Finally Merimbula 5: misc pics

Finally Merimbula 4

Then there was my band. I just performed in one band, for two sets over two days. We had decent spots in the program: 9pm Saturday; 10pm Sunday; both at the Sapphire; the second on the main stage. What a blast!

These were seriously good musos and such a pleasure to perform with: Pearl Noire out front, a Jamaican / English / Australian with presence to burn; the renowned local Noddy on drums; Baba and Dan on horns, both great readers and excellent soloists; Mike on piano and musical direction and me. This was such a good outfit: tight as, lively and entertaining, joyful but with serious chops and driving grooves. All reading with just a touch of preparation and otherwise seat of the pants, but with decent players who can cover when the things get loose. The second gig was noticibly better after the practice that was the first. The tunes were virtually all originals, songs by Pearl with charts by Mike, and a few original instrumentals by Mike. This was great fun. And I’m proud (relieved?) to say I carried my part. Thanks to the band, and hope we can do it again. We were Jazz Republic with Pearl Noire: Pearl Noire (vocals), Mike Dooley (piano, musical director), Rouslan (Baba) Babajanov (sax), Dan McLean (flugelhorn, Saturday only), Derrick (Noddy) Brassington (drums) and Eric Pozza (bass).

Finally Merimbula 3

I caught one of two sets of the ANU Big Band under John Mackey. Big it is: 30 performers including eight singers. As you’d expect, it was lively and well turned out. I felt comfy from the first vibrant chords of a Bill Liston chart, and it was a roller coaster ride from there. Woody Herman played on bass clarinet and clarinet; a vocal choir performing Easy to love; a Bach cello suite performed on 6-string e-bass by Jack Schwenke. The Music School now joins students from jazz and classical backgrounds, so we get an idiosyncratic performance. Strange, yes, but also interesting.

Mark VI included several players I was to perform with in my own band, so I had to catch them. They are led by trumpeter Mark Durieu, performing hardbop and the like: David Sanborn, Scotch & soda, Sugar. It’s entertaining music and hardly profound, but I’m sure it doesn’t claim to be. These are good musos: good readers, good soloists, correct and capable. You can see the Army Band connections in the reading and accuracy and occasionally in the haircuts. I particularly enjoyed Noddy’s drive, Baba’s fluent solos and Barney’s easy reading. Barney had to do the set on double after he’d left his guitar strap in the car, but I didn’t notice anything lacking. Mark VI were Mark Durieu (trumpet), Rouslan (Baba) Babajanov (sax), Douglas Hill (piano), Richard Manning (guitar), Scott Temby (guitar – not sure he was playing this set), Barney (Benjamin) Briggs (bass) and Derrick (Noddy) Brassington (drums).

Don’t tell Megan, but I went to a jazz service. Well, actually an ecumenical gospel service, as I was informed by someone leaving a local Anglican church. It was in the Catholic church, an unfortunate ‘60s A-frame construction with a priest who mentioned Parsifal and his preferences for other than jazz. He railed against ideology and at one point even questioned Papal modernism. I can respect tradition, but I felt a chill breeze of Pellucid conservatism about this man. The readings were Psalms 158-160, all praise to the Lord. Some lines from the “responsive prayer” sounded like piffle to my ears: “Let us raise to the limits of time / And behold Your eternity / Let us run to the edges of space / And gaze into Your immensity”. I prefer words like “Blessed are the peacemakers”. I often hear music in churches these days; they can be some of the best spaces for music. This was jazz and gospel singing. Rhythm Syndicate was choir; Pippa Wilson was singer with a decent, mature, traddie band. The songs were Swing down chariot (what is it about chariots in gospel music?), Amazing Grace, God bless the child (lovely!); I believe (credulous pap to my ears); Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah (deeply uncertain and earthy and a paen for our times); He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother (unfortunate); Put your hand in the hand (lively) and When the Saints go marching in (inevitable). I enjoyed this. I sang along and searched for harmonies, no doubt annoying the couple in front of me, but it was fun and it loosened the vocal chords.

Finally Merimbula 2

I listened to an interesting duo over a Thai dinner: baritone sax and violin. They introduced themselves as Richard and Anna Savery (Anna’s in the program as Anna Okunev in the trio Sweet and Savery). This was classical chops applied to jazz, easy sequences, extended ranges, long arpeggiated phrases, double stop string accompaniment. The classical training was clearly evident on violin. I’m not sure of baritone sax as a classical instrument, but Richard had chops too. Classical players don’t swing quite like jazzers, but they worked through the Real Book with ease and took requests. I suggested Out of nowhere and Bluesette and they did them both. I was entertained and most impressed. Richard Savery (baritone sax) played with Ana Okunev (violin).

I really enjoyed a set by singer Ketzia Wood supported by a piano trio. Her voice was raspy and she mentioned a recent cold. I noticed no spectacular control or technique but here was the stage presence of torch singers in dark bars and the era of Lady Day. This was simple melody perfectly phrased, undemonstrative but emotively deep, of the moment, shimmering movement and guiltlessly seductive. I’m not sure the women would have responded quite the same, but Ketzia had presence. She sang the likes of Embraceable you and I’m old fashioned. What else?

As good as the best were our Canberra mates, Angela Lount and the Fedoras. Perhaps this is no surprise. They are classy professional players who gig often and are deeply ensconced in the music scene as both performers and teachers. This was easy presence and informality with chops. Dan McLean and James Luke shred the tunes but I just await every solo from Paul dal Broi. He sits calm and thoughtful, deconstructing the tamest of tunes into obtuse and edgy re-harmonisations and occasional streams of melodic thought. You wouldn’t expect it from this playlist – Blue skies, Autumn leaves, Georgia – but these guys are hot and the outcome is downright interesting. Angela Lount (vocals) led the Fedoras comprising Dan McLean (flugelhorn), Paul dal Broi (piano), James Luke (bass) and Mitch Preston (drums) sitting in.

I caught the Wonderdogs and they are good. This is very well practiced trad-styled entertainment with considerable fluency. Tight, with modern presence and chops. Wonderdogs are Andrew Jack (trumpet), Ian Christensen (reeds), Greg Simmons (banko), Alex Wilson (bass) and Bill Lawler (drums).

Finally Merimbula 1

It must be the very professional concert series called the Melbourne Jazz Festival that causes the conflicts with the much more community-level Merimbula JF. I have been booked to go to the last two Merimbulas. Two years back, an incredible weekend of Ron Carter, Jason Moran, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dan Tepfer and others intervened. I hoped for a similar collection at Darling Harbour last year. No such luck but I’d pulled out. This year, I was committed and again there was a clash: Tony Malaby (NYC: Charlie Haden, Paul Motian, Fred Hirsch) and David Ades playing Saturday night just 2 minutes walk from my house, no less. So Merimbula has a history for me, despite this being my first visit.

Merimbula is 3 hours from Canberra and a standard East coast seaside town. The weekend started cold, with brilliant sun but frigid winds. As I arrived there was traffic chaos with two accidents. One car was on its side just metres from my residence. I started the weekend by registering and orienting myself. For a little town, there’s a bit of walking between venues and a few hills. I got to four venues (6 stages) and missed one venue that’s not walkable. There’s a good deal of trad jazz here, the standard street parades and Saints marching and massed brass and some banjos and even New Orleans-costumes in frilly green to match the be-ribboned balloons decorating each venue. It’s also a town out to capitalise on an event (mayors really should keep some things to themselves, but economics has become the lowest common denominator of citizenship these days) and several thousand visitors enjoying some decent music and a few beers. There’s a spattering of ANU students I know, and a new generation that I don’t. There are many bands out of country Victoria and they are new to me. There are quite a few big bands but I missed most. There were eight stages running hourly gigs from noon to midnight. Given considerable choice, I decided just to take a relaxed approach, mainly hanging out at the Sapphire Club and write up only a few bands that took my fancy.

The Clark Spillane Quintet was led by bassist Steve Clark with singer Colleen Spillane. This was a classy, relaxed standards band playing the mainstream: There will never be another you, At last, Polkadots and moonbeams, Time after time. They added a few pop numbers: Masquerade (of course) but also Walk on by, which suited Colleen’s voice to a tee. I also discovered a lovely new ballad, I think it was Watch what happens. I admired Colleen’s well controlled voice and fitting vibrato and the band was relaxed and steady. Nice also to hear Canberra pianist Mark Bolsius. The Clark Spillane quintet was out of local town Candelo and comprised Steve Clark (bass), Mark Bolsius (piano), Matt Dixon (guitar), Ken Varcher (drums) and Colleen Spillane (vocals).

I just caught the end of the Army Band Jazz Ensemble gig: only one last song, Perhaps. First off, it seemed tame, but then there was growing tension, dissonance and a feverish drum solo and a denouement ending. I was chatting, so it was just in one ear, but I wish I’d heard more. Never take the Army for granted.