At times quirky

Bianca started with Bluesette, all scat over a classic standard, subtly interpreted and nicely felt then explained that she liked humour in her tunes.  Not that that's all she did, but it was obvious and her chatter just confirmed it.  The next tune was I'm hip then later Peel me a grape and Is that a monkey you've got.  But there was also a twist with very effective story told in person concerning Greek politics, known to her if not to most of us.  The lyric-writing was a stunner, personal and sincere and chilling and ending "Think of the people I've killed / I never will".  Geez, that's expressing politics.  Otherwise, this was a joyous and touching occasion at the end o her ANU degree (SOM and politics).  Not just that, but touching and intimate piece by Joni Mitchell and Graduation Blues, another of her originals.  I just stayed for the first set but this was a stunner.  A top band, piano, bass, drums, subtle and relevant and underplayed despite solos, swollen with harmony vocals and guitar or three horns or whatever.  A celebration of that Graduation.  Not at all the blues.  This was one I hadn't seen or expected to attend and it was a beauty.  Glad I stayed, even if only for one set.

Bianca Tzioumis (vocals) celebrated her graduation and EP release with Ruben Hinton (piano), Harrison Whalan (bass) and Oliver Stott (drums) and a string of invitees at Smiths.

Tidda

City Tidda was the name of this concert and it came with a veritable program like a classical concert, with tunes with explanations and performers with histories.  This was obviously an important outing for Sophia Rose, a proudly aboriginal woman from Sydney.  Tidda means sister, so City Sister, Soph who had studied at the Wollongong Con and plays trumpet and had written several of the pieces performed.  Her offsiders were, interestingly, all originating from Canberra, they were a lovely, serious, effective group: several driving drum solos; frequent fluent bass solos and intriguing piano solos, and Sophia over it all with melody and solos and chatter.  Other than her songs or jazz standards, we heard a string of personally influential tunes, of black diaspora and Aussie performers and influences to Sophia, Vampires and Dr G Yunupingu and Kokoroko and John Mayer and Bob Marley, so a fascinating and nicely played mix with a theme honouring Blak Australia and Black America.

Sophia Hunt (trumpet) led a quartet with Oscar Lubbock (piano), Harrison Whalan (bass) and Nate Griffin (drums) at McGregor Hall, upstairs at Smiths, with Nate's father occasionally sitting in (guitar).

Theatre and the Church

Rhythm Syndicate did a concert of two halves: the first a series of songs from musical theatre and film; the second various carols and Christmas songs.  I enjoyed the second but was thrilled by the first.  I guess theatre has to sell itself more than religions with millennia of history, although they can do it pretty well too.  Mary did you know was a modern and feminist tune with religious themes and Silver bells and O holy night and the like are classics.  The theatricals had the pretty Memory or the touching Moon River or the rollicking Everything's coming up roses.  I was particularly taken by the harmonies from a group of ~18 arrayed as SSATB.  The parts weren't perfectly clear, perhaps given the gutsy volume in the space, but they were lovely and the sopranos rang out above as they do and Harrison's piano was reliable.  Sarah Louise was up front as conductor and added another level of excitement by prodding emotional energy and associated dynamics from various parts at various times.  A lovely, stirring end-of-year gig from Rhythm Syndicate.

Rhythm Syndicate performed at Wesley under Sarah Louise Owens (director) with accompanist Harrison Whalan (piano).

Interlude no.1 Jazz

In the middle of recording CIMF was a jazz recording and despite the immense satisfaction of classical virtuosity, it was a welcome change.  Michael J Brady had invited me to record his trio's visit to the Drill Hall, on tour to promote their recent album.  They'd managed a session in the ArtSound studio and this was also being documented, with video and audio.  Support was our own Ueber Gang led by Liv Uebergang.  I could only praise the name.  First up Liv, proud to be playing a first performance gig after very many bar gigs.  Expansive in her guitar playing sounding richly of effects, perhaps chorus or echo or both maybe more, she led on a series of classic modern jazz tunes and a few originals with offsiders Harrison Whalan and Sean Kirk.  Some nice, extensive solos from Harrison and a few from Sean but also a presence and structure to the band, not least to locate Liv chatting to the crowd.  This was like a performance not a simple gig and it showed.  Then MJB in guitar trio format with Oscar Peterson and Alex Inman-Hislop.  This was original music, neat and adventurous but remaining very welcoming and lyrical, not overly jazzy, but expansive around other styles, indie or folkish melodic, often quiet and meditative then into gentle grooves and unpretentious solos over a freely interpretive rhythmic backing.  Really quite lovely and considered.  So quite a difference but equally a gig of satisfaction.

Michael J Brady (guitar) led a trio with Oscar Peterson (bass) and Alex Inman-Hislop (drums) at the Drill Hall Gallery.  They were supported by Ueber Gang featuring Liv Uebergang (guitar), Harrison Whalan (bass) and Sean Kirk (drums).

Doin' the rounds

Suddenly I am recording choirs and this time it was massively different again.  This was Rhythm Syndicate, an SATB jazz-cum-pop choir singing their Christmas event at Wesley., so with some jazz tinged traditional hymns.  I'm not usually an Elton John fan, but I must say I was taken by two of his pieces, I'm still standing and Your song.  Maybe because for once I tried to take in the lyrics.  Pop is like that and it's why it's popular, I reckon.  It speaks to people about things that matter personally, or at least it can.  Otherwise, some older standards, Moonglow and a doo-wap take on Blue Moon, and Fire and rain, another soft-pop classic.  Then the Christmas tunes.  Amongst others was an arrangement of Away in a manger by Sally Greenaway and a quite chromatic and substitutional take on the first Noel by arranger Rhonda Polay.  That really impressed me.  And Somewhere in my memory, which is apparently lauded from Home alone but not one I knew, and a boisterous and lung-loss take on O Holy Night, such a glorious tune done with gusto and big sounds.  RS are an SATB choir of 12 women (one singing tenor, I think) and 9 men under Sarah Louise Owens with piano accompaniment from Harrison Whalen.  About as far as you scan get from Kompactus' contemporary classical and Oriana's Rach Vespers.  Doin' the choral rounds, I guess.  Jazz and pop structures with dynamics, sweetness, joy and occasional raucousness.

Rhythm Syndicate performed at Wesley under Sarah Louise Owens (musical director) accompanist with  Harrison Whalan (piano).

Free Tues

It was a free Tuesday and that means Molly and perhaps Smiths but who was Cherly? I didn't know the name and no reference in FB or otherwise that I could find.  Lucky I went.  Cherly were great.  Students or thereabouts from the Music School and that's always a good sign.  First up, a latin and a swinger but not played standard at all.  This was all rich chords, Nord piano tones, 16th note busy bass, edgy drum fills, interestingly ignoring the grand piano and facing each other for easy visual closeness on that small stage.  I was loving this, but then a tune had me thinking Domi & JD Beck and that scene.  In the end it was a Kiefer tune, another contemporary jazz/hiphop/electronics crossover.   Then later another one by Kiefer called Cute.  A similar chordal piano wash and moving effects through solos and blistering bass and stunningly perverse drum grooves and a drum solo over an ostinato.  Just lovely stuff.  So who were Cherly?  Ruben Hinton, Harrison Whalan and Elisha Adisa.  In the break I got off to Smiths for a Bang! Beng!... session.  Not quite so thrilling for this jazz oriented listener.  I caught three singer songwriters with strummed or fingerpicked guitar and presumably self-penned songs.  This is more folk scene, so words and thoughts and feelings are more central and for that they were interesting.  Danny V with songs of Trouble blues, Jungle of your love, Zoom catastrophe and more.  Merryn Cavenaugh with songs mostly of love and relationships but also about not being so young anymore (early 30s), Ready for you, This love has changed you/me.  Then Jeffrey Charles, self-described musical comedian with songs of "banal middle class existence": I wanna work from home, Take back the skies (kill all the magpies), You need deodorant and You asked me why I left the group chat.  Variously amusing, angry, social, relational.  So an interesting night out and a great jazz find.

Cherly performed at Molly.  Cherly are Ruben Hinton (piano), Harrison Whalan (bass) and Elisha Adisa (drums).  Danny V, Merryn Cavenaugh, Jeffrey Charles (guitar, vocals, songwriting) performed at Smiths.

Return to Chrissie

Just back and I'm returned to Wesley lunchtime concerts which I record weekly.  It's almost Christmas so the year is almost up, but also we hear Christmas theme.  This day under the noise of considerable rain and thunder, but still a great pleasure.  This was Rhythm Syndicate, our local jazz choir, singing a series of jazz and popular arrangements and a few yuletide numbers.  There were songs by Sting and Elton John as well as old swingers like Sunny side of the street.  The Christmas tunes were mostly modern arrangements, including a nice one by Sally Greenaway of Away in a manger.  I remain pretty traditional in my seasonal preferences.  I think my favourite was O Holy night for the glorious trad. melody but maybe that's just the comfort of tradition.  And so lovely to hear those SATB harmonies with swing grooves and the piano of ANUSOM student Harrison Whalan under Sarah Louise Owens.  An entertaining return to Christmas and the local music scene.

Rhythm Syndicate performed at Wesley under Sarah Louise Owens (director)  with accompanist Harrison Whalan (piano).

This is CJBlog post no. 2,750.

New wave

My early days of jazz had no women other than singers but times are turning and it's good.  I saw Olivia Uebergang and her trio last night at Molly and it was a student turnout and a Real book read and a great little outing even with some amusing reconsiderations of the playlist.  That's common enough for all.  With Olivia were Sean Kirk and Harrison Whalan, drums and bass.  There were some comfy rhythms, mid- and up-tempo swings and latins and the like from the fake books.  Mostly heads from Olivia but a few from Harrison; several nice intros from Sean; swapped fours (sometimes spilling to 2s and 1s).  All the standard takes.  I really liked Olivia's mix of chordal plays and single notes, in both melodies and solos, and mixing in and out.  Guitar is great for that, the sudden richness of chordal colours amongst the determined single notes.  Nice extensive solos, too, interesting and varied, crisp or coloured.  Harrison, too, took some lengthy solos, often up the neck, more quick and sustained rather than phrased.  His volume was a touch low, but the tone was full with a tingling top end; nice.  Sean was busy and creative on his drums, with lovely fitting syncopations over a satisfyingly rounded kick tone that punched through complex snare and tom improvs.  This was serious business - it showed in his closed eyes and expressive face - and busily effective.  And that discussion on the play list, over the shared music stand, well that was just an amusing performance from a good natured trio.  A nice outing from some fresh players.

Olivia Uebergang (guitar) led her trio with Sean Kirk (drums) and Harrison Whalan (bass) at Molly.