Touring to the big smoke

Later in the night, after the book launch, is not so late for jazz these days.  We must be an ageing cohort.  Whatever, Ben Lerner was playing at Smiths at 7pm with his quartet on tour before recording an album with ABC and they were something pretty special.  The others were Steve Barry, well known and big handed with busy, rich, arpeggiated solos; Max Alduca, for some time trained locally, of solid groove with busy syncopations and some quick fills up the neck; and Alex Young, new to me but again syncopated, intensely grooved, sharply snared and creatively responsive.  They were all a pleasure, with Ben's lithe and expressive alto over, playing his compositions.  I reminded me of bop, heads and solos and groove, but not neo-bop.  That was conservative; this was more creative, open to broader stylistic influences, far more varied in chordal structures and not all 2-5s but you could still hear those pentatonic or other solo patterns that were just so effective from the alto and the heads were intriguing and often unexpected while the intensity and drive remained up.  This was some fascinating music and it's not at all surprising that Ben is off to NYC and Manhattan School of Music.  We can only wish him well but he's got a great start.  In the meantime, I look forward to mixing his gig at Smiths and later hearing the band's take from whatever ABC studio.

Ben Lerner (alto, compositions) led his quartet at Smiths comprising Ben with Steve Barry (piano), Max Alduca (Bass) and Alex Young (drums).

When much new is old

It's a while since I attended my last book launch, although I hear plenty of similar discussions on ABCRN, but this one caught my eye.  Allan Answorth, barrister and part-time academic at UCan, was speaking on his latest publication, The Role of Rhetoric in Politics and the Media, in conversation with Jack Waterford.  It's a very local outing.  I read JW religiously each week, enjoying his observations and admiring his long knowledge, once Canberra Times editor and currently long-term opinion writer.  And a practising barrister and part-time academic looks to be a perfect source for a book on rhetoric, especially one who claims a long term interest in philosophy and a string of other intellectual interests.  The book outlines a range of linguistic, logical and ethical fallacies that are used in rhetorical technique then analyses two speeches by the current US president in this context.  The numbering and cross references in the book are complex and I am yet to clearly identify the number of fallacies discussed, but JW suggested over 150.  Amusingly, AA advised the naming of these fallacies is variously in common English or less common Ancient Greek for those known from that time.  There is history in such discussions.  Anyway, an interesting and occasionally amusing discussion and well informed on such matters.  Thus can someone trained as a barrister and subsequent academic compose.  Looking forward to reading his written words.

Allan Anforth (barrister, academic, author) was in conversation with Jack Waterford (journalist, opinion writer) at the launch of his book 'The role of rhetoric in politics and the media' at Paperchain bookshop, Manuka.

Choose one if you wish

Just 2 pieces, Snow angel and The snow.  It had been cold overnight in Canberra.  I was not sure quite what to expect.  This was the Canberra Community Chorale directed by Olivia Swift.  Olivia does good work.  I spoke to her after the concert about the compositions.  She said most people like one or the other and they were quite different.  I was commenting to her about Sarah Quartel Snow Angel.  This one fascinated me.  It's modern: it has a string of spoken word passages from Angels 1,2,3, written as paragraphs but quite poetic with rhymes and repetitions, telling stories with discrete religious themes; it has modern piano accompaniment of limited harmonic movements with rhythmic structure, with quite complex voices and harmonies over.  And it has just a few rap passages.  Rap!  That fascinated me and I felt it may have somewhat discombobulated the mature singers.  But this was a fascinating modern composition. The other piece was a poem by Caroline Alice Roberts put to music by her husband, Edward Elgar, which seemed fairly obvious English music of the period.  So I had a preference and it was Sarah Quartel.  This was a run through for a later concert in this Church in a month or so.  Snow angel was quite intriguing.  Hope to catch this one again.

The Canberra Community Chorale performed at Wesley Church under Olivia Swift (director) with accompaniment by Lucus Allerton (piano) and angels Helen Moore, Maxine Robinson and Martin McGill (spoken word).

Repertoire

Then Maruki performing more repertoire.  I love Maruki for its brave approach to repertoire, the full programs, the unflinching takes on the hardest works.  Again a threesome of overture, concerto and symphony: Mendelssohn Midsummer Night's Dream overture, Beethoven Piano concerto no 2 Bbmaj and Tchaikovsky Symphony no.1 Gmin.  Never flinch, even with the demands of this Tchaikovsky symphony.  This was a doozy, all chromatics and glorious melody, not least on bass and quick lines and odd timings and frantic stringendos and ever trustworthy brass who saved the day for me a few times.  This was not easy and I'd not managed too many rehearsals.  Next to the Tchaiks, the Mendelssohn seemed trivial if exciting and the Beethoven, played by Cornelia Dragusin, was beautiful with a Mozartian delicacy and danceability.  But as ever, to reach the end of such a program and such a demanding composition as the Tchaiks is a pleasure and satisfaction.  We are a welcoming unauditioned community orchestra and this is as hard as it comes but just having learnt this and the rest of the repertoire that we work through is a great satisfaction and an opportunity to get into the guts of a work and know it in a way that listening just doesn't provide.  And the size of the orchestra just confirms I'm not alone in this pleasure. PS.  The pics are from the warmup, not the concert, of course.

Maruki Orchestra preformed Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky at Albert Hall under Kristen Simpson.  The Beethoven concerto featured soloist Cornelia Dragusin (piano).  Bottom enders were Owen Livermore and Eric Pozza (bass).

Time travels

I do wonder how many towns the size of Canberra are supplied with musicians like this town.  Concerts just seem to roll in, frequently, during the week or conflict over the weekend.  And so I managed to fit a Canberra Bach Ensemble sets of four oratorios into the Saturday evening between a final rehearsal and a Maruki concert.  More on that next.  But it's busy.  And CBE concerts are not lightweight.  Four cantatas featuring ~50 performers comprising choir and soloists and period instrumentalists, some visiting from Melbourne or Sydney for the event, but mostly local.  That's 2 hours of performance with an interval in the middle.  Not shirking.  And each cantata preceded by a presumably related motet by another composer, all cantatas for the Jubilate Sunday, once the Third Sunday after Easter.  True to form, the baroque instruments were wooden and detuned and of considerable interest and some rarity or at least uncommonness.  We got a long necked Theorbo from violinist Shaun Ng, a sixth flute (essentially a descant recorder in D) that had been borrowed by Robyn Mellor from Melbourne, oboes d'amore and baroque bassoons and the like.  And plenty of gut for the tone.  The choir sounded glorious, the vocal soloists informed and clear, the whole a glorious and generous indulgence in the period and quite a learning proposition.  Thanks once again to Andrew and CBE.

Canberra Bach Ensemble performed under Andrew Koll (director) with Stephen Freeman (concertmaster), Greta Claringbould (soprano), Maartje Sevenster (alto), Timothy Reynolds (tenor) and Andrew Fysh (bass).

Orchestral double vision

It's not often you see 2 orchestras in one night, although I noticed Miro called the Jazz orchestra a big band.  Whatever, a classical orchestra and a jazz orchestra/big band are different things.  The fact that the classical orchestra performs on the Llewellyn stage and the jazz orchestra plays in the bar just confirms the different formalities and memberships and musicalities but I love them both and obviously the audience does too.  These were the ANU Orchestra and the ANU Jazz Orchestra performing on one night in the same building.  First up was the classical players under Rowan Harvey-Martin playing Respighi, Vaughan Williams and Kodaly.  I was amused to not know of the Hary Janus suite although a friend knew it best of the 3.  The Respighi was Fountains of Rome and this didn't convince me.  I have lived in Rome for a several  years and seen the fountains frequently and this didn't click for me, but that's composition not performance.  The RVW was Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis interestingly with 3 groups comprising 2 small string sections and soloists.  I was most taken by some lovely solos, not least amongst the violas.  Amusingly, I greeted the basses before the gig and there were 3 (Dave, Mel and Hayley) and none are current students.  Then on to the bar and the big band and some swinging numbers although I didn't catch titles.  Miro was filling in for Greg Stott on the night.  At one stage he invited dances but only one male couple got up, amusing all while displaying some swing dance skills.  I recognised some faces in both orchestras but certainly not all.  Presumably for two reasons: new players in the music school and other ANU students who are taking part, for both orchestras are open for students and others from ANU.  Amusingly, I found I could take a wine into Llewellyn in a plastic glass, so maybe the two venues were more similar than I'd expected.  It's all music, after all, and all music is well suited to lubrication.

The ANU Orchestra under Rowan Harvey-Martin (conductor) performed on stage in Llewellyn Hall.  The ANU Jazz Orchestra under Miroslav Bukovsky (conductor) performed in the Athenaeum.

Berlin calls home

This was something special.  It's not every Wednesday we have a Canberran returning for a visit from Berlin where she's been playing for 10 years in various European chamber groups, and improv collectives.  But accompanied by the cream of Canberra's players, CSO and the like, just added to it.  Alexina Hawkins played a lovely, period Carl Stamitz followed by a 20th century contrast in a Bartok viola concerto.  Then an added string quartet playing Haydn.  That wasn't on the menu/program but was a lovely thing.  These were not full works but movements, given available time, and at least the first two played by Xina from memory,  With glorious, woody tone and lithe, always expressive interpretation.  Edward Neeman provided accompaniment for the Stamitz and Bartok and was exemplary.  Just recently I've noticed how much more you take in up close, after a string of masters at close quarters.  This too was enlivening and enlightening.  Then a lovely unexpected, unprogrammed  Haydn string quartet to offer an opportunity to play again with old Canberra mates.  I knew the Stamitz so enjoyed that with great intimacy, anticipating every note.  The Bartok was new, twisted and mangled and indicatively C20th strife-filled; Xina suggested industrial or even romantic/poetic, presumably in response.  And the Haydn was just lovely, of course.  So a memorable and special Wednesday lunchtime concert flown in from Berlin.

Alexina Hawkins (viola) performed Carl Stamitz and Bela Bartok with Edward Neeman (piano) and Haydn with Douglas McNichol and Pip Thompson (violin) and Samuel Payne (cello) at Wesley.

Where in the world is Ben?

Ben Francis gave a broad exploration of the world of classical piano with a Beethoven sonata, a Chopin nocturne, some Debussy impressionism and two Rachmaninov preludes.  Ben is preparing for his L.Mus exam later this year and these are on his program.  All nicely done and a fascinating collection.  And all played from memory and with significant interpretative variations, slow largos that had you sitting on the edge of your seat then quick allegros that whizzed past in nimble lines.  But as much as the music, I was amused to read his interest in exploring the world with Google Street View.  I have done the same and it can be fascinating but he's taken it to another level.  Apparently there's a game called GeoGuessr and he's invited to the World Cup 2025 Asia-Pacific competition in Tokyo this very weekend.  The game dumps you somewhere unknown in Street View and the challenge is to find out just where you are, I guess before your competitors.  So fascination is in many fields and I must say I like both of those that Ben has found.  And he seems to do them both very bloody well.

Ben Francis (piano) performed Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy and Rachmaninoff at Wesley.

Another Tuesday, venue 2

It's Tuesday night so if venue 1 is Smiths then venue 2 is Molly.  Of course Molly is the unmarked timber door in the lane just behind Smiths and up the stairs on Tuesday night is a string of some of the best local jazz you will hear in this town.  And tonight was a doozie: Tom Fell leading a trio with Chris Pound and Nick McBride.  I came in at the end of the second set but there was a third, and it was a hard biting outing.  Tom was all movement and involvement and a pretty free concept of soloing over the chords with occasional hints at the melody and sometimes relaxedly standing as a head is passed back to him and always fascinating and adventurous.   He was playing a storm as leader and this trio supports it.  Chris was superbly fluent, quick and solid, rather than flighty, wonderfully clear throughout the range and well into thumb positions, and just inventive with his conceptualisations.  I think of Alone together as my song, but he floored me with his take on it.  Nick would solo in fours or more open formats and always sharp and correct and interesting.  These were just standards, but fascinating as modern takes on standards can be, if not always are.  I came in to a sax solo that I recognised from a few melody snippets as Have you met Miss Jones.  Then a break and a return for a final set with Take the A train, a blues, Alone together and another standard.  I've played them all even if I can't recall all the titles.  But this was exciting, busy, outgoing yet inviting, noisy and adventurous.  Just a great band playing standards with joy and chops.  Fabulous.

Tom Fell (tenor) led a trio playing standards with Chris Pound (bass) and Nick McBride (drums) at Molly.

Another Tuesday, venue 1

Tuesday can be a great night for jazz in Civic and this was one example.  First up was the ANU Jazz Society Open Mic night in the upstairs bar at Smiths.  This is not just a collection of Jazz School students, but they obviously make a significant part of it.  And it was very much ANU students and not at all an older crowd.  First up was a karaoke session featuring one bloke, Paco,  singing two songs by a recently deceased Taiwanese R&B singer.  Interesting; finally I see karaoke and the voice and choice was decent.  Then presumably ANU jazz students, the Oliver Djurkovic Quartet, playing Coltrane's Love Supreme album, at least the four tunes with recognisable improvs if shorter than the original.  I did enjoy this one and I wondered how comfortable any following bands would be feeling after this.  Very impressive.  Then an older female singer-songwriter, Rowley?, singing with guitar about a lost love, as singer songwriters often do, but obviously a emotionally charged tunes.  Then the Aidan Herstik Octet shrunk to a trio on the night doing a take on Cissy strut.  And a final few tunes with changing female singers fronting the House Band.  Entry was cheap and free pizzas were generous, so a very different outing.  The ANU Jazz Soc has a page on Facebook with a string of posters for various events, jam sessions, open mics, jazz'n'paint, trivia, karaoke and more over the last year or two.  Nice. 

I didn't get all names, but Oliver Djurkovic (tenor) led his quartet with Micah Knight (piano), Shivi (Shivansh) Vachaspati  (bass) and Oliver Stott (drums).  Aidan Herstik (guitar) led a trio with Connor Moloney (drums) and Shivi (Shivansh) Vachaspati  (bass).  I didn't get names for the House Band.

Neat flight

Volant was touring and they were playing at Smiths as their penultimate gig before a final outing at the Milton Festival.  Volant is fronted by Matthew Ottignon but interestingly it's otherwise a trio of women which still remains less common although there are now plenty of female jazz instrumentalists out there.  This was a delightfully precise and careful band and it was playing acoustic and at a very moderate volume.  I felt I was in a studio given great precision and restraint and correctness and I put it down to the membership, but I was wrong.  The penultimate tune of the second set got louder as they played on and the final was a blower and it sounded just like any similarly competent band of whatever composition.  But these were competent all round.  Hannah's an old mate and also a bassist so I especially watched her playing.  Just so reliable and apt and unpretentious and deeply serving the tune.  Serving the tune is a great skill and I loved this.  Matt was similarly careful and precise, although as the sax out front, he had a more outspoken role, but still very neat.  Lauren on piano played restrainedly, too, but there was a good deal of adventurousness there too, some dissonance, various interpretations or melodic takes in solos.  Hayley was mostly quite understated, lightly played, heavy on cymbals and hi-hat and kick, but then she too let go with sticks on skin and drama and drive.  So, I feel comfy in my concepts of second-wave feminism, that we can all do much the same thing in similar circumstances and we should have the opportunity.  But my-oh-my did I enjoy this calm precision.  Just lovely.

Volant performed at Smiths.  Volant comprised Matt Ottignon (tenor, alto, minor percussion), Lauren Tsamouras (piano), Hannah James (acoustic bass) and Hayley Chan (drums).

Voices through ages

This was a world premiere of a vocal quartet and it was quite lovely.  And not unexpected given the known history of these singers.  The group was called Arcenciel presumably Arc-en-ciel, French for Rainbow.  Amusingly, I looked up YouTube and found a Japanese metal band with that name playing Madison Square Gardens.  This was another, obviously.  Our Arcenciel was pure, SATB, glorious often challenging harmonies, with music from a range of composers from Purcell and Bruckner to Bobby McFerrin and languages from Latin to Latvian with some English. It started with lovely religious music, Psalm 23 and Thou knowest Lord and like themes, but then onto jazzy styles, soprano over African grooves or vocal bass lines with complex interplays of melodies and ostinatos through the higher parts and wonderfully difficult echoed lines and harmonised interplays in The Shore then a final The Bee by Frank Bridge, written in 1913 but with a surprisingly modern sound.  So a fascinating and satisfying program, lovely and pure up front then more modern and fun towards the end.  It can only bode well for this choral quartet in its premiere concert.

Aracenciel performed their world premiere concert at Wesley.  Aracenciel are Rena Li (soprano), Olivia Swift (alto), Henry Bonanza (tenor) and Lucus Allerton (bass).

Crossovers

I last saw Helen Svoboda at SoundOut 2024 and this year she appeared at CIMF with Timo-Veikko 'Tipi' Valve, principal cellist at the Australian Chamber Orchestra.  SoundOut and ACO?  It's an unexpected pairing but thus is CIMF and thus is one of its strengths.  The concert was inspiring.  Helen and Tipi had just met an hour before the concert so this was more a sharing of personal performances, seemingly with time allocations for the unscripted improvs, but it worked a treat.  Helen on double bass, all spacey bowing and harmonics then a lovely voice improvising over the established context.  Tipi blended in with a few JS Bach cello concerto movements which are inevitably known and always loved, and a few written pieces which more matched Helen's improvised offers, one by Kate Moore and another by Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti.  Then an interval and a virtuosic piece by the Finn who must be played, Sibelius Variations for cello.  I loved Helen's improvs but especially her lovely voice, unexpectedly appearing over the bass.  I sat just feet from Tipi and learnt a ton from his bowing and fingering and interpretations, and could do no less than be stunned by his commitment made evident  by his breathing.  What you see up close is dazzling and revealing and so much more intense than the experience in a hall.  This is no work-a-day outing.  A final, stunning concert from CIMF and such a pleasure and honour to be able to record 5 of the concerts.

Timo-Veikko Valve (cello) and Helen Svoboda (bass, vocals) performed form CIMF at the ACCC Chapel.

Interlude no.2 Choral

This is a busy time for recording but it's great pleasure: a string of CIMF concerts and jazz and choral.  The choral was the locals, Canberra Choral Society, presenting Handel Dixit Dominus and Arvo Part Berliner Messe at St Paul's.  A wonderful location and one that suits my gear ... mostly.  Arvo Part was pretty minimalist as, is his want, although with some considerable complexity, as I heard from the mouths of singers and instrumentalists.  Parts that interacted unpredictably, both in voices and in strings.  This was a mass, so the structure, at least, is known.  Often quite odd to hear, too.  Handel seems much more friendly, recognisable, although even here I heard singers speaking of unexpected interplays, perhaps given this is such an early work, written at age 22.  If we could all do such magic at that age!  But this was a competent choir, if lacking in tenors, and similarly capable instrumentalists, led by John Ma, and five very capable singers, so a lovely, all-enveloping, enriching paean to faith with not a few exquisite fugues.  A choir singing Handel and the like is one of my favourite musical experiences and CCS did it great justice.  As for "the venue suits my gear", the audio was great but that light in mid-late afternoon just streams in on performers and cameras alike.  Great for a religious experience but problematic for a video.  But a great joy, nonetheless.

Canberra Choral Society performed Handel and Arvo Part at St Pauls Manuka under Dan Walker (director) and John Ma (orchestra leader) with soloists Josephine Brereton (soprano), Rachel Mink (soprano), AJ America (mezzo soprano), Tom Hallworth (tenor) and Alastair Stretch (bass-baritone).

Interlude no.1 Jazz

In the middle of recording CIMF was a jazz recording and despite the immense satisfaction of classical virtuosity, it was a welcome change.  Michael J Brady had invited me to record his trio's visit to the Drill Hall, on tour to promote their recent album.  They'd managed a session in the ArtSound studio and this was also being documented, with video and audio.  Support was our own Ueber Gang led by Liv Uebergang.  I could only praise the name.  First up Liv, proud to be playing a first performance gig after very many bar gigs.  Expansive in her guitar playing sounding richly of effects, perhaps chorus or echo or both maybe more, she led on a series of classic modern jazz tunes and a few originals with offsiders Harrison Whalan and Sean Kirk.  Some nice, extensive solos from Harrison and a few from Sean but also a presence and structure to the band, not least to locate Liv chatting to the crowd.  This was like a performance not a simple gig and it showed.  Then MJB in guitar trio format with Oscar Peterson and Alex Inman-Hislop.  This was original music, neat and adventurous but remaining very welcoming and lyrical, not overly jazzy, but expansive around other styles, indie or folkish melodic, often quiet and meditative then into gentle grooves and unpretentious solos over a freely interpretive rhythmic backing.  Really quite lovely and considered.  So quite a difference but equally a gig of satisfaction.

Michael J Brady (guitar) led a trio with Oscar Peterson (bass) and Alex Inman-Hislop (drums) at the Drill Hall Gallery.  They were supported by Ueber Gang featuring Liv Uebergang (guitar), Harrison Whalan (bass) and Sean Kirk (drums).