SoundOut 2025-1

There are 4 SoundOut sessions and 3 workshops, but it's a busy weekend so I can just get to one session.  Unfortunate, as it's a big year with a slew of internationals, even a whole band from France, as well as our locals and others.  My session was no.3, Saturday evening.  I walked in to hear a rising clamour from tenor, alto, soprano saxes, guitar and drums while visual artist Locust Jones made black on white painting against a wall, sometimes with his nose.   Several of these musicians were from Hubbub, that French group, along with an Italian soprano saxist and SoundOut director Richard Johnson.  LJ also had a series of large-scaled politically-themed painting in the main gallery and they were fascinating.  Then Great Waitress+ with clarinet, piano and accordion. I felt this was strongly led by Magda Mayes, Berlin pianist, with apt harmonies from Laura Altman on clarinet and a light wash of colour and presence from Monica Brooks on accordion.

Locust Jones (visual artist) performed visual arts with musical accopaniment from Jean-Luc Guionnet (alto, France), Gianni Mimmo (soprano, Italy), Jean-Sebastien Mariage (?, guitar, France), Edward Perraud (drums, France) and Richard John son (tenor).  Great Waitress+ comprised Laura Altman (clarinet), Monica Brooks (accordion) and Magda Mayas (piano, Berlin). 

Musing and perusing (SO2)

SoundOut 2013 day 2, in which he continues to muse on the nature of this strangeness. I continue to be uncertain over this music. I listen with my eyes closed and it can be fascinating. Some players spark references to traditions and I respond to that. When Luiz dropped into a slow bass walk that was quite free of tonality, I felt comforted. I’m not so settled with some of the bowing and slapping and other techniques. In his clock-conducted piece from Saturday, Jon Rose gave instructions to do something and eating was one option. On Sunday, he improvised by picking up a broom and sweeping the premises and later closed and opened a piano lid and discussed it with a colleague. He also presented a talk of two parties, a woman seemingly uninvited at the mic, he sitting and chatting, talking of marriage and music and more. This was interesting but odd as a music performance (agreed, words are sounds, but they have defined meanings that music doesn’t have). I enjoyed this but was frustrated by trying to catch two related but different conversions at once, but then, that’s probably one theme. I discussed these dilemmas with various friends and performers. One saw this music as taking away all the traditions and using what’s left. He remains a hard-bop devotee. One performer flummoxed me by saying that this music has its own traditions now (almost a century of Cage, Bartók, Stockhausen and the like) and that all the performers are out of jazz or classical training anyway. That certainly had me thinking. Another spoke of texture as a concern, of having no interest in a tonal centre, let alone harmony, how it didn’t matter which strings are muted with bluetak. It sounded chaotic but I loved her playing that ranged from delicate with repeated fingered patterns to loud and tumultuous with impassioned tone clusters that ranged over the keyboard. But then, another player slammed heavy hands on a keyboard with none of her skills and subtlety. It worked and she responded effectively, but it further confused my responses.

So what did we hear on the evening session of day 2? A few group improvisations that were floating and indeterminate to my ears. A combination with the Sydney rhythm section of Mike Majkowski and James Waples floated at first, but took off on top of wonderful rhythmic power from James. This was nowhere near a groove, but well-formed heavy notes with oblique overlays of stick play. I particularly enjoyed Hermione Johnson on piano in several outings. First with Jon Rose and Luiz where Jon’s humour and unconventionality and virtuosity, Luiz’s commitment, bowing and occasional pizz and Hermione’s densely passionate and expansive tone clusters were invigourating and emotionally satisfying. Hermione also impressed me when backing Super-8 experimental film artist, Louise Curham, along with Jeff Henderson on calls and wails on baritone sax. The whole show ended with the Barcode Quartet returning for a set and a welcome to all the other musos to join in to end the festival.

I have lots to learn of post-tonal music. This was a vivid exposure to a field and a happy one with a range of interesting and friendly performers from across the world. I have some reading to do in preparation for next year. And one last cheer to Richard Johnson for his great work in pulling this together for the fourth time.

Cyberhalides Jazz Photos by Brian Stewart

On the other side (SO1)

The ACO was performing Tognetti’s Mozart in Llewellyn Hall. I dread to think how the ACO audience would have taken to SoundOut, the experimental music and free jazz festival in progress just the other side of the car park in Theatre 3. SoundOut is now in its fourth year. It’s a weekend festival of experimental music and free jazz organised by local reedist Richard Johnson. And all praise to him for the effort. This thing is growing; it’s international; it’s well provided with gear in a fitting venue. And this event was being multitracked for likely ABC broadcast.

This is not music of Mozartian popularity. It’s a strange world of noise and exploration and alternative techniques and small audiences. There were about 25 performers from Australia and NZ, but also from Germany, Austria, UK, Canada and Brazil, here with the help of various embassies. It’s controversial and a thought challenge. It’s certainly unconventional, and to some degree that’s its purpose. It’s rethinking about sound, exploring and expanding the palette of noise that we call music and sometimes venturing into associated arts. There was a dancer and an experimental film performer this evening, along with an electronics performer and 20+ musicians on traditional instruments. They were not necessarily played traditionally, of course. I wonder why they bother with traditional instruments for some noise explorations (like spinning clarinet parts or timber floors or the metallic clicking of clips against saxes) but they are perfectly relevant for others (like bows on cymbals or clucking on sax mouthpieces) and, anyway, they are on stage with these instruments in their hands. There are various degrees of traditional skills, too. This is where I found my preferences. I could clearly see traditional training and harmonic awareness in the Barcode Quartet from Austria/UK. I found them my favourite outing for the night. The forthright stand by Alison Blunt was worthy of the ACO next door, and although she dabbled in alt techniques, her fingering and bowing were exemplary. So were the wonderfully expressive and tonally varied vocals of Annette Giesriegl which sounded all the way from beak clicks to Nordic languages. The piano of Elizabeth Harnick was slabs of dissonance and delicacy of directly plucked strings and thoughtful search for harmony. And the male of the group, Josef Klemmer, played these popular light sticks, laid down authentic rhythms and touched on Nintendo drums, sounding all electronic and heavy and processed. Given their basis in trad skills, they may fit more in the free jazz than experimental field, but whatever, I found these thrilling and thoughtful and authentic.

Tony Buck played drums with Magda Mayas, a German pianist. I felt similarly for Tony as he took from more traditional forms. They had some initial technical problems, but after this, the set developed strongly. I’d lent my bass to Luiz Gubeissi of the Abaetetuba Collective, and I’d heard some impressive skills when he was warming up and checking out the bass in the morning, some forceful pizz and manly bowing. I liked it when he dropped into a short segment of pizz in their set. I felt it collected the instruments, formed a groove of sorts, brought things together more. But they mostly explored the experimental field of unfettered emotional expression and prepared instruments. There were fiddles and shamisens and guitars but in this context they are removed from cultural references. It’s noise as art. I often find it valid and engrossing when I close my eyes, but it is also culturally distant to my ears.

The major work of the night was Composition for 25 artists by Jon Rose. This was interesting. A full stage of musicians, one dancer, one video artist, four pianists on two pianos, three drum kits and several other drummers, and front and centre, a screen displaying minutes and seconds. The work commenced with 1 minute of silence, then 40 minutes of sound, and the end. Each minute was guided for each player, with instructions for volume, short/long notes, chords, perforkm or not. Otherwise, players listened and melded by chosing notes of a chord, phrases and rests, crescendos and whatever. All eyes, including the audience, were on the seconds as they ticked to the minute, anticipating new sounds. Jon took part, mid-right on stage, not leading but participating. This is communal composition. I found it fascinating and satisfying and skilful, and visually interesting, with so many busy musicians, as well as dancer and video and that mesmerising clock.

This was the Saturday evening session. More to come with Sunday’s session. The musicians at SoundOut 2013 are: Adam Sussman (Guitarist /electronics [Brisbane]), Alison Blunt (violin [UK] Barcode Qrt), Alison Plevey (sound manipulation, dance [Canberra]), Andrew Fedorovitch (sax [Canberra]), Annette Giesriegl (vocals [Austria] Barcode Quartet), Antonio Panda Gianfratti (percussion, ABAETETUBA collective, [Brazil]), Elisabeth Harnik (piano [Styria/Austria] Barcode Quartet), Hermione Johnson (piano [New Zealand]), James Waples (percussion [Sydney]), Jeff Henderson (Alto & baritone sax [NZ]), John Porter (tenor sax [Canberra]), Jon Rose (violin, multi-instrumentalist ([Sydney; Berlin]), Josef Klammer (drums, electronics [Austria] Barcode Quartet), Louise Curham (experimental film, performer [Canberra]), Luiz Gubeissi (double bass, ABAETETUBA collective, [Brazil]), Luke Keenan-Brown (drums [Canberra]), Magda Mayas (piano [Germany]), Matt Earle (multi-instrumentalist, Stasis Duo - [Brisbane]), Michael Norris (electronics & feedback [Canberra]), Mike Majkowski (composer, improvisor, double bass [Australia/Berlin]), Reuben Ingalls (guitar, electronics [Canberra]), Rhys Butler (alto sax [Canberra]), Richard Johnson (wind instruments [Canberra]), Rodrigo Montoya (shamisen, guitar, ABAETETUBA collective [Brazil].), Thomas Rohrer (Brazilian fiddle, sax, ABAETETUBA collective [Brazil]), Tony Buck (drums, percussion [Berlin and Sydney]).

Cyberhalides Jazz Photos by Brian Stewart