Clarkey's mates

It's not too often but sometimes you hear players that can just play, they are just hot. It's not the first time that Joe Farnsworth and Brendan Clarke and mates have been here in Canberra, but I'd forgotten the drive and sheer energy of it all. The chops. They did two sets but just a few tunes: The night has a thousand eyes, Along came Betty, Moments notice and a bass solo (evidently dropped on Brendan without notice: he played free then Beatrice). There's good feelings here, especially from home-towner Brendan who's full of mates in the audience. And there's that jazz improv, in program as well as playing. They have short chats between tunes to decide what to play, perhaps some instructions, then into playing so capable you wouldn't know it's not heavily prepared. But of course it is: as Bird said, practice for hours then forget it all and just play. And this comes to jam-like invites, too. So Sophie Edwards, who had played with the band last year, sat in again for Corcovado and Wayne Kelly was up to play a Monk tune. All seat of pants stuff but great when played with guys like this. The second set was mostly a Coltrane medley: Afro Blue, Naima and Blue Train. They joked about a train wreck but of course, despite some uncertainties, the playing was a dream. Lots of energy, lots of adventurousness, lots of deep-rooted swing. Then a drum solo, written by JF after visiting the Australian War Memorial last time he was in Canberra: rudiments and military-like, memorial slow-march flams. I love that American marching-band influenced, rudiment-rich drumming. And out on C-Jam blues. John was more reticent, considered player; thoughtful; Dale the determined hard-bopper with huge fluency and tone; Brendan the mobile and incredibly swinging bassist; Joe the pedigreed drum-master with an impressive list of sideman calls and big ears to his colleagues. Just a display of immense chops and determined swing for some of the most competent and purposeful hard-bop that I've ever heard. As for Brendan, Clarkey's our local mate who pulled all this together.

Joe Farnsworth (drums) led Prime Time with Dale Barlow (tenor, flute), John Harkins (piano) and Brendan Clarke (bass). Wayne Kelly (piano) and Sophie Edwards (vocals) sat in.

The storm

This was the storm. Joe Farnsworth and mates playing at the Street Theatre, not just a few tunes to warm up the workshop, but a full concert. Two sets; eight tunes, jazz and standards, several well recognisable, including my theme, Alone together. Brendan introduced AT with a stunning solo, all chords and hints at the underlying harmonies, then led it out with another solo. Dale played flute on this, joking about a flute found under the piano, but borrowed from a local in the audience. As expected, this was driving hard-bop throughout. Heads, solos, heads, with hard-core chops. They'd recorded that day with Mark Sutton and I guess that's where they developed their original, Watch out for the Magpies, apparently after Joe was swooped. A true Aussie/bush capital experience. That was an altered blues with a laid back funk feel, bass on 1-2. Sophie Edwards was the Year 12 singer who'd performed Georgia with the band at the Workshop. She was invited up again for another outing. Joe asked for her, when famous, to remember who gave her her break. Brendan spoke; so did Joe. But the essence was the energy and considered and informed drive that these four players laid down. Determined heads and flurried solo lines from Dale; flurries too from Brendan at time, along with some softer chordal and melody interludes; John tended more to a balance of comping left hand and compelling phrases in the right; Joe drove with wit and huge awareness, always watching or his ears alert. I was amused by one solo passage where he was going for a few huge, hustling fills that didn't quite come off, then an annoyed response but it was his unrelenting recovery that stunned me: his recoveries are many drummers' features. Cheers to Clarkey for bringing this band together and doing his Canberra run, back to his home town and jazz school. This was a little piece of hard-bop NYC and it's a stunner to hear. Wish we were just that bit closer.

Prime Time Quartet was led by Joe Farnsworth (drums) with Brendan Clarke (bass), John Harkins (piano) and Dale Barlow (tenor). Sophie Edwards (vocals) sat in for Georgia.