Fly in, fly out

It was like being whisked away.  First I thought of NYC obviously, as that's a common site, but perhaps New Orleans was more apt.  The music was madly swinging with bass way on top of the beat and wildly, ecstatically driving and busy, but still that essential blues character.  This was swing and done hard.  We were at Smiths and the band was concocted from visiting players from Harry Connick's band that was playing the next night at the Canberra Theatre, but this was a club and we could hear these guys and see them close up and have a chat between sets.  My joke was to bassist Neal 'Sugar' Caine that I wouldn't shake his hand because it must be so strong.  He'd been playing with huge strokes and effort for loud notes and I guess it's from a history of playing jazz bass with no amp (unamplified jazz bass is hard work) but maybe form mainly playing gut.  And there was his partner Jerry Weldon, all slouched over his tenor, explosive and inventive but also dynamic with quiet phrases ... occasionally.  These were the leaders and they introduced the members and tunes.  The tunes were all standards and the style was swing, often very hard,  and the energy was 110% although there was a ballad.  Jerry would largely manage the solos and swapped fours for local Andrew Dickeson and to some degree for local resident Americans John Harkins and JC Styles and he'd lead a few more fills from a few more horns from Connick's band later in the night when they sat in for a few final tunes.  A jam session expanding with fellow internationals!  Not a common Canberra experience.   All that with that explosive energy that's the USA.  I see it as an element of desperation and love to hear it, although I'm wary of the winner society that's partly its source.  But it makes for commitment and that energy is a feature.  John Harkins was a bit more restrained although could be quick and could be chromatic.  JC Styles was crispy sharp and lithe with clipped notes.  The later visitors were Deon Tucker and Geoff Burke, respectively trom and alto, comfy and busy in the end of night loss of restraint.  We were all smiles at this stage, amused and amazed by the energy that can be unrestrained swing.  Lucky and worthy local Flynn Marcus got a very decent chorus in too.  So this was the night.  There was a good degree of milling around past midnight as the night ended and we exited Smiths.  Oh, not West 4th or Frenchmen St but not far off this night.

Jerry Weldon (tenor) and Neal 'Sugar' Caine (bass) led a quintet with JC Stylles (guitar), John Harkins (piano) and Andrew Dickeson (drums) and two sit-ins Deon Tucker (trombone) and Geoff Burke (alto) from their Harry Connick Jnr band and local Flynn Marcus (tenor).

Clarkey's mates

It's not too often but sometimes you hear players that can just play, they are just hot. It's not the first time that Joe Farnsworth and Brendan Clarke and mates have been here in Canberra, but I'd forgotten the drive and sheer energy of it all. The chops. They did two sets but just a few tunes: The night has a thousand eyes, Along came Betty, Moments notice and a bass solo (evidently dropped on Brendan without notice: he played free then Beatrice). There's good feelings here, especially from home-towner Brendan who's full of mates in the audience. And there's that jazz improv, in program as well as playing. They have short chats between tunes to decide what to play, perhaps some instructions, then into playing so capable you wouldn't know it's not heavily prepared. But of course it is: as Bird said, practice for hours then forget it all and just play. And this comes to jam-like invites, too. So Sophie Edwards, who had played with the band last year, sat in again for Corcovado and Wayne Kelly was up to play a Monk tune. All seat of pants stuff but great when played with guys like this. The second set was mostly a Coltrane medley: Afro Blue, Naima and Blue Train. They joked about a train wreck but of course, despite some uncertainties, the playing was a dream. Lots of energy, lots of adventurousness, lots of deep-rooted swing. Then a drum solo, written by JF after visiting the Australian War Memorial last time he was in Canberra: rudiments and military-like, memorial slow-march flams. I love that American marching-band influenced, rudiment-rich drumming. And out on C-Jam blues. John was more reticent, considered player; thoughtful; Dale the determined hard-bopper with huge fluency and tone; Brendan the mobile and incredibly swinging bassist; Joe the pedigreed drum-master with an impressive list of sideman calls and big ears to his colleagues. Just a display of immense chops and determined swing for some of the most competent and purposeful hard-bop that I've ever heard. As for Brendan, Clarkey's our local mate who pulled all this together.

Joe Farnsworth (drums) led Prime Time with Dale Barlow (tenor, flute), John Harkins (piano) and Brendan Clarke (bass). Wayne Kelly (piano) and Sophie Edwards (vocals) sat in.

The storm

This was the storm. Joe Farnsworth and mates playing at the Street Theatre, not just a few tunes to warm up the workshop, but a full concert. Two sets; eight tunes, jazz and standards, several well recognisable, including my theme, Alone together. Brendan introduced AT with a stunning solo, all chords and hints at the underlying harmonies, then led it out with another solo. Dale played flute on this, joking about a flute found under the piano, but borrowed from a local in the audience. As expected, this was driving hard-bop throughout. Heads, solos, heads, with hard-core chops. They'd recorded that day with Mark Sutton and I guess that's where they developed their original, Watch out for the Magpies, apparently after Joe was swooped. A true Aussie/bush capital experience. That was an altered blues with a laid back funk feel, bass on 1-2. Sophie Edwards was the Year 12 singer who'd performed Georgia with the band at the Workshop. She was invited up again for another outing. Joe asked for her, when famous, to remember who gave her her break. Brendan spoke; so did Joe. But the essence was the energy and considered and informed drive that these four players laid down. Determined heads and flurried solo lines from Dale; flurries too from Brendan at time, along with some softer chordal and melody interludes; John tended more to a balance of comping left hand and compelling phrases in the right; Joe drove with wit and huge awareness, always watching or his ears alert. I was amused by one solo passage where he was going for a few huge, hustling fills that didn't quite come off, then an annoyed response but it was his unrelenting recovery that stunned me: his recoveries are many drummers' features. Cheers to Clarkey for bringing this band together and doing his Canberra run, back to his home town and jazz school. This was a little piece of hard-bop NYC and it's a stunner to hear. Wish we were just that bit closer.

Prime Time Quartet was led by Joe Farnsworth (drums) with Brendan Clarke (bass), John Harkins (piano) and Dale Barlow (tenor). Sophie Edwards (vocals) sat in for Georgia.

Calm before the storm

Not so calm, but all things are relative. Joe Farnsworth and his Prime Time Quartet gave a workshop at the ANU School of Music the day before their gig at the Street. I was lucky enough to hear of it and attend. I was particularly lucky to hear the band perform several tunes, occasionally with sit-ins, but also just as the band. They were playing Dizzy's BeBop as I entered. As is the approach in this style, the solos were passed around in standard order and everyone had a go: tenor, piano, bass, drums. Then head out. Nothing unexpected in that respect. As was to be hammered later, jazz is a language and is easily shared even without another shared vocal language. Then later, something with Wayne Kelly, Georgia with a young girl singer [Sophie Edwards, Year 12] and Mark Sutton sitting in, an end with Del Sassar. Brendan Clarke had organised the tour after meeting Joe in NYC after a simple email. Jazz is like that: people are approachable, including someone well regarded and well recorded. All a journey, no-one is arrived; deadly serious and deeply erudite, a 'beautiful nightmare"; knowledge is shared and passed on. The talk just confirmed this. Roy Haynes apparently said "freedom with discipline" and Joe quoted it. He also quoted "Never put the student before the master" and talked of listening to the basics, from the 1940s on. He'd been preparing for 30 years, so felt no particular need for rehearsal before their first gig. This is a language and it's shared. (Johnny Griffin: "Where language ends, jazz begins".) I asked how many tunes in their playlist: Joe had suggested a few less common ones he'd like to play (Del Sasser was one) but otherwise it was their long-term experience with the American songbook and jazz standards and specifically a few styles and stylists (Bebop and Cedar Walton and Jazz Messengers were mentioned amongst others). That also is shared. Over and over they highlighted listening, learning from the masters, finding a favourite and exploring thoroughly. I would have liked to have heard suggestions on how to learn tunes (I expect listening, transcribing, borrowing, etc). Always highlighting the inclusion in a performance family with common knowledge. Joe went to every individual in the room, asking what they played and who were their favourite players, mentioning related names, people from the same town (Chicago, Detroit, perhaps easier with big jazz names in the US, although we have our smaller groupings here, through Jazz Groove and common years at jazz schools and the like). Another quote: "Knowledge, Persistence, Perseverance"; listen/practice, continue learning. Jazz is a pleasure but also a demanding task-master. In giving praise to Joe, John said he's not just fast and loud, but a "really good musician" (higher praise than it sounds: I noticed how he listened and watched, quoted and responded to those he played with). Dale took over to answer a question about the future of jazz. It's infinitely adaptable ("like a limpet"), so will always be there, always survive, and with jazz comes its traditions. (I think of it as the high music artform that centralises groove and improv; classical is another high art but with a different rhythmic conception and, nowadays, splitting the role of composer and performer). But the main message of the day? Listen, learn, there's no end.

PS. Joe introduced us to a Charlie Parker drum feel. Bird was apparently heard playing it in a studio awaiting the start of a session. Played concurrently at moderate pace: Swing on ride; Shuffle on snare; Four-on-the-floor on kick; 4/4 triplet on hi-hat.

Prime Time Quartet was led by Joe Farnsworth (drums) with Brendan Clarke (bass), John Harkins (piano) and Dale Barlow (tenor). Wayne Kelly (piano), Mark Sutton (drums) and Sophie Edwards (vocals) sat in.