Commemorating 9/11 Pt.2

Continuing our religious theme, we attended a jazz mass at St John’s evangelical Lutheran Church in Christopher Street, just a block from our apartment. I remember some pretty tame rock masses from my childhood, but this was far more interesting. The band was skilled, the conception was good and the music was varied and informed. I heard Freddie Hubbard-like ’70s modal, some great funk, a Love Supreme groove, Amazing grace behind the gospel reading, Body & soul behind a memorial reading for the fallen on 9/11. This was seriously satisfying music and there was a surprise that followed. We’d left fairly quickly. We had a dinner booked, the mass had run on a bit, and I was saving Megan from another of my chatter sessions with musos. Then I got an email the next day from Andrew Swift. He’d been the drummer and had played this gig for a year. I’d missed him after the mass. Another small world experience and one I can live off for some time. So now I have the names of the band. The band’s musical director was Sharel Cassity, a very decent female alto saxist who doubles on flute. Apparently Andrew plays in her regular working band. The rest of the band were pianist Roy Assaf, singer Melanie Charles and bassist Spencer Murphy who works at Smalls some days. A flugelhorn sat in for the harmony lines on the final funky number. Europe may have its authentic church music traditions, but this is America’s. And a great sermon on forgiveness by Dr John J Scibilla which impressed our godless souls.

Finally, there were numerous small activities around NYC for the 9/11 anniversary: postcards, tiles, ribbons, displays, fire brigade reunions, but perhaps the most available was the Tribute in light which ran only overnight from evening Sunday 11 Sept to morning Monday 12 Sept. This comprises two beams that mimic the shape and orientation of the missing towers, and powered by 44 7Kwatt bulbs. This year’s low clouds left an eerie impression of smoke escaping the towers, as in the original pics. A nice gesture.

Big city urgency

The pace of the big city showed through last night when New Yorkian Andrew Swift was playing with Brendan Clarke and Mike Price. This is no sleepy playing. It’s intense, determined, disciplined. There’s a commitment that says American culture and competition; failure everpresent as threat and incentive. This is individualism writ large. Most survive; some win the big purse, sometimes deservedly; a significant few fail and fall, despairing, misunderstanding their failure as totally, individually their responsibility. It’s a hard culture, but it’s also invigorating and excelling. It’s harder than here, although we’ve always had a foot in that camp as an Anglo-American economy and we’ve been moving increasingly in that direction over recent decades. I remember the issue arising years ago when singer/pianist Ben Sidran visited Adelaide. I attended a workshop and then a bar gig. The gig was drab and unfulfilling. Ben complained about his local support players who were uninvolved, lacking energy, purposeless. He was right; they were dull. Ben couldn’t understand why they even bothered to play. It was not a pleasant scene. Last night wasn’t like that: this gig was good, very good.

I didn’t pay attention to the tunes they played, although they were obviously standards with cycles and a sense of swing. There was Invitation alternating between a 12/8 latin and a swing, a lovely gentle In a sentimental mood and hard swinging Misty. Many of the other tunes were more disguised; not too easily recognisable. I’d say this jazz was smooth, but nothing like the saccharine radio-style called “smooth jazz”. It wasn’t chordally challenging but it was richly improvised, responsive and deeply cool. Brendan settled the beat with his low, full tone, steady and richly expressive both in accompaniment and long, fluent solos. Andrew was busy, aware, responsive, cutting the groove and pushing the complexity and excitement. The pair were comfortable together, revisiting old times when they studied together at the local Jazz School. It was an effective base for Mike’s unadulterated jazz guitar tone with sustained double time lines exploring harmony with diatonics, diverse intervals, atonal sequences and symmetrical scales. It was an intriguing and intellectually satisfying guitar trio set. I heard it as smooth and mainstream, so swinging, but a mainstream that was richly embellished with the sounds of modern harmonic and melodic indeterminacy. Very much enjoyed.

A flock of Swifts: Sherine, Andrew, Trish, John

Andrew Swift (drums) played with Mike Price (guitar) and Brendan Clarke (bass) at Trinity.

White Eagle jammers

Here are the four jamming groups for the last White Eagle Jazz session. Don’t miss the next session. These sessions are off to a great start. There were about 30 people at the first event, and about 120 at the second. Some work’s required on the PA, but it’s a great night and interesting food and drink on tap. It opens at 7.30 and starts promptly at 8pm, so get there early for the full show.

Afro Blue. Played by Mike Azzopardi (piano), Carl Morgan (guitar), James Luke (bass), Andrew Swift (drums), Sebastian McIntosh (tenor sax)

Nostalgia in Times Square, Oleo. Played by Julian Banks (tenor sax), Daniel Hunter (guitar), Wayne Kelly (piano), Andrew Swift (drums), Brendan Clarke (bass)

Things ain’t what they used to be. Played by Hannah James (bass), Jono Apps (trumpet), Al Clarke (trombone), James LeFevre (tenor sax), Ben Foster (piano), Dave Rodriguez (guitar), Sam Young (drums)

My romance. Played by Hugh Deacon (drums), Madeleine Hawke (vocals), Stu McKnown (bass), Sebastian McIntosh (tenor sax), Andy Campbell (guitar)