The Modern Congress – The Protagonist

Eastside Radio’s Album of the Week is The Protagonist by The Modern Congress.

It’s seven years since Sydneysider Tim Rollinson last released material under the guise of The Modern Congress, 2005’s The Hidden Soul of Harmony was the outfit’s last album. Yet the guitarist, who also fronts the acid jazz collective Directins in Groove (DIG) has clearly bided his time, and the result with The Protagonist has been worth the wait.

The Modern Congress features an array of Australian Jazz heavyweights, including nearly all of DIG in the shape of Alex Hewetson, Scott Saunders, Rick Robertson and of course Tim Rollinson, but also bassist Jonathan Zwartz, pianist Gerard Masters, drummer Hamish Stuart and vocalists Tina Harrod and Edoardo Santoni to name but a handful.

The result is a melting pot of genres that transposes into an overall smooth flavour. Blends of Jazz, funk, soul, Latino, dub, Indian, acid and groove all fuse to create the quite serene experience that The Protagonist is. With so many musicians based all over the place, much of the album was recorded remotely and then assembled by Rollinson himself. The intricacy that he has taken is clearly portrayed, with delicate moments of subtle smoothness on The Protagonist making the album particularly beautiful.

An album for those who enjoy their Jazz with a twist, The Protagonist offers the listener the choice to either float along with the sounds, or delve slightly deeper into them.

The Protagonist is an independent release by The Modern Congress. For more information go to www.themoderncongress.com

Stay closely tuned to Eastside as we are giving away a copy of The Protagonist to a listener everyday this week!