OWJF2022-11

I went off to the Baptist Church and got something somewhat at the other end of the spectrum, Ray Beadle trio.  This was blues guitar (the goldtop Les Paul was fitting) with keys and drums.  Ray sang occasionally.  This was very professional, neat, not overly adventurous, entertaining. 

Then probably the find of the night, Virna Sanzone with Phil Stack.  It takes chops for both artists to carry this out effectively, just vocals and double bass.  I was entranced with some great singing, professional mic control, great songs and telling lyrics.  And that bass playing.  Phil was adventurous, out on a limb, sometimes not quite finding what he was seeking, but absolutely committed, hugely fluent and dynamic.  This was a joyous and awesome find.  Did they mention it, or did I think it: jazz adjacent.  So true.  Tunes by Leon Russell and latins and Around midnight.  Loved this one.

Big day; getting to the end, but after finding the pub and some company, I would miss it.  To end, I was back to the Lord Anson for Cope Street Parade.  Now, how apt is a jazz festival finishing with its history, New Orleans, Everything you do, Bourbon Street Parade, Nat King Cole, When I get too old to dream, 2 feels all round.  Great stuff nicely played.  I left passing the musos corner at the pub noticing bassists together.  Also an apt finish to a festival.

So how was the festival?  Some great playing.  Opportunities to catch all manner of styles and players, some of Sydney's jazz luminaries and upcomers, all worthy to fabulous, all together in time and space.  Not at all surprising given SIMA's involvement.  I think the town was happy, too, and I know it's due back next year.  Queen's Birthday weekend, 2023.  Keep it in mind and bring your warm jackets.

Ray Beadle, Virna Sansone and Phil Stack and Cope Street Parade played at the inaugural Orange Winter Jazz Festival.  Ray Beadle (guitar, vocals) played with Clayton Doley (keys) and Andrew Dickeson (drums).  Virna Sanzone (vocals) sang with Phil Stack (bass).  Cope Street Parade comprised Justin Fermino (saxophones, vocals), Aaron Flower (guitar, vocals), Ben Panucci (guitar, vocals) and Sam Dobson (bass, vocals).

OWJF2022-6

Day 2 of OWJF2022 and I decide to spread my listening, some singers, the older jazz traditions, perhaps some blues or roots, a pub venue rather than another concert-hall church.  And good for a bit of exercise walking between venues and braving the cold.   Colder than Canberra by a few degrees and the dress of the locals shows it.

First up is Kate Wadey Trio at the Con.  Someone had spoken well of her the day before.  Kate with bass and piano.  I  caught a few songs.  First up was East of the sun, west of the moon, a favourite song, so I was on side.  Decent piano and bass solos; bassist Sam likes soloing with the bow.  Then a few originals.  I notice I'm genuinely impressed with a composition: an authentic, satisfying chord structure that moves nicely through keys or major/minors; AABA with harmonic changes in both As and Bs; med-slow walk.  So this is a jazz singer and capable writer, nicely presented in satin dress in the morning, has worked on cruise ships.  Lovely standards and originals in the tradition.  And I'm a sucker for a good song.  Much enjoyed.

Then some diverse things for my ears.  First up Queen Porter Stomp.  Three women up front, three part harmonies and ukelele, trumpet and trombone, three guys in the back line with guitar, bass, drums.  Some nice players I recognise from other outfits, not least Crystal Barreco upfront.  Was she out of Canberra?  I've definitely seen her play here with locals.  Plenty of cut-times, jump music, lovely harmonies, a decent guitar solo thrown in.  Very nice and entertaining.  Light and polished at the Cadia Club.  I am discovering more venues.

And a folkoric twist, singer-songwriter Darren Smith.  I came in late and just heard one song, telling of the #MeToo movement to his young daughter.  Honest and open, strumming and singing.

Kate Wadey, Darren Smith and Queen Porter Stomp played at the inaugural Orange Winter Jazz Festival. Kate Wadey (vocals) performed with Andrew Scott (piano) and  Samuel Dobson (bass).  Queen Porter Stomp comprised Crystal Barreca (vocals, ukulele), Louise Horwood (trumpet, vocals), Rose Foster (trombone, vocals), Aaron Flower (guitar), Alex Masso (drums) and Matt Lamb (bass).  Darren Smith (vocals, guitar) played at the Lord Anson.

Boutique rock & everyman beer

It’s not just in the name that we hear hints of misspent youth, but the Alcohotlicks are mature and respectful of their past and the music is invigourating even if you don’t share the era. My era is earlier and most of the audience’s era was later, but we could all feel the raunchy grooves and the beer-spilled bars that speak from this music. One tune was a dedication to Sonic Youth; I heard intimations of Metallica in another; Evan volunteered influences from Dirty Projectors. One tune even sounded more country-ish, perhaps Doobie, to my ears and it was a thing of prickly beauty which was somewhat surprising amongst this fare which was guitar music but of a richly altered form. The guitars were often effected: mostly just sustained and overdriven but there were organ tones there too. The two guitars were interesting both individually and as a pair and that’s not surprising given their 1st and 2nd prizes for guitar at Wangaratta a few years ago.

But they are quite different in style. To my ears, Aaron is more overt, steady and clear with lines that talk in open sentences. Ben is more effected and expansive, not shredding but with a similar voluminous extravagance. But these were their solos, and that was only part of their roles. There was no bass, so they took rhythm duties, too, which were mostly chordal, often steady four-to-the-floor, or pretending at a bass line. To my bassist ears, guitars are always pitched too high for this, but I noticed some intriguing atonal lines from Ben in one tune. I didn’t notice the lack of the bass, and neither did another bassist mate who I talked to, but it changed the aural effect: to middy and chordal and leaving wide open space for the drums. The bass drum thudded away and even led several of the tunes with emotional crescendoes of increasing frequencies of kick. And I noticed the rest of the kit as thuddy and deep, as Evan toyed with standard rock fours and syncopated to fives or whatever. Several tunes were all incessant, woody drums and only sparse cymbals for highlights. This was not a night for the ride: it was more hi-hat or shats (as introduced by Evan) or metal snaps. It was intelligent drumming: quirky riffs that were unfussily sustained. Despite the chords and lines of the duo guitars, it was the drums that defined it for me, with Evan’s wonderfully essential and sometimes dishevelled jazz-chop takes on rock drumming. But this just extended to the band that was so well sorted and settled and agreed, despite some devilishly unexpected repetitions and syncopations. Suffice to say I enjoyed the night!

The Alcohotlicks are Ben Hauptmann (guitar), Aaron Flower (guitar) and Evan Mannell (drums).

Banjocularity

I’ve heard it called jazzabilly. Zoe and the Buttercups are an oddly named band (no guy could lead a band with this name) and the lineup is somewhat heterodox given its paired horns with paired guitars that can switch to banjo and acoustic. But it’s a fabulously entertaining and eclectic sound that’s postmodern in its irony and its habit of collecting titbits of style. I enjoyed the CD, was surprisingly taken by their performance at JU2010, and adored this latest outing at the CJP. This one was particularly intimate, being in a small, slightly muggy theatrical space with stage lighting and decent sound and Viennese mirrors and Parisian café tables with the band on the long wall and the audience arrayed closely around it. I loved it, and obviously the band did too.

This music is delightfully and unchallengingly lyrical with melodies that are simple and just plain lovely. Buttercuppin’ is a theme tune and it’s pure and played unadorned and with heart and it’s just plain beautiful. Gut for garters was Zoe’s pirate song (“every band needs a pirate song” says Zoe) and was mysterious like the giant squid or the white whale. Sludgebucket was the heavy rocker with screaming guitars. Zoe mentioned Mahavishnu, but this is heavy like Beatles’ I want you (she’s so heavy), not metal. The Buttercups have too much wit and love for genuine heavy (good on them). But great guitars! Brother Ben is a favourite of mine when he lets go, which he does on this tune, but I also noted some nicely restrained overdrive from Aaron. These guitarists are a feature of the band, with Aaron’s airy reverb behind so many tunes, and Ben’s banjo defining the rhythm on others. Banjo? It’s disconcerting but joyous and just one of the Buttercups’ little idiosyncrasies. The Buttercups don’t get together so often these days (Ben is in Melbourne; the others in Sydney), but you wouldn’t know it. The rhythms were tight and supple from Zoe’s easy bass and brother James’ sharp drums. The harmonies were sweet, from the horns, but also sometimes in unison with one or other of the guitars. If there were weaknesses in performance here, I didn’t notice it. The band was concentrated but relaxed and the tunes were genuinely song-like: rollicking good feels with those attractive melodies. Oddly, at one time there was even jazzy disjointedness as feel-good decayed to free and atonal then back again to sweet song. Clever - they are jazzers under the hat, after all. But the whole is joy and sonority. Everyone likes a sea shanty, and I can’t imagine that everyone wouldn’t like the Buttercups. As for me, they bring wit and joy with impressive playing and I thoroughly enjoy them for that.

Zoe and the Buttercups is a project of Zoe Hauptmann (bass). Zoe’s blokey Buttercups are Ben Hauptmann (guitar, banjo), Aaron Flower (guitar), Dan Waples (sax), John Hibbard (trombone), James Hauptmann (drums).

Gone to ground

By Daniel Wild

With funky underpinnings, hard beats and soulful guitar, led by sax playing that used every register, the Subterraneans offer a fusion of styles that would not be out of place in front of 1500 people at WOMADelaide. Last night they entertained a fragmentary crowd at the Hippo Bar and surely deserved more listeners.

While it is expected that many people don’t arrive until the second set, it was not until the third that some “merry” stragglers boisterously reflected the intensity of the music with some flailing dancing. The second set was the fullest the venue got and no one was ever required to stand. When there’s only standing room jazz at the Hippo is really alive. Maybe everyone wanted to get up early for the Olympic torch relay.

The Subterraneans’ first set was the best as they made sure that first impressions last. James Ryan exchanged some atonal musings in rhythmic free form with Steve Hunter on bass by way of intro before the band launched into the full-blooded first tune, Portobello Blues.

Hunter puts his whole body into his playing: wrapped in a scarf to shield him from the onset of the Canberra winter, his dark and imposing electric bass swung with the momentum of his solid and inventive lines. He uses the full range and his solos sound like another seamless section of the music, rather than just a solo over accompaniment. Ryan and Flower added to this seamlessness by executing vamps that bolstered Hunter’s virtuosic playing.

There were elements of ska in this first piece, with chordal accompaniments solidly on the offbeat. Although one chord would be used for extended periods, the inventiveness of the soloing developed the thematic material of the head and intro. Both Ryan and Hunter showed their ability to play fast sixteenth note runs over quarter beats that were about 140bpm.

The second song continued the intense driving playing, with James Hauptmann on drums providing energetic straight-eights with furious hits on the snare that caused audience members to involuntarily blink. Along with his brother and sister, James studied at the Canberra Jazz School. He gets different sounds out of the steel rims of the drums by hitting them further up or down on the stick. The rims aren’t used solely for embellishment: at times they provide the actual beat. The force of his playing caused his bass drum to imperceptibly inch away due to the knocks it was taking, requiring Hauptmann to dexterously pull it back in between beats.

Apparently Aaron Flower prepared the second number over only two rehearsals. This should come as no surprise given his technical ability. He won the National Jazz Award for guitar at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival last year. He was also practising in between sets. His authoritative soloing interwove bluesy and chromatic jazz lines with punctuated power chords. Most noticeable is his ability to build a solo, starting with a few low key intervals expanded out to wavy melodic eighth notes. If he peaks early he pulls back and starts building again, unlike other players who just keep going or go off the boil. This gives his music greater narrative depth, meaning and refinement.

James Hauptmann did well to keep his rhythm during a 7/4 piece in the first set. I had several discussions as to the time-signature of this piece. CJ’s editor suggested it was 15/4 (8/4+7/4) against the head and 8x7/4+1x4/4 against the solos, but wasn’t too sure. The chord progression was built on minor third chords a minor third apart, giving a semblance of subterranean conspiracy.

The second set continued the frenetic pace of the first. First up was a piece called Rush. When one listener yelled out “Roxanne” (or perhaps “Roxette”: either way the chord and rhythmic progression was decidedly rock), James Ryan facetiously replied that that was for the third set. The pace slowed with the introspective Borders of Thought and the third set was decidedly more laid back. Perhaps fatigue, physical and mental, had taken its toll on the band. The sheer intensity was certainly demanding on the audience.

The best piece of the second set, and the climax of the gig, was a composition called Habitat. Drawing on a jungle setting, there were all the growls, cahoos and calls reminiscent of Dizzy Gillespie who made a Night in Tunisia the birth of modernism, only superseded by some efforts of Mingus’ big band. Hauptmann was in his element here with exuberant African patterns. Ryan imitated birds, elephants and other mysterious unidentified wildlife that conjured up the elusive closeness of being in the middle of a lively animal commune.

The final set settled into Weather Report beats and straighter playing. A sixteen bar blues with country/rock feel gave The Subterraneans a more straightforward template. Hauptmann’s drumming was still assertive and bold, while Hunter embellished his forthright bass with well-timed chords in the middle of the fret board.

This is the type of gig you tell your friends about (where were they?). It reaches the primal impulses inside (and out, if you’re inclined to tap your feet or nod your head, or can’t help yourself and have to get up and dance). If you’re a musician, you’ll be asking yourself why you can’t play like this and you’ll go home and practise. If you’re not a musician, you’ll be back for more, eager to contribute your “yeahs!” and “that’s great boys!” in between solos.

The Subterraneans were James Ryan (tenor sax), Aaron Flower (guitar), Steve Hunter (electric bass) and James Hauptmann (drums).

Buttercuppin’ hoe-down

Zoe brought her bumpkin Buttercups to town last night for a great night of whacky but intelligent, hick but danceable music. I’ve written of the CD recently, and many of the tunes were from that CD. This was a six-piece jazz-trained outfit, but playing across the styles of rockabilly, reggae and blues, but always with the tinge of the jazz influence, despite the ever-present 1-3 drum figures. I guess this is one of the options for where to take jazz in the new century. Whatever, it’s entertaining, infectious, and very different sounding. Perhaps the defining sound is the banjo, which brother Ben plays on most of the tracks. But Ben’s given it a strange twist, with this normally rhythmic and ostinato instrument played as solo modern jazz guitar. Weird, as it imparts a new choppy, staccato sound to a jazz guitar solo style. The drums are also key, with other brother James playing impeccably on the square 1-3 beats, and ably managing the growing intensities of rhythm section against solos. The sleazy front line of trombone and alto sax are perfect. John Hibard on trombone plays the part to perfection, with energetic gyrations on his lengthened instrument, and with the addition of a great rendition of the song from the CD. Dan Waples played perhaps the most jazz style on the night, but even so he seemed to forego wailing and screaming in a Coltranesque style, preferring an elegant, intellectual, probing style that to me was reminiscent of Chris Potter. There were several excellent blues solos from Aaron Flowers, who’s a guitarist of few but meticulously appropriate notes, and hot soloing by Ben ranging across rock and fusion styles when he did get on his guitar. Both guitarists played Telecasters, and the sounds were to die for. Zoe held it all together (in calling the tunes as well as on bass) and played a few of her own solos. She’s gloriously understated in her playing and always lyrical. Lovely stuff. It was a wonderfully quirky, joyful and entertaining night at the trying edge of the art.

Zoe and the Buttercups were Zoe Hauptmann (bass, vocals), Aaron Flower (guitar), Ben Hauptmann (banjo, guitar), John Hibard (trombone, vocals), Dan Waples (alto sax), James Hauptmann (drums).

Zoe’s quirky Buttercups

Zoe & the Buttercups CD review. I don't usually do reviews, but just for this once. Zoe's Buttercups are playing at Hippo's on 12 Dec. Guaranteed to be a quirky po-mo musical experience. Recommended.

Listen to the last track and you’ll immediately recognise the humanity in this album. It’s alternately sweet and heavy, but it’s a Beatles heaviness. Not metal-heavy: this is joy and humanity talking. And it’s talking with the language of jazz, even if not in its dialect. The language of jazz because there’s the capability and sensibility of the player trained in improvisation and grooves. But the dialect is rockabilly, sometimes rock, sometimes country, only sometimes jazz, and then mainly in the solos. This is a challenge for the ears of the jazz lover, but bliss for the appreciator of the post-modern and indulgence. This is the Buttercups, and Zoe is our host.

Mum told me of Dad’s advice to Zoe: “If you want to play music professionally, play country”. Well, Zoe has indulged the sense of beauty and intellect which is jazz, but here she has done the turnaround and taken Dad's advice. She’s now released a heavily country-influenced CD with support of various brothers and friends. All trained; all capable; so much more than just country. This is a challenge to all ears. Indulge; you’ll love it. But don’t ask: is it jazz. Whatever, it’s music, and from the heart and the intellect.

But I have one note of concern. The one song on the otherwise instrumental album worries me: The creeps and the weezles. I can’t quite work out the philosophy and I’m not sure if I feel comfortable with it. Does it hint at nihilism and grunge superiority, or perhaps a tilt at an infestation of eco-rats? If it’s a chorus of us-and-them, I feel uncomfortable. We’ve had too much of that in recent years. I remain a little confused. Sad, as it’s so pretty in a ‘30s gothic cabaret style.

But otherwise, this is fun, with solid rockabilly grooves, and style-bending but capable solos on guitar, sax, trom, and occasionally on bass by Zoe. I have various impressions. Pigly wigly hoe down is soooo well named. Sludge bucket is a genuine launch pad for duelling guitars. Boom is a cool '70s funk with trom counterpoint and solos. Miscellaneous madness is edgy (detective Clouseau gets serious) featuring Zoe’s bass soloing against horn lines. There’s a train may have an Ellington reference, but the beat on the 1-3 and the banjo picking make for a very hick swing. The swapped and collective solos make for a satisfying although quirky tune. Buttercupin’ is the name Dad suggested, presumably so long back. It’s a hot, lazy, Sunday-arvo cut-time with sax melody and banjo response (who would have dreamed that up?) then a heavy, slow swing on the bridge. Feral and bed (where does she get these titles?) is Woodstock riffs and degraded, AM audio, then an 11/4 riff with great solos on guitar (obviously brother Ben) and sax. I’m thinking: this album has complex and rich grooves, always interleaved and multilayered. Nice stuff! Belly full o’ whiskey is a very short but lovely duo of sax and trom: cute and rollicking. Then comes The creeps and weezles. I’ve told you of my concerns here: a perfectly good song, but dubious philosophy. Sinchl (what is that title?) is a heavy boogie beat that you could hear at the local blues club when the hottest players get on stage, but with a nice twist in the turnaround and melody. Bill Frisell is a serene acoustic guitar ballad in trio format, with a countrified bridge and an acoustic bass solo by Zoe. Wednesday is a final ballad but with another Beatles-heavy interlude. It’s a humane finish to the album.

So is it jazz? It’s been asked, but is it an issue? How do we define jazz? Improvised music with a beat? Well trained musos who can play rhythm? Either way, Zoe and her Buttercups perfectly satisfy the bill. These are capable and groovy players who convince me, even if the beat is often on the 1-3 instead of the 2-4. I like it!

Zoe’s Buttercups are: Zoe Hauptmann (acoustic bass, vocals), Ben Hauptmann (guitar, banjo), Aaron Flowers (guitar), John Hibbard (trombones), Dan Waples (sax), James Hauptmann (drums) with guest Steve Appel of King Curly (vocals on The creeps and the weezles).

Zoe Hauptmann on MySpace; listen to some tracks from this CD

Keith Penhallow's review for NJWC

The guitars have it (Wang 2)

Wang 1

Guitars were a big theme at this year’s Wangaratta Jazz Festival. Firstly, and most obviously, because it was this year’s instrument for the National Jazz Awards. Secondly, because of the visit of the renowned New York guitarist, Kurt Rosenwinkel. Thirdly, due to the presence of those Australian masters of the instrument, James Muller and Stephen Magnusson.

The Awards were a fascinatingly attractive thing for me. I attended late on the first day of the semi-finals to hear the two Canberra entries: Ben Hauptman and Carl Morgan. But the sessions were strangely addictive, so I was back next morning to catch the five remaining players. The ten semi-finalists were chosen blind from CDs sent by applicants, so these were all worthy entrants. Each player performs three tunes (a blues, a ballad, a composition by Bird or Scofield) with common accompaniment. Three entrants are chosen to perform on Sunday for the final. Strangely, the finalists performed the same three tunes for both performances. Not strangely, given it was the final, in the main hall, and going live to ABC Radio, they each looked pretty nervous, and clearly all made some minor fluffs. But it was capable playing all round and a fascinating few days.

What got me most was the diversity of the entrants. There was straight-ahead jazz, fast and slow, post-modern, blues and rock influences, clean and effected. It was all there. I didn’t envy the judges, although the criteria would have helped markedly. I didn’t always share the decisions of the judges, but that’s part of the game, and a common topic for conversation on the streets.

The winner was Aaron Flower who performed two simple, blues/rockabilly tunes with notable accuracy and a superbly lyrical version of the lovely ballad, You don’t know what love is. My guess is the ballad won it for him: it was truly sumptuous. Second place went to Ben Hauptman. Ben’s Canberra born and bred and a product of the jazz school and now resident in Sydney, along with his talented siblings, Zoe (bass) and James (drums). He played a more rock-influenced set. I loved his starter on Ellington’s Caravan. Then an original ballad in a trad vein, Unity Hall, and a highly effected Billie’s Bounce. I had missed Hugh Stuckey of Adelaide at the semis, but he was the talk of the streets before the final. He played a straight-ahead clean jazz style with panache, so he was also a good chance.

I also heard several other semi-finalists of note. Carl Morgan is our local flash at the jazz school (viz, his nickname is Nuke as in nuclear bomb). Carl played a Scofield tune, It is written, along with My foolish heart and an original blues tune in the fast, flashy style that we know him for. Carl was the youngest of the semi-finalists (only 19 and only in his second year of tertiary jazz studies). The relative lack of experience showed, but he’s likely to be around for the next guitar awards and should be a force to be reckoned with. I also enjoyed Nashua Lee’s highly effected and blues-rock influenced set, Matt Smith’s sweet and stylish modern jazz playing and his choice of tunes (including a lovely Charlie Haden ballad, Spanish love song), and the confident, otherworldly sound and approach of the Japanese born, Brisbane-based Yusuke Akai. I didn’t hear all performers, but I sympathise with the judges.

For me, perhaps the stars of the whole show were the rhythm section accompanists: Sam Anning (bass) and Ben Vanderwal (drums). I’ve written of each of them several times on CJ, and they are both excellent. Here, they accompanied in numerous, radically different styles both appropriately and supportively and soloed freely and on command. Admittedly they had the advantage of being continually warmed up, and not having the spotlight on them, but nonetheless they were superb. Theirs were stunning performances in their own rights.

The panel comprised the venerable Mike Nock and the two guitarists who shared the Award in 2000: James Muller and Stephen Magnusson. These are a very different pair. I have heard James numerous times, and several times at this festival. He’s cool, sharp, professional and controlled in his playing, but his lines are fast and clear and rise with massive passion and often huge denouement. James may be a local, but he’s clearly a world-class exponent of the instrument. I’ve only heard Stephen at this festival, and don’t really know him, but what I heard seemed more fluid, soft and sweet. Definitely his presence is very different. Usually we think of Sydney as brash and Melbourne as cultured. This pair presents a challenge to those stereotypes.

The other guitar highlight was the highly regarded New York exponent of the axe, Kurt Rosenwinkel. He’s renowned as perhaps one of the greats of the present time. My guitarist friends seem lost in description and comparison, so he’s got a unique approach. I didn’t attend his solo concert, which got some very positive comments, but I heard him in two performances with Barney McAll’s band. The PA sound was abysmal for the first and only reasonable for the second, although I felt his first performance was the more interesting. It was obviously competent, interesting and sometimes searing, but I need more time and better sound to form my personal opinion (with a world great, my expectations are more demanding). But it seems I missed something, given this reference from Scofield: “one of the finest and most creative jazz guitarists playing today”. I’ll just blame the lousy PA mix!

Wang 3