Jammin'

I don't get there often enough, but I did get to the Wayne Kelly trio gig and jam session at the Old Canberra Inn this last Tuesday. It wasn't hugely busy but it is a Tuesday night and there were tables of people chatting and meeting and enjoying some fabulous playing. I missed Mitch Preston and John Black and Leo Joseph and Angela Lount jamming. I got up for a few tunes to play with Wayne and Alec Brinsmead, whose playing I'd just admired that afternoon at Ainslie Arts Centre. That was fun. We played Alone together, Caravan and Blue Monk. Wayne took some considerable deviations in, I think, Caravan, so we had some odd harmonies to resolve out of. This is the sort of thing I love. I heard of a tour to Adelaide and country towns along the way being planned by Leo and Key Grip. Sounds like much fun. Also of a new residency (Sat nights, 7-9.30, Tilley's) by Wayne's trio. He'll be playing a genuine grand piano there, so worth some frequent visits. And in such a civilised and well fed location, too: it suits them. Also, chats about school, New Orleans, wedding bands, Christopher Pyne (...). Nice; keep it up; attend!

Wayne Kelly (piano) played with Ben O'Loghlin (bass) and Mark Sutton (drums). Jammers included Alec Brinsmead (drums) and Eric Pozza (bass).

Sixteenths

It's a fling back to a comfy past to hear Hugo Lee's band playing funky 16ths-note patterns. This is '70s funk as I remember it, before a descent into its pop-disco incarnation (which was itself entertaining enough if lighter and perhaps less pretentious). I haven't heard that same insistent bass, the odd rhythms, the infectious moves for ages. I was trying to transcribe a rhythm as I listened and realised how difficult it can be. It all fell out when I counted in 8 rather than 4: it was the odd leading 16th notes that caught me out. So the bass was key; interestingly Jack on a 6-string Ibanez for some funky solos, too. Then over this, a melody from Hugo's alto and calm, at times almost meditative, but sharp, snappy drums and edgy guitar chords that would sometimes move to solo with unassuming swirling effects, perhaps accompanied by another of the '70s innovations, an EWI, a synth controlled by wind and sax-like keys but sounding, this time, all the world like an organ. All a throwback in some ways, but satisfying and brought to date by current-gen players. Not just that. There were two originals by Hugo, one rock solid, one another funk outing. And a few standards. Ladybird done quickly but otherwise straightforwardly, and Caravan rearranged for time and hits and double-time walks. And a Kenny Garrett (as we were reminded, not Kenny G) tune to end. I enjoyed it all, grooved with the 16th notes, expecially drooled over the superbly neat and apt drums. Another great little lunchtime outing at the Ainslie Arts Centre.

Hugo Lee (alto, EWI) led his band with Ben Forte (guitar), Jack Schwenke (bass) and Alec Brinsmead (drums) at the Ainslie Arts Centre.

To two greats

Mingus and (Joni) Mitchell. Both greats of their fields and friends who wrote for each other and recorded together. The ANU Jazz Collective presented a concert to give due recognition to these two. They played a series of tunes from each and two originals influenced by them. Rhythm section, four horns, vocals. The Mingus tunes: Haitian fight song, Fable of Faubus, Goodbye pork pie hat; the Joni Mitchell songs: River, Both sides now, and the lyrics she added to Mingus' Goodbye pork pie hat; the two originals, Collective jazz by Brendan Keller-Tuberg and Fields by Andree Thompson. I could easily feel the relationship to Mingus in Brendan's composition given the switches to double time, the bass features and drum hits and collective improv and blues melodies. Brendan did a good take on Mingus throughout in his playing, too. Fields was more open, odd timed, perhaps more Joni-contemplative. I loved the ensemble sound of the four horns throughout: trumpet, trombone, tenor and alto saxes: nicely intoned and some decent solos. Rose Costi took the vocal role and did the Joni songs with considerable panache and involvement. One listener reported tears (Both sides now, I think) and another said she was close to it. I didn't quite feel this, and I was uncomfortable with the slow pace on River, but the singing was very impressive. I could not but love a concert dedicated to these two masters: bluesy, earthy and true. A great pleasure.

The ANU Jazz Collective presented a program called Mingus meets Joni at the Band Room. Performers were Rose Costi (vocals), Anthony Cotter (trumpet), Jack Schwenke (trombone), Hugo Lee (alto), Andre Thompson (tenor), Ben Forte (guitar), Brendan Keller-Tuberg (bass), Alec Brinsmead (drums) and Johannes Luebbers (piano).

At Grad

It's all very exciting as son no. 1 Julian and girlfriend Deb graduate from ANU (Arts/Law Hons) but CJ must find an arty angle for a post. There was music inside. Rachael Thoms (soprano) and Calvin Bowman (organ) did the national anthem (dirge that it is) and Calvin played some other accompaniment. Sorry, no pics. Anthony Smith (piano) and Helena Popovic (violin) played Tchaikovsky Meditation. It was played nicely enough although I felt it was overly long and intrusive in this context. A trio provided post-ceremony jazz to accompany bubblies and beer. Our trio was Andrej Thomson (tenor), Brendan Keller-Tuborg (bass) and Alec Brinsmead (drums). I mostly caught solos from Brendan and they were impressive. He's a nice player. But otherwise, I was thinking of other things. A big day to mark years of work and a source of great pride for parent and visiting nanna. Excuse the indulgence of some family pics.  Congrats to Jules; Richard next.

Performers at the ANU College of Law graduation ceremony were Rachael Thoms (soprano), Calvin Bowman (organ), Anthony Smith (piano), Helena Popovic (vioiln), Andrej Thomson (tenor), Brendan Keller-Tuberg (bass) and Alec Brinsmead (drums).

The heights

There are times when you are exposed to something of the highest quality and the expanse of an art or whatever becomes evident. Joe Lovano played at the Street Theatre and this was listening to the heights of the improvisational jazz. Just a stunning outing and only enhanced by the intimate surroundings. This man plays his heart out. Two hours of just 6 tunes then a short take on Body and soul as an encore. They work hard, these types. They played some originals in the modern mould, Coltrane's Fifth house and Ornette' s Lonely woman and a few standards. We all know the standards, the cycles and the middle eight, but to hear the subtlety or the expansiveness and exhilaration of a master floored me. The support was Paul Grabowsky and his trio. All high energy, driving stuff. Paul with his Euro/classical influence, all fast with ideas, if to my ears not flowing with the earthiness of US black blues. Dave Beck driving, unrelenting, furious. Phil Rex, too, fast and furious but not without purpose. I loved his playing: sliding intervals, easy thumb positions, stunningly volley-fast with hammer-ons and open strings. And Lovano, the huge presence, building ideas effectively or spewing forth lines. I noticed how wonderfully he could spell chords and create interest at speed, not with dissonance or substitutions but with intervals and merged notes as colour. Just masterful tenor playing. It's been a wonderful international line-up at CJP (Bad Plus, Eric Harland, Stefano Bollani, Ospina Brothers, Joe Lovano). Thanks to the Street for CJP, even if it has me musing on the dwindling smoke of Canberra.

Joe Lovano (tenor, soprano) performed with Paul Grabowsky (piano), Phil Rex (bass) and Dave Beck (drums) for the Capital Jazz Project. The foyer band was foyer band of ANU students: Caitlin Magee (vocals), Johannes Luebbers (piano), Brendan Keller-Tuberg (bass) and Alec Brinsmead (drums).

Mulling

Mark Hannaford spoke highly of our Capital Jazz Project and remembered his time at the local School of Music and Miro's influence on his music. It felt at home in some ways. His insight at hearing Andrew Hill and Geri Allen and CJP as our little week of NYC buzz. This concert, with Ellery Eskelin, Tom Rainey and Scott Tinkler, was certainly an unrelenting stunner and an exposure to something rarely heard locally. Intense, demanding, complicated and somewhat puzzling to my ear. The melodies, you could say heads, were clear enough if long and complicated, but I wondered how the music would otherwise be written. How are the underlying chords, if chords they are, interpreted? The obtuse response of the players was thrilling and wildly satisfying. Partly because I was so satisfied by the clear standard chops these guys had. Ellery's playing could spell harmonies with ease, so this was not just obtuse noise creation, but how were the relationships with others and tune established and played out? It had me thinking of Sonny Rollins alone on his bridge. This was of the highest creation. And Tom was all over, spelling out tunes in time but almost nothing settled. My thought here was Paul Motion, famous for his time, but again around the rhythm and the relationships rather than spelling time. Strangely it was a little more obvious when I moved to another seat on Mark's side of the stage. The accompaniment and some regularity became more obvious although still I wondered at it. How was this music written? There were solos passed fairly obviously and there were heads, all nicely organic, but both obvious enough, but the accompaniment and harmony was the challenge for me. Scott deserves his mention, too, of course, blowing immense lines and dropping delightful intervals to end. Firm and meteoric playing. This grouping has recorded and been recently travelling in Australia and talking of the music and this was their last gig. It showed with easy communication despite fairly blank faces. I'll be mulling over this for some time. It's got its connections with the mainstream but it's far freer and more inquiring. Masterful and too rare in this end of the woods.

Mark Hannaford (piano, compositions) led a quartet with Ellery Eskelin (tenor), Scott Tinkler (trumpet) and Tom Rainey (drums) at Street Two for the Capital Jazz Project. And thanks to the foyer band of ANU students: Andrej Thompson (tenor), Brendan Keller-Tuberg (bass) and Alec Brinsmead (drums).