Get it while you can

Friday evening at the National Press Club this week was Matt with Rohan and Simeon. As we’d expect from Matt, this was sparse and razor sharp renditions of standards: Night in Tunisia, Invitation, Hey babe ain’t I good to you and more. Some very nice solos from Rohan, too. I even noticed several people listening closely: an achievement at an after-work Friday-evening bar scene. Matt Thompson (piano) led a trio with Rohan Dasika (bass) and Simeon Staker (drums).

Turossing it (Moruya 2011/2)

Matt Thompson has been an enigma to me, being a particularly sparse-cum-minimalist performer, but I heard him twice at Moruya and I loved it. Sparse is certainly the word. You ache for the next delayed note in a melody that’s not so much challenging as just right. And when the whole band does it together, it’s quite magical. It seems touched with blues (a blues connotation?) in its simplicity and its infectiousness and, with Josie’s words, it takes on a singer-songwriter significance. Then, given the desert-dry atmosphere, a waterfall of notes in Matt’s solo in the last tune was a stunner. I enjoyed these two sets. Matt Thompson (piano) leads a quartet with Josie Jensen (vocals), Rafael Jerjen (bass) and Henry Rasmussen (drums).

Lakeside Circus is a favourite of mine. It’s a creation of Jono Lake, but he was called back to Canberra and the band did the set without him. I listened to Sun Ra returning from the coast, and the Circus has a similarly playful and iconoclastic vigour. Trumpeter Shane Spellman took to the drumkit that Jono now leads from and Reuben Lewis sat in for Shane on trumpet. This is vibrant, fun, entertaining, even dissident music that thrives on its frolicsome composition and collective performance. Fun and refreshing. Jono Lake (piano, drums) is the leader and composer for Lakeside Circus but was not available. This day, the Circus was Andrew Fedorovich (alto), Max Williams (tenor), Patrick Langdon (trombone), Reuben Lewis (trumpet), Alec Coulson (bass) and Shane Spellman (drums).

Organic developments

It was a steamier style for Matt Thompson’s Organ Trio at the Trinity than I had previously heard at Moruya. Matt is not one to play screeds of notes or flourishes. It’s much more the deep, elusive interval or harmony that defines his approach to my ears, at least in the couple of outfits that I’ve seen him play with. At Moruya, his Organ Trio was particularly sparse. But Trinity’s a noisy venue, and there was a large group of people partying last night. Perhaps this brought out just a little of the mongrel in the trio.

I caught the first set. I think it was Wayne Shorter to start then another favourite melody, but I didn’t recall the titles. Then a lumbering organ blues and ballad Georgia and Softly as a morning sunrise. I heard it as hotter than previous outings, but there were still moody, floating passages that sat waiting for crepuscular melodies. Early on, I noticed a satisfyingly solid swing from John, rich with precise accents and snaps and rolls, which harkened to the hotter outing. But always there was Matt defining the cool, holding back on careless ebullience. Max is a good choice for such an outfit. He’s thoughtful and considered, working the chords steadily and comfortable with considerable dissonance. He plays faster and longer lines as the solo progresses, but they have an inevitability that speaks of solo development. But Matt is the master of the calm and considered. This is theory parsed to the n-th degree. The sparsest of lines, the most minimal of solos, the most tangential of intervals, but there’s hidden harmony that beguiles as you settle in. Melodies that weave through the structure, often distant or perpendicular, as they resolve to the tune that you knew was always there but shadowed in the minimalist soundscape. It’s elusive and inscrutable and a bit baffling. But it’s not unknowable and I’m still coming to grips with it. This is a mature player with a developed and personal style that doesn’t divulge its secrets lightly. Quite a challenge, not least to me.

Matt Thompson (keyboards) led his Organ Trio with Max Williams (tenor) and John Wilton (drums) at Trinity.

Moruya 2009, bis

More from the Air Raid at Moruya Jazz Festival.

Fourth Degree Byrnes is Neveen Byrne’s platform for original tunes. She plays with several of the mature players from the school. I only caught one short tune from the band this day. It was their last piece: a moody original with keyboard and guitar solos and gave and weighty melody overlaid by Neveen on tenor. Intense and interesting stuff; I wish I’d heard more. Neveen Byrnes (tenor) played with Andy Campbell (guitar), Andy Butler (piano) and Hugh Deacon (drums).

I also just caught a snippet of Matilda Abraham’s Quintet (festivals are for socialising, too). It’s an impressive group of players, although a few seemed less prominent this year. This outing was pretty much heads down in concentration, although was leavened by Matilda’s singing and some of her original songs. Matilda Abraham (vocals) led a quintet with Andy Butler (piano), Carl Morgan (guitar), Chris Pound (bass) and Aidan Lowe (drums).

Chris and Aidan reappeared with the Recording Ensemble. I really enjoyed this performance. It was lively, engaged with the audience and the band was obviously having a great time. The Recording Ensemble plays original music and arrangements by its members like Reuben Lewis’s arrangement of a Zappa tune and Nick Combe’s Shhh…. I was particularly taken by Luke Sweeting’s composition Sound canvas. I’d listened to the modern remake of Gill Evans, Re-Birth of the Cool, on the drive down to Moruya, and I felt it was reminiscent of the charts, with voice leading and harmonies and melodic organisation harking to that era. The ANU Big Band was also at Moruya and I missed them, but I didn’t miss the ANU Commercial Ensemble. Big, bright, brassy, funky, cocky. All those things, and danceable and lively too. The large ensembles are always highlights.

The ANU faculty was also represented. Two sets struck me as calm, controlled and from the mind. Mike Price (guitar) led his trio with Eric Ajaye (bass) and Col Hoorweg (drums). Mike plays some originals but also re-envisioned standards, with admirable and very cool interpretations. This is thoughtful and intellectual fare, not for the dancefloor, but for savouring some perceptive soloing. Matt Thompson (keyboards) led an organ trio in another controlled and minimalist performance. This was left hand organ lines, revisioned and leisurely bebop, slow but melodically challenging right hand lines. John Wilton (drums) accompanied, along with Max Williams (tenor) who matched with lines where every note felt individually selected.

Just one corner of one school

It was Universities Open Day today. No. 2 son visited ANU, but I just lurked at the Music School (which is also ANU, of course). There were masses of events there. I caught much of the jazz, and just touched the classical. It’s invigorating to realise just how much was available. This is just one university (although a renowned one), and I was overwhelmed with just one corner of one school. We live in such a time of richness, if only people will go out and find it. Here’s just a quick visit. Excuse the pics, but I dropped my normal camera today, and I’m back to a very, very basic model for the interim.

I caught all three of the large jazz ensembles: Recording Ensemble, Commercial Band and Big Band. The BB was an earlier jazz style, less challenging and a bit less exciting than the others, perhaps more of a training ensemble with newer students (although there’s a batch of mature students there too) but entertaining. The Recording Ensemble features original compositions by members. This is interesting and often blissful with varied tempos and rich harmonies and complex orchestrations. Interesting also for the double drum seats that are featuring this year. The Commercials are the funky outfit: lively, exciting, variety. They have some student arrangements, but mainly professional-level charts from the best arrangers. This is hot and sweaty grooves and just plain fun.

The Open Days also feature workshops by faculty. I missed the bass & drums workshop this year, but managed the piano trio workshop. Actually, this was a first performance of a new trio of Matt Thompson (piano), Eric Ajaye (bass) and Mark Sutton (drums) with some chats and Q&As between tunes. It’s in its very earliest days, but it’s quite a cerebral outfit. Eric spoke of refraining from dropping into swing. Mark talked of playing colours rather than his normal grooves. I imagine it’s especially demanding with eminently swingable tunes like Nardis, Solar and All the things you are. On the other hand, I felt this cool was Matt’s natural approach (given the limited times I’ve hear him play). Matt was sparse, single note right hand solos developing into considerable melodic complexity, and few, or long delayed, chords. Mark expressed some discomfort maintaining this colours role, feeling a desire to drop into something more clearly swung. Eric seemed to enjoy it, with bass chord comping, or repeated rapid accompaniment riffs, or solos alone or in conjunction with the others. It will be interesting to watch developments here.

I actually got drawn away from this trio by the siren song of a soprano wafting from Llewellyn Hall. Some highly pitched, plaintive, vibratoed notes with orchestral backing, and I was Odysseus unbound. Typical of sirens, though, the soprano had departed by the time I got there. The replacement was a good humoured rehearsal of the ANUSM Orchestra playing Bizet. They were playing a bouncing waltz as I entered, and some booming chords a little later. There were so many players on stage, so informal. In fact, the brass players seemed quite underemployed as they counted out the bars until they came in again. (I wondered if the Productivity Commission would see this as unproductive, inefficient? Probably not. I expect they attend). It was a lovely interlude, and evidence that there’s life beyond jazz.

But back to jazz, and John Mackey’s improvisation masterclass. It was more a chat and workshop, and an awareness-raiser for anyone who was considering the commitment that is jazz. John enjoys his practice, and it shows in great technique, incredible fluidity and huge tone. John takes a rational approach to learning the instrument, in order to “forget it all and just play” (Charlie Parker). Indications of his approach: any four notes can be played (without repeating a note) in 24 patterns; there are thousands of scales, but his students should practice 276 scales every day (23 scales in 12 keys); transcriptions are essential and his students are required to learn their chosen solos in 6 keys (he used to expect 12 keys, but he’s relented!). You get the message. He demonstrated several times: playing solos against an Aebersold recording of Have you met Miss Jones; later playing a transcribed solo, then playing the same, identical solo. A few quotes will give the feel: “If you have to think about the notes in a chord sequence, it’s over”, “Perfect your craft”, “Practice slowly all the time”. John represents intellect and commitment combined to support true and expansive expression: always inspiring.

I also visited the ANUSM Recording studio and mixing/mastering suite. Nevin Stines had recorded a Jazz School band earlier, and was doing a rough mix. Great gear, wonderful chatter about recording matters, and some hugely clear recorded sounds in the studio. Lastly, I caught John Burgess playing a solo EUB (Electric Upright Bass) set in the ANUSM Level 5 Café. This was loops and delays and tunes including Stella by starlight. Solo bass – nice one.