Birthday

This was Geoff's Jazz at Smiths and it was a special celebration, of the wonder of the long-standing band Wanderlust, and also the long-standing trumpeter who brought it together around 35 years ago in Sydney, Miroslav Bukovsky.  Anyone who knows Miro loves him so this was a special event.  And Wanderlust is such a perfect name for the music they play.  The tunes virtually were all by Wanderlust, often by Miro himself, and they were expansive, with only 9 tunes over two sets totalling about 2 hours.   So there was time to explore, another aspect of good travel.  But most obvious were the tunes themselves that spoke of a wide world, one samba in 3, one mambo, one from Burundi, one speaking to South Africa and Nelson Mandela, a final one just called Peace please, which speaks to all time and very much to now.  There was one cover, astonishingly called Wanderlust by Duke Ellington, a far more relaxed, luxuriant tune with nothing like the exploratory quest of this band, but still superbly lovely, as Ellington just is.  The band was superb, of course, understated, easily spoken, intriguing in harmony and melody, and settling into the most immersive grooves.  Which reminds me of a discovery I made listening to Miro's compositions, that trumpeters play melody so beautifully and thus write lovely melodies.  I guess it's related to the harmonic series that's the nature of technique on brass.  If not recorded already (surely it must be!) I reckon there's a PhD in that.  So this was all good nature, a party surrounded by admirers and friends and wonderful good will.  It's a memory for the ages from a band lasting ages.  Dry wit and so much joy.  Happy birthday for Miro's 80th and long may Wanderlust and the wanderlust remain.

Wanderlust performed at Smiths for Geoff's Jazz and Miro's 90th birthday.  Wanderlust are Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet, flugelhorn), John Mackey (tenor), Alister Spence (piano, keyboards), Jeremy Sawkins (guitar), Fabian Hevia (percussion) and Lachlan Coventry (bass, guitar) with guest Tom Fell (baritone, soprano saxes).  They were joined by Alex Raupach (trumpet) and Richard Johnson (bass clarinet) for some final tunes.

Live or listened

I've got into recording over the years and most recently into multitrack mixing and mastering, mainly of gigs at Smiths.  I find it fascinating and even, in some ways, better or more revealing than being in attendance.  Less fun, perhaps, and less personal, but revealing.  So I can solo the bass or sax of other and follow the thinking, the improvs, in detail and with repeats.  Fascinating.  Those gigs don't get written up here but here is one.  Alex asked me for a few words on a particularly intriguing and adventurous outing, his Fauna & Flora.  The band is Fauna and the guest was Flora (Carbo).  I was entranced.  Here are my considered and touched words on this concert that I know only from my spare room home studio.

Hearing Fauna and Flora for the first time was a revelation direct from Miles and memory.  Jazz lovers have heard these mutating, intriguing, explorative instrumentations but probably not in the flesh.  Realising that is a stunner.  The emotive melodies, the searching harmonies, the richly fluid accompaniment, the floats and grooves and improvisations melt into the consciousness.  The tunes merge, originals or known standards, to one, whole; one generous, exploratory set, then another.  Tunes with time to live in, explored and imbibed as your mind wanders with wonder.  How am I so surprised? So intrigued?  How is this so fresh, because it is so fresh.  And as for the band's name, I'm still chuckling over that one.  I didn't see Fauna and Flora but I did hear them, intrigued and deeply touched as I mixed and mastered after the event.  If at all possible, see them!

Fauna was joined by guest Flora Carbo (alto) at Smiths.  Fauna are Alex Raupach (trumpet), Wilbur Whitta (piano), Max Alduca (bass) and Jack Rosenzweig (drums).  And thanks to Alex for the pic.

Awe all around

Wayne Shorter was obviously a formative artist for Con Campbell and Alex Raupach and they'd been planning a performance of his album Speak no evil for some time.  When WS died, aged 89, on 2 March 2023, it took on a special relevance.  Con's quintet comprised Con and Alex with Wayne Kelly, Chris Pound and Nick McBride.  It's a star-studded Canberra lineup but apt for this music, playing Wayne, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Elvin Jones.  But the start was also fascinating.  An original for the quintet by Alex, then a trio of trios.  Chris and Nick with Alex then with Con for two tunes by another uber-creative Thelonious Monk (Evidence, Friday the 13th), then a trio with Wayne playing a WK original.  Quite a different tune to end a shortish first set, in expectation of the album replay.  Then the album straight through in order.  Delightful syncopation on bass, extended flourishes on piano not least through chords, just fascinating chordal, often chromatic, movements with extensions spelling the flow, unique structures like 32-bars that were anything but AABA and 9 bar sections and the rest, all manner of colours in the writing.  And those indicative solos over, from Wayne and also more regular from Freddie.  I followed the chords from iRealPro and was fascinated by all this, and somewhat confused.  I'd played chords like this but never quite investigated these changes and the harmonic roles of these alterations.  This is deserving; worthy of investigation even at a kitchen table.  By the end I was quite awed by the source material but also by the local interpretation.  Just stunning all round.  The night ended pretty early and several went off to Molly for the jam session.  I started up the stairs, but the raucous sounds seemed at some conflict with what I'd heard, so I deferred, passing Nick on his way in.  Wow.  I still feel the awe.

Con Campbell (tenor), Alex Raupach (trumpet), Wayne Kelly (piano), Chris Pound (bass) and Nick McBride (drums) performed Wayne Shorter's album Speak no evil at Smiths for Geoff Page's Jazz series.

End of eight

It's the end of a series.  A series of eight concerts with invited players from interstate, run by Alex Raupach Verity Lane.  I've got to the last three only, but enjoyed them immensely.  Let's hope the series reappears.  It reminds me a days a decade back when musicians and bands toured though Canberra, Syd>Melb or vice versa, with workshops at the ANUSOM.  Good days.  These were great concerts.  This last night was pianist Wilbur Whitta, again one with Canberra connections but also a Masters from the Royal School of Music, just beside the Royal Albert Hall, that Albert Hall in London.  Impressive as was his playing.  He teamed with Chris Pound and Micah Heathwood for the night, and a few tunes to finish with Alex and Tom Fell.  We caught the second set only, with a bopper then a few possible originals, then a longing trumpet tune, and possibly a Miles of late'70s vintage and a finish on a rarer standard, You stepped out of a dream.  I found Wilbur as expansive, lightly phrased but complex, rich in substitutions and dissonances.  Lovely.  Chris again solid and richly toned but exploratory.  Micah busy and driving and forceful.  A worthy end to a challenging series.

Wilbur Whitta (piano) led a trio with Chris Pound (bass) and Micah Heathwood (drums) at Verity Lane.  Alex Raupach (trumpet) and Tom Fell (tenor) sat in for a few tunes. 

What borders

I'd seen Hilary Geddes a few times before so I'm not sure why I was so surprised and impressed by her at Verity Lane the other night.  She was the guest, leading the band, mostly playing standards, perhaps one of two of her originals, playing with the house band, Chris Pound and Mark Sutton.  And John Mackey and Alex Raupach who sat in  later in the night.  Her presence was a clear influence, with abstruse solo lines and deliciously dissonant chords which twisted and distorted the backing, so what might be a standard solo just needed to be altered to fit.  Just what those were, I wasn't always too sure.  And she was such an influence despite a relatively low volume.  I thought too low, so sometimes a bit lost, but maybe that's another of her influences that made for a different music.  It all brought out strong, rudimentals-oriented drumming from Mark which is something I love to hear.  And Chris with a wonderfully strong, upper-mid-rich tone, quick lines, plenty of chordally aware playing through the range was a dream, even if he sometimes seemed a little reticent in the context, even while he was playing a storm with glorious tonality to my ears.  John responded too, although the colours and sheer speed of his cellular playing was an overwhelming storm of its own.  Alex was more lyrical as trumpets often are, but again explosive at times.  But that harmonic colour and abstruse soloing did it for me.  I spoke with guitar Greg after and we were musing over where the influences were from, from jazz but also from rock band exploits that Hilary indulges in.  I increasingly admire work across boundaries, within music and further afield, so I remain hugely impressed if a little perplexed about the whole, this night of standards in a noisy bar with a most intriguing new player.

Hilary Geddes (guitar) visited Verity Lane to play with the House Band comprising Chris Pound (bass) and Mark Sutton (drums).  John Mackey (tenor) and Alex Raupach (trumpet) also sat in.

Distillate

There was just a time when Antipodes were playing away, clear and sharp and purposeful, that the word distillate came to me. The band has been together for some time, but I doubt they play together all the time. Nonetheless, this was beautifully correct while also being quick and complex at times and neat in passing of solos and the like. Restrained, inventive, sharp, intense. These are all words that fitted. To me, that means a nice band with artistic cred. I loved all the solos: frequently from altoist Jake, fairly commonly from pianist Luke and guitarist Callum and surprisingly frequently from bassist Max. And I really liked Max's playing. Not overtly showy but interestingly intervallic and wonderfully complex rhythmically. Smiths' budget doesn't quite come to a Steinway, but Luke's presence and solos were exploratory and always apt none-the-less. Callum's guitar was quite subdued, but could soar with speedy crisp lines or impart lovely modernist colour with various pedals. Not sure I remember a solo from drummer Tim, but his sharpness with gentility was inspirational. They could lift in volume, but they could also sit with the quietest of presence. The music was all original, interestingly from around the band and funnily enough the basis of some effective stage patter from Jake. A few songs for relatives (Tim's grandmother Joyce) or personal discoveries or cosmic themes (Phobos AND Deimos), but Sleep was the funniest. Ask Jake about that one. For a few later songs, trumpeter Alex Raupach sat in and the presence remained with neat sight-read harmonies that added nicely to the understated sophistication. Great night listening to some seriously impressive contemporary jazz. A huge pleasure.

Antipodes played at Smiths. Antipodes comprises Jake Baxendale (alto), Luke Sweeting (piano), Callum Allardice (guitar), Max Alduca (bass) and Tim Geldens (drums). Alex Raupach (trumpet) sat in for a few tunes.

Nick's nonet

I've been musing over why I like nonets or octets. When treated as an ensemble, these are little big bands, so why these rather than the larger formats? I've decided it's because the writing becomes so clear, the lines so crisp and the solo spots so integrated and unjarring. We were hearing each voice anyway, so when some just drop out for a different texture or a solo, there's less change, less loss, more continuity. I was not certain I could attend Nick Combe's Nonet concert at Street 3 but at the last minute, I could, and it was a thing of great pleasure. Nick is soon off to Melbourne (we've lost many recent graduates to Melbourne with smaller numbers to replace them) and he gathered his cohorts together for a recording of his charted works. We've been hearing Nick's charts over the years and this is a culmination album, using his frequent offsiders. It was a strong band and one that has a collective history even if it's somewhat spread to the winds these days. We were in the generous Street 3 space, the musicians all laid out on carpet and studio-miced, some seats and cushions for an intimate audience. The recording was just 7 tracks, but there's lots of work in these, in terms of composition and arrangements and elaborations. And interestingly, Nick has a story for each. These are not just abstract compositions, but they speak of loves and losses, buses and places and health and happiness. These are Nick's encounters or experiences so the tapestry of changes and repeats speak of real emotions. This feels real. Nicely played, too. These were solos for the studio, careful, not overextended, nicely detailed and developed.

The gig started with Love is a job from Hell. It's a work in 3 parts, starting with a slow bluesy feel in 6 with dissonance and some nifty baritone sax fills and a driving guitar solos and the tenor providing embellishments that paralleled the earlier bari lines and finishing with solo piano. Then Moira, a light 2-feel with a piano trio and brushes and swelling with horns and some lovely solos on trumpet and tenor. Then Once is enough, inspired by a TS Elliot fragment and featuring a melody that's fascinatingly spelt out on different instruments, over brushes in a count of 16, then into guitar/piano and a lush horn fill and slowly swung piano trio and what I heard as an islander melody. Then Centrelink Blues referring to queues and free money. Nick has a nice story here. Medium-up blues with spaces for solos and a beautifully unhurried and thoughtful trumpet solo. I was loving both trumpeters despite vastly different approaches. Then Shoosh, everything will be alright that tells of Nick as helpful ear with slow 4 and lovely horn swells. Then Louis' precious woman, dedicated to Louis Nowra, a complex number that speeds eventually to cacophony then instrument drop outs into solos and rim shots. And a final Lemon and honey, a quickish reggae that Nick had on his mind when sick in bed. I was struck with the understated but supremely self-assured trombone here. Then thanks and chatter. It was all more rich than I can recount here. This was a musical pleasure, but also a recording and I can only look forward to the release. Nick's developed some complex and satisfying charts and this is one memory that can be confirmed soon enough on release, probably early 2015. Buy it!

Nicholas Combe (baritone sax, composer, arranger) led his nonet in a live recording at Street 3. The band comprised Nick with Reuben Lewis (trumpet), Alex Raupach (trumpet), Tom Fell (tenor, alto sax), Valdis Thomann (trombone), Matt Lustri (guitar), Damien Slingsby (piano), Simon Milman (bass) and Aidan Lowe (drums).

Celebrating Relativity

The Canberra International Music Festival always has a theme, and this coming year it's the centenary of Einstein and General Relativity. Only in Canberra, although Relativity is more general than may be otherwise recognised. Why only Canberra? Because this is a city of universities (ANU, UC, ADFA/UNSW, ACU, CSU) as well as a city of CSIRO, Mt Stromlo, our Nobel Brian Schmidt, let alone various arms of government (which are not all security related, even if Howard's memorial as the second largest building in Canberra is the still-unoccupied ASIO building, amusingly built in the shape of a parabolic dish aimed at Parliament House! Did no-one see the symbolism on paper? More worrying, perhaps someone did). But we can be proud of our CIMF. The launch was in the Shine Dome, the saucer-shaped headquarters of the Australian Institute of Science (yes, Virginia, they recognise climate change, and yes, Virginia, Quadrant has questioned their integrity). Alex Raupach was improvising as we entered. The speakers were from the Committee but also physicist John Rayner who explained that the intellectual prompt for General relativity is our inability to tell the difference between gravity and acceleration. Then on through maths and spiritual dimensions and the parallel tumult in music and physics in the early C20th and space / time and Newton / Einstein and determinism / probabilistics, and strings and the GUT. Fascinating. Then Emma Rayner with a Bach cello suite, played beautifully and perfectly fitting this formal but intriguing space. Come to think of it, some of the wall is actually string (!) so I guess string theory is doubly apt (and even predicted) here. Then music director Roland Peelman who introduced each work over each day. The program is on the website, but I noted the complete Beethoven piano sonatas in 8 concerts, Bach of course, Brian Schmidt at Stromlo, ANUSM graduate now La Hague resident Kate More as composer in residence, Andrew Ford with Imant Tillers projections in a commission by Barbara Blackman, Sculthorpe and Brahms and kids concerts and Ensemble Offspring playing Philip Glass' Music in Twelve parts (over 3 hours non-stop) and overboarders Deb Conway / Willy Zygier. Plenty more; see the program. Add some wine and cheese and we're looking forward to another exceptional gathering. Canberra International Music Festival; with new MD; 1-10 May; deeply satisfying music with cerebral affinities.

New to me

Contrafact was a new one on me, but it's there, in Wikipedia. It's a new melody over existing chords, a common compositional technique in bop because melodies are copyrightable but chord sequences aren't. I'd never hear the term, contrafact. Alex Raupach introduced it for a few tunes at his gig at Smiths, with Steve Barry, Alex Boneham and Mark Sutton. This was one great band. Again a winner. Alex is playing with much maturity with unrushed lines, often extended, nicely structured and unpretentious. Steve's lines can be like a column, unrelenting, long, hinting at quotes but not quite, with solos building from even but sparse, doubling time then doubling again, always logical, sequenced, neat but also intriguingly bent. Alex will be swinging or ostinato, mobile over the neck, low to high, wonderfully formed strong tones from a firm right hand technique (see that finger bent over a string, feeling the weight, taking the pressure) and solos that spelt out clear sax-like intervallic melody, not easy on the doghouse. Mark a powerhouse, driving, brushes, sticks or flipping the stick to mallet, attacking the fills or driving the rhythm. I often find I concentrate on one player ona night. Mark was that for this night, although I did take a few glances at the others. The music was not too practiced, but their skills and reading drove through it. They soon get the feel of the tune and the ability shines. They'd played a standards night at Hippo the night before; apparently this was loud. Smith's was more the concert performance, original music, contrafacts from Lee Konitz (Thing-In on the chords of All the things you are) and Alex R (Tower condition on Isfahan). Ron Carter's 81. A range of originals by Alex R, often melancholic, and one by Steve Barry, Sahara. Interestingly, a few references to poet Dorothy Parker "Some beautiful things, even in change, wondrously remain the same". Alex sang some lines against the final tune. It's an interesting expansion on instrumental jazz; I like it lots. An involving night with some wondrous playing and substantial tunes. Last visit was in February. I can only hope this becomes habit.

Alex Raupach (trumpet) led a quartet with Steve Barry (piano), Alex Boneham (bass) and Mark Sutton (drums) at Smiths.

Farewell

Simon Milman has hands in many pots. And it's not just that he's part of them. Someone mentioned to me at Simon's farewell event at Smith's that he will be missed, not just for his playing, but for his leadership. Simon's active; he creates things - music, combinations, events, lots of CDs - and these things range over a broad field. I've mostly caught him doing jazz things, in the jazz scene, but he's active with the Canberra Musicians Club, which is more indie and JJJ, in Afrobeat and Latin and more. I first caught him playing Ornette on acoustic bass guitar in a trio. His playing is well influenced by these sounds, so his standards take on a sophisticated, harmonically indistinct flavour. But he also plays I-V in its place, and there was a bit of apt simplicity in his playing with Nick Combe's Nonet at the farewell event. There was some of the free improv too, in a short appearance as Erebis ("Australia's number one [Japanese] free improvising Elvis"). He introduced Properties of two particles with a bowed first particle lasting 1m8s and a pizz second particle lasting 47s; micro, virtually subatomic. I missed a gig where Erebis performed macro, apparently playing an hour with Miro Bukovsky. FWIW, I preferred the second particle with some harmonic movement, but mainly diatonic with large intervals. Nice. Erebis was followed by obviously close friend Alice Cottee, voice and guitar on some interestingly constructed songs of passion and intriguingly revealing metaphors. She spoke of meetings of creatives and this fitted the part: both fascinating and, I can only guess, searingly honest. It's so often the woman with the guitar who does just this for personal matters. Then some jazz that's close to my heart: Nick Combe's nonet playing five of Nick's charts. Bluesy and Mingus-inspired; five horns out front for plenty of interesting solos and the interplay of solo and accompaniment and the enhanced richness of melodic statements. Quite blissful to my ears. They played a slower break-up song; a lighter 8-to-the-bar song of joy and running in parks; one of rolling arpeggios speaking to a poem by TS Elliot; a quieter one called Shoosh (perhaps Shh...); a final upstart blues stated last time around with charted dissonance. The solos were intelligent and searching throughout which is also a tribute to Nick's charts. Then another SM alter-ego: Coolio Desgracias appearing with Housemouse. Local rap in kimono: driving in Queanbeyan, jazz clap, local themes. Amusing, clever, rhythmically insinuating and neat with triplets, although this seemed a pretty casual performance for friends with a degree of laxity. Rap's somewhat a return to memorised epics, so it has unexpected traditional roots amongst its irony and quips. Much enjoyed. I didn't stay for the later DJ set. Simon will be much missed by wide span of the Canberra musical community but movement is life. Best of luck to Simon but he's a local, so he'll be seen again.

Simon Milman performed Erebis (bass). Alice Cottee performed solo (vocal, guitar). Nick Combe (baritone sax, compositions) led a nonet with Tom Fell (tenor), Josh Hart (trombone), Alex Raupach (trumpet), Eddie Bernasconi (trumpet), Matt Lustri (guitar), Damien Slingsby (piano), Simon Milman (bass) and Aidan Lowe (drums). Simon Milman (Coolio Desgracias) and Matt Lustri (Housemouse) rapped.

Bowties

Steve Barry and Alex Boneham arrived in white shirts and bowties. I felt underdressed. They had played at the opening event for a new suburb. A musician's life is a string of diverse experiences. They were there to play with Alex Raupach and Mark Sutton. At least they looked casual. Not that the music is casual. As expected, this is deadly serious, even if with a jazz nonchalance.
The dress sense gradually dissipated, but the music didn't lose a beat. They started with Ron Carter's Eighty one. It's just a blues, but with a luscious Milesian floating feel with a sudden flourish in the head. Then a few standards and a few originals from Alex R. There were walks in some standards, but also interpretation that grew out of but almost concealed the underlying tune. Alone together was introduced with a bass solo, presumably in the D min key but it was some time before I even recognised this old favourite. Also Just friends and Wayne Shorter's Fall from Miles' album Nefertiti. Steve took an early solo with a long-sustained right hand 8th note line that ran on and on through choruses and gradually grew in dissonance. I was wondering how he'd escape. Eventually he doubled time for a few choruses on 16th notes then dissolved into chords. Fabulous. He set a bit of a theme for the night. Alex B had played a perfectly melodic and richly phrased solo earlier, but then dropped into his own sustained 8th notes on bass, although for one a few choruses. Ales R had a go later, too. Otherwise, he felt more Miles ethereal or sometimes boppy. Mark just laid out lovely steady grooves with tasteful fills and embellishments, always precise and neat. This is just so nice to play with: driving and unpretentious. I only remember one drum solo, of swapped 8s or 16s, again sharp and precise and free of flash. This is professional stuff and I'm in awe. I looked around out the windows at Smiths a few times, expecting the passersby to be peeking in in awe. Some do look; some come in. But too many just pass by on their way to bars or moshpits. Sad, that, but thus is the state of our rich and varied and too often too commercialised civilisation.

Alex Raupach (trumpet) led a quartet with Sydney visitors Steve Barry (piano) and Alex Boneham (bass) and local Mark Sutton (drums) at Smiths.

The Kiwis have it

It was a Kiwi-Canberra connection when Tom Botting and Peter Koopman (NZ via SYD) joined Alex Raupach and Aidan Lowe (CBR) as the opening band for the Smiths Jam session last Thursday. They had got together just that day, playing a function in the afternoon and then a few standards along with some compositional sketches from Alex in the evening. I arrived to a dumbfounding solo from Tom over my favourite, Alone together. Then Out of nowhere (another classic) and Skylark. Out of nowhere was medium swing, but this band subverted it, so walks became sparse and truncated and intervallic, rapidly moving from thumb to first position, and Peter shredded the tune with long passages and odd phrasing way off the one and a NYC feel that made me think of Kurt R. Dead steady and serious business. Alex was his best, more bop-oriented than Peter but moving phrases against barlines and flattening endings and often enough in between. Aidan seemed a touch more restrained in this company but perhaps not on latin or swapped fours. Swapping sixteens and eights seems outré for a contemporary outfit like this, but the historical references are still there. The whole band was feeling its way on Alex’s sketches, but the skills were stunning. Jocie Jensen sat in at jam’s end for some stunning takes on Round midnight and It could happen to you. Her scat and unison heads with Alex and high and accurate voice fitted this choppy-rich band perfectly. Mike Dooley sat in for a run of tunes, including a funky Nature boy and some boppy takes on Green Dolphin Street and the like. Mike’s feel is more bop-hot with some classical reference so these were interesting intersections of eras. I sat in for a few tunes as did drummer Mitch Preston who is so strong in the local blues scene. This was a stunning end to a rich night of jazz in Canberra. A blast with some stunningly capable and informed chops. Just to finish off, here’s a quote from Nick Dooley, Mike’s brother and once a trumpet teacher at the Jazz School. It’s out of context here, but wise advice: “It’s hard to be exciting rather than excitable in a band”.