Double header: set 2

John reappeared with the band he got together to perform his compositions for his recent Recital at the Jazz School. They had performed for the recital, and presented one ArtSound Friday Night Live (which I sadly missed), and this was their one gig. But what an gig! I always love the complexity of interwoven written horn lines. Here, the bell-like clarity of two trombones and trumpet/flugelhorn rang through, with Jo Lloyd’s impassioned alto fills. Wonderful, goodebumps material, this. Then time for solos all round. I noticed the diverse guitar styles, at least in solos: Andy’s rapid lines; Matt’s minimalist explorations. Raf especially commented on their accompaniment; I missed most behind the horns but noticed some single note counterpoint that was fascinating. Raf was involved and entertaining as he inevitably is, with slap and solos on his Yamaha. Grey did another minimal but melodic solo, accompanied by unison voice. Jo always excites, and was no less here, sounding increasingly professional in style and comprehension. Rob’s solo was melodic and rich; Valdis’ was more simple but strong and emphatic. Bari always reminds me of Mingus bands, and I enjoyed Tom’s solo. John was leading so more out front, the smiling leader, again more outspoken in this context than in the Boys. They played a version of Freddie Freeloader, but otherwise it was originals with lush front line harmonies ringing with the clarity of brass over a range of changing rhythms and grooves – funk, rock, jazz, 12/8, 6/4, well varied. There was some intonation that wasn’t perfect, but this is not a regularly performing band and the music is not trivial or constant. But it was was vibrant, alive, informed music. Truly impressive stuff.

Three By 3 was led by John Milton (drums) and played charts compased and arranaged by him. The rest of the band was Jonty Hall (trumpet), Joe Lloyd (alto saxophone), Rob Lee (trombone), Valdis Thomann (trombone), Tom Fell (baritone sax), Matt Lustri and Andy Campbell (guitars), Grey Milton (piano, vocals) and Rafael Jerjen (bass).

Double header: set 1

The Front is a strange and unique place. It’s the centre of a little artistic and bohemian-cum-indie community that’s quite unusual in modern Australia, at least given the places I inhabit or am aware of. There’s music of all sorts, ages of all sorts, costumes of all sorts, arts and theatre and cabaret. There’s a constant chatter, there are sketchers and drinkers and listeners. You feel you are part of the show at the Front, and it’s exciting and friendly. Last night’s show was a double header and a great night out. Just two sets, but varied and new.

Gerry and the Boys opened for the first set. Garry is Gerry Gardiner, one time bassist for Johnny O’Keefe’s DeeJays and a stalwart of early Canberra jazz clubs. And his history was evident in his playing: a nice awareness of blues and standards lines, with fitting chromatics and a sense of dynamics. His bass also had stories: an old Boosey & Hawkes from the 1940s, blond, ply, ex-Army band, that he’s found with shards of glass poking through one hole in the back, and a broken neck. But it played OK. The Boys were Dirk, Graham and John of As Famous as the Moon, a sweet, melodious outfit that does standards like a dream when in flight. They played Blues, My little suede shoes, Well you needn’t, Softly. Standard stuff, but some laid back walks and lovely, capable solos.

Gerry and the Boys were Gerry Gardiner (bass), Dirk Zeylmans (tenor saxophone), Graham Monger (guitar) and John Milton (drums). BTW, excuse splitting this post, but Blogger has imposed new limits of tags, so no choice.

Zoe’s Fraternity

Zoe Frater was in town again for a little gig at the intimate and intellectual venue, Beyond Q Bookstore. She’s a wonderfully nimble and buoyant bassist and her tunes lope along with pithy, rubbery vivacity. I could only stay for one set and the solos were limited, but again I enjoyed her suppleness and sense of melody. There’s a funky vibe to her playing that splits the beat and plays with the divisions and sometimes surprises and teases. Her tone, too, fits with its rounded, phat, sound that’s responsive to the fingers of her right hand, is full and present but not harsh or imposing, with just that edge of upper mid that keeps some definition in place.

She was again playing with several mates from Canberra, John Milton and Andy Campbell, this time with the addition of brother Grey Milton. Grey added unworded vocal lines as a new slant to the sound that wasn’t in Zoe’s last local performance. Zoe promised some standards amongst the originals, but I didn’t hear any in the first set. She again played some Steve Swallow (Item no. 7 DIT), obviously a major influence. But most of the tunes were originals, by Zoe or the band, especially John. There were some odd times and unexpected structures. John’s Confessions of a cereal killer (pun intended) was introduced as a repeating four bar passage. But it was not obvious, with chords changing unexpectedly and the last bar extended to 6 beats. There was one simple two chord structure that took on a bouncy and lively aspect with Zoe’s playing, and development nicely by the whole band. Otherwise, the tunes were melodically complex and harmonically rich. Andy was the other significant soloist, and his lines were exploratory with a crisp, clipped, semi-acoustic tone. The band was obviously new to the music, but they performed well and adventurously at times to the small but committed audience.

Zoe’s not physically imposing on the stage, but aurally she’s funky and melodic and delightfully alive with her meaty tone and fine fingers. Catch her in Melbourne or on an occasional visit to Canberra. Zoe Frater (electric bass) played with Andy Campbell (guitar), Grey Milton (vocals) and John Milton (drums).

Browsing

It was a pleasant Sunday afternoon of browsing and listening when the Sienna Aguilar Quartet was playing at the Beyond Q Bookshop. The bookshop has a little café surrounded by a decent collection of second hand books. You can sit in the café for an intimate concert experience, or grab a comfy chair amongst the shelves and catch up on reading with a live musical ambience. Sienna presented a lovely collection of standards, latins and ballads, sung with a rich and rounded voice. It was a tempered few sets, perfectly suitable to the surroundings. John’s soft and observant drumming provided a steady pulse to support some occasional scatting by Sienna, and solos by Andy and John. John’s were more tonal, as bass is wont to be, which fitted well with his clearly stated walks and accompaniments. Nice tone, too, on an NS 5-string EUB, and good hands that suit bass, although the thumb positions look strange on the long neck with no body to reach over. Andy was on piano, which provides far more opportunities for adventurousness. His solos were slim and lithe, nicely phrased and well considered, frequently chromatic and atonal. I was glad to hear several favourites: Sam Rivers’ Beatrice, Benny Golson’s Whisper not, Jobim’s Dindi, Billy Holiday’s Don’t explain, and Luiz Bonfa’s Manhã de Carnaval/A day in the life of a fool. ADITLOAF started with a bass line that just said James Bond to me. Sienna told me it’s on the original. Otherwise, I remember Alone together, Green Dolphin Street, Like someone in love, Corcovado, a blues. It’s a common, but satisfying, repertoire. We know the standards well, but they are superb tunes, and support frequent performance and sustained listening, and they are essential in the development of a jazz player. This was one pleasant and satisfying outing for these great tunes.

Sienna Aguilar (vocals) led a quartet with Andy Butler (piano), John Burgess (bass) and John Milton (drums) at the beyond Q Bookshop.

Fine and lithe and spider-leg-like

Right from the start, I noticed a lovely, lithe rhythmic form in Zoe Frater’s bass in accompaniment: implying rather than stating the beat; playing over it with shorter, bouncy notes; a natural control of note formation and duration. Then a solo which remained within the underlying harmonies, but which was wonderfully melodic, with lines of extensions, openly moving through the scale, but delightfully intervallic rather than scalar or arpeggiated. And a good right hand forming the notes, so they sounded solid and thumpy, and doubly so when she dropped into short passages of thumb picking. Zoe’s fine fingers and lithe movements were spider-leg-like as they stretched and retracted over the fretboard, not hard set in a defined shape, but mobile like her lines. Such lovely lines of varied intervals, unexpected jigs and patterns, but always true to melody.

Zoe was accompanied by John Milton, a Canberra friend who organised the gig, and Andy Campbell, who got thanks for learning all the tunes. And they were an interesting mix of the modern and melodic. Several from each of the players, and several from Steve Swallow, an obvious influence and subject of Zoe’s Melbourne band called Swallowing. Steve Swallow is one of the few famed electric bass players in jazz, with a similar concern for, and love of, melody and song forms that reminds me of Charlie Haden. But Zoe also admitted of other influences, presenting tunes named for Bill Frisell and the Police.

John was playing with tonal simplicity on a small kit, but with reactivity and closeness to the statements of the others and sometimes with some outspoken polyrhythms. I noticed a steady gaze that watched the others while their heads were down in concentration, like I’d seen in John Pochee a few days before although not so constant. Andy was strong and fast, somewhat of a different style from Zoe but perfectly fitting. His was more scalar and quicker playing, not so much considered and exploratory as enthusiastic and ecstatic in solos. All round, they were playing tunes new to them, some with long and extensive charts, so the playing impressed me as capable and well-read and nicely settled.

The volume of the whole was restrained, being in a very small, intimate room, with just a few listeners clustered around some coffee tables and surrounded by rows of original orange and blue Penguins: an intimate and intellectual environment for soft jazz statements. It was a lovely little concert in an unusual venue at an odd time (5-7pm on a Tuesday evening) but very much enjoyed by those who attended. Doubly so by me and a few e-bass fellow travellers watching a very capable and expressive colleague.

Zoe Frater (electric bass) played with Andy Campbell (guitar) and John Milton (drums) at the beyond Q Bookshop in Curtin Shops.