Gospel and groove

Luke Sweeting was in town again with his Soul-Gospel band, a project of Luke and singer Eliza Kate, playing in the Street Theatre with the full 12-piece outfit and great sound and a string of original tunes amongst covers.  The theme is not my thing, but the music is and it was a blowout and the originals were every bit as good as those covers.  Busy chords, interesting melodies, great harmonies, funky or variously driving grooves embellished with a string of bass solos and solos from the other instruments, piano, not too many from guitar although one biggie, a few of each horn (two tenors an trumpet), some spots where the trio of backing singers took front lines, perhaps swapping lines with Eliza, perhaps with each other.  The balance was strong on bass and drums and Eliza's voice, choppy guitar and piano when it appears and the other voices and horns, perhaps less so for the organ which was discernable but soft, like piano much of the time.  The groove was the work of bass, drums and guitar, not unsurprisingly. I was amused by Luke standing to use a diminutive keyboard and hearing an effective clavinet or Rhodes; O brave new world / That has such [tech] in't.  Thus with the Hammond, of course, being these days shrunk to a keyboard.  I loved the grooves, the occasional odd timed bass lines, the effective bass and drum underlay.  Just lovely.  And those harmonies, not overbearing but rich and responsive, sitting over the powered and lively voice of Eliza who spelled every song of the evening except maybe one, a good 90+ minutes of solid, radio-length songs and just a few expanded with various solos, with her expressive voice and wide range and inviting presence of posture and movement and joy.  They quote a love of northern soul and there's a range of soul and gospel musics but what they do is a blast.  So much enjoyed.  Heard in a raked theatre setting but just threatening the dance floor.

Majesty Rising performed at the Street Theatre.  MR is a 12-piece soul-gospel band led by Eliza Kate (vocals) and Luke Sweeting (piano, MD) with a lineup of vox, 3xbacking vox, 3xhorns (2xtenor, tpt), piano, organ, guitar, bass, drums.

Gospels

I was in New Orleans and Houston recently and the music I heard in notional jazz clubs was mainly R&B.  Perhaps I had a limited overview but I perused perhaps 20 bands in Bourbon and Frenchmen Streets and I got to 3 gigs at two jazz venues in Houston.  Plenty of groove that I loved but limited ragtime or bop or Miles.  Luke Sweeting came back to town last night with a fabulously practised, slick and groove-heavy band called Majesty rising: 12 piece soul gospel with slick horns and two keys and rhythm section and a convincing female singer, Eliza Kate, up front and a harmony section of 3 male voices (somewhat unexpected).  The grooves were infectious, the skills clear, the solos worthy, the horns nicely arranged, some funk, even a touch of rap.  All great and, as I said, infectious and musical.  I caught some lyrics  "Walking with you, walking with me / I am alive in Him", "You're going to show me / You're not done with me yet",  "Praise the Lord (rpt)".   The music was wonderful even if the theme was not my thing.  So be it. A great listen nonetheless.

Majesty rising performed at Smiths.

& Cheese

The cheese to the earlier chalk was Max Alduca’s rich and detailed and beautifully exposed compositions with his quintet touring his studio album.  I expected subtlety and training and musical intelligence and we got them in spades with understated presentation and beautiful, complex melody and pure solos, spelt variously simply or expansively or even ecstatically.  For me a bassist, sitting in the final available seats in the front row, literally sometimes resting beer or feet on stage, I could watch Max’s understated playing that could blast into a lovely quick mobile line or his bow that would play long notes then bounce below the bridge, or even bow a tone from the tailpiece.  I’ve been exercising this morning with long intervals and regular patterns that underlined one composition, but there were tons of fascinating harmonic concepts.  I didn’t think to ask Max but there must be piano in these composition and Hilary mentions his chats with pianist Luke.  Bassists work with chords but we don’t hear them like pianists do.  As I am wont to say, piano is an orchestra in a box.  Saxist Michael was understated and true to melody, just so nicely stated, but he could drop in devastating lines that were still just fitting rather than exclamatory.  Hillary provided tons of colour but did let go a few times with exciting guitar, dirty, driving and unrelenting.  That was a blast.  Luke could let go at times, too, but never without solo development so it was totally fitting.  James just got one solo that I remember, on the last tune before the break, short, plenty syncopated and snap-sharp but again not showy while wonderfully expressive.  The whole was like that  and the tunes were similarly so.  Rich melodies merging with restrained but authoritative solos throughout.

Max Alduca (bass, compositions) led a quintet with Hilary Geddes (guitar), Michael Avgenicos (tenor sax), Luke Sweeting (piano), and James Waples (drums) at Smiths.  They were touring their new album Monastery / Max Alduca.

Bigs and littles

Callum Allardice appeared upstairs at Smiths, in McGregor Hall, in quartet format.  Interestingly, his merch was essentially two albums: one of this very quartet playing this format in this concert and this music  and the other a much bigger outing called his Cinematic Light Orchestra, comprising the band with significant orchestral accompaniment, strings, horns, all written and arranged by Callum.  I was impressed both ways.  Some of the tunes from the large ensemble were played on the night by the quartet and this was significant.  Callum writes his music and it's rich and evocative and can expand to the millions but is served perfectly well by a quartet, at least one that's receptive and aware and with musical maturity to respond.  Callum lays down most melodies with a clear, perhaps distorted or delayed but uncluttered tone, perhaps call and response in the melody, certainly interesting and complex, followed by solos to explore but respond to the essence of the melody.  Luke is rich in response too, but such differently toned on piano, and perhaps more open to expansive interpretations.  This is essentially the rhythm section of the orchestral outing, and they were to die for.  Tom quite simply spelling varied rhythms for immense ensemble stability if with lovely, neck long arpeggiations to fill and engaging if uncomplicated thumb position solos spelling the tune with a lovely respectful response, providing admirable firmness for Hikurangi to let fly often enough on drums.  It's a common theme for firmness and bustle to coexist between bass and drums.  In the end, I took the quartet CD given it's a better representation of the gig on the night but the two display the capability of Callum and his writing, despite his Berlin experience (as him about that!).   A hugely rich and satisfying set of tunes and capable expression by the band.  This was the first of their east coast tour, so catch them if you can.

Callum Allardice (guitar, composition) led a quartet with Luke Sweeting (piano), Tom Botting (bass) and Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (drums) upstairs at Smiths.

Two settings

I was on Llewellyn stage until the start time for Antipodes at Molly so I only caught the last tunes of the first set.  More on this excuse in the next report.  When I arrived, the band was playing music that was clearly scored, delicately written.  I wondered if they were touring an album.  No, but there was much new material.  Slow pensive melody played unison, exploding into short shared solo passages then back to controlled melody.  Room for solos, including the sit-ins, John Mackey and Miro Bukovsky, joining the core quintet of alto, guitar, piano, bass and drums, all taking their feature but combining to an effective theme.  Antipodes is an international grouping, formed out of a meeting of Luke (Aus) and Jake (NZ) in Berlin (Ger).  So antipodean, if international.  Then a relaxed break and a final set of a few blows on a blues and Stomping at the Savoy and I'll remember April.  Great, outgoing, joyous but intense jamming, but still relaxed and fun rather than the serious, scored first set.  All fabulous playing and inventive composition.  A pleasure.

Antipodes played at Molly with sit-ins John Mackey (tenor) and Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet).  Antipodes comprised Jake Baxendale (alto), Luke Sweeting (piano), Callum Allardice (guitar), Noel Mason (bass) and Tim Geldens (drums).

Distillate

There was just a time when Antipodes were playing away, clear and sharp and purposeful, that the word distillate came to me. The band has been together for some time, but I doubt they play together all the time. Nonetheless, this was beautifully correct while also being quick and complex at times and neat in passing of solos and the like. Restrained, inventive, sharp, intense. These are all words that fitted. To me, that means a nice band with artistic cred. I loved all the solos: frequently from altoist Jake, fairly commonly from pianist Luke and guitarist Callum and surprisingly frequently from bassist Max. And I really liked Max's playing. Not overtly showy but interestingly intervallic and wonderfully complex rhythmically. Smiths' budget doesn't quite come to a Steinway, but Luke's presence and solos were exploratory and always apt none-the-less. Callum's guitar was quite subdued, but could soar with speedy crisp lines or impart lovely modernist colour with various pedals. Not sure I remember a solo from drummer Tim, but his sharpness with gentility was inspirational. They could lift in volume, but they could also sit with the quietest of presence. The music was all original, interestingly from around the band and funnily enough the basis of some effective stage patter from Jake. A few songs for relatives (Tim's grandmother Joyce) or personal discoveries or cosmic themes (Phobos AND Deimos), but Sleep was the funniest. Ask Jake about that one. For a few later songs, trumpeter Alex Raupach sat in and the presence remained with neat sight-read harmonies that added nicely to the understated sophistication. Great night listening to some seriously impressive contemporary jazz. A huge pleasure.

Antipodes played at Smiths. Antipodes comprises Jake Baxendale (alto), Luke Sweeting (piano), Callum Allardice (guitar), Max Alduca (bass) and Tim Geldens (drums). Alex Raupach (trumpet) sat in for a few tunes.

Another thing

Antipodes was my second concert for the night. Less than a concert, really, because I only caught 2 tunes from the second set, but these were fascinating and only went to confirm the chalk and cheese difference of these styles and of the range of jazz played now. John Mackey's concert had been Coltrane, intensely spiritual, relatively simple structurally and melodically, open and interactive and improvised. Antipodes was far more ordered, written, its loose space bounded and arranged. Here there's extended unison melody, arranged structure, different sounds. The guitar was strong and driven in its solo; a synth appeared; bass and drum took solos at the end, drums playing against a riff. Not sure I caught a trumpet or sax solo in these last tunes, or from Luke on keys, but they would have earlier. The environment was different, too, of course, Hippo's noisy cocktail atmosphere, so I was envisaging as much as I was hearing. So different from JM; so much a modern take on the history; complex in composition as well as improv. They are about to record this music. Can't wait to revisit it. Maybe to hear what I didn't from a late arrival and some tech probs and Hippo's busy space.

Antipodes are Jake Baxendale (sax), Ken Allars (trumpet), Callum Allardice (guitar), Luke Sweeting (piano), Max Alduca (bass) and Aidan Lowe (drums). They played at Hippo.l

Racks

It was a regathering of old friends, fellow students at ANU and old friends of CJ, when Great rack and an empty club reverb played at Hippo: Luke from Sydney; Aidan from Berlin; Reuben and Em from Melbourne; all gigging at Hippo, another old friend. But this was not Just Friends as in jazz standards. The band's title said lots: odd and long and suggestive of electronica. Em's performance was pretty much the title, working as she did at a small desk with mixer and effects. But much more. This was modern, melismatic music, as played in clubs, for dance, I guess (not a scene I know) done by trained jazz professionals. Breakbeats and drum'n'bass and warped reggaes and hugely infectious rhythms and odd times and some contemporary jazz polyrhythms (bliss!) and insistent drum grooves that writhed and mutated but never put an accent in a wrong place and bass lines from Luke's Hammond that would be dense or sparse and move feels inconspicuously or sometimes more obviously. Then solos that didn't spell the fact, trumpet that would echo unobstrusively. Two sets; each without a break. Luke told me after that they had about ten charts but they may not have used them all as the music moved unassumingly from one tune to another. I could pick changes, but it was more joy just to sit back and take all this in. Then voice over, that rack and reverb, Em leading with chatter, or as she said, her dialogue with the audience. "Distance separates us / there ... here ... there .. here". All with impish humour. Words that spelled stories, perhaps improvised, if only to some degree. Words subject to digital effects; words merging into repeats and wordless vocals; vocals in counterpoint or extended harmony with trumpet, sometime like a two-horn frontline (although this was no Blue Note session). Words are conversation and contact: music lovers talk of music as a language but I reckon words add and connect. I strained to hear some stories. Hippo is inherently noisy and continually chatty and the sound wasn't so clear. But the music was infectious and mobile and connecting and done by these trained musicians. Not strictly jazz but jazz training allows this, at this level, stunningly, even when just a get-together. This is not a permanent band. Just old friends, on a night out, playing a rhyming storm in the home town. Fabulous!

Great rack and an empty club reverb comprised Emily Bennett (voice, live signals), Reuben Lewis (trumpet, live signals), Luke Sweeting (organ) and Aidan Lowe (drums).

Perceptions evolving

It's strange how you see bands differently in different incarnations. Antipodes played again at Smiths and this time I was just mesmerised by the richness and development of the compositions. Not that the blowing isn't good. It always is. These are wonderful players and they leave space for improv, but I wondered at the complexity of lines, of interactions, of feels. One piece, by Callum, was called Five 3 ways, apparently written to cycle through 5/8, 5/4 and 15/8. A mate commented that is sounded "almost baroque" and it did, especially a counterpoint section where the band broke down to just guitar and alto. Jake's Luke's Hidden Falls had the most deliciously settled feel, sparse and zen-like which developed busyness and complexity then finally returned. Luke can present his tunes with light, daily life images for titles, about kids on bikes or pants, but they are richly structured: his Glasshouse starts meditative and relaxed, enlivening with a guitar solo and ending on anarchy. The membership of Antipodes has varied over their three visits: Luke and Jake for all three; Callum for two; Tom and Tim for this latest. So it is with touring bands but the core compositional duties sit with Luke, Jake and Callum. I was entranced by the rhythm section, Tom a favourite of mine, tight, very effectively syncopated and one solo, especially, a very pleasant surprise when he was brave enough to play so little and so deliciously simply. Tim was new to me and a great pleasure: always strong and driving, sharp and clear and some lovely divisions of the beat, rudimentary. Luke likes his Rhodes: this time that sound came from a lightweight Korg Krome. He likes the acoustic, too, of course, but Smith's upright, although undeniably authentic, was not quite so pleasing. Either way, he's an easy master, spelling harmonies and exploring chords with varied ease. Callum is nicely understated, clean, crisp but fast and well filled. Jake will play the distant and pensive, bent notes, slow connections, intervallic explorations, but enjoys the explosive, fast, loud, physical. So, I wrote before of a great blowing band, and they continue with plenty of nice improv, but it's composition that gets my admiration on this visit. A wonderfully lively and thoughtful band.

Antipodes comprised Jake Baxendale (alto), Callum Allardice (guitar), Luke Sweeting (piano), Tom Botting (bass) and Tim Geldens (drums). They played at Smiths.

The unity of performance

Well, Liam Budge was not so uninfluenced by improvisation and instrumentalism, but it serves as a neat counterpoint to Tom and his mates the night before. Liam Budge returned to Canberra for a gig at Smiths. This was the complete performance, a merging of patter and songs and thoughts (thoughts of love or migration with a smattering of tongue in cheek standards), of instrumental heights through solos and the most exquisitely detailed and driving backing. I had been chatting to a jazz piano mate about his recent interests, how he'd returned to songwriting from improv (not denigrating either, but enjoying a change), how a beautiful melody denies embellishment, so I was thinking on these lines. But I was unprepared for the first notes, driving groove from the first dot, calm but pregnant with power, then a light intro voice line, then a song of love and ongoing growing power, then into a neat, quiet solo from Luke and everpresent insistent groove from Tim and Tom. I was floored from the first bars. The night went on like this, a complete performance. Luke playing quietly in the background, chatter from Liam, interesting tunes, some known, either Liam's earlier songs that we'd heard or standards or new songs previously unheard. Interestingly, and not surprisingly, the newer ones seemed less distilled, but that's the essence of new. Their time will come with time. This was not a long performance, but it was engrossing. A very different approach to performance. I forgot to mention Beryl, a continuing theme for the night, or the standards that did appear (old cuties Bye bye blackbird and Squeeze me don't tease me and an airy take on There will never be another you; and a Tom Waits cover). Or about each muso, but the performances were so gelled that it's hard to highlight anyone of them. All wonderful; all so nicely in synch. A complete package. And nice to be back at Smiths.

Liam Budge (vocals) led a quartet with Luke Sweeting (piano, Rhodes), Tom Botting (bass) and Tim Firth (drums) at Smiths.

Made for our times

There was just one point when I was taken aback by how sophisticated was this music. Antipodes was playing at the Ainslie Arts Centre. These are a band of Sydney-based musicians, but a collaboration of Australians and New Zealanders. Locally, we know Luke Sweeting and Max Alduca well, having had them studying during the better days of our Music School. But I suddenly realised how perfect were the harmonies of the front liners, how neatly the bass line sat, propelling the music but unhurried and unforced, and the drums that seemed so understated then would come alive for a solo or a responsive fill or the guitar that delved into sequences and the rest but also could just be there, supportive, and Luke's piano, of course, ever present and ever apt. The sound all merging so neatly and correctly and satisfyingly. I thought of the careful, distilled music of CTI in the '70s. It had that air of clarity and refinement. Then to think of the tunes. These were all originals, and in 9 tunes there were four writers: three from Callum, two each from Luke and Simon, one from Jake. And all competent, interesting tunes. Another plus; another mark of sophistication. This is antipodean music of depth and content. I wonder if we still deserve this, in our era of destruction and immediacy. Ocean sounding song reminded Luke of ocean sounds (obviously enough). The Ditch was an apt concern for this antipodean mix. Anthem was the NZ anthem rearranged. Mister Bank was a dedication to a band that has Luke obviously admired in this travels. A few others with less obvious titles. Classy playing with deep intent. Too poorly attended, but like I wrote above, do we deserve such stuff as dreams are made on? Our times seem better suited to Hillary Duff's take than Antipodes'.

Antipodes are Jake Baxendale (alto), Luke Sweeting (piano), Callum Allardice (guitar), Simon Ferenci (trumpet), Max Alduca (bass) and Harry Day (drums). Antipodes played for the Confluence series at Ainslie Arts Centre.

Horse needs course

I guess we've been spoiled over the years. The Jazz School; Loft; Smiths. Now we're back to Hippo for our jazz. I don't mind the venue for chatter and a few drinks. That's its role and it does it well with the cocktail making and notable whiskeys and the hipster beards and the pretty young things. But noone would claim it as a listening venue. Last night was Vulkan, a blend of Danish and Australian musicians featuring ex-locals Luke Sweeting and Max Alduca. This was a very nice band. I heard CTI with mid-tempo grooves and syncopated swing, the distinctive Rhodes, some busy chord changes along with lengthy solo spots on one chord or changes each 8 bars or so and a wonderfully open and clear sound. Very attractive and inviting, but also musically clean and capable and interesting. Think Freddie Hubbard or Milt Jackson. Vulkan is blessed with three composers Jakob, Jens and Luke. The first tune was smooth and driving with solos all round and clear Rhodes accompaniment in 6; there was one in 4 with dotted feel and unison taps; another yearning and with guitar chords softened with slow attack; another slow in 4 with heavy entry and guitar packing; and Days of wine and roses, for an old fave. I liked what they were doing, but struggled to hear any detail so just one set. I just long to be spoiled some more. A very nice band that deserved a closer listen.

Vulkan are a Denish-Australian collaboration with Jakob Sørensen (DK, trumpet, composer), Jens Fisker (DK, guitar, composer), Luke Sweeting (Aus, piano, composer), Max Alduca (Aus, bass), Harry Day (Aus, drums).

Luke's back

Luke visits often. It's wonderful that he does. He's a wonderful product of this town, and he's now ensconced in the Sydney scene, so we get a touch of that whenever he's in town. He's prolific, too. He's involved in a range of projects playing a range of compositions. He writes lots. The tunes seem diverse in the different bands. This was his sextet. The last incarnation of his sextet perhaps 2 common tunes, so he writes. As proof, he played one that was just finished on the day, so unnamed. The sextet comprises three horns - tenor, trumpet, trombone - up front and there's some satisfying writing for the three, but there's time, too, for open band improv, or for features for each instrument, including the rhythm section. So space for the individual, but also for the combined force of a capable band. I particularly loved the pairing of the two brass, trumpet and trombone, Ken Allars and James Greening, but that's an easy enough attraction. They are wonderful players and sensitive and responsive to others. Mat Keegan was on tenor for this gig. He's a different kettle of fish: wildly understated with just the occasional flourish. James H-D stunned me volume from his little GK and then entranced me with woody tone to die for while he was playing solo. Finn was strong, impulsive, driving, never at rest. Lovely playing and apt for this diverse but loud and powerful music. Luke was the perfect leader, always invited and supportive and guiding from the piano stool. Plenty of solos, there, too. I usually hear him on Rhodes when playing electric. It a real and non-digital tone and solos nicely, and comps with a generous rotundity behind a full ensemble. For something different, Geoff Page sat in for a reading of his Elegy [to jazz trumpeters] against a cool blues with angular head to start the second set. Well informed and a treat for jazz historians. I was interested that all the tunes had a reference: Little whippers to kids playing; Really on time to drummer Namchoon Kim; Dashing horse; Introvert. There are stories here, although stories are never too obvious in music. Tit bits that started as march and morphed to reggae. This was a compositional success and an individual romp for the players. Great stuff.

Luke Sweeting (piano) led his sextet comprising Ken Allars (trumpet), Matt Keegan (tenor), James Greening (trombone), James Heazlewood-Dale (double bass) and Finn Ryan (drums) at the Gods. Geoff Page (poems) recited for one tune.

The presence of the past

It's nothing like the great museums overseas, of course, and smaller than the Nicholson Museum in the Quad at University of Sydney, but the ANU's Classical Museum in the foyer of the AD Hope building is a little gem. We visited after attending a lecture on the first and second sacks of Troy at the strangely named Haydon Allen Tank. And even more strangely, after attending the AGM of the Friends of the Classical Museum. That was a merciful 7 minutes or so, with the most interesting thing being their two recent purchases. All this has a ring of strangeness about it, but the classics are intriguing and they are in our Western cultural DNA, even if they are rather distant these days. But some Friends maintain the age. The lecture was by Chris Mackie, professor of Greek studies at La Trobe University, and he was a lively and entertaining speaker. He recounted the story of the first sack of Troy and the roles of the hero Heracles and proceeded to make comparisons with the second sack. The first is alluded to in the Iliad and the second is the subject of the Iliad. He compared heroes, enemies, weapons, the source of glory. Heracles (first sack) used bow & arrow to fight monsters and left Troy intact despite broken promises of King Laomedon. By the time of the later sack, the spear is noble and the bow ignoble, the enemies are cities and glory is in destruction and genocide. About more recent times, Prof Mackie made a parallel with WW1/WW2, where battlefield confrontations became total war with civilian targets. Thus both the Iliad and our times speak of increasing bleakness and hardening of politics. Then off to the Classic Museum for an after-event social gathering. Just a quick visit for us as I was off for the second set of Grey Wing Trio at Smiths, but a delight. I wouldn't want to live there, but the remains of the ancient world are rare and vivid and strange: some Greek vases and statues and Roman oil lamps and fresco fragments, the central model of ancient Rome (which displays a remarkable degree of survival in modern Rome). Then off to Grey Wing. I wrote them up a few weeks ago, so little here. Suffice to say I heard one set comprising just two compositions by Luke. This was stellar playing all round, although this time I was particularly taken by Finn's open, detailed, delicate drumming. Not enough time at the Museum or Grey Wing, but them's the options.

Prof Chris Mackie spoke on Troy for the Friends of the ANU Classics Museum. Grey Wing Trio comprise Luke Sweeting (piano), Ken Allars (trumpet) and Finn Ryan (drums) ad they played at Smiths Alternative.

ANU Classics Museum

Difference that blends

Luke keeps returning with great bands. The Antipodes Quintet was the latest, at Smiths, this last week. It seems to have its genesis in Berlin, amongst the Australian jazz community there. The compositions are by Luke with perhaps a few from Jake. Aidan and Jake spent some time in Berlin and Luke visited while playing there and around in Europe and Scandinavia. Thus Antipodes was presumably on their common minds. It's a great blowing band with dense heads, occasional free and floating segments, room for solos and some great grooves. Luke's solos were always satisfying. I was fascinated how well the two horns worked together, although from very different influences. Ken was stunning with restrained legato and lyricism, blowing impressive bop-like lines, then turning all breathy and mystical. He'd mentioned before the gig how he clears his mind and just plays. It takes talent and practice to be able to do that successfully and he's obviously done his part. This was stunningly effective trumpet. Jake was more the iconoclast with truncated, detached notes, obtuse octaves contrasting with dense lines in response, more quizzical and ironic and intellectual than heart-on -shoulder emotional. These are very different players but they merged surprisingly well with harmonies both consonant and not and almost contrapuntal movements at times. Aidan was rich and full and driving, but also deep when he took a feature solo later in the night. James was sweetly toned, occasionally bowed, open and welcoming in presence and support for his colleagues.He blew a great fast bop earily on in warmup, but this was more fast unison heads and open playing against a few chords for the blows. Inventive and sympathetic and supportive. And Luke, of course, always great solos and smiling repartee, welcome support and a growing set of compositions with space to solo and various times and contorted, lightly dissonant heads. Great stuff, again.

The Antipodes Quintet comprised Luke Sweeting (piano), Jake Baxendale (alto sax), Ken Allars (trumpet), James Heazlewood-Dale (bass) and Aidan Lowe (drums).

Canberra-Gothenburg connections

Casey mentioned that the band all had Canberra connections other than Johan. I wondered if being married to Casey was a Canberra connection (obviously it is!) but you can see Casey's point. Other than Johan, the band was locally trained. But they've toured in Europe and released a CD recorded live in Krakow and they are touring here and are about to go into the studio. I am impressed that such international collaborations happen, but they do and they are common enough.

This one is Australia/Sweden with the Moirs in Gothenburg. Some tone of Scandinavia comes through in Casey's voice. And what voice! Her control, invention, flexibility are breathtaking. There's immense movement, quietness and detail here, and all manner of vocal techniques are in use, breaths, tongue clicks, pops, shushs. Mostly wordlessly, soloistically, perhaps unison as melody with Reuben's trumpet, or bouncing off Aidan's drums. But this incarnation is structured around songs with words, all poetry written by Casey herself and put to music by Casey or Reuben or Luke or Johan. Words, of course, have shared meaning, so there were love songs and tragic songs and fun songs and more. But in her way, Casey melds and bends consonants and tones for musical effect, shushing a final s or tacking a final t, consistently in any one tune. These shaped words may be harder to catch, and the lines are rhythmically jagged, but there's seriousness in thought, here, not just in music. And what a responsive band this is. Casey gave some guidance, conducting some starts and stops, but these are independently capable musicians, each getting spots to highlight their parts. I mentioned the vocals/drums segment - a unique or very rare combination - and the unison trumpet/vocals, which was satisfying if not so rare. There was also a bass/vocals passage and frequent open spaces for individual instruments - piano, of course, but also bass and mixes of bass/trumpet and the like. Luke even donned a piano accordion for the final, jokey tune, and that fit neatly with the theme, musically folksy and ironic but with serious intent. The song was entitled No : "No there is nothing new in knowing nothing / like those who know nothing new". I can only agree. There are open, free feels here, bass noises and harmonics, free jazz and new techniques. There's tradition, too, as I caught hints of quotes from the repertoire, from experience rather than intent. Grooves to settle or dissolve; solo passages that are interrupted by frenzied fills; crescendoes that grow long and almost imperceptibly; then to fall or decay, ff to pp and perhaps breeze and quizzical, sparse piano chords. There was even an end with the guys chanting under Casey's much firmer voice. It's complex music, intriguing and rich with lots of openess and clean air. Canberra and Gothenburg can both probably lay claim to open space and clean air.

There's detail and complexity here and it places considerable demands on both performers and audience, but the room was entranced. Like travel, music like this broadens a stale mind. Obviously one for the arthouse and festivals, never the clubs. Svelia is the international collaboration of Casey Moir (vocals), Johan Moir (bass), Reuben Lewis (trumpet), Luke Sweeting (piano, piano accordion) and Aidan Lowe (drums).