Big Bull, Big News

(Fight the Big Bull photo by Jake Lyell)

Listening to Public Radio's "Fresh Air" last week, I heard the host introduce an album review by saying something like, "In this age of global culture, there's no telling where the next great jazz band will come from." I was prepared to hear something about a fusion act from Indonesia or Uzbekistan. So felt a sense of giddy confusion when I heard the words "Richmond, Virginia" leap from my radio.

It turned out to be a positively glowing review of the new disc by Fight The Big Bull, "Dying Will Be Easy."

You can listen to the entire episode of "Fresh Air," here, but Kevin Whitehead's review starts like this:

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"Ambitious jazz musicians used to have to relocate to big cities with reputable scenes: to learn from elders, collaborate with peers, play on big stages and meet potential financial backers. But the adventurous nonet known as Fight the Big Bull formed in an age of widespread jazz education and instant global communication. That zeitgeist may explain how a nine-piece group from Richmond, Va., could score a breakthrough gig in Chicago, well before it issued its debut on a Portuguese record label. The generation gap may also shed light on how Fight the Big Bull has made some of today's most exuberant and relevant improvised music."

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Fight The Big Bull is one of several projects from songwriter Matt White. His band The Great White Jenkins has strong connections to Norfolk -- maybe why his bands tend to play here.
Your next chance to see Fight the Big Bull here is Oct. 24 at The Boot.