Busy-ness

It was a busy musical weekend, what with 2 jazz gigs and a Beethoven 7 rehearsal and later a concert and a committee meeting.  No pics for the two gigs, but a big thanks to Hugh who sat in on drums for one and who was playing the second when I was sitting in.  My sit-in was with Simon Halabi at Blue Eyes, that intimate cocktail bar.  Simon sings, too, so not just the standards as instrumentals but also a few borderline jazz songs, like Peggy Lee's take on Fever.  Nice and well received.  Not an easy lug and only more demanding given ongoing works in Garema Place (more ongoing works...) and rain and a very confusing parking station.  But two gigs much enjoyed.  But no pics on either night...

Tilt Alt played Dickson Taphouse on Friday night with James Woodman (piano), Eric Pozza (bass) and Hugh Magri-Bull (drums).  Simon Halabi (piano, vocals) played Blue Eyes on Saturday night with Eric Pozza (bass) and Hugh Magri-Bull (drums).

Doing the drum rounds

I'd played with Hugh Magri-Bull but it was only at a jam session and a jam session is just a few tunes on different gear and nothing like a decent gig over three hours.  This was a Tilt outing at the Dickson Taphouse and it's a great place to up the energy for essentially jazz musicians.  Most of the DT bands are blues or rock so the background is noisier and the audience is involved.  At least the audience that's close in and there are spots throughout for eating, listening, sunning and more.  We had some recurrent listeners from pervious gigs and some musos and dancers to please and even a few staff of Better Music.  Otherwise, a little quiet given Enlighten Festival but much enjoyed.  Hugh was our latest invitee in the drum stool and a worthy player, inventive in solos and responsive in ensemble.  A great night even if I forget a pic until too late.  And many thanks to Hugh.

Tilt performed at Dickson Taphouse comprising James Woodman (piano), Hugh Magri-Bull (drums) and Eric Pozza (bass).

A busy room

The Evans Room took me back to energetic, adventurous piano trio of well back.  They played Bud Powell and that was one indication, but also Ida Lupino and Mike Manieri and Blues in the closet was their feature tune to end with a few more meditative originals in between.  This was not one for too much rumination, although the playing was great and deserved the musician's ear for the chromatics and more, but the energy just drove it.  Nicely stuctured lines, frequently moving chromatically in single note runs or often in chords, plenty of chordal solos, or doubling the excitement level of single note lines to 16th notes, long runs of each, drums highlighting features while the band plays stops and starts.  Lovely stuff'; tons of energy and busy intent.  A few drum solos, spelling patterns and time and melody and frequent bass solos, on most tunes, more reticent at first, but extended into the thumb positions and then quicker with sequenced phrasings, neat, expressive, nicely done.  It's no surprise that Jack has been accepted to pursue Honours bass, was it at Melbourne's VCA or Con.  This is very much the driving piano trio style with chops and plenty of swing.  A good fun outing.

Evans Room comprised Adam Davidson (piano), Jack Smythe (bass) and Hugh Magri-Bull (drums) and played at Smiths Alternative.

The history lesson that is jazz

Jazz changes and develops through generations of players listening and learning and standing on Newtonian shoulders. I could only think that seeing another generation tonight. Evans Room is a piano trio with Adam Davidson, Hugh Magri-Bull and Evan Marshalsey. They are not even the newest generation, being variously out os school or at ANU studying, but they take their places in the history. Apparently Adam is off to Monash to study jazz. He's wonderfully capable player already and just out of school, not yet into tertiary studies. Skills like that show up early. Hugh and Evan are no slouches, at various parts of their ANU studies. I hear Hugh is an encyclopaedia on jazz performers in history, so he listens and thus learns. Another worthy - and the traditional - approach. Both were lively and informed and interesting in their accompaniment and solos. So, the traditions continue, even as this trio goes its own way. They played standards and again developed and interpreted in their own styles, again as in history. I hear their mates are slogging through the jazz studies but performing metal and funk and the rest. So jazz school is a place of integration or tolerance these days. Maybe that's different? Dunno. But whatever, they played well.

Evans Room comprised Adam Davidson (piano), Evan Marshalsey (bass) and Hugh Magri-Bull (drums) and played at Molly's.

A visit from Graz

This was one of those times you realise it's good to have a music school nearby. In this case it was visiting saxophonist Julian Arguelles, professor of sax studies at the relevant jazz school in Graz. This was particularly interesting as we saw and heard a matchup of two master sax players, Julian with our own John Mackey. Two vastly different interpretations, different sounds, different approaches, both impressive and fascinating. They were joined the local jazz and jazz school community: Hugh Barrett, Brendan Clarke, Greg Stott, Hugh Magri-Bull and Alex Manjura. It was essentially a jam, these people just meeting Julian in recent days, I guess. The tunes were standards: After the rain, I hear a rhapsody, Sophisticated lady, Stella, Bye bye blackbird. But with such players we expect fireworks and/or depth. We got both at various times, highlighted by two tenors soloing in conversation at various times, or listening and responding otherwise. Then a delicacy of guitar in several solos by Greg and some laid out fours by Hugh and Alex and Hugh's intriguing explorations and Brendan's melodicity and plain virtuosity. It's not something people outside jazz really get - that these players can do it so neatly, impressively but immediately. I was about to say unpreparedly, but it isn't that. There are years of preparation and listening to be able to interact so easily and fluidly at first meeting: this is no trivial pursuit. The two tenors spoke and conversed, even if almost in different languages. Julian was fat, rounded, mostly tonal, fast, from bottom to top of range; John was more atonal or substituted (how? pentatonics?), more edgy-toned, again extended ranged, more bucking. Both master, but different. Two views of the same standards. But a great and informal community concert.

Julian Arguelles (tenor) performed with John Mackey (tenor), Hugh Barrett (piano), Brendan Clarke (bass), Greg Stott (guitar) and Hugh Magri-Bull and Alex Manjura (drums, percussion).

Hints of refluoresence

I've got the story, several times over recent weeks, that the ANU School of Music is chuffing along. Apparently they had 80 new students this year after 30 the previous year (or thereabouts?). Plenty of jazz and contemporary players who are getting jazz harmony training and showing interest in the demanding arts. Nice. I haven't seen too many over recent years, but maybe they are coming out of the woodwork. Before Warwick Alder we had one such band as a warmup. The band was Gravy 'Trane. The composition was sax, piano, bass, drums. The tunes were both covers and originals, interestingly by a few members. All looking up. Gravy waltz, Naima, a Cedar Walton tune and Stephen Scott Like a child at play are covers. In addition, three originals by sax, piano and bass. The players were decent, too. Obviously fairly new but with an understanding and awareness of the music and instrumental history. I enjoyed some nicely structured sax lines, some very confident bass, aware and responsive piano and drums. I noticed in the past that the early year students tended to be in the background; the more mature, developed players, some second, but mostly third year and honours, were out and about and doing some impressive, creative, personally relevant stuff. With any luck, that's where we are going, so expect any flowering to show over a few years. Looking forward to it. Gravy 'Trane are a promising opener.

Gravy 'Trane were Thomas Coleman-Bell (alto), Caleb Campbell (piano), Isaac Said (bass) and Hugh Magri-Bull (drums).