Jigzag – 30 Seconds of Happiness

Delicious three-way vocal harmony; violin like liquid fire; powerful and percussive guitar; all anchored by a solid, funky double bass. Prepare for some acoustic alchemy whenever Sydney trio Jigzag takes the stage with their exuberant blend of acoustic pop folk. Guitarist Greg Bryce, violinist Caroline Trengrove and double-bassist Liz Frencham deliver original songs interspersed with passionate renditions of Celtic and Eastern European folk tunes. Known for their infectious grooves and genuine warmth, they are sometimes high-spirited and energetic, sometimes delicate and intimate (other times downright cheeky!) but always heartfelt and joyful., Greg Bryce, guitar, vocals, Caroline, violin, vocals, Liz Frencham, double bass, vocals.

Additional Musicians: Archie Cuthbertson – drums (tracks 1 and 4), Matt Rodd -percussion, Bruce Packard – mandolin (tracks 8 and 11), Peter Somerville – 5-string banjo (track 11), Amelia Barden – oboe (track 4), Luke O’Neill – nylon string guitar (track 12)

“This is the second album from this talented trio and contains 58 minutes of mostly self-penned songs and tunes in a range of styles including Irish, ‘pop ‘, and jazz. I am an absolute fan of this group, whose members have been playing and touring together for several years now and have a huge energy, warmth and sense of fun in their live performances. Jigzag’s line up is Greg (Bryce) who plays energetic acoustic guitar and takes lead vocal in three songs, Caroline (Trengrove) who is a very solid viola and violin player and offers both delicate harmonies and two gentle and welcome vocal solos, and finally Elisabeth (Frencham) who plays fabulous double bass and SASE bass and has a wonderfully strong jazz voice which features in three of her own songs. Each band member has contributed fairly equally to the writing of the songs and tunes. Guest musicians include Peter Somerville playing terrific 5 string banjo on Greg’s song ‘Love is Good’. The songs on the album are varied in style, from Elisabeth’s clever lyrics and wonderful bass accompaniment in her sensual song of love for her ‘Man of Wood’ to Greg’s ’30 seconds of Happiness’, ‘These Feelings’ and ‘Love is Good’ which all have a strong ‘pop’ feel too them. Greg’s lyrics are simple and very open, if a little trite at times. My favourite of his songs is a slow song of love ‘Between the Darkness and the Deep’ sung beautifully by Caroline. The tune sets include a mixture of traditional tunes and three original tunes by Caroline. All the tunes on the album are crisp and extremely competent but I feel they miss something. Perhaps it’s all the background noise in the pubs and the ability to make mistakes when live, which allow Jigzag to really let rip and express themselves so well when in front of an audience. The comprehensive sleeve notes make special mention that the band has travelled some 800 kilometers from home to use the recording studios of Siiri Metstar at Metropolis Studios in South Melbourne. The recording is extremely clear with all instruments and voices being very easy to pick out and overall there is a strong feeling of ‘space’ between notes especially in the slower gentle tracks such as Elisabeth’s ‘Breathe’ or Caroline’s moving rendition of the traditional song, ‘She Moved through the Fair’ which has a rich double bass drone throughout with haunting viola & delicate guitar interspersed. Whether it is this clarity in the recording or some other factor, I found that the high energy level, which so permeates this band’s live performances, is nowhere near as evident in the CD.” – Review by Nigel Walters.