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