Valé Niels

It was with sadness but also a great deal of musical admiration and fond memories that we farewelled Niels Rosenhdahl.   There were many people present, musicians, friends and family, and plenty of the performers were on stage through a string of combinations.  Probably most had played with Niels.  Michael and Eric from Straight Up; Leigh, Aron and Sam and The Lethals; a string of duets; finally, a big band assembled by Sally Greenaway playing a song from a UNT mate, a tune by Sally, and two burners written by Niels.  The band was fabulous, tight and sharp and exciting, true to Niels' memory.  So a sad but respectful outing all round.  Valé Niels, you will be in our memories.  And CJ's thoughts for family,  John, Teresa, Holly and Matilda.

The Niels Rosendahl Memorial Concert was held in the Tim Murray theatre at Canberra Grammar School.

Our locals

You can get nonchalant after seeing the local names often enough, but take a break and settle in and you can be floored.  I was floored the other night for the latest band incarnation at Geoff Page's monthly concert.  Just friends John Mackey, Miro Bukovsky, Lachlan Coventry and Chris Thwaite, and just eight tunes taken from the standards repertoire, but a stunning outing with depth and purpose and Immense capability.  It should be no surprise but you can take the locals for granted.  It would have been just 7 tunes but Giant steps was called as an encore.  And there was that intense contact, too, with the dedication of the concert to once student, friend and musical prodigy, Niels Rosendahl, recently, sadly deceased.  Thus the Giant steps request.  Otherwise, this was a hugely satisfying outing, supple and malleable with instructive improvisations.  I followed John with awe at the alacrity, yes, but mostly his structured investigations, his awareness of pitch and its relevance, meaning somewhat harmony but also the interaction with melody.  Then Miro, spelling out the chords and keys with a different approach, like Miles to John's Coltrane, a more high altitude view of pitch colours and harmonic movements, perhaps moving phrases chromatically over the changes.  Then Lachlan, this time in bass form on his Fender VI, sometime finger picked, mostly picked, soft and thumpy, playing with dampened notes, fabulously astute rhythmic plays, on latins or others and extravagant guitar-like lines in some solos, and a readiness to lay out or leave space or change grooves to move through and alter the essence of a tune.  And Chris there just with Lachlan on that, chops and change but following the choruses where sometimes I wondered how and where.  So this was a fabulous outing by some immensely capable locals.  Just locals?  Yes, our locals, although locals pop up all over as I've found often enough in the jazz world.

John Mackey (tenor) led a quartet at Smiths with Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet, flugelhorn), Lachlan Coventry (bass) and Chris Thwaite (drums).  The session was dedicated to Niels Rosendahl (sax).

PS.  As for vegan tatooing, I never knew there was such a thing.

Old and young guns, pt.1

The concert was entitled 21+75 because it marked the recent birthdays of each artist. Andy Butler was the junior; Bernie McGann the senior. If this expresses the quality of jazz in Australia as it has been and as it will be, I can only be proud. These were two seriously satisfying sets, and I was not the only one who left in thrall.

Andy led a big band (and for one tune, an octet) performing a series of charts that he’s developed with sponsorship and mentoring from Steve Newcomb under an Australia Council program. I know the band is brought together for this performance, so I was mightily impressed by how easily the band took to the charts. They weren’t easy, with odd times and syncopated conversational passages back and forth between parts. There may have been a touch of hesitation from the horns but nothing at all from Mark on drums. I particularly noticed his solo, which was solid, even magisterial. And a mix on a decent PA made all the difference. You always hear the snakey reeds and the blasting trumpets, but the tuba can be lost with its bell pointing to the ceiling. Tonight it was here and proud and speaking with its own voice. There were solos all round, of course, but the excitement here is in the tone and the orchestration and composition. The first tune was as yet unnamed and I heard it in 7/4 but perhaps with 4/4 passages. Poco was a highly syncopated unyielding pattern over 16 with a buzzing bee swarm as resolution. I missed the third tune’s title, but it was sleazy and slow and arranged for octet. The big band returned for Ode to Skype, if I remember correctly, in triple time. Andy later told me he communicates with Steve (and his girlfriend) over Skype. The final tune was Tightrope. There as a lively buzz in the foyer after Andy’s concert: for the pride in achievement as well as for the beer line. This gig was joyously received and Andy was talking of other gigs. But how to do this with such a large outfit? We can only hope.

Andy Butler (piano, composer) led big band comprising John Mackey, Niels Rosendahl, Matt Handel, Tom Fell (saxes), Miroslav Bukovsky, Alex Raupach, Ax Long, Scott Temby (trumpets), Rob Lee, Valdis Thomann, Patrick Langdon (trombones), Peter McGovern (tuba), Max Alduca (bass) and Mark Sutton (drums)

Cyberhalides Jazz Photos by Brian Stewart

This time Texas

It was almost like a jazz variety show when Niels Rosendahl presented his Farewell Concert. There was an audience of family and friends and not just the local jazz students and tragics. There was a good representation of audio and recording engineers and photographers were well represented. Niels, as host, chatted with the audience and invited a string of musician colleagues to stage to perform a varied mix of styles and tonalities. Then to top it off, there was a party in the foyer afterwards. But this was not lightweight performance. These are top players around town and our best are very good. First up was Niels’ organ trio with Luke Sweeting and Gary France with that particular ‘50s tonality that can be a bit woofy but which swings hard and funky when it’s in good hands. They were variously joined by three trumpets (locals Dan McLean and Ben Marston and Melbourne visitor Matt Tubman) and Raf Jerjen sat in after a few tunes. Ben played a gloriously melodic solo on Stella by starlight (trumpeters do) that highlighted to me the difference from prolific tenor madness. But then Dan and Matt indulged in trumpet mania with Dizzy’s classic brass hit, Night in Tunisia. Niels played Moon River for a friend in NYC and Luke performed a piano solo, while reading a chart from his mobile, that had Brenton and I astonished by its brilliantly perverse logic. (Luke later told us he just ignored the chart for a bit – so much for our ears). Both Raf and Gary had their solos too. Raf was newly back from NYC with a new commitment to rhythm above all and Gary is long out of the US but always with involvement and huge joy in his playing. I hadn’t realised that Gary studied at the very school that Niels is attending for his Masters program – University of North Texas School of Music: 1,500 students; 25 bands; a small town of jazzers. Back to the concert. Luke swapped to grand piano, groups grew and shrank, styles changed through various bop-influences and movie musicals then even on to the blues when Fiona Boyes came on stage. Niels has been expanding his palette into the blues and its conventions by touring with our internationally-recognised Fiona. Fiona led a Mississippi blues duo with Niels from acoustic guitar, vocals and kick box and an electric guitar blues. Then a return to jazz conventions and the influences and Coltrane and John Mackey and then a touch of evocative vocals and playful vocalese from Rachael Thoms. Then the party.

There was some stunning playing here and I imagine Niels can only continue his development with this sojourn. It was a friendly night and chatty to finish off, but as I walked home I wondered if Niels will ever wish to return to the future desert that will be Canberra music.

Niels Rosendahl (tenor) led a several bands and several visitors at his farewell concert: Luke Sweeting (organ, piano), Gary France (drums), Rafael Jerjen (bass), Dan McLean (trumpet), Ben Marston (trumpet), Matt Tubman (trumpet), Fiona Boyes (guitar, vocals), Rachael Thoms (vocals).

Cyberhalides Jazz Photos by Brian Stewart

Explosives

Here’s one I didn’t want to miss. Niels is going overseas soon and Michael and Anna Azzopardi were in town so this gig. It’s enough to say there was some explosive playing and it was absolutely expected. This was Hippo, the music was mostly fusion/funk or thereabouts and the playing was exciting and awe-inspiring. Anna and Michael each provided some tunes and they were very good. Michael’s tunes had his busy, bubbly musical personality. Anna’s were a bit more restrained and generally with a richer harmonic underlay. They were all seriously presentable tunes and they lacked for little against Brecker Brothers and even Corea’s Spain. Anna’s violin was luscious. It’s an uncommon tone in jazz, but hearing Anna this night and one of her influences, Jean Luc Ponty, a year or so ago, I reckon that’s disappointing. It’s attractive, mobile, subtly synth-like (or perhaps it’s truer to say that synths are often like strings), sustained tone, and quite unlike anything else on the jazz podium and it sat well with Niels on tenor, in unison or in response or counterpoint. Niels swapped to flute for the head to Spain, but otherwise this was amplified tenor, sometimes effected. He also maintains a real melodic core, but lets go often enough with dazzling flourishes. This as mostly fusion, so there are furious heads and frequent odd syncopations and some devilish little finishes. It surprised me when they carried them off with limited practice (and good humour when it didn’t quite work) but they were good. This is also a boys’ world of solos. Michael was the essential explosive on stage. What to say to such joyful commitment and sheer virtuosity? I felt the solos could just ramble (or sprint) on indefinitely with new ideas, and these ideas all placed and released with ease and seriousness and bubbling excitement. Hands flailing; substitutions galore; organ or piano or synth or wah; whatever. And always just so apt. I recorded the gig and listened after with amazement at the correctness of the lines and, in Spain, the clear references to Chick’s own takes. But moving on to James, he too was a star. He was playing a Roland effected bass (apparently not midi) that was fuzzed or synthed or just plain clean, and he played massive, fast, easily over the whole neck and into the highest frets with a strangely thumb-free technique that hints at double bass. What a performance! Solid or funky grooves, rich ornamentation and speed and excitement. And loud. Great fun. Not least was Evan sitting at the kit, busy, sharp, clear, taking an occasional solo, picking up on band ostinatos, rhythmically mirroring the elation of the band around him. If I sound stunned, yeah I am. It was not totally unexpected, because I knew this would be a hot gig, but just realising how good this was. Listening back to the recording was an eye-opener, hearing lines that were more mushy in a noisy bar environment. There was some truly hot playing here that would grace most any venue. What a hot gig … and a large part was thrown together the night before. I’m impressed!

Niels Rosendahl (tenor, flute), Anna Azzopardi (violin) and Michael Azzopardi (keyboard) reprised their old band with James Luke (bass) and Evan Dorrian (drums) at Hippo Bar.

Tenorism

It was a night to wallow in tenor sax and hard swinging jazz when Niels Rosendahl and John Mackey played at the Gods. I commented to a few people that we don’t hear this straightahead, hard-biting blowing so often these days. People agreed and some were nostalgic. Niels said he feels most comfortable in this style. It’s a great style and pretty much the introduction of many people to jazz. It almost sounds almost quaint to describe it these days: hard swinging walking bass, richly embellished and busily energetic polyrhythms from drums, the colours and harmonic leads of modal comping on piano and that quintessential wail of the tenor in full abandon as it rides the chords or flies somewhere above them. Or later in the night when the ballads come out, the tempo is tamed, the energy is dissipated, but the depth remains. It wasn’t such a long night, so Body and soul, as clearly emoted as was Niels’ take on the Coleman Hawkins version of 1939, was not fatigued but it was intensely beautiful. The night’s tunes make up your truncated Real Book index: Body and soul, Johnny Griffin/John Coltrane/Hank Mobley’s All the things you are, Fletcher Henderson’s Invitation, Sam River’s Beatrice, Lester Young’s Lester leaps in, Charlie Parker’s Confirmation, Wayne Shorter’s Night dreamer, Joe Henderson’s Inner urge. Beatrice is a favourite ballad of mine but was fresh to my ears in this incarnation. John led that as a quartet. He also led Confirmation, this time as a duo with Mark on drums, in a take on the duo by Chick Corea (on drums!) and Michael Brecker from 1981. This was unrehearsed (no problem there), moving through rubato and swing, adventurous and eminently successful (nice combination). The band even snuck in two originals, both by John, and both in the style of the great tenors. Pantano Drive is a driving C-minor blues take on Mr PC, and Whoops! is a hardbop melody built on Giant steps changes (this was Niels’ choice in place of Giant steps itself). I recognised both and enjoyed them immensely. The two tenors played the heads in unison, and what power! These are two saxists with huge tone and ridiculously easy technique. But they are also quite different. John, mentor to Niels, is screeds of chromatic or tonal colour and masses of notes, so the return to melody is somewhat an unexpected delight. Niels takes a more classic solo development route of absorbing melody building to flourishes and a more judicious use of extravagance. But they are both mature performers and I love both approaches. Pianist Andy is another generation of performer (there are a few here). His comping was of the hardbop era, but his solos were more contemporary takes on most tunes, although I heard some straight boppy soloing towards the end. Rohan is an upcoming jazz star out of a classical background (I also heard him with the AYO) who’s wonderfully fluent with lyrical solos well into thumb positions and steady walks although I would have liked a fuller tone. Mark is a busy and detailed drummer who’s perfect for this style and just showed it again: mature and masterful. I was in a spot to watch his technique and it was devastating: so intricately detailed (I was dumbfounded to watch the delicate control of middle finger on snare stick) yet solid and intense and driving. This was a refreshing and immensely skilled concert and the essence of hard-biting jazz.

Niels Rosendahl (tenor sax) and John Mackey (tenor sax) led a quintet with Andy Butler (piano), Rohan Dasika (bass) and Mark Sutton (drums) at the Gods playing music of the jazz tenor greats.

Cyberhalides Jazz Photos by Brian Stewart

Words fail me

Everyone seemed to be excited at the interval but I was speechless. Bill Cunliffe led his trio with horns and it was very, very good. Stratospheric. But what did they play? Some originals but mostly standards, although with some arrangements. As a trio: My funny valentine, Just the way you are, Girl from Ipanema and a few originals. Hmmm. I do sets like that. (Think again: not quite like that). Then after the break, with four horns added to the trio and arrangements by Bill, it was Stolen moments and Hoedown and Recordame. I’ve done them, too (but not quite like that). He played an original Joe Henderson chart of Shade of Jade. When Bill played with Joe Henderson (yes, he played with Joe Henderson for a few gigs), he mostly played standards. Luckily John could supply that chart. John’s played on some Blue Note releases. I guess he had the chart from some outing or session with Joe Henderson. (I think: we are touching on jazz aristocracy here). I liked the tunes from Oliver Nelson; Blues and the abstract truth is a favourite album. Bill’s done a revisit CD for that. I tried to buy it but it was sold out: everyone was buying 5 CDs and there was nothing left when I arrived. In the break, everyone was talking about Bill’s party trick. He got the audience to suggest a jazz tune, a classical tune and a recent pop tune, then to vote on which he should play. In the end, the vote was Summertime, Rachmaninov’s Concerto no. 2 and Billie Jean. Then he played them, medley-like, interspersed and intermingled. Summertime blending in and out with Billie Jean; Rachmaninov too; then Summertime in a classical full-handed chord style, presumably à la Rachmaninov; then Billie Jean with Summertime fillers. No preparation; no charts. I’m awestruck. On stage, Eric and John were clapping with obvious respect. That’s when I decided words couldn’t do it. But words are all I have. Great trio; great visitors. The horns were great, too. Tight and beautifully intonated, and some great solos. Eric too. John without mention. Great night. Standards as they can be. Stunning and one for the memories. Words fail me.

Bill Cunliffe (piano, arrangements) led a trio with Eric Ajaye (bass) and John Riley (drums). For the second set they added four horns: Rob Lee (trombone), Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet), Niels Rosendahl (alto, soprano saxes) and John Mackey (tenor sax).

Aural hors d’oeuvres

They call them Sound Bites and Sound Bites 2 was performed over the weekend. Sound Bites is a diverse collection of musical snippets performed by colleagues and old friends out of the ANU School of Music brought together by clarinettist Nicole Canham. Like hors d’oeuvres at the best cocktail party, this music was fascinating, short and varied: clarinet and bassoon and tarogato mixing with flugelhorn and saxes and electric guitar and electronics to play classical and jazz dots with some folk influences and jazz and rock improv. It’s unusual in terms of styles and tonal combinations and original in terms of composition and improvisation. It’s also somewhat of a party given the informal venue with background coffee-making and family and friends around to enjoy the company of ex-Canberrans visiting their home town.

They certainly were an eclectic mix of sounds. Nicole started with Not alone performed on clarinet with Carlos López Charles, the composer, on live electronics. This was clarinet dots played at dotted quaver intervals against an echo at quaver intervals. You can imagine the harmonic and rhythmic possibilities. Nicole joked about her mistakes coming back to haunt her (but presumably only for a few repeats). Next were two tunes on bassoon from Zoe Pepper. The first, Nostaligia, was again written by Carlos and was sparse melody and fluttering pads against an electronic drone. Then a more conventional tune in Piazzola’s Etude no.4. Niels Rosendahl followed with a medley played on solo sax comprising a Jimmy Rowles ballad called Peacocks, with harmony that challenged jazz theory, and an intervallic improvisation on the blues in Michael Brecker style called Movere (latin for Motivation). I found this greatly satisfying and truly impressive playing although the blues structure only appeared as hints to my ears. Carlos followed on electric guitar and effects for a piece called Iridescence which pictured in sounds the patina of colours seen from oil on water. This was all overdriven guitar and right hard harmonics and left hand tapping and using the wah pedal to highlight frequencies: rock guitar influenced by a composer’s awareness. (Bassoon to rock guitar: I told you this was a catholic mix; folk next). Then Nicole on tarogato and Niels on soprano sax performed a folk-influenced composition in two movements by Ian Blake called Tuk (= Little hill). Imagine Welsh folk dancing around musicians on a little hill through many pages of charts, repetition and interaction and danceable rhythms. Then Miro sat in on flugelhorn and Carlos on choppy e-guitar sounds and Niels switched to tenor for a beautiful but short piece called Foggy Friday in Flynn, and a final tune from Miro (sans Carlos, and with Niels on baritone sax), a lively riff-based number with bari sax solo called Pressure makes diamonds.

Now to describe that in a few words? Varied, certainly. Intriguing and exploratory, demonstrably. What a pleasant and intelligent way to spend an afternoon. Now what’s for dinner? Beethoven? Thanks to Nicole and looking forward to Sound Bites 3 next year. Nicole Canham (clarinet, tarogato) played with Zoey Pepper (bassoon Carlos López Charles (electric guitar, electronics and several compositions), Niels Rosendahl (soprano, tenor, baritone saxes), Miroslav Bukovsky (flugelhorn and several compositions).

I’ll also mention the Canberra Photographic Society’s Out there 2011 exhibition which I caught before SB. There were some good compositions, some humourous or intriguing views, some travel, some nature, and more. It’s only a small group and I was surprised to see how many names I knew. I don’t have a catalogue after the event, but I remember some names. Family friend Brian Jones had some excellent and sharp work including a stunningly lush natural panorama of a tropical gorge. Sunday’s host Steven Shaw displayed some fascinating smoke trails. Astronomy mate Ross Gould had a lovely image of a woman in yellow dress with a cello. Helen McFadden and others had some detailed and sensual macro shots of flowers. I also remember a nice series of very wide panoramas of Lake George with threatening weather and walking shoes and Parliamentary spoons and expressionist sandbanks and a variety of people and places and more. Nice one.