Waves on sand

I got to Verity Lane for another of Alex Raupach's 8-evening series, sadly coming to an end soon.  Each show includes a visiting or feature artist with the house band, but this was a doozy.  It was called Waves on Sand, the title of a piece written for this event by Alex, was located in a quiet room out the back and featured 3 visitors, just not 1.  And worthy visitors they were.  Chloe Kim is a renowned drummer in numerous ensembles and student/associate of Simon Barker; a member of one of her bands and also from Sydney, Harley Coleman, came on guitar; Melbourne-based trumpeter Ashley Ballatt, with a string of plays with international renowns, Terri-Lynne Carrington, Linda Oh,  Dave Douglas and Vijay Iyer no less.  The locals were Chris Pound and Tom Fell, both local experts.  Actually, both Chloe and Ashley had history at the ANU at the time of the SOM ructions, so some local presence.   So a promising program.  The concert was a series of tunes, written by all members, including Chris and Tom and Alex, of various styles, even touching one with a country-ish opening for one particularly beautiful ballad, Yellow pink to blue by Sandcastles Chloe/Harley band partner, Hinano Fuisaki.  But most was not like that.  There was glorious, calm, slow, chordal grooves with occasional movements in pitch, signalled by a leader, or frantic free, or totally solo drums or guitar, or drums or guitar solos in context, guitar lightly picked but quick, a most glorious bass tone that both Harley and I were praising Chris for, or glorious sitting three part harmonised notes from tenor, trumpet and bass, moving in small intervals down on instruction, but improvised on harmony, and throughout a gorgeously pure trumpet tone, and Chloe's rhythmic excursions and occasional space.  All with performers physically coming and going for different pieces, and with a quiet and responsive audience.  The listening location fitted and the purpose was well served with some stunning floating, and just occasionally ecstatic, music.  What a pleasure.

Chloe Kim (drums), Harley Coleman (guitar), Ashley Ballatt (trumpet), Tom Fell (tenor, soprano saxes) and Chris Pound (bass) performed at Verity Lane for Alex Raupach's Louis Louis series.