Where samba's from

[Ignore all this discussion on samba: Gary was speaking of Salsa - see his post below. My apologies, but a great concert none-the-less / Ed.]. Gary France gave one answer: from a tune on Cal Tjader's album called Soul Sauce, thus Samba. Wikipedia locates it in NYC in the 1960s and mentions Johnny Pacheco, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Rubén Blades, Eddie Palmieri and others, but not Cal Tjader. My trivia session the other day said Brazil and I knew that was wrong. Whatever, it's fabulous music that moves the body and soul and sounds a million and Gary led a CD release concert dedicated to Cal Tjader the other night at the ANU Pop-Up Bar. The band is called Vibellicious and it is delicious, on the CD and live. This was his Canberra version with Perth visitor Daniel Susjnar and our best locals, John and Miro, Hugh and Brendan and Sinuhé. The CD is mostly Gary with Daniel's Perth band but features one track with this Canberra collection. The grooves were to die for, the solos were inventive and modern, the feel was luscious and infectious. That mix of percussion is sensuous: deep complexity made from mixed syncopations. The regularity is also insinuating, like Hugh's montuno or Brendan's solo passage that was just a busy but angular bass clave. But then there were solos that thrilled with variation, again Hugh with right hand rhythms and left hand melodies and floating chords or Brendan's rapturous blow. And the front liners, John and Miro, snapping melodies and responses and passing solo passages or just laying down ecstatic runs and leader Gary comping with two or four mallets on vibes behind or soloing out front with immense authority. Then a percussion solo with swaps from drums to congas, snapping, chatting, and that sense to time and accent from Daniel's splash cymbal. All delightful for some joyful music. Perhaps too loud over that PA and sometimes not too clear and the piano wasn't great, but what a great night! A blow out.

Vibellicious was led by Gary France (vibes) with Daniel Susnjar (drums), Sinuhé Pacheco (congas), Brendan Clarke (bass), Hugh Barrett (piano), John Mackey (tenor) and Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet).

Life enhancement

Ignore the various new-age remedies and go to a Latin gig. This is genuine life enhancement. There's something deeply satisfying about the driving rhythms, the repeating claves, the busy interaction of various percussions, the colourful regularity of the piano comping called montuno, the space for adventuresome improv. I caught ClaveMania at Smiths. ClaveMania with a accent on the -i-. I didn't catch all the tune titles, written in Spanish and spoken as they often were with an accent. My weakness to not recognise the language. The music was virtually all originals, mostly written by pianist Jonathan, but also a few by bassist/singer Elizabeth. I loved all the tune, but my favourites were the songs: voice is something special and has a special immediacy in this music, imploring female with responses from paired males. Deeply satisfying. Strangely, too, Tom Fell on tenor was perhaps the most adventurous I had heard him. The regularity and repetition of the latin grooves suggests less abandon, but Tom let go in ways that I hadn't heard before, throwing blues licks to the wind and slashing with contemporary flourish. Unlikely, but I heard just this. Then Jonathan, soloing with that latin presence, strongly aware of rhythm, rhythm as the key and the underlying purpose, but tuneful throughout. There were also solos from drums and percussion, supremely aware of the beat, embellishing with care. I liked how the longer patterns of percussion and tuned skins moved through the shorter drum bars; how the clave would remain central if contrasted with some other tone and groove. And Elizabeth's bass, recognising the grooves and claves but with a common half-beat anticipation. It's one essence of latin. An unnamed ballad in ABAB form written by Elizabeth was a expected surprise. But mostly back to the lively street life feels, telling stories of streets with chess and more, Callejuela, or a string of other latin styles, known by name but too little by performance, like descargas or salsas or sambas. Even Yidson, an original development and cross between Yiddish folk and Cuban Son. Suffice to say I enjoyed this lots and it's great to have such an authentic latin band, in this case of origin Colombiana, here in Canberra. Great! Looking forward to much more.

ClaveMania was led by Jonathan Cohen (piano) and Elizabeth Obando Paz (bass, vocals) with Tom Fell (tenor), Jamal Salem (drums) and Sinuhé Pacheco (percussion).

PS. A final cheer to the hen's night gathering I crossed paths with after Smiths. Obviously having serious fun. It's a pleasure to photograph a group with such self-aware presence. No names given; none even known.

How nice is this!

They tell me Brisbane is undergoing a renaissance (has been for some time). If this is an indication, I'm sold (like I was by Steve Newcomb and Hannah Macklin years back). Cleon introduces as Afro-Cuban pulse, experimental, varying time signatures and rhythms. I hear funky 16ths, taking me back to hot fusion. And Cleon's three were hot: burning, even. Just a trio: piano, bass, drums. A rhythm section to dream of, with colour, complexity and drive. I joke to Cleon that he could just sit back and play whatever. I didn't mean it to demean him. He did a great job and was often enough part of that very rhythm section. I just meant these guys laid intense grooves with huge depth of interest and, with that, melody is a breeze. Chiky plays it all: fingerstyle, thumb, tap, slap, chords, harmonics, the rest, with variation and feel and speed and that indelible syncopated 16th feel. Sasha is there with the drive, varied tones and splits of the beat and insatiable cowbell or rimshot or thumpy tom matched with snare-off snare. Again, busyness, unrelenting drive and lots of colour. He's a long-time Afro-Cuban samba big band player, as is Cleon. Chiky is actually from Cuba. Then over it all, sometimes choppy and part of the rhythm (but not montunos - their repetitive insistence only appeared in a later jam) or more standard in contemporary jazz style and lots of chromaticism big chordal hits, features, long long runs. Cleon did one dedication to Michel Camilo and talked of Chucho Valdes and Gonzalo Rubalcaba in the break. He also spoke of through composition but not without repeating themes and not writing in a key. And that B major falls nicely for the piano (I objected not for the double bass). Then a slap of fast unison lines and hits and I'm chuckling at the excitement and energy and skills of it all. I loved this concert to death. Great. Maybe it's time to catch Cuba, before it opens to the US again.

Cleon's three are Cleon Barraclough (piano), Osmar ‘Chiky’ Salazar (e-Bass) and Sacha K (drums). They were joined for a final jam by Sinuhé Pacheco/Ross (congas).