Bizarrity

I came in late for this one after travel and it was not a easy program.  NCO was played a concert comprising an overture by Miriam Hyde (relatively easy but with a few unexpected twists), a viola sonata by Rebecca Clarke arranged for orchestra (three movements, airy and impressionistic, with some wonderful playing from soloist Alina Zamfir) and a doozy, Berlioz Symphonie fantastique.  I'd been amused to hear a somewhat bizarre response from some professionals about that one before the rehearsals started.  And it was bizarre, but quite intriguing in the end, when finally pulled it off.  This had had the most work and was the most fearsome of the three and thus went off best on the day.  Fear can prompt focused practice.  Whatever, we got a good review that ended: "Executing this daring program with such flair and competence would have been beyond many community orchestras, but the NCO was up for the challenge, and delivered" (Michael Wilson in CBR City News, 2 Dec 2024).  I expect most would agree given a joyous exit after the Berlioz.  Nice one and much enjoyed as always.

National Capital Orchestra performed Miriam Hyde, Rebecca Clarke and Hector Berlioz Symphonie fantastique at Snow Concert Hall under Louis Sharpe (conductor) with soloist Alina Zamfir (viola).

https://citynews.com.au/2024/orchestra-delivers-on-a-daring-program/

Our man in NYC 2

CJ Intern's NYC Adventure Part 2: Guitar Duel, or the Importance of Being Earnest When Meeting Your Heroes

by Jeremy Tsei

One week down! And to quote another, albeit lesser-known, Lin-Manuel Mirada number in this report's preamble (hopefully this doesn't become a habit), "it's all happening"...

Saturday: Christian McBride Big Band with special guests

This one was a treat, although I think I almost wore myself out with a day trip to Newark and a big dinner... Christian McBride has long been one of my favourite bassists ever - certainly, he's the one guy who can do it all. This concert featured vocalists Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind & Fire), Lisa Fischer (The Rolling Stones), and Dianne Reeves (an NEA Jazz Master), for a night of soul, R&B, and vivid big bad arrangements. All three previous Christian McBride Big Bad albums have won Grammys for Jazz Instrumental Albums, and if this sneak peek into next year's album was anything to go by, Christian has nothing to worry about in keeping that streak up. Special mention goes to the band's second tune, "The Shade of The Cedar Tree" - one of my favourites, and one that I still haven't quite nailed live in my Canberra gigs, a twisty but effortlessly catchy tune that segues smoothly between broken, swing, and Latin feels, which I now know was dedicated to the great Cedar Walton.

Sunday: Basik jam featuring Theresa Sanchez quartet

A neat little jam in Brooklyn. Bassist Theresa Sanchez had this massive sound coming in - imagine my surprise when I stepped up and saw she was coming out of a piddly Rumble 15 1x8 combo! Those things are like $89 AUD, and I'd recently rehearsed with one, grumbling at the lack of power for the whole time. Yet in this cafe environment, with no restrictions on audience volume and some seriously powerful bandmates, Theresa's sound was - well, I've already described it as 'massive', but there's no other word that really covers it. I asked Theresa how she went about getting such a big sound, and her response was modest. Maybe the secret ingredient has been hidden in beginner value packs all along...

Tuesday: Mike Stern and Larry Banks Sextet

Mike Stern is such a darl y'all.

We'll rewind a bit. Back when guitar was my primary instrument, Mike Stern was the guy - I bought a Seymour Duncan '59 neck pickup so I could have the same pickup that he uses, and I even tried getting a chorus/distortion combo to match his sound. Of course, I should've spent more time learning his licks, but I did pick up a habit of warming up on Bach violin Partitas from him...

I had the chance to meet Mike before and after his set at the DROM. He was seriously nice, and encouraged me not to look at myself as a 'former guitarist, now bassist' but a continual learner on both - "What do you mean, you used to play guitar?", he asked me. He also seemed genuinely interested in my cerebral palsy when I told him about how listening to his album Trip was super formative for me while I was first getting into jazz, especially as I was reading stories about his injury and reflecting on my own physical challenges.

And of course during his set he played one of the best guitar solos I've ever heard - period. His wife Leni was also excellent - a very different player, but you got the sense that she only played what she heard. And bassist Edmond Gilmore blew the roof off with a slap solo that just kept going and going and going, in the best way possible.

Chasing this up was the Larry Banks Sextet in Smalls, leading into the 1am jam. I got to play in this one too, but let me tell you, the house band was so good that it almost felt wrong to follow them up. Still - we had fun and there was a really good turnout from musicians and punters alike, even as we started to get well into Wednesday...

Thursday: John Scofield and Nicholas Payton

Another massive gig featuring another guitar favourite. Nicholas Payton was a real standout for this one, especially for his compositions, including "Backwards Step" and "Othello on the Low". Such a lyrical and inventive player, with a killer tone and timefeel. Heaps of repeated figures leading into classic bebop flurries.

Scofield is such a different player to Stern, but with both you can hear who they are from the first note. Both guitarists weren't afraid of bringing in tunes with solo guitar passages - and while both are known for their distorted or 'electric' tones, you can also hear the wood and resonance of their instruments as they play. It's that element that you'd struggle to describe outside of using adjectives such as 'authentic' and 'human'...

Massive gigs to wrap up this first week! A couple more weeks and a few more gigs and jam sessions to come - can you tell I'm having a blast? But for now - Jeremy the CJ Intern signing out.

Quintessential

I had 2 brushes with professional rock musicianship in my days in Adelaide in the early '70s and I failed in both.  I look back and I'm not unhappy and I can understand.  The character demands of rock/pop are very different from those of jazz and it's jazz that I discovered then through ABC Music to Midnight and it's the path I chose.  Nonetheless, I can admire good rock and popular music and Cold Chisel were it.  This was my first CC gig and they are now a mature, hugely experienced band and their commitment, chops, musicality and toughly-expressed but sometimes heart-rendering stories remain clearly on show.  This was their 50th anniversary tour and the show at Stage88 and it was a sell-out with a quite mature audience.  Supports started at ~5.45 with Karen Lee Andrews, then a longer and louder set with The Cruel Sea.  CC came on at 7.45 and ended after 2 encores of several songs each at 9.45.  That's two solid hours mostly with tracks running into each other and just a few short interludes, for Jimmy Barnes to say very few words, then once for a slightly longer chat.  This was intense.  Sweat they name is rock and this was where it's at.  They worked hard.  Ian Moss sang a surprising number of tunes and harmonies came from guitar and drums, perhaps keys.  He was on a few strats throughout.  Don Walker was primarily played a Yamaha portable grand piano (not sure of the model) and I think Nord for organ and keys.  Pretty sure bassist Phil Small played a Fender JB.  Not that I could see well from the distance.  Bass was simple and solid; drums similar if sometimes more expansive.  Nothing unexpected: this is high rock competence and perfectly apt.  Guitar took the key solo role and this was thrilling, all fast bluesy runs and screaming high notes and bends and bars and wonderfully tasteful and capable in the style.  A stunner and hugely pleasurable to hear.  Keys were foundational, busy with occasional short solos and some essential and famed entries.  There were several support players, on bari/alto sax and later on blues harp.  But ultimately voice was the core message, raspy and direct from Jimmy and clear and high from Ian, and some harmonies including occasionally from a trio of women, I think.  A review of the Melbourne gig by Craig Eriksson at Australian Musician lists 18 songs then 3 and 2 in two encores and a 2-hour gig.  Much the same here.  Flame trees then Khe Sanh announced the end and driving rocker Goodbye (Astrid) marked the final tune of the second encore and the arrival of Hit the road, Jack (don't you come back no more) just confirmed it.  Amusing all that.  I was entranced by this show.  Some songs were blissfully purposeful in a hard shell; others perhaps just rockers.  But the standouts are classics of the era.  Congrats to the band.  Some real stars, as performers and also as composers.  Truly quintessential Australian rock music.

Cold Chisel performed on their 50th anniversary tour at Stage88.  Current members of CC comprise Jimmy Barnes (vocals), Ian Moss (guitar, vocals), Don Walker (piano, keys), Phil Small (bass) and Charley Drayton (drums). Three female singers, a saxist (baritone, alto) and a blues harpist also performed.

Doin' the rounds

Suddenly I am recording choirs and this time it was massively different again.  This was Rhythm Syndicate, an SATB jazz-cum-pop choir singing their Christmas event at Wesley., so with some jazz tinged traditional hymns.  I'm not usually an Elton John fan, but I must say I was taken by two of his pieces, I'm still standing and Your song.  Maybe because for once I tried to take in the lyrics.  Pop is like that and it's why it's popular, I reckon.  It speaks to people about things that matter personally, or at least it can.  Otherwise, some older standards, Moonglow and a doo-wap take on Blue Moon, and Fire and rain, another soft-pop classic.  Then the Christmas tunes.  Amongst others was an arrangement of Away in a manger by Sally Greenaway and a quite chromatic and substitutional take on the first Noel by arranger Rhonda Polay.  That really impressed me.  And Somewhere in my memory, which is apparently lauded from Home alone but not one I knew, and a boisterous and lung-loss take on O Holy Night, such a glorious tune done with gusto and big sounds.  RS are an SATB choir of 12 women (one singing tenor, I think) and 9 men under Sarah Louise Owens with piano accompaniment from Harrison Whalen.  About as far as you scan get from Kompactus' contemporary classical and Oriana's Rach Vespers.  Doin' the choral rounds, I guess.  Jazz and pop structures with dynamics, sweetness, joy and occasional raucousness.

Rhythm Syndicate performed at Wesley under Sarah Louise Owens (musical director) accompanist with  Harrison Whalen (piano).

A shorter vigil

It should be heard in an all-night vigil while standing.  We were luckier than that.  This was Rachmaninov All-night vigil, loosely called Vespers from the main part of the work.  Actually Vespers makes up movements 1-6 of 15 with Matins 7-11, Lauds 12 and Prime 13-15 and this whole would be heard in the traditional Orthodox service from sunset finishing in the morning of the next day.  Oriana Chorale learnt and sang the Russian text a capella in the ANZAC Memorial Chapel at Duntroon, no less, under Dan Walker with soloists Maartje Seventer, Andrei Laptev and Andrew Fysh.   It was a different thing.  I had just heard complex modern harmonies with Kompactus.  This was much denser and darker, partly from the larger choir, but I guess also from many parts.  It's also SATB but each section can be split into 2 or 3 parts through the work.  It's heavier, more serious perhaps, certainly more religious.  Sometimes an introductory solo to start a movement (what is this called?) or a quiet vocal tone after a tuning fork to a skull.  After hearing this and Kompactus in one week, I remain in awe of our local choral scene.

Oriana Chorale performed Rachmaninov All-night vigil at the Anzac Memorial Chapel at Duntroon under Dan Walker (musical director) with soloists Maartje Sevenster (alto), Andrei Laptev (tenor) and Andrew Fysh (bass).

FWIW

I've been too short on jazz gigs recently and even had to pass on a few due to travel and more.  But I did manage one little one with old mates Mike Dooley and his son Anthony and Richard Manderson.  Just standards but with some structure and guidance from Richard and some nice solos.  I have been somewhat unsure of soloing of late but it's a confidence thing.  I just settled this time and the grooves were good and the solos interesting and plenty of capable chops around so all was well.  So nice to to spend some time with this odd flame, jazz.  So just a pic.

Richard Manderson (tenor), Mike Dooley (piano), Anthony Dooley (drums) and Eric Pozza (bass) played a jazz gig.

Our man in NYC 1

CJ Intern's NYC Adventure Part 1: Does Anyone in This Town Have a Functioning Bass Amp?

by Jeremy Tsei

One of the hit songs in Hamilton is, of course, "The Room Where It Happens". Three days in, and I think it's very apt to describe New York as very much "the city where it happens". I won't bore you with all the touristy details, but I do have a few updates on the music front...

Thursday: Kenny Garrett at the Blue Note

What a way to start! This one was unfortunately marred by tech difficulties at the beginning, with the bass amp not working when the band kicked off. Still, a powerful opening to the set, put together to promote Garrett's latest album, Sounds from the Ancestors. Despite knowing about the faulty gear, the bassist persisted with taking a solo during the opener, with the techies frantically going at it as he did so. Fortunately the sound was restored - to much applause from the audience. Although sound issues persisted - Kenny had some rapping/ spoken word sections which seemed to get drowned out when it reached the bar area - the overall sound was great, combining gospel, Afro-Cuban, and fusion influences. There was good use of texture with strong vocalists and percussion, and some very singable melodies. A special shoutout to the nice aunties whom I sat next to, who heard my thick Aussie "Good onya" as something like "Gouda Enya". We all learnt something from each other, and what a venue for it!

Friday part 1: Smalls Afternoon jam session hosted by Andrew Kushnir

It's always been a dream of mine to jam in New York City, and well, this was it, warts and all. Once again, a non-functioning bass amp, although the house bassist and I figured it was likely a bum cable. Luckily the house bass - fitted out with Spirocores and medium-high action - gave out plenty of acoustic sound. Shoutout to Tony, a guitarist who had just moved to NYC from Melbourne - and whom I had jammed with before, at the one Blondies jam session I've attended! Good luck for your audition man. This one you can watch online! I come on about halfway through: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn_oDjotUcw&t=9327s

Friday part 2: Il Travatore at the Met Opera

This one came recommended to me by a drummer friend of mine, Paul. An amazing sound and a really jaw-dropping revolving set. During intermission, a fellow remarked that this one was a bit "sleepy", but (for this first-time Met Opera attendee, anyway) I found the pace to be very quick - we got to intermission before I knew it. Perhaps the quick nap I had in my seat before the concert opened helped with this. The singing was top-tier (what else would you expect), and the orchestra sounded fantastic. Sitting at the very back, however, the small scale of the actors contrasted with the intensity of the tragedy - it was like seeing microscopic minions with maximum melodrama. A fanfare in the middle of the first act was particularly impressive, featuring some powerful cast percussion. In Canberran pro-am and community theatre, we generally try to limit the cast's access to percussion as much as possible. But here the cast handled it with aplomb.

That's it so far! I'm about 10% through my trip, so I'm sure you'll be hearing more as I go along. For now - Jeremy the CJ Intern signing out...

Wed 2

We had friends going to a concert that night at Wesley so it was an unusual Wednesday double actand what a contrast it was.  This was called Two in One and the twos were variously two New Zealanders and one Australian and two recorders and one harpsichordist: Kamala Bain and Robyn Mellow on recorders (mostly tenors, but one tune on descants, if I got it right) and Ariana Odermatt on harpsichord.  It was lovely, period, early, so even Bach and Telemann, baroquers who sound more contemporary to our adjusted ears, sounded mediaeval with this combination.  Their playing was exemplary for the instruments, all having performed and studied internationally.  The melodies, accompaniments, harmonies when not playing unison, were clear and affectionate and often joyously danceable in that older, formal style of courantes and gigues and chaconnes.  Something different and lovely and historical.

Kamala Bain and Robyn Mellow (recorders) and Ariana Odermatt (harpsichord) performed at Wesley as Two in one.

Wed 1

Wednesdays is a regular recording outing at Wesley lunchtimes and the performance this week was Kompactus, our local notable Youth Choir.  From the first notes I was entranced.  Firstly, because the human voice is a glorious, intimate thing and probably the best instrument of them all, at least to us humans.  But also because this is a very sophisticated and hugely capable choir led by a friendly but committed MD.  The music stunned from the start with complex chords of rich colours and demanding intervals and various pitches.  And the precise dynamics from good listeners aware of the unity of the whole.  And a large range of pitch, deep presences through to ecstatic and extended soprano highs.  And the moves of singers between tunes that highlighted the stereo spread, perhaps individuals of one section singing left or right.   And just the fact this was so alive, gentle, delicate, precise.  And those fascinating compositions from Australia and Finland and Malaysia and the inenvitable Eric Whitacre.  And one song from Olivia Swift, MD and conductor.  And a final encore from Tracy Wong with a jazzier feel and an accompaniment of odd syncopations of foot taps, finger clicks, leg slaps, claps, shouts, unexpected triplets and perhaps more.  Intriguing and satisfying and really lovely.

Kompactus Youth Choir performed at Wesley under Olivia Swift (conductor, musical director).

Repeats

It was the second time I'd played Beethoven 5 and the program was a blast.  The first time was my second classical concert, playing with Maruki, and coincidentally, the first outing with Maruki for Kristen, then cellist, now conductor/MD.  That was 2005.  As for the program, it was a typical Maruki onslaught: Elgar Pomp & circumstance 1, Holst Jupiter, Mozart violin concerto no.5 Amaj with Georgina Chan as soloist and B5.  Interestingly, Georgina also has a history with Maruki and John Gould, Maruki's creator, now deceased.  She started lessons with him at age 4, and has played variously with the orchestra and how now completed degree and masters at the Qld Con. Whatever, this was a large outing, around 60.  I just managed to sit-in at the last minute, given travel and other, and wasn't quite prepared enough.  There are tricky lines in all those pieces, not just Beethoven.  Mozart had its slick fills; Holst various odd timings and Elgar just ecstatic and immediate.  But that's why these are so intriguing and welcoming.  We did it with some success if not perfection, but also immense pleasure and lots of, as they say ugly-ly these days, "learnings".  There's an understanding of a work that comes through the preparation and performance that I find deeply satisfying and transformative of how you hear it.  I've mentioned this to others and it's a common awareness.  At least for me, following the dots on the page while listening, then repeating those tricky parts and, from some jazz training, noting the diminished lines and the like, is the most you can do to get close to a piece.  And every one of these was a work of some genius.  Just wish I'd had more preparation.

Maruki performed Elgar, Holst, Mozart and Beethoven at Albert Hall. under Kristen Simpson (conductor) and soloist Georgina Chan (violin) for the Mozart concerto.  The bottom enders were Owen Livermore, Jeremy Tsei and Eric Pozza (basses) with assistance from the bottom-end brass sitting adjacent, Karren Crosthwaite and David Hodgkinson (tubas).

Socialising

After several invitations I finally attended the ACT Arts Awards event delivered by the Canberra Critics' Circle.  It was at Drill Hall Gallery, pretty much filled with a coterie of artists and critics from all manner of the arts, music, theatre, dance, visual arts, writing.  I recognised various faces but not many and chatted as best I could (given the very reverberant space) with a few groups of people I didn't.  Two chatters were from arts centres and craft councils so new to me.  The dance was very unknown to me.  I have a very successful dancer in my family but never much followed that art.  I had an interesting chat with two ANU historians who were each to win awards for their new books of various history.  I seemed to have been typecast as conservative (maybe given my recent find in Salvo's, a jacket by Pierre Cardin, no less) but managed to avoid that image by talking of SoundOut and with some help from Richard J.  Louis won a prize on behalf of NCO for our recent film music concert, Heroes & Villains, which was very successful and hugely attractive.  There were awards for Canberra Bach Ensemble and Luminescence and the Neemans and Queanbeyan Players and amusingly for some actors at that very instant performing at the Street Theatre in Waiting for Godot, so that one was collected by a ring-in.  I did fall into a chat on Israel/Gaza but it was too difficult given the noise in the back room and the dense issues of the topic.  I was stunned by the list of critics who selected these performers: ~25 critics for ~30 awards.  Whatever, it was fun and comfortably short with few speeches.  And thanks to Helen Musa and mates who make this all happen.  Quite an enjoyable and sociable outing, really.

The Canberra Critics' Circle convened the ACT Arts Awards at the Drill Hall Gallery.

Madame returns

It's a different world, certainly from the jazz scene.  I caught Madam Nightingale at Smiths on a Sunday afternoon on a tour from various national Art Fringes singing a synth-pop set entitled Dynamic Darkness with offsider Aj'Zho.  Different as far more presented, far more visual and abstruse, not at all more or less artistic for the nature of art here is direct, punchy to the stomach, intriguing for ideas and themes, like Supermodel or Into the dark of simply Dance with me.  In an interesting twist, I could walk straight from Murrays ex-Royal Princess and into the Madam set missing just a song or two.  I really like this style, all repeating synth tones although with occasional recorded harmonies and authentic sampled instruments, orchestral and otherwise, loud with deep and insistent grooves, softened with movement and thoughtful with lyrics rather than improv.  Just so different but entertaining and fun.  Different, too, from the covers and party bands I've been hearing recently, thoughtful as they can be in their own ways.  Great to catch our mates Phaedra and Dave again.

Madame Nightingale performed at Smiths.  MB are Phaedra Gunn (vocals, lyrics) and Dave O'Toole (keys, programming).

Royals 9

We’re running down time at sea returning to Sydney.  The question is are you continuing, I think to Hobart then NZ then on further.  A production show was sadly cancelled given problems with lifts.  There’s been another singer show from NZ-resident Scottish singer ex-Australian Voice Nyree Huyser and I enjoyed the varied songs, from Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand to Guns N Roses.  Nicely backed by the House band with her charts and a 90-min rehearsal.  I remain in awe of Gio, the Italian drummer who holds grooves and holds the band together to my ears.  There has been a chat from stage about how the entertainment is brought together.  Princess Cruises (read Love Boat) prides itself on its entertainment and it is impressive, LA trained, costumed and more harking to Broadway ad the West End.  There was a repeat of a show I’ve seen before, all opera and musical theatre, Encore.  Entertaining and pretty and well done if not too artistically challenging.  That’s what this is and it’s fabulously well done.  There will be a few wind-up concerts and our Pop choir will do a short gig on the last full day at sea.  Not many rehearsals and limited harmonies but fun none-the-less.  Then back to the run down to Christmas.  It’s been a strange period, too, with three major events, Halloween with dress-ups in an increasingly US-influenced Aussie world, the Melbourne cup from our older Aussie English-influenced past, and the US election with its foreboding for all.  So perhaps a more memorable cruise than normal.  And the chance to test my Talking cure.  This morning’s opportunity was with the writer on deck: Writing your novel?  Just recording for Jesus… It felt like more Americana.