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.

Veging

Jazz pops up all over, often as a backdrop to our lives. Dollface were at the Fyshwick Market last weekend. There were just two in this incarnation. Alice Cottee singing sweet soprano and Tom Sherringham accompanying chords with a thumbed bass line on guitar. Just in the corner by the cases of tomatoes singing standards. They waylaid me from the bread and pasta I was looking for, but it was a pleasant interlude. Dollface advertises as Jazz, swing and anything. The TripleJ unearthed recognition for her band, NoHausfrau, and 2XX broadcasts suggests an indie sensibility. Alice Cottee (vocals) is Dollface. Tom Sherringham (guitar) accompanied on the day.

Who’d’ve thunk it

There are some instruments to which people give little recognition but any instrument can have profundity when played with creativity and skill and commitment. Larry Adler and the mouth harp is a case in point. Benny Chong and the ukelele is another. Benny played at the Front Café on Sunday and he was a revelation. Benny was in Australia for an international ukulele convention in Melbourne, but has a sister here is Canberra, so we lucked out. He plays jazz … yes, jazz … on a baritone ukulele tuned DGBE (I just learned the common uke is a soprano tuned GCEA) and it’s a wonder. His playing is chordally rich and melodically invigourating and he plays solos like a hot jazz guitarist. The uke community was out in force, of course, and I overheard talk of a workshop he’d given the previous day. I think it’s fair to say for many, the uke is an instrument of a few simple chords (like singer-songwriter guitarists), but he highlighted the need to know all the notes on the fingerboard and study chords alterations. All standard instrumental technique, but perhaps unexpected here. It’s just evidence of our prejudices on this instrument. But Benny is a master. He plays small gigs with stand in bassists. James Luke did an excellent job with Benny, throwing solos back and forth and providing a solid, driving foundation. Benny had played with Ben Robertson in Melbourne and Craig Scott in Sydney – he’s obviously no slouch! His tunes were mainly standards: Satin doll and Cheek to cheek; blowers like Oleo and All blues; ballads like the Nearness of you and Nightingale sang on Berkeley Square. He occasionally played solo – a Hawaiian tune and Johnny Mandel’s Emily. But mostly it was well known tunes and blow-out soloing with that identifiable tone: both sharp and thuddy and with limited sustain, fingerpicked or strummed with open hands. It’s a small fingerboard, too, so lots of frets in a small space so quite demanding on precision. I guessed they were nylon strings and their short string length would affect tension and tone. I revelled in his rich chordal soloing and fast and even dissonant solos. This was seriously swinging jazz. Great stuff: a revelation and a pleasant host, too.

I just arrived to see the end of Dollface’s set, but here’s a pic. Benny Chong (baritone ukulele) played with James Luke (bass) at the Front Café. Dollface were Alice Cottee (vocals), Cal Glugston (guitar) and Jay Lee (ukelele).