Radiant performance

We expected a rush but NCO finished early enough and we relaxed.  Nice, because the next outing was something particularly special.  Guitarist Harley Coleman was staying with us while rehearsing and touring with Luminescence Chamber Singers.  Now, these are a seriously professional group; what they do is worthy of your time.  They had played Andrew Ford Red Dirt Hymns at CIMF and they were touring it through NSW.  We got to see it at The B in Qbn. Luminescence were 6 singers (3 female voices, 3 male) with instrumental accompaniment from Harley on guitar and Freya Schack-Arnott on cello.  Later, a combined children's choir joined for some hymns.  Andrew Ford had written the music, bass line, chords and melody, from the little I've seen.  Roland Peelman worked with the performers to develop presentation and wonderfully rich harmonies while leaving space for improv from the musos.  Roland also conducted the children's choirs on the day.  Andrew Ford was there highlighting the exceptional work on the hymns done by Luminescence.  Suffice to say it was work of the highest artistic achievement to my ears.  I was stunned by the skills and musicality and glorious arrangements; by Harley's understanded chordal interpretation and one pretty rock-dirty solo and Freya's bass lines and atonal plays on sound; by the solo presentations of some songs, then then ensemble performances of others; by the playful drumming on garden pottery, by the reverent singing of the children's choir.  The work comprises 16 shortish songs with lyrics volunteered by invited poets, so a range of themes, but presumably all around issues of Australian relevance.  I caught some lyrics, not all; the richness of performance mostly took my attention on the day.  So I still have a worthy task to read these poems and hopefully a future opportunity to hear a recording or view a video.  Just a stunning performance and a fascinating project.

Luminescence Chamber Singers performed Andrew Ford Red Dirt Hymns at TheB in Queanbeyan.  Luminescence are AJ America, Rachel Mink and Josephine Brereton (sopranos), Dan Walker (tenor), Lucien Fischer (baritone) and Alasdair Stretch (bass-baritone).  Roland Peelman (MD, arranger) arranged and conducted the children's choir from Luminescence Children’s Choir and Music for Canberra.  Accompanists were Harley Coleman (guitar) and Freya Schack-Arnott (cello) and Sammy Hawker (visual artist) provided the backdrop.

Waves on sand

I got to Verity Lane for another of Alex Raupach's 8-evening series, sadly coming to an end soon.  Each show includes a visiting or feature artist with the house band, but this was a doozy.  It was called Waves on Sand, the title of a piece written for this event by Alex, was located in a quiet room out the back and featured 3 visitors, just not 1.  And worthy visitors they were.  Chloe Kim is a renowned drummer in numerous ensembles and student/associate of Simon Barker; a member of one of her bands and also from Sydney, Harley Coleman, came on guitar; Melbourne-based trumpeter Ashley Ballatt, with a string of plays with international renowns, Terri-Lynne Carrington, Linda Oh,  Dave Douglas and Vijay Iyer no less.  The locals were Chris Pound and Tom Fell, both local experts.  Actually, both Chloe and Ashley had history at the ANU at the time of the SOM ructions, so some local presence.   So a promising program.  The concert was a series of tunes, written by all members, including Chris and Tom and Alex, of various styles, even touching one with a country-ish opening for one particularly beautiful ballad, Yellow pink to blue by Sandcastles Chloe/Harley band partner, Hinano Fuisaki.  But most was not like that.  There was glorious, calm, slow, chordal grooves with occasional movements in pitch, signalled by a leader, or frantic free, or totally solo drums or guitar, or drums or guitar solos in context, guitar lightly picked but quick, a most glorious bass tone that both Harley and I were praising Chris for, or glorious sitting three part harmonised notes from tenor, trumpet and bass, moving in small intervals down on instruction, but improvised on harmony, and throughout a gorgeously pure trumpet tone, and Chloe's rhythmic excursions and occasional space.  All with performers physically coming and going for different pieces, and with a quiet and responsive audience.  The listening location fitted and the purpose was well served with some stunning floating, and just occasionally ecstatic, music.  What a pleasure.

Chloe Kim (drums), Harley Coleman (guitar), Ashley Ballatt (trumpet), Tom Fell (tenor, soprano saxes) and Chris Pound (bass) performed at Verity Lane for Alex Raupach's Louis Louis series.