“For a wholly original take on big band’s past, present and future, look to Darcy James Argue,” so says Newsweek Magazine. The Vancouver-born, Brooklyn-based composer and bandleader has toured the world over with his 18-piece ensemble, Secret Society, garnering countless awards and nominations while reimagining what a 21st-century big band can sound like. His upcoming fourth album with Secret Society, Dynamic Maximum Tension, is named after the three words that inventor and futurist Buckminster Fuller combined to form his personal brand: “Dymaxion” — a term reflecting Bucky’s desire to get the most out of his materials, the utopian vision of his designs, and his quest to improve the pattern of daily life. Argue finds optimism and creative renewal in Bucky’s prescience as an early proponent of renewables like wind and wave power, and in his timelessly futuristic designs inspired by the geometry of the natural world.

In addition to Fuller, the music on Dynamic Maximum Tension pays tribute to other mid-20th century innovators and innovations, including composer-bandleader Duke Ellington, cryptographer Alan Turing, and actress- playwright-screenwriter Mae West, among others. This album looks for inspiration in the artistry, inventiveness, and resourcefulness that emerged from an age where the future seemed brighter than it does now.