Canb Jazz Fest 1

Thanks to Nigel and Beth and Bevan for the latest take on a Canberra Jazz festival.  They have the venue, a main stage and several smaller spaces, so this is very likely to be workable and the return next year had already been announced.  Great!  And Day 1 was a friendly, often inspiring outing.  First up was Tom Fell and his quartet which I raved about when I saw them recently.  Tom with Damian Slingsby, Nick McBride and James Luke on bass this time, so a classy and capable outfit playing music from Tom's new CD and at least one standard, Isfahan, with a plea for peace in our times.  Not the only performance that had such a theme appear.  I wrote sweet, correct, understated, adult, but there were some spots where it let go too.  Tom's soprano sax is his expansive, dirty, dissonant instrument: his tenor seems to pop up for more balladic numbers.  Then upstairs for Mic Knight trio, a reformation with offsiders who have now left Canberra for Melbourne given the ructions at ANUSOM, Evan Teece and Oliver Stott.  These were more let-go, unrelenting takes on standards, Almost like being in love, Green Dolphin St, Stella.  I like the unrelenting outlandish playing and but personally melted over James Luke's certainty and clarity with Tom.  Brett Hirst was to offer that later, too.  Then Wanderlust, Miro's fabulous, band of stars with the most delicious originals melodies out, not least Bronte Cafe, once regular star on ABCRN.  I had to leave towards the end.  I managed ~35mins and they had only finished their second tune.  This was Miro with James Greening, John Mackey, Alister Spence, Fabian Hevia and Lachlan Coventry.  Miro said they hadn't played together for 18montsh but you wouldn't know it.  Smooth, inventive, glorious harmonies on delightful melodies, almost casual passing of solos, with Miro looking around in admiration and joy.  It all started with a considerably free piano solo, then into the bass groove and head.  Solos from front line, Miro essential, James playful, John nicely developed but ultimately explosive.  Perhaps piano and maybe bass and drums, then to the head.  Then a joyous chatter and into Bronte Cafe.  It's a wonderfully joyous tune, again Miro and explosive John, but amusingly then James bringing it down with his communicative leading solo.  That really was a wonder, and perhaps then Fabian's solo.  Not sure.  But suffice to say I dreaded that I had to go, but some duties called.  

Tom Fell (soprano, tenor) performed with Damian Slingsby (piano), James Luke (bass) and Nick McBride (drums).  Mic Knight  performed with Evan Teece (bass) and Oliver Stott (drums).  Wanderlust comprised Miro Bukovsky (trumpet, flugelhorn) with James Greening (trombone), John Mackey (tenor), Alister Spence (piano), Lachlan Coventry (bass) and Fabian Hevia (drums).  They performed at the inaugural Canberra Jazz Festival at Smiths. 

Out of the West

Ben Vanderwal appeared at the Festival of the Drum at Smiths, essentially leading the evening.  He's renowned and from Perth and unexpectedly accompanied by another Perthite who happened to be in town, but he revealed during the gig that he's got an early connection with Canberra.  I'll let you ask him.  I'd heard Ben several times over the years and he's a fave of mine and no way did he let us down this evening. But then he had a pretty good set of offsiders, too: Miro, John, Greg, Lachlan and that visiting Perth person, Emily Gelineau, on 5 string violin-cum-viola (the extra low string on the violin provides for the full range of the two instruments) who just happened to be passing through with Musica Viva (!).  There were tunes from several members, not least two of Miro's renowns and one from Greg as well as 3 from Ben (one with the title: Paul Motion goes to a dance hall concert) and an arrangement of Summertime and Monk Bemsha swing and interestingly, two rich groove-rich numbers from Don Cherry.  Don Cherry, that's interesting.  The final tune of the night was Mopti by Don Cherry and it just spelt the tenor of the night, deeply grooving, joyous presence, some improv cutting going on.  Emily was on violin and it's not a common jazz instrument.  She told me of her admiration for Stephane Grapelli and how she especially enjoys gypsy jazz, but she was perfectly comfortable in this grouping. There was joy and laughter here from the West to join with the chops of our more sedate Canberra presence.  Of course, Ben was inventive and supremely reliable and steady despite his wildly inventive play.  Something like his humour, perhaps.  And that final tune and the passed solos and infectious joy was just such a groovy pleasure to end the night on.  Just a stunner, in humour and stage presence as well as inventive playing.  Fabulous.

Ben Vanderwal (drums) led a band with Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet, flugelhorn), John Mackey (tenor), Greg Stott (guitar), Lachlan Coventry (bass) and perth-side sit-in Emily Gelineau (5-string violin/viola) at Smiths. 

Birthday

This was Geoff's Jazz at Smiths and it was a special celebration, of the wonder of the long-standing band Wanderlust, and also the long-standing trumpeter who brought it together around 35 years ago in Sydney, Miroslav Bukovsky.  Anyone who knows Miro loves him so this was a special event.  And Wanderlust is such a perfect name for the music they play.  The tunes virtually were all by Wanderlust, often by Miro himself, and they were expansive, with only 9 tunes over two sets totalling about 2 hours.   So there was time to explore, another aspect of good travel.  But most obvious were the tunes themselves that spoke of a wide world, one samba in 3, one mambo, one from Burundi, one speaking to South Africa and Nelson Mandela, a final one just called Peace please, which speaks to all time and very much to now.  There was one cover, astonishingly called Wanderlust by Duke Ellington, a far more relaxed, luxuriant tune with nothing like the exploratory quest of this band, but still superbly lovely, as Ellington just is.  The band was superb, of course, understated, easily spoken, intriguing in harmony and melody, and settling into the most immersive grooves.  Which reminds me of a discovery I made listening to Miro's compositions, that trumpeters play melody so beautifully and thus write lovely melodies.  I guess it's related to the harmonic series that's the nature of technique on brass.  If not recorded already (surely it must be!) I reckon there's a PhD in that.  So this was all good nature, a party surrounded by admirers and friends and wonderful good will.  It's a memory for the ages from a band lasting ages.  Dry wit and so much joy.  Happy birthday for Miro's 80th and long may Wanderlust and the wanderlust remain.

Wanderlust performed at Smiths for Geoff's Jazz and Miro's 90th birthday.  Wanderlust are Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet, flugelhorn), John Mackey (tenor), Alister Spence (piano, keyboards), Jeremy Sawkins (guitar), Fabian Hevia (percussion) and Lachlan Coventry (bass, guitar) with guest Tom Fell (baritone, soprano saxes).  They were joined by Alex Raupach (trumpet) and Richard Johnson (bass clarinet) for some final tunes.

A funky Heaven

If you keep your eyes peeled and know the scene you can happen on a great event, a visit or gathering, variously social and musical, that's a memory maker.  Peter O'Mara at Smiths was one of those.  It was a small audience and a decent sized band (6).  There were old mates and influences and shared histories and now mature skills and notable occupations.  James Greening was there as his vibrant, jovial and immensely capable self, as coordinator and interface but also so-inviting trombonist.  Of course, so was Peter O'Mara, very early influenced by Miro (in the '70s?) and warmly recognising it, now Professor at a Hochschule for music in Munich, in a building once the office of Hitler, no less, blaring away with dirty distorted lines or clear chordal parts.  Peter's return visit was the excuse for this gig.  And John was there, blistering on tenor but also very simple and bluesy on another tune if always with the quick and twisting phrase immediately available but never abused.  And Hamish, solid and understated and always, always, correct and apt.  They were playing a tribute to Jacky Ozsasky, famed and loved for his funky bands and arrangements.  Perhaps they had all played with him at various times.  They played a few of his arrangements this night amongst some PO'M originals and arrangements, including of Miro's passionately beautiful Peace please.  Lachlan was a picking force on his Fender 6 bass and was probably the only one not to have played with JO (Lachlan?).  Then to top it off, Dale Barlow, another of this family, arrived with flute to play the second set.  He'd been expected to play the previous Sunday at but couldn't in the end, so this was the opportunity to catch him.  A mate described him as veritable Australian jazz royalty, apparently the only Aussie to have played with the famed Jazz Messengers.  Then we learn from stage chatter that Dale played his first recording on Peter's first album.  The family history continues.  So what of the music?  Apart from the basics of the chops and the huge inventiveness of these top flight players, it was spectacular and alive and joyous and infectious.  As were the tunes.  Miro's Peace please is emotionally entrancing but there was also James Brown funk and Amin grooves and classic Freddie Hubbard '70s funk (Red clay) and Peter original fusion.  I was in Heaven but I was not alone.

Peter O'Mara (guitar) visited Smiths to play with a band of old mates comprising Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet, flugelhorn), James Greening (trombone), John Mackey (tenor), Lachlan Coventry (bass) and Hamish Stewart (drums) and Dale Barlow (flute) sat in for the second set.

A small and worthy outing

Herbert's @ Evatt is a little venue but it's had some amazing performers over recent months.  I finally got there if only for the final set.  This gig was the expert local trio of Lachlan, Chris and Nick, a rhythm section that we see often recently and always a huge pleasure with guest Mark Ginsburg.  I hadn't seen Mark for some time but the addition of his sax just lifted things with the addition of tone and the interplay of parts.  So a small venue with some great acts but a big presentation from the band.  We chatted with the players over their lunch and heard the final set, just a few common standards played with real panache.  I loved Chris' light and flight fingerwork; Nick is just as swift and wonderfully expressive; Lachlan always quick and melodic uniquely playing with a thumb pick and at least two other plucking fingers. Then over the top, the sweet tenor tone and telling solos.  It all ended too quickly, but Mark had to get back to Sydney, for a concert of Jimmy Webb in Angel Place.  JW is, of course, one of the great songwriters of ~70s, having started with Motown, no less.  Mark was advising me of JW's 10 easy pieces album and praising the voicings.  I could only remember my recent rediscovery of the JW song Galveston and its theme and rhyming haunts me daily.  So a small and worthy outing.  Herbert's suggests to book for lunches, but we could get a beer and sit outside and listen.  But Herbert's is small with a big musical heart on Sunday arvos.

Mark Ginsburg (tenor) played with Lachlan Coventry (guitar), Chris Pound (bass) and Nick McBride (drums)  at Herbert's at Evatt.

Zone calls

Sean Coffin visited Smiths to play with the locals.  He's touring with the band name Zoning laws referring to his improvisation method, Flow zoning, that he's writing up into a PhD.  I found it a fascinating contrast after a similar lineup the previous night under John Mackay, another sax star although quite different in style.  Not sure I can express the differences too well, but John seemed more fluid, fast and mellifluous while Sean was loud, powerful and choppy.  Both were impressive performers at a very high level but obviously style-wise diverse.  I asked Sean about his method.  If I got it right, it's seven x five note cells that can be applied variously to chords and tonalities and made more complex and varied with a range of technical modifications and embellishments.  Best to await his PhD release, but I enjoyed the determined, abrasive, potent soloing.  The band played just 7 tunes, so were generous with improvs all round.  The tunes were all from the standards repertoire, but a note suggested his technique lead to compositions, so I guess that complexity is held for his regular band.  But this local pickup band was no slouch.  Interestingly, I overheard one person suggesting that Sean should tour with this band.  Certainly they were impressive.  Nick McBride was long known to Sean; Chris Pound and Lachlan Coventry were more recent contacts.  They all blew a storm and all took significant, extensive solo spots and defined their time with aplomb and improvisational interest.  I particularly followed Chris, of course, and was floored by a few particularly expansive solos.  He can play changes neatly and with interest and variation but those solos often reach to the heights, using big intervals and chordal-like hand shapes and one just stopped me with a quick descending harmonic pattern to die for.  Nick and Lachlan were pretty good too(!)  So was Sean, as I said.  So I enjoyed this gig.  The 7 tunes that spanned the two sets were Sonnymoon for 2, Stablemates, Darn that dream, Milestones (old), Alone together, Invitation and You don't know what love is.  So some personal, less common choices, but all in the fake books.  Sean ended by commenting on how jazz can be created with people who just meet.  I doubt he's ever played with this combination but you wouldn't know.  Just another fabulous intellectual jazz treat.

Sean Coffin (tenor) led Zoning Laws standards ensemble at Smiths with Lachlan Coventry (guitar), Chris Pound (bass) and Nick McBride (drums).

Our locals

You can get nonchalant after seeing the local names often enough, but take a break and settle in and you can be floored.  I was floored the other night for the latest band incarnation at Geoff Page's monthly concert.  Just friends John Mackey, Miro Bukovsky, Lachlan Coventry and Chris Thwaite, and just eight tunes taken from the standards repertoire, but a stunning outing with depth and purpose and Immense capability.  It should be no surprise but you can take the locals for granted.  It would have been just 7 tunes but Giant steps was called as an encore.  And there was that intense contact, too, with the dedication of the concert to once student, friend and musical prodigy, Niels Rosendahl, recently, sadly deceased.  Thus the Giant steps request.  Otherwise, this was a hugely satisfying outing, supple and malleable with instructive improvisations.  I followed John with awe at the alacrity, yes, but mostly his structured investigations, his awareness of pitch and its relevance, meaning somewhat harmony but also the interaction with melody.  Then Miro, spelling out the chords and keys with a different approach, like Miles to John's Coltrane, a more high altitude view of pitch colours and harmonic movements, perhaps moving phrases chromatically over the changes.  Then Lachlan, this time in bass form on his Fender VI, sometime finger picked, mostly picked, soft and thumpy, playing with dampened notes, fabulously astute rhythmic plays, on latins or others and extravagant guitar-like lines in some solos, and a readiness to lay out or leave space or change grooves to move through and alter the essence of a tune.  And Chris there just with Lachlan on that, chops and change but following the choruses where sometimes I wondered how and where.  So this was a fabulous outing by some immensely capable locals.  Just locals?  Yes, our locals, although locals pop up all over as I've found often enough in the jazz world.

John Mackey (tenor) led a quartet at Smiths with Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet, flugelhorn), Lachlan Coventry (bass) and Chris Thwaite (drums).  The session was dedicated to Niels Rosendahl (sax).

PS.  As for vegan tatooing, I never knew there was such a thing.

Elastics

The name was a little odd and to some degree so was the music.  Richard suggested Swamp jazz for a style.  And this mix of guitars and violin made for memories of Mahavishnu from tone if not from style.  Two crisp guitars, again of quite different sound and style.  Lachlan was hard and sharp, uneffected, with short bends suggesting heavy strings.  Dylan played lighter, fingers gentle and delicate and with softer tone, perhaps reverb, or chorus given his Roland jazz chorus amp.  Then that unusual instrument for jazz or later styles, the violin.  That was spacious with reverb and tight and fast with chops.  We wondered why there's not more violin in modern musics.   It's a great tone and there are tons of well trained players if not necessarily players with understanding of the styles.  Certainly El has solo chops but also an awareness of the context and accompaniment.  Lovely.  Arpeggiated sequences and scalar flourishes and all manner of bowed effects were common, but also tenderness as in her lullaby composition.  As for the back line, as a bassist I much admire Chris, his aptness and ease along with fierce chops when that's called on and that insistent while soft tone, and Gus on drums was tight and expressive.   We heard several guitarist tunes, from John Abercrombie and Pat Metheny, and a few originals, demanding or relaxed, always played with respect and understanding.  And this is just the opening band for the night?  Looking good.

Elastic Molasses comprised  Lachlan Coventry and Dylan Slater (guitars), Llewellyn Osborne (violin), Chris Pound (bass) and Gus Henderson (drums).  EM played at Smiths.

An Ainslie sess

It's an arty locale and this Ainslie Session held at Ainslie Arts Centre was a corker.  Three acts.  First up, Lilly Morris, singer-songwriter from Braidwood.  Braidwood appeared a few times in her introductions.  At least one song was about the unexpected at the local IGA.  A decent voice and a dirty strummed Tele and a pretty low key presence.  I liked it, but of course missed most words for the purpose or intent of it all.  Perhaps an indicator is the one cover she sang, Billy Bragg Milkman of human kindness.  Then Sebastian Field.  I'd heard him earlier on Spotify: voice and meditative drones and effect.  Nice and I thought better on the night.  I loved his voice although he said he's moving more to guitar and effects.  So be it, but the voice was lovely.  Virtually all falsetto, nicely formed and sounding and some intriguing, unexpected intervals when he laid down a chord for his effects unit then sang against it.  I guessed he would have had choir training or experience, but no.  Then guitar played lightly, fingered or plucked, spaced notes grouping though looping and subtly managed effects.  Great stuff.  He performed a 30-min piece with time just floating satisfyingly.  Convincing.  The final was Pheno, Jess Green's modern pop outing.  I've heard Pheno live and online and enjoyed the cleverness, the convincing structure and commitment of it all.  Not flashy, even in the solos which, instead, are tellingly musical.  She plays for big pop acts and the clarity of her solos shows.  We were offered a singalong with the neo-Canberra-intelli-pop hit, We are the Skywhales.  It's one for all generations of, what, Ken Behrens (how I hate that term!).  Nobody sang, but it's an intriguing tune nonetheless.  And others, There are voices out there, Shadow in the water and the like.  And a gloriously personal but joyous and telling tune written in two parts, when each of her kids were in utero, called A little thing.  It takes a mother!  I guess the mention of baby beans on her CD cover are relevant.  Touching and truthful but still playful and melodious.  She played that song solo.  The others were backed by Annie McKinnon, mostly harmony vocals and some synth, and Lachlan Coventry, this day on 6-string Fender bass.  Nice harmonies and very apt and unpretentious bass.  And Jess, on guitar, on vocals, high and clear and telling, and just occasionally on various midi tools, keys and drums.  James Hauptmann was to play drums but Covid sent him into isolation.  Thus the pandemic.  All the musos mentioned how great it was to return to stage but James is just a reminder it's not over.  (For note, SM and DP).  So, in all, a small but appreciative audience, great sound, a wonderful array of musics and some of my fave pop tunes.  Great night.  BTW, there are other gigs in the series over coming days and weeks.  Check out the Ainslie and Gorman House Arts Centre website.

Lilly Morris (guitar, vocals), Sebastian Field (guitar, vocals, effects) and Pheno performed at Ainslie Arts Centre.  Pheno were Jess Green (guitar, vocals) with Annie McKinnon (keys, vocals) and Lachlan Coventry (bass).

A phenomenon around town

Early morning (moderately early) and a last minute run was my experience of Skywhale and Skywhalepapa.  Skywhale appeared in this blog years back and the recent arrival of hubby Skywhalepapa with his caring responsibilities has caused quite a stir.  I didn't bother to book tickets, but listening to the radio in bed, I heard a report from the Parliamentary Triangle of the good weather and the last flight before a 2-year tour of Australia and the possible takeoff time.  I had 45 minutes and it was just a 5 minute drive, so I went.  The dark was lifting.  The sky was glorious and the weather still.  When I arrived, the pair of Skywhales were jovial and inviting.  They are a strange pair, but that's their attraction.  Just look at Patricia Piccinini's other hyper-real unrealities and you know what to expect.  They are all diverse and deeply touching.  It's a strange encounter but positive and heartening.  Anyway, the sun gradually rose and the balloons were readied and the crowds waited calmly and ABC666 invited the artist to make a welcome and then Jess Green's Pheno performed their piece, We are the Skywhales, with a children's chorus and the pair departed, off to the west and then off to Australia.  Like kids leaving home.  This is emotionally satisfying art that says something to us; I'm not sure quite what, other than to be open and generous and welcoming and honest.  The skywhales have such lovely eyes, even if they are branded with a flight registration number.  It was a lovely morning.

Patricia Piccinini (artist) created Skywhale and Skywhalepapa.  Jess Green (guitar, vocals, composer) wrote the associated tune and her band, Pheno, played it with a children's choir.  Pheno comprised Jess Green (guitar, vocals), James Hauptmann (drums), Alyx Dennison (synths, vocals) and Lachlan Coventry (bass, guitar).

Tasks mastered

The old Trident Jazz Trio was resident at Trident Bar in Dickson for years, from 2000 or thereabouts.  It was nice that Chris had checked out CJ to determine when they started the residency, but it predated my site (b.2005) by several years.  Whatever, it was a wonderful Tuesday night scene with some excellent sets and renowned visitors.  We heard that core group again at the Austrian Club the other night and they were a revelation.  I could only gasp at James' bass playing, on 5 string JB fretless: melodic, fast but only when called for, otherwise wonderfully relaxed and searching.  Lots of finger work, as in harmonics and chords and long intervallic pairs, thirteenths and the like, and edgy attacks.  And plenty of effects, deep octavers and the rest.  Just a lesson for a bassist.  And Lachlan with his clear guitar, blistering lines and especially his intriguing and leading chords.  He also provided the one original for the night, but said he tends not to play them even though he writes plenty.  Interesting.  And Chris with a most edgy polyrythmic experiments, solos that a sparse and astute, then mixed with African shakers and soft noise.  His kick drum, too, was deep, not fluffy but loose.  And that tom that sat above, thin as.  Fascinating.  These are the choices we make that make our musical character.  They played a string of jazz tunes but you wouldn't know it until a snippet of melody appeared from amongst the grooves or beats or colours.  This is jazz brought to the nightclub-now satisfying both art and night out.  Just an awesome outing and a muse for this muso.

Trident Jazz Trio are Lachlan Coventry (guitar), James Luke (bass) and Chris Thwaite (drums).  They played at the Austrian Club.

Quality and quantity

I'll put it down to a matter of quality and quantity.  I am wont to feel the width, but my recent CJ posts have been infrequent after a total blowout at the last (classical bass) concert.  But John Mackey's Melting Pot playing his Wave Length suite was fitting as another blowout.  It was fabulous and I was in awe.  John had described it as an improvised series of movements based on skeletal scores and influenced by Covid. I heard a series of tunes with rock-based grooves (think '70s Miles) and nicely twisted heads with plenty of space for blows.  There were some floating segments, perhaps with electronics or glorious piano chords from Wayne, some ecstatic outbursts from Greg and wonderfully and reliably tuneful, melodic statements from the front line of John and Miro.  They can both explode with a flourish but openly spell melody and play with various degrees of dissonance at will, and that interplay can be blissful.  Miro's harmonising to John can be a thing of great beauty.  And they both played with an octaver or harmoniser to sound all the world like synths.  And there was electronics there, too, with Mark standing at a bench of electronics, perhaps a keyboard (not sure) but definitely a laptop with looping and more (probably Ableton, I guess).  Mostly it was lost to the audience but between tunes and in some floating segments, it was evident.  Greg had a laptop, too, but not sure how it was used.  He had a string of pedals at his feet, so not just for effects.  And the core of the rhythm section was Lachlan on his Bass 6, that unusual 6-string bass that I remember as a remnant from the '60s.  He plays with thumb-pick and finger-picking for some fabulously embellished rhythmic grooves and extensive solos.  It's a different, virtuosic approach to bass, both grooving and thrilling at once.  And Mark, Sir Mark of the late intros, just a gem with the most supple stick control creating glorious, sweet tone and endless insistent driving grooves with nothing out of place, no embellishment ever indulgent, just perfect, never erring.  Mark was way on top in the mix that I found not quite as I'd expect, with Greg somewhat lost or indistinct, as too was Lachlan (but bass is hard to clarify), as even were John and Miro although Wayne seemed to be there, crisp on grand piano, when I turned my ear to him.  Perhaps a function of where I was seated?  But I quibble.  I enjoyed this concert deeply, the playing was outstanding, the heads were a great pleasure and there was joy and even some fun, and that glorious snare-on-3 drumming throughout.  So, quality or quantity?  At least for my last few CJ outings, the call is outlandish quality!  BTW, I chatted with Mark and Greg after and suggested a release from this session.  I just hope it was recorded as multitrack.

John Mackey's Melting Pot played the world premiere of his Wave Lengths suite.  The performers were John Mackey (tenor, soprano sax), Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet, flugelhorn), Greg Stott (guitar), Wayne Kelly (piano, keys), Lachlan Coventry (bass), Mark Sutton (drums) and Mark Webber (laptop).

PS.  Thanks to Abbey Mackay Budge of the Creswick Collective and Caroline Stacey of the Street Theatre for the pic.

Hear words

I forget often enough, but it comes back with an avalanche when I hear standards sung, especially when they are sung well. Standards are mostly songs of a era of great wit and informed songwriting and they speak truth although none too directly. They are clever and immensely satisfying. They can be that often enough with a bop take that explores their harmonic structure and perhaps, but not necessarily, their melodies. That is good and clever and can be satisfying, if in an intellectual way. Nothing wrong with that, but the intellectual whimsy and emotional depth of one of these songs sung is something else, even something more. I caught Sally Marett and Lachlan Coventry performing at Fenway Public House, a new venue for jazz on Tuesday nights, in the heart of Woden shops. It's a modern venue, with big screens and complex arrangements of drinking and eating areas. My beer was good. I could even watch Sally and Lachlan on a big screen, perhaps seeing the better that way than on a contrastily lit stage. These two are always committed and expert in their delivery, guitar and voice and solo guitar in between. Sally tells me that Hugh Barrett appears with her on alternate weeks. He's a deeply satisfying pianist, so another opportunity. The tunes were variously known and slightly lesser know, from Love for sale and Our love is here to stay, through Cheek to cheek and Just the two of us to Spring can really hang you up the most and Miss Celie's blues. All known to the ear but not necessarily first-called tunes. They were gloriously performed to experience their contrasting deep and playful purposes. I could only melt to this stuff. Hear words.

Sally Marett (vocals) and Lachlan Coventry (guitar) performed at Fenway Public House.

We are blessed

It was a family evening so Sandy Evans and Andrew Robson was out. What a loss; they are such a capable and inspiring group. But I managed an hour at the National Press Club for Greg's band, and I was blessed. Really, we are all blessed. I've travelled the world and found great musicians scattered throughout. We have our own and Greg and Lachlan and Mark are amongst them. They are not our only ones so we are doubly blessed. I just caught a few tunes (and a cheap beer at the happy hour). I recognised but can't name them, but I was inspired by the playing. Mark just dropped the slightest of solos, but it was bliss: first up polyrhythmic plays, then straighter and sharp as. Greg is out front, being guitar, and slithering through fast, crisp, intriguing solos and, of course, spelling out melodies. And somewhat the same for Lachlan. He plays bass on a Fender 6 and shreds it like a guitar and it's a blissful experience, again also with references to melodies and passing dissonant harmonies. So all round, I was just dumbfounded. These are not our visitors, not troubadours visiting from NYC or Berlin. These are just our locals in the NPC bar on a Friday evening and they are seriously capable and intriguing players. My God, how lucky we are. On the other hand, our pollies are ratshit, so not all is right in the world...

Greg Stott (guitar) led a trio with Lachlan Coventry (bass) and Mark Sutton (drums) at the National Press Club.

The unexpected

We had Friday evening off and that's National Press Club jazz evening. The unexpected was that Sally was playing with Lachlan rather than Brendan. Nothing unpleasant, these being consummate players, just unexpected. Somewhat different, too, being vocals&guitar rather than the unusual combination of vocals&bass. Lachlan does a good line in bass, too, so there was bass awareness accompanied by the more evident harmonics of the guitar. [Excuse the digression, but Beethoven himself said: “The guitar is a miniature orchestra in itself”.] The tunes were much the same, deliriously lovely and often-enough somewhat touching. The songs of the American songbook are like that: discrete but straight to the heart and mostly of the heart. Nothing unexpected: Softly, Paper moon, Witchcraft, Our love is here to stay and the like; transposed. Unexpected but no surprise and just lovely.

Sally Marett (vocals) performed with Lachlan Coventry (guitar) at the National Press Club.

Enlightening

We were off to a classical gig but the ANU was enlightened for the Enlighten Festival and we ended up snacking outside listening to As Famous As The Moon. This was opportune as Tilt was to play there the next night, so I could survey the joint. But best was their playing, of course. These are seriously satisfying players. Dirk was on leave so Joseph Taylor was filling in for the night, with the standard drummerless pairing of Lachlan and Graham. These guys have played innumerable gigs (actually, they are counted and AFATM are well over 3,000) and continue to do so, regularly, as a local institution. The tunes are standards and the playing was exemplary. Lachlan's quick 6-string bass work and Graham's crisp guitar and Joe's exploratory and often insouciant and lithe tenor and soprano. This was some stunning playing and just another proof of the potential of the standards repertoire (as if we need that). AFATM may serve a lovely background but it's worthy of some intense listening, too.

As Famous As The Moon appeared at ANU Enlighten festival with Joseph Taylor (tenor, soprano saxes), Graham Monger (guitar) and Lachlan Coventry (6-string e-bass).

In search of lost time

Maybe it's the quiet and close surroundings, or the U3A jazz appreciators as audience, or the infrequency of seeing these guys (and El) for some time. But maybe it was just the truly excellent and authentic playing. Lachlan and El and James. A drummerless trio playing an originals and a few standards. From the first notes I just indulged in it and I wasn't alone. Lachlan setting lovely rhythms, steady and relaxed. El coming in with lovely sustained tones on violin, spelling melodies with little twists and soloing with the most exquisite phrasing, lots of sequences, notes changing over time as they can with the bow, varied lines and interpretations. Then the solos passed, to Lachlan, more sustained lines, perhaps chordal, maintaining eighth or sixteenth notes, always purposeful, as I've been so impressed by on recent YouTube outings. Then to James, superbly flexible, freely moving through scale degrees and up the neck, always spelling the chords with joy and clarity. El had penned the one original, Stevie's song. First up was by Zappa (!), Blessed relief (El commented that it wasn't rude like many others, but there were no lyrics anyway). And some faves: Out of nowhere, I'll remember April, All blues, A ghost of a chance. And one from left field: Bach, JS, the first prelude from Well Tempered Clavier. Wonderful melody, nice solos based on the chordal movements. An interesting venture, but then Bach is God for all musicians. I'll remember Lachlan's courteous precision, James' easy melodicism, El's overwhelming sense of intriguing phrases and quick sequences. A fabulous, intimate concert and, given how infrequently I've seen these deeply satisfying musicians recently, a remembrance of things passed.

Lachlan Coventry (guitar), El Osborne (violin) and James Luke (bass) played for the U3A Jazz Appreciation Society at the Raiders Club Weston.

Thanks to music regular Bob Howe for the main pic above

Jumpin'

Too dark for a pic with a mobile phone but this joint was jumping. It's Molly's, a discrete basement whisky bar. Discrete enough that it has no sign, just a weak old-styled light above a wooden door, opening onto a staircase. Well, not so discrete that it has no Facebook or website, but nonetheless, discrete. Molly's has jazz every Tuesday night, 7-10pm. I went to check out AFATM, the long standing and renowned local band, As Famous As The Moon, Dirk, Graham and Lachlan, with an American big band mate of Dirk's sitting in on trom. I only caught a little, but this was long solos and firm swing and glorious standards. And a busy bar and milling people. It's an oddly noisy little downstairs hole. Check it out.

As Famous As The Moon are Dirk Zeylmans (tenor), Graham Monger (guitar) and Lachlan Coventry (guitar, bass). They played at Molly's.

Maynard's original hipsters

Rachael Thoms' dedication was to the original hipsters, the jazz musicians and hip followers from the time of '40s Bebop through to '60s cool, one radical musical stream of their age. Rach's introductory spiel for the show says it best: "These cats talked the talk and walked the walk. They were laid-back, sarcastic, sexually open and partial to the old ‘Green Badger’. They were ‘hot stuff’, ‘mad mellow’, and ‘out of this world’. Their shoes were ‘kicks’; and their teeth were ‘crumb crunchers’. Boys were ‘groovy’ and girls were ‘fly’ … The pioneers, the nerds, the weirdos, the trailblazers, the vanguards, the masters." Perfect. Rach gave us the words of the hipsters themselves, witty or profound, eminently quotable, and their music, their ultimate expression. The selected hipsters were Monk, Benny Golson, Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, Bob Dorough and Miles. Every tune was sung, often with lyrics added later by jazz vocalese singers. Famed tunes like Round midnight, Take 5 and Devil may care; slightly lesser known masterpieces like Nardis and Whisper not; some common blow calls like Well you needn't and Blue Monk; profound numbers like Waltz for Debby and Blue and green; and the inevitably amusing ones like Too close for comfort ("One thing leads to another / too late, to duck for cover / too close, too close for comfort / now" with that ambiguous final word). And this was about the best band in town that I could imagine playing this light and tight, lyrical music with such deceptive ease: Rachael with her classical chops and jazz sensibility; Lachlan so clean and precise (Rachael's "human metronome"); Chris understated and ever aware; James accompanying then soloing with huge, unbasslike lyricism. These tunes can sound old and overworked but this was fresh, vibrant, crystalline. I was refreshed by the pleasure of the standard repertoire but I shouldn't be surprised given the band. Maynard G Krebs would have claimed Monk as the original hipster, and so might some others, but they were all geniuses, at least near enough for jazz.

Rachael Thoms (vocals) led a quartet comprising Lachlan Coventry (guitar), James Luke (bass) and Chris Thwaite (drums) at Smiths.

Torch

I looked up the definition of torch singer at the Laura Ingram gig. Torch songs are love songs typically of lost or unrequited love; mostly by women, but also by men (including Sinatra - good company) Laura sang with much emotion and involvement and that's what made me think of it. Certainly, some songs fitted the bill too, like Baby won't you please come home, I'm a fool, From this moment on, What will I do, St James Infirmary, perhaps Besame mucho, but there were others that were just ballads like Nature boy. Overall, I felt Laura gave her tunes a dense, deep, emotional treatment, so even otherwise lightweights like Bye bye blackbird, Pick yourself up, Sentimental journey, Squeeze me don't tease me and You make me feel like a natural woman were strongly emoted. I was wondering about her influences, perhaps Amy Winehouse for the soulful vocal style if not so much for the songs. Certainly, there was that raw emotion and strong voice and blues-influences there and a very nice soprano voice that will only tighten up but possibly also relax with more gigs. The band was more circumspect, Lachlan and James playing consummately, clearly in a jazz tradition and spelling solos with calmness and real class. Jamal, too, was unobtrusive and that's what I found last time I heard him, even in a solo to end the night which was all sparse rolls and fills punctuated by long silences. But the night changed markedly for a final unprepared encore, Hounddog in Eb, where the joy took over from the despair for rollicking solos and careless fun. Quite different. I like the bluesy emotions and ballads, but a whole night can be demanding. The place lit up with a throwaway 12-bar, and this just shows us all something about art versus entertainment. Well done, Laura.

Laura Ingram (vocals) performed with Lachlan Coventry (guitar), James Luke (bass) and Jamal Salem (drums) at Smiths.