In passing

Canberra is not NYC or even Melbourne, but I can occasionally catch two interesting gigs in a night. After Pen Island it was Andy Campbell’s JUBB at Smith’s Bookshop. I only caught part of the set, but this was steady mid-tempo fusion with attractive melodies, often played as sweet unison by guitar and tenor, with lyrical and mostly restrained solos and several long crescendos. I wondered if the potent guitar chording defined much of the sound. Andy presented all original tunes: Led Zep (an obvious and deserved dedication); Grey ghost; PP2 (a new version of an earlier tune called Pool party). The final tune was Darcy, written about Andy’s dog, and it seemed a different composition from the others. It was something like a shuffle in 5/4 with variations. Andy volunteered that Darcy is a happy dog and you could feel canine revelry in those variations. This was satisfying fusion with attractive melody and Andy’s amiable presence. Andy Campbell (guitar, compositions) leads JUBB with Max Williams (tenor), Chris Pound (bass) and Luke Keanan-Brown (drums).

Hear JUBB