Darcy James Argue's Secret Society

Darcy James Argue is a composer and bandleader whose work with his 18-piece band Secret Society, though anchored strongly in jazz, also regularly crosses boundaries into classical music and, at times, even post-rock. This is music that is built around compositions, arrangements, and precision in delivery and presentation more than musicians keeping it loose and trading improvised solos. This partially what separates this project from the more traditional swing era big bands, and brings it closer to ensemble work, and in some ways, to the Miles Davis/Gil Evans collaborations of the late '50s. Argue's compositions and arrangements are captivating, and the band produces profoundly satisfying music that is highly nuanced, versatile, passionate, and as transformative as any good piece of music can be.