Mo' blues

Well I don't have pics of all the bands at the Canberra Blues Society jam session, a few because I had to leave early and another because I was playing in it.  It's fun to get out an e-Bass (my preference is a run-of-the-mill Fender MiM JB) but I never play it other than for the Blues jams, so it's a bit of a new experience, but it is light to play.  And fast... I can get carried away!  Otherwise, Key Grip was the host band for the session and they were great to hear, well informed on blues and related styles and capable players all round.  The jammers were consistently capable too which bodes well for the blues in town and perhaps is a function of the blues training offered, esp to next gen.  Still, the audience numbers were down, perhaps given Hendrix the previous night.  But a nice outing and friendly people and great stage gear to indulge in.  Much enjoyed.

Key Grip are Leo Joseph (piano), Angela Lount (vocals), Lauren Thurlow (tenor), Alec Coulson (bass) and Mitch Preston (drums).  Key Grip were the host band for the monthly Canberra Blues Society jam session at the Harmonie German Club.

Knowing NOLA

Not only are Key Grip great communicators with their audience but they also play so well.  This is around the blues scene but not all 12-bars.  Plenty of nicely complex chordal movements, piano but also organ, that mainstay of a New Orleans-adjacent style, paens of love and loss and such blues themes from all manner of renowned artists (Dr John, Jon Cleary, Bonnie Raitt) and some hugely satisfying and involving and just plain correct bass-drum grooves.  These are all known names on our local scene and obviously have a retinue of followers but also good friends.  I'd seen them years back but not recently, and this return was a huge pleasure.   There's joy here in playing together and obvious skills and experience.  Angela and Leo have been doing it as duos and more for ages, with Mitch all along.  Alec has played the cruise ships and you can feel that readiness and ability to perform (and such a great tone), and Lauren adds that touch of jazz chops but with a dirty blues edge.  Just a fabulous combination.  This gig was called at the last minute when there was an empty spot at Smiths and the players happened to be free.  It was partly to celebrate Mitch's birthday of a day before, so we heard plenty from Mitch as MC and he called the tunes and was a source of much jovial presence.  So much fun and so nicely done. Loved this one!

Key Grip played at Smiths.  They comprise Leo Joseph (piano, organ, vocals), Angela Lount (vocals), Lauren Thurlow (tenor), Alec Coulson (bass), Mitch Preston (drums).

Night off

It was my Wednesday night off so off to OCI for a beer and chat and jam. Wayne, Ben and Mark S have been running this now for several years and it's quite a scene. On a cold winter's night, it's cosy in the genuine old slab hut pub, the beers are good and the gastropub food is on. But most interesting is the playing. Hugh sat in for Wayne this night. Either way, this is a hot and supremely capable and swinging band. The tunes are standards and jazz tunes, but there's no tiresome commonness here. They are great musos and play with invention and communication. A huge pleasure. Hugh and Wayne are different styles, but equally capable. Ben was just a master last night, soloing on German bow or pizz, all the time interesting, melodic, phrased rather than scaled. And Mark is always sparkling. And it's a welcoming gig with Ben knowing everyone on the scene and always inviting anyone to play. Peter played with Mark L and Hugh, then Tim; I played with Tim and Hugh then Brendan (using Peter's 5-string NS with high-C, then Ben's bass); Tim played with Alec and Hugh. Maybe others? All manner of tunes from various fake books, mostly memorised. I particularly noticed some fine jazz tunes from the house band, not least Moment's notice. The beers was good and the scene busy and the room warm. It's a great night out for musos and mates. If you're free on a Wednesday, 6.30-9.30pm.

Hugh Barrett (piano), Ben O'Loghlin (bass) and Mark Sutton (drums) were the host band at the OCI jam session. Siti-ins included Mark Levers and Tim Butler (drums), Brendan O'Loghlin (piano), Peter Barta, Alec Coulson and Eric Pozza (bass).

Collectives

A contagion of basses sounds about right. Whoever arrives at the weekly OCI jam session is a matter of conjecture. This week it was 4 (four!) bassists, along with 2xdrums and one each of guitar, trom, vocals. I got one tune - fair enough given some dithering over a beer. On the other hand, it was particularly interesting to hear so many bassists in one outing. The bass sound was not so big and fat this night: more edgy and toppy, sharing an amp with the piano, but fun nonetheless. I played Recordame, and others did various songs with Rachel Thorne (a great local singer) and Stella and Blue bossa and others. The imports were Sam Dobson, ex-Sydney Con playing with Geoff Bull, Cope Street Parade and others: nicely relaxed, easy-going, on top of the charts. Paddy Fitzgerald, student at Monash, nicely intoned thumb positions and good choppy solos, playing with fellow student guitarist Harry Tinney. And the locals: Alec Coulson with a nice take on Blue bossa and me, on Recordame. Moving Paths had turned up, too (including Max, bassist #5) but too early to jam; they left to play Hippo. The band this night was Ben, Hugh and Steve.

The Old Canberra Inn jam session was hosted this week by Ben O'Loghlin (bass), Hugh Barrett (piano) and Steve Richards (drums). Sit-ins included Sam Bolton, Alec Coulson, Paddy Fitzgerald and Eric Pozza (basses), Harry Tinny (guitar), Mark Levers (drums) and Rachel Thorne (vocals).

Mike's modern standards

In2Deep performed at Smiths at short notice. I know their tunes perfectly well and I admire their performances and especially Mike's writing. Mike and Rachel are about to release a CD of Mike's songs. They are good. Many are modern instances of the standards repertoire, similar harmonic movements and melodic lines and with that discrete, rhyming wit that was one aspect of that era. Rachel thought aloud about, who, Peggy Lee and Rock Hudson (?), when introducing the romantic swinger, Just for the Heaven of it, and Disney films for another. They ended with their heartrending paen, Edge of time, the theme for the Canberra movie, Locks of Love (I'm told to look out for this on TV on Valentine's Day), reminiscent of the theme of the film Baghdad Cafe, I am calling you, and brimming with its dolefulness. These are both movie themes; perfect. Otherwise, there was the sentimental slow swinger April Rain, and the witty latin Symbiosis, and the Arabic scaled Across the Gulf. And a few actual standards from the books. Mike's writing is memorable and Rachel's interpretations are great. And Alec Coulson sat in for some bottom end for this gig. Nice one.

In2Deep are Rachel Thorne (vocals) and Mike Dooley (piano, vocals, compositions) and they were joined by Alec Coulson (bass) for a gig at Smith's Alternative.

Eatin'

It’s been a quiet week, but I caught Victor Rufus, Alec Coulson and Sam McNair at Manuka as I walked by. Nice to see some jazz on the streets. Standards done with restaurant gentleness but a few solos all round. We talked of sousaphones. Obviously the coming thing. Victor Rufus (guitar), Alec Coulson (bass) and Sam McNair (drums).

No tightrope needed

Thanks to David Beech for the well lit pic

Yes, Virginia, Hippo was completely different. This was becoming a big night as I left Smith’s for Hippo and Sophia Christopher. Sophia was a student at the Jazz School and I didn’t know she’d gone off to the famed Berkelee Music School in Boston for further study where she’s been studying jazz vocals along with film score and song writing. I came into a very busy all-ages scene at Hippo. Noisier and friendlier than usual. Sophia had friends and family in, and I love a gig like this. Art only has purpose so far. As Wayne Shorter said, "If all you have is music, then you don't have music". And after the purity and idealised sound artistry of the experimental, we got fun and ecstasy and passion of sophisticated pop/funk. I think Sophia was singing her own material, and this was not particularly jazz-like. It was lively and danceable and make-out-worthy; at home in Hippo but also in a string of other locations. I was enjoying this. Sophia was far more outspoken, confident, ebullient than I remembered her. She told the story of young American girls with few singing skills but tons of personality getting into Berkelee and the guidance she’d got on just this. Music as work is more often entertainment than art. If you can combine the two, that’s even better. Sophia was doing this: skilful chops and lively presentation. She slowed for just one tune: a rendition a favourite, What is this thing called love, but slowing is relative. This was still outgoing and fast paced and Sophia was supple over the changes. It’s something I noticed from her, along with her range. She’s moving and bending melody and the resulting feel is fluid and malleable. The band was good, too. Solid and effective feels, Andrew on loose accompaniment, a very nifty guitar solo at the end that spoke of iconoclastic alt rather than jazz.

Yes, Virginia, different and all good. I enjoyed this, despite or maybe because of the volume. The night life is seduction and conviviality and Hippo is a mainstay in Canberra, and Sophia was there with her new-found confidence slamming the place. Outgoing and skilled, so the best of both worlds, but more importantly, plain fun. One little bit of the US streets returns to Canberra. Sophia Christopher led her band at Hippo. The Canberra pickups comprised Andrew Kimber (alto tenor), Matt Dixon (guitar), Ben Foster (piano), Alec Coulson (bass) and Sam McNair (drums).

Chitlins and gravy

Party gravy is just a winning name (even if I don’t know what chitlins are). So was the band. Rough at times, but alive and infectious with funereal joy.
Funereal joy? As in New Orleans, with musicians accompanying coffins and the sombre turning to merriment. It’s not as strange as it sounds, of course. Wakes have a way of releasing you from the mundane and renewing bonds and often end in a charming mix of joy and melacholy, and often too much grog. Party gravy may have been playing the New Orleans funeral standards but this was for a modern Australian audience that wouldn’t know such funerals other than mythically. This was Fathers day and there were lots of little kids and the place was busy with swing dancers and drawn beers. Bite to Eat Café is a lively and friendly place that appeals to all ages with its ‘50s laminex demeanor and cosmopolitan vivacity. I only caught the second set, but one hour made my day. This was a place of generous and indiscriminate smiles, as a social venue should be, and the band provided the perfect ambience. Set two, first tune, was the classic Just a closer walk with thee; second tune, Down by the riverside. Then a medley of modern tunes funked up in marching band style: Pumped up kicks / Foster People, Boulevard of broken dreams / Green Day and Mad world / Tears for Fears>REM. Then an original, written just days before, called The Kraken. One more, then Feel like funking it up. By this time, the dancing kids had left the aisles and the adults were at it. Then it wound down and we were off to a quieter night, but joyous and enlivened.

I should just mention one touch of seriousness. I’m not one for the militarisation of the public which has been happening over recent years, but I do feel the loss of one of three soldiers in Afghanistan in recent days. He was from Canberra and was just a year ahead of one of my kids at school. My best wishes to his family. Like any funeral, this, too, had its solemn side. Good on the band for dedicating Closer walk to him. Party Gravy is a New Orleans-style Brass Band comprising Tom Sly and Ax Long (trumpet), Andrew Kimber (alto sax), Tye Langford (baritone sax), Josh Hart and Patrick Langdon (trombone), Sam McNair and Mark Slegers (drums) and Alec Coulson (bass).

PS: Now I know. Chitlins is an abbreviated form for chitterlings: chit•ter•lings [chit-linz, -lingz] noun ( used with a singular or plural verb ) the small intestine of swine, especially when prepared as food. ( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chitterlings , viewed 3 Sep 2012).

Without you

God only knows what I’d be without you. It’s a haunting theme and a perfect melody and maybe a song that Jocie Jensen’s grandfather sang to his deceased wife in her garden. Jocie performed last night in a septet at the Loft. It may be the name of the unassuming band, or maybe just of this performance, but Jocie and Rhys presented this as Hilda’s garden. I heard the story twice and it had me close to tears both times. Her grandmother, Hilda, developed dementia and her husband, Jocie’s grandfather, built a garden for her to tend. After she died, he would sing to his departed spouse in her garden. Maybe he sang the Beachboys song, God only knows. I can only admire such a touching and life-affirming response to loss.

Jocie told me before the concert that she was seeking to perform something other than just jazz standards. In the end, there was jazz, and these are trained jazz players, so the performance had solos and chops, but this gig ventured far afield: to song and melody (Jocie mentioned good song-writing several times during patter) and to pop (but not pap) and to words (but not intellectualisation). Jazz also has its melodies, of course (I have bop in my head frequently), but these are mostly intellectual and thrilling rather than deep and touching. We got one of those intellectual thrills as the final tune, Monk’s dream, with its rabid atonalism and virtuosic abandon, and one of the few jazz tunes that can touch the soul as an encore, Round midnight, but mostly these songs were from other repertoires. A distillation of Simple Minds’ Don’t you forget about me; Vince Jones’ rich structure in Love comes back; Sigur Rós Góðan Daginn, translated from Icelandic; Chris Thile’s The beekeeper with a bluegrass-styled unison piano-fiddle middle; Pat Metheny’s Midwestern night’s dream (Jocie: Pat Metheny sure can write music); Peter Gabriel’s In your eyes (Jocie: he writes great melodies); A-Ha’s rollicking Take on me; and as a starter, Christian Scott’s The Eraser with unison syncopated comping on piano/bass behind a tasteful melody. And that superbly beautiful God only knows sung with solo guitar backing. These are obviously not jazz charts, but they are impressive and affecting songs.

They were an unassuming band and their concern was with song, so I am wary of mentioning individuals. But what did I notice? Jocie’s voice mostly sang pure and high with a subtle decay into vibrato, but perhaps my favourite was when she got down, dirty and atonal, in Monk’s dream with odd intervals and bluesy growls. El’s violin is infrequent in jazz but a wonderful sound, wet with reverb and very smart and animated and with classically-correct intonation. Tom’s trumpet (muted or not) and flugel dropped a few frenzied lines but were mostly lyrical and nicely structured, often working in harmony with the Jocie’s voice or against El’s counterpoint. Luke is just a master and eminently professional. I laughed with his outlandish solo in Monk’s dream that was far enough out that I wondered if it was just free, but it was littered with the slightest of hints at underlying chords. Rhys had a modest demeanour, eyes down in thought, but then surprised me with what was the nearest thing to shredding during a few later solos. Alec and Luke were supportive rhythm section with rock rhythms, understated percussion, unison written lines and occasional walks.

This was touching stories and refreshing melody from a very unexpected setlist. Hilda’s garden was led by Jocie Jensen (vocals) and Rhys Mottley (guitar) with support from Tom Sly (trumpet, flugelhorn), Llewellyn (El) Osborne (jazz violin), Luke Sweeting (piano, accordion), Alec Coulson (bass) and Luke Keanan-Brown (drums, percussion).

Turossing it (Moruya 2011/2)

Matt Thompson has been an enigma to me, being a particularly sparse-cum-minimalist performer, but I heard him twice at Moruya and I loved it. Sparse is certainly the word. You ache for the next delayed note in a melody that’s not so much challenging as just right. And when the whole band does it together, it’s quite magical. It seems touched with blues (a blues connotation?) in its simplicity and its infectiousness and, with Josie’s words, it takes on a singer-songwriter significance. Then, given the desert-dry atmosphere, a waterfall of notes in Matt’s solo in the last tune was a stunner. I enjoyed these two sets. Matt Thompson (piano) leads a quartet with Josie Jensen (vocals), Rafael Jerjen (bass) and Henry Rasmussen (drums).

Lakeside Circus is a favourite of mine. It’s a creation of Jono Lake, but he was called back to Canberra and the band did the set without him. I listened to Sun Ra returning from the coast, and the Circus has a similarly playful and iconoclastic vigour. Trumpeter Shane Spellman took to the drumkit that Jono now leads from and Reuben Lewis sat in for Shane on trumpet. This is vibrant, fun, entertaining, even dissident music that thrives on its frolicsome composition and collective performance. Fun and refreshing. Jono Lake (piano, drums) is the leader and composer for Lakeside Circus but was not available. This day, the Circus was Andrew Fedorovich (alto), Max Williams (tenor), Patrick Langdon (trombone), Reuben Lewis (trumpet), Alec Coulson (bass) and Shane Spellman (drums).

Something quirky this way comes

The Circus came to ArtSound again last night, ie, Lakeside Circus. It’s always a work of madness and extravagance, and some really interesting and searching playing. I’ve written on their last performance at the Front. Read that for more in depth comments. This time, I only caught some of the broadcast and got to the studio for part of the second set. Again I noticed those clever, Mingus-like arrangements, but was also taken by the soloing, which was not so much virtuosic as intervallically intriguing, and some strikingly contradictory piano playing at times from Jono that just clashed like the titan but resolved into new and satisfying themes. Jono is generous about his work in all this, although he takes an obvious and impish and committed leadership role while playing. His take is that he starts with an idea, and the arrangements develop from themes and lines played in practice, which he then further charts. Whatever, it’s very impressive writing. Another quirky saturnalia from Jono’s musical acrobats.

Lakeside Circus played for Friday Night Live at Artsound. The Circus is Jono Lake (piano, compositions), Shane Spellman (trumpet), Andrew Fedorovich (alto sax), Max Williams (tenor sax), Patrick Langdon (trombone), Alec Coulson (bass) and Mark Levers (drums).

Tranquil Lakeside, not

There’s always a touch of bent genius in the circus and often enough in composers. A challenge to the designed surroundings of Canberra and a rational APS. I was thinking this as I listened to Jono Lake’s Lakeside Circus. The music was all circus exuberance and jovial rhythms and riffs and bass lines, merged and manipulated and toyed with. Absurd, varied, jokey, malleable and entertaining. Entertaining: that word that musicians often forget at their own expense. Even between tunes it was a rollicking show. One tune was Candy Berry, obviously named for Canberra. Shouts of “I love Valium” and offers of solos “How ‘bout you … solos … [pointing]“ “Ready .. 1,2,1234”. This was loony tunes of the discordant harmonies. The out-of-tunality might sound like poor playing to uninformed ears, but it’s not like that at all. This is purposeful, but irony is the purpose. This is on the beat and square, boxy and tonally clashing, with just the odd touch of swing and sweet soloing to lighten the effect. This is not music to highlight performers, but music of composition. Jono’s the composer and concertmaster and performer out front (every circus needs performers). All excitement and urgent invention that dismays and constantly pushes his Circus. I noticed quotes from All the things you are and even Giant steps, but these are just that, quotes. The bebop as stride was more indicative of his style. There were mainstream solos from Max and Shane and John and Andrew, and some quite fitful but exploratory ones from Jono. But always that challenge to the comfortable and the overtly serious. Well practised to be rough as guts and hot as hell. I loved it. I tired a bit as the night wore on, so maybe it could have some more contrasting, tuneful interludes. I found the occasional break into a capable swing solo was a joyful release. But this was Mingus-like in the passion of the playing, and demands (even Mingal shouts) of the leader, the roughness and bluesy urgency and the playfulness. Refreshing, despite the demands it places on the listener. Lakeside Circus is Jono Lake (piano, compositions), Shane Spellman (trumpet), Andrew Fedorovich (alto sax), Max Williams (tenor sax), Patrick Langdon (trombone), Alec Coulson (bass) and Mark Levers (drums).