B-ing late

Last year was the big Beethoven birth bicentennial but many events were lost due to Covid.  I just got to one, a year late.  It was Black Mountain Piano Quartet playing two Beethoven piano quartets, one written at age 15, another much later, and two pieces written to Beethoven.  Local composer Michael Hardy, an old mate from the Patents Office and also the Blues Club, presented two world premieres, A scherzo for Ludwig and Ludwig in Wonderland.  Mike introduced the works as influenced by Beethoven's playfulness, thus the scherzo, obvious enough, but Wonderland?  Beethoven after too much listening to Steve Reich and Terry Riley.  Amusing.  And both were solid, interesting works.  Well done.  Not to be limited (Mike is prolific!) the encore was a classical take on an Angels song, a great melody with classical harmony and quartet interplays.  Insinuating and satisfying.  The BMPQ was neat and internally responsive, perhaps a bit unsure of some of Mike's reimaginings, but very satisfying.  As for cello, Alex got a good few bass-like lines.   But think of this.  In a few hours in downtown Canberra, I've explored bell ringing in two venues and experienced 2.5 world premieres and 2 Beethoven piano quartets.  And tomorrow a touch of Afrobeat, perhaps?

 The Black Mountain Piano Quartet comprised Jason Li (violin), Thayer Parker (viola), Alex Moncur (cello) and Kathleen Loh (piano).  They played Beethoven and Michael Hardy after Beethoven and The Angels at All Saints, including 2.5 world premieres.

Roots

My visits to the Blues Society jam session are rare these days but they are fun. Plenty of grey hair and historical rockers; memories of Hendrix and BB and Dr John; good gear and decent PA and adored guitars. Stevie Ray is a hero. It's somewhat like the Moon landing, I guess, like Apollo 11, this very day 50 years back. It's aged, but aged well because there's some truth in it. One band played Beatles While my guitar gently weeps then Billy Thorpe Most people I know think that I'm crazy then Hendrix Red House. I must admit I loved that (and sang along with Thorpie), but it's not quite the real thing. The real thing was 12 bars, in C or B (!) and shuffles and sleezy, funky swampy blues. They were the tunes my collection played and it was genuinely fun. Of course, the one band I played in doesn't have a pic, but that's how it is. The others do. There were several other bands, not least the host band, The Drivers (once the Backbeat Drivers), with Mike and Steve and Dean and Doc playing a storm. Some great vocals and thrilling guitar. There are some nice musos through the jams, too. People who've been through a string of bands and still playing this after 30/40 years. I got to play with a mate, Leo Joseph, this time on guitar, and Dan, Dan, Josh and Chris. Known only as names on a board. They do it well and with integrity. And it's a nice, relaxed venue, Harmonie German club, and there are a few dancers (mostly girls, of various ages). Get along. $5 entry and a club bar in the room. And a string of mates, getting down and dirty. Not the intellectualism of jazz or the beauty of classical but down to earth and real and goes well with a beer. The Canberra Jazz Society meets the last Sunday of each month (not Jan?) for a jam session at the Harmonie German Club.

The Canberra Blues Society holds a jam session last Sunday of each month (not January) at the Harmonie German Club. The Drivers were Steve Hartnett (vocals, guitar, harp), Michael Hardy (guitar), Dean Edgecombe (bass) and Doc Rennie (drums).