Touchstones – TRG – Jed Scott Music

In times of upheaval, I lean on touchstones–works of art that have shaped me and the continue to be sources of inspiration, influence, and solace. It might be rereading a favorite novel, a cherished poem, a movie, or (especially often) a favorite album with a good pair of headphones.

My dorm neighbor and fellow member of GCII lent me Unreal a few weeks before The Real Group was set to perform at Western Michigan University in early spring, 1996. I was immediately floored. The singing was so, so good. I recognized the influences of my current favorites – Take 6, Manhattan Transfer, The Singers Unlimited – but the way these five Swedish singers made music together, a cappella, was next-level.

The Real Group makes music unanimously. You can tell from first hearing that these are five people who have thought through so many details, and agree on so much in terms of musical interpretation. When I saw them live that first time in 1996, I also learned that they are compelling performers, and for all their musical polish, they are also free, improvisatory, and lots of fun to watch and hear live.

I’ve since collected every one of their albums on CD. (Thanks, Primarily A Cappella, for being my go-to-source for hard-to-find recordings in the late-’90s!) I saw them perform again in 1997, and then not again until I was lucky enough to help them find a tour stop in West Michigan in 2014. Since then I’ve helped them put on three more concerts in West Michigan.

I don’t think it’s possible to really clarify in a short essay what makes TRG so remarkable – there needs to be a book! Someone, write that book.

But I do think that I can isolate a few of the factors that have affected me.

Cohesion. This is probably connected to Swedish culture, which is far more cohesive than our rugged individualism in the U.S. They have a cohesiveness as an ensemble that gives rise to really remarkable blend and balance.
Curiosity. From the very beginning, the ensemble was passionate about experimenting together and bringing in experts to help them get better. Their music also evolved over the decades as their curiosity took them in new directions.
Commitment. This is an ensemble that has committed to more contact time and full-time work as an ensemble than most professional ensembles do. I really think it makes a difference when you compare it to the ensembles that get most of their rehearsal time in the tour van or by arriving a day early for a tour leg.
Kindness. I’ve gotten to know the current singers a little bit over the last few years, and it has been my consistent line that as great of musicians as they are, they are better human beings. But of course, those things aren’t disconnected – one feeds into the other.

I have to admit that I can’t pick a single touchstone from their vast 35+ year output, and I’m lucky I don’t have to. Whether the early jazz and pop cover records, the later original-centric albums, the Christmas recordings or the Swedish choral record with Eric Ericson, each phase of their work offers a lot worth digging into. My first full vocal group transcription came from their very first album, a cover of “Who Put The Bomp.”

Not a single record then, but a singular group of singers and musicians. That’s why The Real Group is and will remain a touchstone for me as an artist and as a human being.