Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society – Dynamic Maximum Tension
Nonesuch Records

Darcy James Argue’s superb double-album Nonesuch debut offers compositions written throughout his career. He turns to twentieth-century thinkers for “ideas that can help us in the present, that we can reexamine and reconfigure for our own purposes.” These include futurist designer Buckminster Fuller, cryptanalyst-computer scientist Alan Turing, composer-arranger Bob Brookmeyer, actress-screenwriter Mae West, trumpeter-mentor Laurie Frink, and musician-beyond-category Duke Ellington, among others. Like West, Argue seems to control his own path. He may not yet be the tycoon she was, but he is well-lauded (Latin Grammy, Guggenheim, commissions) and producing fascinating projects, including Dynamic Maximum Tension. 

Argue bristles at a “not your grandfather’s big band” label stuck on him, a notion that his music represents a break with the past. “A lot of the tracks on Dynamic Maximum Tension are reflective of my personal journey in going back to the foundations of this music and trying to find ways to incorporate that into my compositional voice,” he said in an online pre-release listening session (Jazz Composers Present).

From the tensile strength of the first chord of “Dymaxion” to the dark growling power of “Ferromagnetic” and the final word of “Mae West,” Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society‘s Dynamic Maximum Tension is a delight. There is more to report but, like Argue said, “Just close your eyes and listen to the damn thing.”

Released: Sept 8, 2023

This is an excerpt from Katharine Cartwright’s review in All About Jazz.

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Each week, WDNA music director, Michael Valentine shares his album of the week. Michael’s picks often focus on new jazz releases, but sometimes dip into history with notable and classic releases worth revisiting.