A free Tuesday eve

I had a Tuesday evening free and that's jazz night at Molly with a string of small bands and this night was Eric Ajaye with Sean Kirk and Elliot Kozary.  I'd seen both Sean and Elliot but I need a better knowledge of the current crop of jazzers so I was there.  I was fascinated.  Eric introduced the band, the songs, and the players as young playing old, meaning mature.  I could agree.  I was sitting with one bassist and had another at the next table and it was easy enough to fathom Eric's style, his soft tone, generous volume, indulgent slides and deep vibrato.  Throw in his lovely sense of melody and it's a huge pleasure and a core of the band.  We could also discuss his e-bass and parallel amps and solo strings detuned.  But I was not so clear on the other two.  First up, Sean.  It seemed to me he was freely improvising over the rhythm, but the core could come through, too.  Then I noticed his hands, right hand playing snare and left playing a ride cymbal beside the hi-hat.  He explained this as open handed.  I hadn't heard of it but it made perfect sense when he explained he's left handed playing a right handed kit.  Interesting and maybe it lent itself to his style.  Dunno.  Being a bassist I thought of Mononeon but then there's Hendrix of course: worthy associations, even on different instruments.  Then Elliot.  There are no left/right hand pianos but I was intrigued by his sense of tonality, unsure if it was substitutions or extension or maybe fourths.  He spoke of rootless left hand (or two handed) voicings and thus extensions.  And occasional drop 2 chords.  His sparse and delayed melodies suggested Keith Jarrett to me and he confirmed that, but also Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson (very different!) and mentioned Corea and Hancock, of course, so nothing  unexpected.  Thinking back, maybe Bill Evans were more those passages, but there were others more on top of the beat and more simply arpeggiated.   Whatever, this was a satifying bit of playing with quite expressionistic, often slower, takes on standards and a few originals.  Some titles I recognised or caught on introductions like Night and day and Round midnight and Norah Jones Don't know why and Kenny Wheeler.  Worthy stuff indeed.  I enjoyed this immensely and it was a good theory lesson to boot.

Sean Kirk (drums) played with Elliot Kozary (piano) and Eric Ajaye (bass) at Molly.

Thanks, Nugget

Andrea Keller was in Canberra for her ANU HC Coombes Fellowship and she presented a gig at the Drill Hall Gallery.  Her generosity was evident with its structure, featuring her trio with John and Miro but also with short features from three ANU student pianists, each displaying their skills and works.  The title of her concert says it all: New collaborations.  Andrea's trio played two sets including several new compositions from the Flicker series, Flickers no.2,3,4,5 and Carefree daze, Cobourg  and Hope in the thing with feathers (Andrea) and Peace please (a masterpiece by Miro). These were virtuosic presentations, clear pianistic accompaniments or intros and with clarity in solos truly to die for.  This was lucid with no bass or drums filling space, just master musicians speaking to open and live air.  The Drill Hall reverb worked a treat in this format.  I was taken aback by the beauty of some passages, clear and open as they were.  To hear how John could investigate a tune, calm and searching and occasionally explosive, was a thing of wonder and so evident in this format; the clarity of expression and harmony of Miro and John as a pairing showed their long history; Andrea leading, introducing, accompanying, ever clear and evocative, ever decisive and gently stated.  Then the three younger pianists, students or recently so, from a mix of classical and jazz backgrounds but essentially in a jazz idiom, if more latin than bebop.  Elliot Kozary played Estate and Blue in green.  Caleb Campbell played a his Spinning wheel, an improv on recurrent motion, and a major work, originally written in 11 parts and here reduced to solo piano, somewhat biographical, called Drift.  Ronan Apcar claimed a more classical background, playing an improv on folk Armenian tones, dark and deep, and a take on Brad Mehldau When it rains.  Truly a stunning concert and a thing of great beauty.

Andrea Keller (piano) led a trio with John Mackey (tenor) and Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet, flugelhorn) at the Drill Hall Gallery.  Elliot Kozary, Caleb Campbell and Ronan Apcar (piano) presented solo pieces.