Changes

I'd been avoiding potholes while driving or otherwise in a damp and slippery cave all day, so a beer in Smiths went down very well.  I noticed it described as boho and it's spot on.  It could only be better with a seriously satisfying jazz trio, this time led by guitarist Harry Tinney with Paddy Fitzgerald and Nick McBride.  I arrived a few minutes early and they were preparing for the gig.  Harry and Paddy are friends from University but they'd just met NIck that night.  You wouldn't know as you listened, but, as Harry said, it takes lots of personal preparation to be able to just play with new people like that.  The prep on the day was walking through the charts with explanations and short plays to instruct or get some practice on the harder lines.  Then into the two sets, I think all originals from Harry.  Several mentions of Lockdowns (he was in Melbourne, after all) and effects on various people and coffee and cars.  All instrumentals.  A few ballads and a string of jazz numbers.  All sharp, clear, virtually uneffected  guitar tones.   He had a pedal board at his feet but mostly seemed to use a volume pedal, other than for one tune at the end with loops and delays and perhaps more.  But such lovely, intervallic playing, exploratory and intriguing.  Paddy was all syncopations touching on groove, softly toned with an array of synthetic core strings, intriguing in solos and also playful with long intervals.  Nick is back from many years in Shanghai, renowned and admired on any visit.  His chops and inventiveness were a huge pleasure but also his quick intuiting of the song and its requirements.  I noticed him marking his charts before, so there was preparation involved in his creativity, too.  Just a fabulous outing of three wonderfully inventive players with unique charts to carry the event.  And certainly a change after an afternoon of concert bands in a cave.

Harry Tinney (guitar) led his trio with Paddy Fitzgerald (bass) and Nick McBride (drums) at Smiths.

Collectives

A contagion of basses sounds about right. Whoever arrives at the weekly OCI jam session is a matter of conjecture. This week it was 4 (four!) bassists, along with 2xdrums and one each of guitar, trom, vocals. I got one tune - fair enough given some dithering over a beer. On the other hand, it was particularly interesting to hear so many bassists in one outing. The bass sound was not so big and fat this night: more edgy and toppy, sharing an amp with the piano, but fun nonetheless. I played Recordame, and others did various songs with Rachel Thorne (a great local singer) and Stella and Blue bossa and others. The imports were Sam Dobson, ex-Sydney Con playing with Geoff Bull, Cope Street Parade and others: nicely relaxed, easy-going, on top of the charts. Paddy Fitzgerald, student at Monash, nicely intoned thumb positions and good choppy solos, playing with fellow student guitarist Harry Tinney. And the locals: Alec Coulson with a nice take on Blue bossa and me, on Recordame. Moving Paths had turned up, too (including Max, bassist #5) but too early to jam; they left to play Hippo. The band this night was Ben, Hugh and Steve.

The Old Canberra Inn jam session was hosted this week by Ben O'Loghlin (bass), Hugh Barrett (piano) and Steve Richards (drums). Sit-ins included Sam Bolton, Alec Coulson, Paddy Fitzgerald and Eric Pozza (basses), Harry Tinny (guitar), Mark Levers (drums) and Rachel Thorne (vocals).

Carefree on white sand

ARC Quartet studied at the ANU, but I didn't know of them even if their faces seemed familiar. They played together in school days at the Prep course. Some members are still studying or performing professionally. They presented as a 5-piece quartet, strange I thought, but presumably a gathering of like-minds and the addition of one mate. In fact, another mate sat in later in the night for a 6-piece. They played a few originals and reharmonisations and the like, and these were my favourites. Standards are great and they are shared so good for sitins, but we have heard them before. Bassist Ross had a nice original harking back to playing rock and metal in his younger days. That path is not too unusual and the tune was successful. Tenorist James had another original, a latin with a forward calve-feel. I liked that they paid tribute to Australian band, The Vampires, by playing their reggae-feel Mandala. The Beatles made an appearance with a latinised and reharmonised Eleanor Rigby. There was a guitarist in the band, Harry, so I wasn't surprised by a Pat Metheny tune. Trumpeter mate, Matt Nicholls, sat in for Footprints and Misty and they also played jazz hits Tenor madness and Beautiful love, but my favourite of these was Coltrane's Moment's notice - a great tune running through keys with plenty of momentum. I would have liked to have watched these players develop over a few years at the ANU, but I can understand they went to other schools, Sydney, Melbourne, Mt Gambier, and perhaps other things. Drummer Chloe was always precise and I enjoyed how she slowed a tune on request after an excited start. The two horns, James and altoist Alfred, sat well together and each took their generous share of blues-influenced solos. Guitarist Harry was neat and nicely sharp in accompaniment and I very much liked his solos, clear and well articulated and purposeful. Bass Ross was able in walks and accompaniment and impressive in the thumb position heights of his 5 string e-bass. But perhaps the biggest surprise for me on the night was the reception for St Thomas. I've long felt it's a daggy tune but the calypso feel is infectious and this one was the best received of the night, and perhaps the one played with most breezy abandon so I must reconsider. That's how calypso should be, reminiscent of carefree people on white sandy beaches, and nothing like the days preceding a dismal election. This is much nicer: thinking sunny with ARC.

ARC Quartet comprises Alfred Hearn (alto), James Stuchbery (tenor), Ross Davidson (bass) and Chloe Kim (drums). Harry Tinney (guitar) also played for the two sets and Matt Nicholls (trumpet) sat in for two tunes.