SOSat arvo 1-2

Next up, Annette Krebs dancing her way through delicious tones, gathered from various noisemakers and metal sheets and even clockwork toys, all designed within MaxMSP (if I have the conceptualisation of process right) and controlled by a pair of tablets. The sounds were intriguing and delightfully modified and Annette's frolicsome accompaniment was engagingly par for the course. Then a few Aussies again: Canberrans Ben Drury and Brian McNamara with Queenslander Michael Norris on electronics. All drones and hits and noises and sonic presence and some explosive bass from Ben. Then, for me, the unexpected excitement of the day: a performance of the Workshop ensemble. I had little awareness of the session and no expectation to play, but I'm easily convinced (just ask!). For me, it was the excitement o returning to the wonderful Alex Steinback grand, just tuned. Whatever consonance or otherwise, it just sounded a dream. The problem I found was to play it quietly amongst quiet passages. My approach was advice from the previous day: know when to end; respond to others; show dynamics. My input was somewhat minimalistic, with a recurring line to pull a piece together and some daring to play in response. So tune no.1 was formed around a Cmin pattern with moves to D; Tune no.2 was a fast-repeated F note with patterns through the octave and later flourishes over white and black note for tonal colours. Much fun and thanks to my co-conspirators.

Continuing ... Annette Krebs (objects) played first. Ben Drury (bass), Brian McNamara (invented instruments) and Michael Norris (electronics) played second. The Workshop Ensemble (vocals, piano, flugelhorn, guitar, electronics, invented instrument) played third. SoundOut 2020 Saturday afternoon at the Drill Hall Gallery.

Degrees of freedom

It's all free improvisation at SoundOut, but there are degrees of freedom. It's usually played on musical instruments, sounding as expected (and intended?) or not. Sometimes it's played on anything, with mics and various noise sources. Or the instruments are prepared with cloths or bells or clips or other so the strings or bells or tubes don't sound as normal. The sticks on strings and between strings and the clothes line clips and perhaps blutack as classics. Then the range goes through to instruments played as instruments, with various atonalities and implied all. Here I can see the references, the skills and the rest that I admire. Or I think I can. I remember asking a pianist whose playing I'd admired about keys and such technical matters. Nope, nothing. I'd been fooled. Or maybe they just don't talk of that. The workshop talked of all manner of things, but assumed players "know their instruments": a big ask but not the matter of concern. There were several groups who played with noise, with non-instruments or newly electronics.

First up Alexandra Spence, Bonnie Lander and Goh Lee Kwang. Close listening to match voice, (for a little time) drone clarinet, electronics and papers and a mobile phone ap (presumably a sequencer of some type) triggering tones to an old radio as amp. Odd but small, quiet and an easy lug. Then a quartet of Ben Drury, Casey Moir, Julia Reidy and Millie Watson. I was blown out by atonal piano laying by Millie (and singing by Jennifer Nell who sat next to me for this set) at the SoundOut workshop but none of that here. This was plucks and sweeps on piano strings with lightly suggested rhythm from 12-string guitar and double bass noise and restrained but very inventive effected vocals from Casey. Again, fairly quiet but listening. Psithurism Trio are Rhys Butler, John Porter and Richard Johnson and are locals. They played a set with Alexandra Spence, this time on clarinet, and altoist Georg Weissel. A free, open, listening thing with plenty of noises, removed mouthpieces, clacks and drones and taps: noise informed by real instruments. These were the obscure, open, relatively quiet improvs of the Sunday afternoon at SoundOut 2018.

Alexandra Spence (clarinet, electronica), Bonnie Lander (vocals) and Goh Lee Kwang (electronics) performed at SoundOut 2018. Ben Drury (bass), Casey Moir (vocals), Julia Reidy (guitar) and Millie Watson (piano) also performed. Psithurism Trio played with Alexandra Spence (clarinet) and Georg Weissel (alto) at SoundOut 2018. Psithurism Trio are Rhys Butler, John Porter and Richard Johnson.

Thoughts on bass

The minutes leading up to Hayley Manning's graduation recital had me perplexed. There were a string of bassists and a tabla setup. Ben and Kyle on each side of the stage with a tabla player between. Geoff and Brendan were down the back on bass, something I only realised later. At the starting time, Hayley arrived upfront to play a freeform melody by Francois Rabbath against a low-E drone from the other basses. They left and Hayley introduced the next works as more conventional. Misek Sonata no.1 Amaj and Koussevitsky Concerto F#maj, both played with piano accompaniment. These are not trivial works and F# is not a trivial key. I was in awe of Hayley's thumb positions, harmonics, long scales and the like. Technical challenges abounded and she did them justice. Then the final work, Anderson Capriccio no.2, a contemporary bass work played solo, with a "flurry of rhythms notes that display the full raw power and potential of the double bass as a solo instrument" (from the program notes). How apt: this one worked for me as a bass solo piece. It got me thinking of the role of bass. The Rabbath was effective, where the bass was being itself. The Misek and Koussevitsky were impressive, but I kept feeling the piano just said more and more interestingly with its handfulls of notes as chords and arpeggios and that easy dexterity, so why the solo bass? But the Anderson was my favourite, toying with the low pitch, the upper reaches, the grandiosity with clumsiness that is the string bass. In parallel, it reminds me of my readings in Bass Player mag, where they continually rile against overplaying, perhaps clumsily, by repeating that the bass is there to make others sound good (!). I guess they mean that its role is essentially accompaniment, especially by spelling rhythm or groove. The Anderson took a prime role for the low end and made it interesting, not least by using rhythm, but mostly this observation is right in my book. Play less, play neater, play with awareness of others. It's harder than it sounds and it's not an impediment or limitation. Nothing makes drive like a bass line, in funk or in classics. With instruments, it's horses for courses. So congratulations and thanks to Hayley for her graduation and her thought provoking recital.

Hayley Manning (bass) played Rabbath, Misek, Koussevitsky and Anderson for her graduation recital in the Larry Sitsky room at ANU. Support was from Kylie Loveland (piano accompanist), Kyle Ramsay-Daniel, Brendan Keller-Tuberg, Ben Drury and Geoff Prime (basses) and Yash Vyas (tabla)

Not the Pantheon

This was just a short concert, inside but not, exposed by a diminutive Pantheon hole-in-the-roof, but the seats were heated and the music was experimental but interesting and well played. Written by one bassist / composer, Ben Drury, and performed by another bassist, Rohan Dasika. This is a formidable pair. Ben is busy around town with experimental music. Rohan is up from Melbourne to play again for the CIMF after time with the Australian Institute of Music and gigs with the MSO. The concert was solo, fairly short (15 mins?), timed for sunset so catching the changing colours of the evening, repeated each evening M-F for this CIMF week. The techniques are unconventional and the bass was prepared - at least I thought I saw balls of blutack on each string at the end of the fingerboard (otherwise it was hidden from my seat). First up was bowing the tailpiece which gave a surprisingly strong tone, accompanied by various sung notes, presumably at composed intervals, from Rohan, then heavy rhythmic bowing above the bridge, then bowing strings high on the neck above the left hand while the left hand is stopping strings into the thumb positions. This probably required the dobs of blutack and gives a strange effect as fingering higher up the fingerboard produces lower tones. All strange, but this is experimental. Rohan did a great job, playing effectively and treating music and environment with respect. Ben's musical sounds merged nicely with the setting. I looked around and all were watching the hole in the roof as the light and clouds changed. I'm not sold on Turrell's work - excellent construction (the perfect water edges and laser-like hole-in-the-roof display the superb construction work) but the structure just seems to borrow its beauty from nature. But it's popular and considered a masterwork and often used for music and has heated seats for listeners, so OK. I liked the music. Well done, Ben and Rohan.

Rohan Dasika (bass) performed a solo work written by Ben Drury (composer) at the Turrell Skyspace at the National Gallery of Australia.

SO2017-1

SoundOut 2017 is the eight incarnation of this most intriguing and challenging festival. Every year I contest my ideas over this abandon, this questioning of musical verities, this search for sound, noise, art from standard instruments (they mostly use standard instruments), this abandon on all manner of traditional musical verities (they seldom play standard techniques). It's an intimate festival and considerably international. I spoke to one performer who was touring, asking about her experiences with performing, to small clubs on tour, of the chance of performing around a more dense continent like Europe. But even there this remains a form for a small group of initiates or searchers. Despite the traditional instruments, it's not too often that traditional techniques are used, so you may form an opinion that these players can't play straight. It's true for some. I once asked a player about her performance on piano. In discussion, it turned out she didn't know how to play an Eb scale. Nonetheless, I'd been mightily impressed by her set. But that's not the case for all. I heard some warmups this time that were straight ahead jazz or classical styled and played with great skill. And Brazilian bassist Luiz who stayed with me for the weekend was advising me on how to play bossa. Bossa! That's as sweet as it comes.

First up was a string quintet of three (!) basses, violin and cello. Bass playing with feet, hands, taps, bow(s), staccato, notes, short snaps, whooshing of air over bows, bow woods on strings or timber, metal winding scraping strings. Cellist Freya pulled it together with some traditional techniques, slow clear notes forming atonal melody of long intervals, double stops, minor seconds with lovely bowed tone. Others found harmonies, then into experimental techniques again, drones, high harmonics, some vocalisation (whistles this time). Cello uses pencils between strings (a common technique) and non-trad techniques with bow. Squeaks of skin dragged over varnish, tappings, slaps, again a climax. Form and movement is evident here. I asked Luiz about starting strongly or tentatively. He consider that it's respectful to enter gently with players you don't know or haven't played with before, to listen better and not to hog the scene. But then the alternative of driving, determinative start can also work. Continuing, some excellent pizz from Norwegian bassist Christian although with strings pulled off the fingerboard for a deadened and edged sound. More form, start low-grow, reduce-deduce, rise-surprise. Loud again, intense, cello again spelling notes that define melody if little rhythm. This music is not a thing of groove: it sets and meditates and sits in time rather than states it. Presumably nothing is dissallowed, even trad techniques, but it's uncommon. People drop out, complete, applause and smiles. Starts and ends are often somewhat indecisive (reminds me of my penchant for getting in the final notes on bass).

Such was the first set, a string quintet comprising Christian M Svendsen, Luiz Gabriel Gubeissi and Ben Drury (basses), Irene Kepl (violin) and Freya Shack-Arnott (cello).