Toronto jazz ensemble BADBADNOTGOOD, stylized as BBNG, started a mosh pit during a charity event at Centretown United Churcon Nov. 14. Fans rose from the pews and pressed to the front of the hall to get a closer look at the band.
BBNG started the show with incredible energy and carried it through to the finale. Fans sitting in the front rows were on their feet and dancing by the fourth song. Alex Sowinski, BBNG’s drummer, took the lead role in keeping the crowd hyped up.
During quieter parts of the songs, he would encourage everyone in attendance to clap along and move to the music. Messages of peace and love were often called out during the set.
Each song was loud, powerful, and full of drive. Other members of the band took the spotlight when needed, engrossing the audience with their highly technical soloing skills. Leland Whitty played tenor saxophone with beautiful precision and control, while Matthew Tavares took control of the keyboard. The members played off each other as well. They never missed a beat, even during difficult sections that required total synchronization.
The crowd ate it up, dancing away to the saxophone-driven cover of Flying Lotus’ “Putty Boy Strut,” and jumping up and down to the bass heavy banger “CS60.”
Some of the fans started to mosh when the songs reached a fever pitch.
BBNG’s bassist, Chester Hansen, organized the show to raise money and awareness for Centre 507. Earlier this year, the adult drop-in centre lost about 54 per cent of its annual budget, and many important programs were cut.
One program associated with the centre, the Artistic Expressions Studio, gives disadvantaged members an opportunity to create art with the help of professionals. Art from this program was being sold at the show. All profits from the concert, including merchandise and art sales, were used to help Centre 507.
Hansen said Centre 507 is special because they provide “the art studio, as well as a community space that people can just hang out in.”
“Creating art can be a healing thing,” Hansen said. “It can distract you from hardship in your life.”
Earlier this year, BBNG released a collaborative album titled Sour Soul with Ghostface Killah. It was shortlisted for the Polaris Prize alongside such albums such as Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, and Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Power in the Blood. When asked about what it was like to work with Ghostface Killah, Hansen said it was a “wild ride.”
“Ghostface is a really charismatic performer,” Hansen said. “We take on a supporting role . . . but we try to get the same energy that we would have on our own.”
Recently, the quartet has been working on new material, with some studio clips being posted on Instagram.
Recently they released a collaborative track called “Paradise” with Toronto-based artists Daniel Caesar and Sean Leon. BBNG said a new album is in the works, but gave no comment on the release date.
