For somebody who doesn’t exist, Arch Stanton gets around.
Nobody in the Arch Stanton Quartet is named Arch Stanton. A phony name in Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western classic “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” it’s engraved on a fake tombstone criminals placed in a cemetery to mark where robbery loot is buried.
There’s nothing buried about the guys in this band; prominent veteran players Terry Gordon, trumpet and flugelhorn; Roger Noyes, guitar; Chris Macchia, bass; and Jim Ketterer, drums. In 16 years together they’ve created so much original music they play few standards. “We choose less-than-standard standards,” says Gordon. “We do our own version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Gotta Serve Somebody.’”
They base their original music, most in the post-bop tradition, on both pop culture – their name, for example – and their own travels. Their second album ”Blues for Soli” (2014) features a suite of music from a tour of Egypt; their debut ”Along For the Ride” hit in 2012. They recently received an Albany County Arts & Culture Advisory Council grant to produce music inspired by Paul Bowles’ novel “The Sheltering Sky.”
The Arch Stanton Quartet – From left, Terry Gordon, James Ketterer, Chris Macchia, Roger Noyes. Photo supplied
Their resumes read like a who’s who of area jazz, Americana and alt-rock crews: Gordon with Alex Torres and his Latin Orchestra, Brass-O-Mania, Soul Provider, Joey Thomas Big Band, Empire Jazz Orchestra, Keith Pray’s Big Soul Ensemble and his own Terry Gordon Quintet (which played Jazz on Jay last year); Noyes with Rusticator, Red Haired Strangers, Grainbelt, Dan Johnson and The Expert Sidemen, Jazz Caravan and Rebel Darling; Macchia with Dennis Jacobs, Lily of the Valley, Alex Jornov Band, Rivergrass, Broken Heartstrings, Good Time Machine, Laura Leigh Band and Kurt Herman; and Ketterer with Jazz Caravan, Alan Thomson Trio, Giant Steps Quartet, Nova/Antiqua, Tern Rounders and Triple Play.
All are highly trained: Gordon at Houghton College and Mansfield University; Noyes with Ian MacDougall, then Tim Olsen at Union College; Macchia with jazz stars John Menegon, Mark Dziuba, Vinnie Martucci, Jeff Siegel, Teri Roiger and John Esposito; and Ketterer with Robert Meade, Rich Phillips, Gary France and Richard Albagli.
Only Gordon, whose mother was a church organist, and Ketterer, both of whose parents made music, come from musical families. But all started performing in high school.
Gordon played first in the Clubmen, a small big band, on New Year’s Eve at the Bolivar Country Club in Little Genessee for $40. Noyes played instrumental rock in high school, then at mid-90s college frat parties. “We were paid $200 a guy,” he recalls, “not much different from today’s pay.” Macchia’s first gig was with the Fertile Crescent at the Right Track Inn in Freeport. “I think I made close to $20.” Ketterer played first with a country and western band near the back stretch at the Saratoga harness track in 1979. “I don’t recall the name of the place, but it was similar to Bob’s Country Bunker in “‘The Blues Brothers,’” he recalled. The film showed this as rowdy dive bar with chicken wire shielding the stage to protect the musicians from flying beer bottles.
These days, they play classier gigs as seasoned performers who’ve toured internationally and create their own repertoire. “We have nearly 30 originals,” Gordon explains, “including a suite of music inspired by the band’s State Department tour of Egypt and another inspired by the great American novel ‘Invisible Man.’”
They also play standards in post-bop, Latin or free-jazz styles. Playing true to the melody, as Gordon says, “We attempt to occupy the tune with our own sense of atmosphere and mood, staying open to pushing them in different directions.” He adds, “There is tremendous freedom in playing with the musicians in the Arch Stanton Quartet.”
Jazz on Jay free concerts are noon to 1:30 p.m. at Jay Square, the new park space opposite Schenectady City Hall. The rain site is Robb Alley at Proctors, 432 State St. Seating is provided indoors at Robb Alley, but patrons are invited to bring their own seating and refreshments to Jay Square.
Jazz on Jay is presented by the ElectriCity Arts and Entertainment District and sponsored by the New York State Council on the Arts, a Schenectady County Legislature Arts & Culture Grant, Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation, The Schenectady Foundation, Price Chopper/Market 32, MVP Health Care, Schenectady County, Schenectady City Hall, and Proctors Collaborative. This blog is a series media sponsor.
The Arch Stanton Quartet also performs Sept. 16 at (7-9 p.m.) at the Lark Street Tavern in Albany and Sept. 27 at 9 Maple Ave. (9 p.m.-midnight) in Saratoga Springs.
Hoke's Jukebox 