Connections

I chatted with drummer Ko Omura about the Japanese tea ceremony and I thought later that the dignity and precision that's part of that ritual was also on view in his band's performance at the Band Room. Orbiturtle is an artists' community; this incarnation was a quartet composed of two Australians and two Japanese players, formed out of a visit by Steve and Dave to Japan a few years ago. Piano and alto are Australians; bass and drums are Japanese; both pairs played together regularly before Orbiturtle was formed. In format, it's a standard jazz quartet; in music, it's quite familiar, too, with tunes written by at least three members, but maybe it's that precision that so impressed me. They write some devilishly complicated heads, some of which are contrafactuals - melodies written over pre-existing changes. Ko also write a few tunes, and they were similarly interesting: congrats to a composing drummer. The band featured bassist Yoshio "Chin" Suzuki, veteran of NYC and a string of artists, not least Getz, Rollins, Blakey, Liebman, Konitz: a true jazz veteran. But the band was not onesided. This was seriously satisfying and deliciously carefully played. Steve Barry has a huge ability to design lines and follow through with ever perfect connections: chordal, melodic, arpeggiated, substitutions, extensions, polyrhythms, all there and all melding into an exquisite whole. Dave Jackson played with such a sweet and even tone, soft and supportive in the background or clear and stated in solos, always precise but not pushy, easily playing a simple solo line, then doubling and doubling again for flourishes, but again, carrying ideas through, always in easy control and with consistent tone. Chin sat at back, seemingly understated, but brilliantly melodic solos with lovely turnups to finish lines with clarity and some humour and always interesting walks. Interestingly, Chin is from the Suzuki method family (his uncle, I think) and the Suzuki awareness of musicality was evident. And Ko played richly varied drumming - sticks, brushes, a lovely gong that often finished several tunes - with impeccable underlying time that made this all sit with great poise. So, all round good compositions and impeccably precise and satisfying playing. The tunes were mostly from their recent CD (Sakura, listen on Soundcloud) and all original. Orbiturtle are touring the Eastern states with concerts and workshops.

Orbiturtle comprised Steve Barry (piano), Dave Jackson (alto), Yoshio "Chin" Suzuki (bass) and Ko Omura (drums).

Tour no.5 to the Gods

Trio Apoplectic are on their 5th tour. Recent outings were to White Eagle, but this one was to the Gods for Geoff Page’s annual series. Trio Apoplectic are Dave Jackson (alto sax), Abel Cross (bass) and Alex Masso (drums). I know them as a demanding but satisfying outfit, with the open, minimal, chordless sound of a sax trio. The chordless trio format allows considerable leeway for all players and flexibility in statements of harmonies and counterpoint. Their music is modern and often difficult, and their statements of harmonies are not always too obvious, so I was surprised when they opened with a favourite standard, There will never be another you, played with a fairly mainsteam approach. But it segued into free playing, strummed bass and the like, and we were in familiar territory. There were some original tunes I recognised: Dynamite, Saturday arvo, Details of how to get APOPLECTIC on your number plate. They seem to like Monk (they also play Boo Boo’s Birthday on their album and live) so Rhythmaning was no surprise. There was also a tune dedicated to Bernie McGann: The last postman, by Tony Gorman. The audience was small and subdued and the band was only at the start of its tour. But we always expect an interesting and challenging night with this modern outfit, and it was. Click on the labels below for earlier TA reports.

Ivory and apoplexy

White Eagle offered another double bill last night. This is obviously developing as the nature of the event, with audio provided and recorded by ArtSound, and a local band and a local or visiting band as a main act. Tonight’s show featured Ivory Hunter, Daniel Hunter’s band, and the return of Sydney’s Trio Apoplectic.

Ivory Hunter is led by Dan Hunter (guitar), with Yen Nguyen (drums), Gareth Hill (bass) and Munro Melano (keyboards). I hadn’t heard of Ivory Hunter before but I assume the musos have been playing together for years at the Jazz School. I’ve reported on these players several times on CJ, but mostly they were playing the standards repertoire (very capably). However, Ivory Hunter is a platform for originals. The tunes were penned by various band members and covered a range of approaches. There was one bordering on hardbop, but mostly they were more melodic and tuneful. I particularly liked a couple of tunes from Gareth, a ballad and another tune with a very convulsive melody leading into a hard swing. Daniel’s Act of will was an interesting piece with a sustained quarter-note melody that had my mind drifting. And I have to mention Dan’s Scofeel. It’s an obvious take on Scofield, with indefinite timing, sleezy down-South solos, bluesy organ in the background, and Chambers-style drum patterns crossing the bar lines. So there was quite a range of styles here: floating and relaxed, bluesy, out. I had the feeling these guys were beyond simple exuberance, and were seeking more musical statements.

Daniel always plays in a restrained and careful way, and he did so this night. He plays occasional flourishes but lots of well-considered melodic lines. Gareth also led as melodist on several tunes and played some excellent solos. He’s a strong player, and his tone is also strong: good muscular fingers dragging the strings for a clear, woody tone. Munro played synths at times, along with piano and organ sounds. I particularly liked his comping, especially following his responses to Dan when he played outside. Yen held it all together and played several expressive solos, not least on his own compositions.

As for the band name, Hunter is an obvious reference, but is there some other message? Perhaps. The smooth surface and alabaster colouring of ivory seems to fit the music.

Trio Apoplectic were quite a change after the more relaxed Ivory. Right from the top, they played with intensity, energy and intelligent interaction. I’ve written about TA before; they played at the first White Eagle session. Their return was quite triumphant. This was modern jazz of a high order. Intellectual, emotionally demanding and satisfying, great playing with great, clear sounds, exploratory. I love this style and I was trying to place it. Perhaps Joe Henderson? I asked them about their influences. Interestingly, they offered Bernie (McGann) and when I further inquired, they suggested other players around Sydney.

TA are Dave Jackson (alto sax), Abel Cross (bass) and Alex Masso (drums). They play a mix of standards and originals. Originals come from the pens of Alex and Abel, especially Abel. They played Monk’s Boo Boo’s birthday. Originals included the oddly named Details of how to get apoplectic on your licence plate (apparently a renowned title at Sydney’s Birdland records). There were soundscapes and free styles, hard swing and balladic styles, bowed bass reminiscent of didjeridoo and sax harmonics. Several of these tunes are on the CD, and were played at TA’s last White Eagle concert. I feel they’ve explored the music much further, and this was the source of such a satisfying performance.

They all played with intense energy and commitment throughout the show. Noone played too obviously, or displayed the chords too evidently. The harmonies and counterpoint were fascinating. They were also all very balanced, each player providing an essential ingredient and contributing equally to the complexity and richness. This is just highlighted by the open sound a chordless trio. Dave plays alto, and it fit so well: smooth and sinuous, but also intriguing and exploratory. Abel played hot from the top, and played some excellent solos. The underlying chords were interpreted so subtly I wondered if the tunes were modal. A lovely modern style. Alex was mobile and varied on drums: brushes or sticks, cymbals or drums, sparse or dense.

Another great night at White Eagle, in expectation of White Eagle’s debut as an international venue next week, with the bassist Senator Eugene Wright.

Three apoplectic jazzers

Trio Apoplectic played last night for the inaugural monthly concert and jam organised by Jazz School students at the Polish White Eagle Club. TA are a young Sydney band, comprising Dave Jackson (alto sax), Abel Cross (acoustic bass) and Alex Masso (drums).

They played two sets of modern acoustic jazz comprising 50/50 interesting standards and originals. I heard it as post-bop, but perhaps other descriptions are apt. Non-originals included tunes by Mal Waldron, Tony Gorman, Thelonius Monk (BooBoo’s birthday), Ellington (Sonnet for Sister Kate/Coco) and the standard The Blue Room (Rogers & Hart?). The originals included “Details of how to get Apoplectic on your licence plate” (no other band is likely to use that title!) and the hard bop tune Dynamite which finished the night on a high.

This is a chordless trio, so there’s a open sound, which lets you hear each instrument clearly. It also demands that the harmonies are well defined by the bass and sax, and they were. I love this format, especially because I can so easily make out the bass lines which can be lost in more full orchestrations. I loved Abel’s excellent, lively and communicative bass playing. He was very comfortable when walking and in freer support roles, and he played great solos. He also had a satisfying woody sound, and a beautiful looking bass of a rich mahogany-coloured timber with strong grain patterns; lovely. Dave played thoughtful solos, with lots of clear and well-maintained pattern work and nice structure. He seemed deeply involved when he was playing, and showed a real relationship to the tune at hand. Alex supported, with close interaction with Abel, and increasingly frequent solos (mainly trading 8s, but one or two full solos later in the night).

I thoroughly enjoyed the playing, and the small crowd obviously did too. It’s great to see more Sydney players coming down, and the opportunity for Canberrans to get to know the products of the venerable jazz course at the Sydney Conservatorium.

Thanks to TA's press release for the mono pic above.