SOSun eve

I came after a family dinner to catch the last bands and managed just one band that morphed into the final SoundOut Collective session. Amanda Stewart of Sydney sang with, Achim Kaufmann and Roger Turner. The trio showed all manner of techniques with clicks and vocal pops and words amongst them, displaying some hints of jazz and C20th classical styles, and into a sudden and widely unexpected fff stop. Fascinating, with energy and commitment and often virtuosic skills. Then into the final all-in SoundOut Collective set, started by Jim Denley with Alister Spence, Frank Gratkowski and Tony Osborne, joined gradually by musos moving through the space, to stage and from, watching and responding to one or another, gradually building and receding to end with the sole pair of Richard and Jim and the end. Effective and shared art in community. Congrats again to Richard and his work and success for this 11th incarnation of SoundOut, our own International festival of free jazz and experimental music, right here in Canberra, If you missed it, get on the list for occasional events and next's year's festival: SoundOut on FB or web.

Amanda Stewart (vocals), Achim Kaufmann (piano) and Roger Turner (drums) played a trio set. Then Jim Denley (flute), Alister Spence (piano), Frank Gratkowski (alto, flute, clarinet) and Tony Osborne (vocals) joined by the SoundOut Collective to finish. SoundOut 2020 Saturday evening at the Drill Hall Gallery.

SOSat eve 1-2

Two more acts finished up my Saturday evening session at SoundOut. First up was an Australian trio with father and daughter Alister and Alexandra Spence performing with Canberra local Shoeb Ahmad. Great to hear them all again. This was mainly noise/electronics/drones with some piano noises from under the lid from Alister, but later joined by some piano notes, mostly prepared, so flowing and steady, and some delicious waterfalls of notes. Then another international outfit, this time Commonwealth (apparently taking on renewed interest following Brexit from just the day before). Arthur Bull (Nova Scotia) and Scott Thompson (Quebec) joined Roger Turner (UK) for a busy, sometimes chaotic, musical exploration. Roger is all over his drums with all manner of standard and non-standard techniques and no limit. I was particularly amused by masses of sticks, although that may have been next day. Suffice to say he's busy and extremely varied in performance. Arthur got a lovely sharp picked tone from his amplified acoustic guitar and also explored techniques, not least pie tray and ebow (not the only use this weekend). I particularly enjoyed Scott with his obvious training, perhaps classical, perhaps jazz, with lovely tones and effectively speaking mute. Again, committed and energetic and forceful: a take-no-prisoners set.

Alister Spence (piano), Alexandra Spence (electronics) and Shoeb Ahmad (electronics) performed as a trio. The Moniker Trio followed. It comprised Arthur Bull (guitar, Nova Scotia) and Scott Thompson (trombone, Quebec) joined Roger Turner (drums, UK). SoundOut 2020 Saturday evening at the Drill Hall Gallery.

SOSat eve 1-1

Then session 2, Saturday evening. Very slightly late, quite cold inside (21degC vs. 43degC and fires outside), but the music was electric. Electric and hot, but not in terms of equipment: this was fully acoustic, despite arrays of mics for recordings. I'd lent an amp, but Wilbert didn't want it and, given his powerful hands and raised action and huge sound, no way he deeded it. This was loud and intense and massively interactive and impressively together. The final note just happened, obviously arrived to some surprise to all, but I know that feeling, when you know the band is to do something, without clear messages. At least not conscious messages. I heard a few snippets of lovely jazz lines from Frank and some great (and somewhat unexpected) funky grooves from Wilbert, if wonderfully altered with harmonic movements. I mentioned this after to Wilbert and he claimed all is grist for this mill - a wonderful, knowing response to my ear - jazz or Boulez (Debussy?) or whatever influence. The funky groove surprised but enlivened me. Achim was all quick passages, flowing under his hands, mostly pretty atonal, mostly also prepared for diverse sounds. Wilbert was just a swig of techniques: bow, jazz pizz, slaps, strums, pulls, scrapes, retunings (not least one return in the middle of a piece, with tuning fork between his teeth). Frank passed through clarinet and flute as well as the alto. All this form all with power and energy to spare and intense concentration and listening. These guys are very good and everyone knew it. A revelation and a pleasure. As a sample, they have a few CDs on Spotify called oblengths and palaë.

Achim Kaufmann (piano, Germany), Wilbert De Joode (bass, Netherlands) and Frank Gratkowski (alto sax, flute, clarinet, Germany) performed first up at SoundOut 2020 Saturday evening at the Drill Hall Gallery.

SOSat arvo 1-2

Next up, Annette Krebs dancing her way through delicious tones, gathered from various noisemakers and metal sheets and even clockwork toys, all designed within MaxMSP (if I have the conceptualisation of process right) and controlled by a pair of tablets. The sounds were intriguing and delightfully modified and Annette's frolicsome accompaniment was engagingly par for the course. Then a few Aussies again: Canberrans Ben Drury and Brian McNamara with Queenslander Michael Norris on electronics. All drones and hits and noises and sonic presence and some explosive bass from Ben. Then, for me, the unexpected excitement of the day: a performance of the Workshop ensemble. I had little awareness of the session and no expectation to play, but I'm easily convinced (just ask!). For me, it was the excitement o returning to the wonderful Alex Steinback grand, just tuned. Whatever consonance or otherwise, it just sounded a dream. The problem I found was to play it quietly amongst quiet passages. My approach was advice from the previous day: know when to end; respond to others; show dynamics. My input was somewhat minimalistic, with a recurring line to pull a piece together and some daring to play in response. So tune no.1 was formed around a Cmin pattern with moves to D; Tune no.2 was a fast-repeated F note with patterns through the octave and later flourishes over white and black note for tonal colours. Much fun and thanks to my co-conspirators.

Continuing ... Annette Krebs (objects) played first. Ben Drury (bass), Brian McNamara (invented instruments) and Michael Norris (electronics) played second. The Workshop Ensemble (vocals, piano, flugelhorn, guitar, electronics, invented instrument) played third. SoundOut 2020 Saturday afternoon at the Drill Hall Gallery.

SOSat arvo 1-1

This was SoundOut 2020, Saturday afternoon session. As always, there was a mix of performers local and Australian an foreign. We all expect the ringins from OS to be the exciting ones, and they often are, of course, being the stars invited and presumably supported by their embassies. I was particuarly looking forward to Achim, Frank and Wilbert who had massively impressed me with a short informal perfomance in the workshop, but that was for the evening. I arrived to hear a trio of sax, sax and vocals/electornics from Rhys, Richard and Tony Osborne. Nice, flowing, nuanced with tones and noises. Then Peter Hollo, cellist with electronics. I checked out his web page: he records postfolkrocktronica as Raven, has played classical with AYO and more and pop with Deborah Conway, the Whitlams and more, os he has chops. It showed in his playing with an awareness of melody and traditional techniques, nicely embellished with electronics and loops and the like. I heard yearning, distance, lovely acoustic cello tone, and later some tongue taps and what seemed quite like a constructed compostion. Nice. Then on to a feature trio, Dylan Van der Schyff, Elisabeth Harnick and our own local, Jess Green. A power trio: high energy from the opening; exciting and varied; quick insectoid flourishes form Jess; all manner of tones from dismantled kit and standard techniques from Dylan; scrapes and noises from within the piano into effusive keyboard with indeterminate harmony from Elisabeth. A huge pleasure.

Rhys Butler (alto), Richard Johnson (soprano) and Tony Osborne (vocals, electronics) played first. Peter Hollo (cello, electronics) played second. Dylan Van der Schyff (drums), Elisabeth Harnick (piano) and Jess Green (guitar) played third. SoundOut 2020 Saturday afternoon at the Drill Hall Gallery.

Riddle time

What's the difference between the LNP government and SoundOut? One is organised to do nothing; the other is not organised but does lots. My joke. But there could be other lines: one lies, one doesn't; one cares, one doesn't; one has art, one has PR. It could go on. One has staying power; one destroys it. As in, SoundOut is in is nth year; Australia and the world is entering climate end times. I got to one of two Friday workshops at SoundOut. The band opened: a trio of piano, bass, alto sax from Netherlands/Germany: Achim, Wilbert and Frank. Frank was playing my other bass and it sounded loud, alive, inspired in his (meaty, strong) hands. The interaction was to die for. I'll look forward to hearing them again in concert over coming days. There was discussion after: about personality, not ego, as a requirement; about long term playing and their backgrounds (rock, reggae through some conservatoriums and jazz and some self-teaching); about long term playing, but how they connected from the first time playing together; about tone and techniques; about some more ethereal things, like a performers' playing resonating within as colleague so "all [is] one", or "what he plays is already me", "be empty", time and space and resonance, the end of sounds all merging into one music. And that all the technique needs to be there, ready for instant use, when you are aware the time had passed and "when it becomes a trick [not an imbibed practised capability], don't play it". Then a few small bands playing and comments. I was with the first on piano, performing with soprano sax, Wilbert on bass, electronics. I enjoyed the first part, playing with tonality and atonality and intervals and trying to listen. Perhaps we didn't realise an end, but then I'm not sure we understood the expectations and norms of the performance [certainly I didn't]. Comments were about listening, dynamics, interaction, knowing an end. Mmm. Interesting, I must do more, and piano (or this piano) feels good for me for this music. Bu these are just my mutterings. Next group was alto, flugelhorn, e-bass and electro-acoustic percussion. Again, finding the endings and relating (as in dancing together) were the big comments. They have ears, these players. We can test ours further over the weekend.

A trio of Achim Kaufmann (piano, Germany), Wilbert De Joode (bass, Netherlands) and Frank Gratkowski (alto sax, Germany) presented a workshop at SoundOut 2020 at the Drill Hall Gallery.