Bigs and littles

Callum Allardice appeared upstairs at Smiths, in McGregor Hall, in quartet format.  Interestingly, his merch was essentially two albums: one of this very quartet playing this format in this concert and this music  and the other a much bigger outing called his Cinematic Light Orchestra, comprising the band with significant orchestral accompaniment, strings, horns, all written and arranged by Callum.  I was impressed both ways.  Some of the tunes from the large ensemble were played on the night by the quartet and this was significant.  Callum writes his music and it's rich and evocative and can expand to the millions but is served perfectly well by a quartet, at least one that's receptive and aware and with musical maturity to respond.  Callum lays down most melodies with a clear, perhaps distorted or delayed but uncluttered tone, perhaps call and response in the melody, certainly interesting and complex, followed by solos to explore but respond to the essence of the melody.  Luke is rich in response too, but such differently toned on piano, and perhaps more open to expansive interpretations.  This is essentially the rhythm section of the orchestral outing, and they were to die for.  Tom quite simply spelling varied rhythms for immense ensemble stability if with lovely, neck long arpeggiations to fill and engaging if uncomplicated thumb position solos spelling the tune with a lovely respectful response, providing admirable firmness for Hikurangi to let fly often enough on drums.  It's a common theme for firmness and bustle to coexist between bass and drums.  In the end, I took the quartet CD given it's a better representation of the gig on the night but the two display the capability of Callum and his writing, despite his Berlin experience (as him about that!).   A hugely rich and satisfying set of tunes and capable expression by the band.  This was the first of their east coast tour, so catch them if you can.

Callum Allardice (guitar, composition) led a quartet with Luke Sweeting (piano), Tom Botting (bass) and Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (drums) upstairs at Smiths.

Playing it tough

Maybe it's the age of the audience and maybe it's the jazz they started out with but several said how much they enjoyed this gig by the Matt Ottignon and his Tough Tenors. Just straight ahead, blues-infused, heavily swinging, uncomplicated and earthy (which does not translate into easy to play). Median tempos or up-tempo (even the one ballad, Body & soul, was pretty quick), burning tenor sax with two tenors up front. Tonal, bluesy lines, steady swing and walks, neat piano comping, unison or harmony heads and steady drums. Dirty big tones and satisfyingly twisted lines from hot and sweaty tenors. This may be as serious as your life, but you can feel the joy and even humour. The tunes were from several gatherings of two tenors - Eddie Lockjaw Davis with Johnny Griffin, Dexter Gordon with Wardell Grey, Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons - but also a few singles - Ellington, Diz, Clifford Jordan, Bennie Motin, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins. All formative players around the era of bebop and its offshoots. The band was pretty much a recent gathering but it didn't show: they were still blowing tight and together, obviously informed by the various traditions of this art as well as supported by their individual skills (these were some good players). Just a hard swinging night of hot playing with some humour amongst the pleasure. It's getting on to 60 or 70, even 80, years old by now, but how good to return to this formative era.

The Tough Tenors were Matt Ottignon and Chris O'Dea (tenors), Andrew Scott (piano), Tom Botting (bass) and Tim Geldens (drums) and they played at the Gods.

Perceptions evolving

It's strange how you see bands differently in different incarnations. Antipodes played again at Smiths and this time I was just mesmerised by the richness and development of the compositions. Not that the blowing isn't good. It always is. These are wonderful players and they leave space for improv, but I wondered at the complexity of lines, of interactions, of feels. One piece, by Callum, was called Five 3 ways, apparently written to cycle through 5/8, 5/4 and 15/8. A mate commented that is sounded "almost baroque" and it did, especially a counterpoint section where the band broke down to just guitar and alto. Jake's Luke's Hidden Falls had the most deliciously settled feel, sparse and zen-like which developed busyness and complexity then finally returned. Luke can present his tunes with light, daily life images for titles, about kids on bikes or pants, but they are richly structured: his Glasshouse starts meditative and relaxed, enlivening with a guitar solo and ending on anarchy. The membership of Antipodes has varied over their three visits: Luke and Jake for all three; Callum for two; Tom and Tim for this latest. So it is with touring bands but the core compositional duties sit with Luke, Jake and Callum. I was entranced by the rhythm section, Tom a favourite of mine, tight, very effectively syncopated and one solo, especially, a very pleasant surprise when he was brave enough to play so little and so deliciously simply. Tim was new to me and a great pleasure: always strong and driving, sharp and clear and some lovely divisions of the beat, rudimentary. Luke likes his Rhodes: this time that sound came from a lightweight Korg Krome. He likes the acoustic, too, of course, but Smith's upright, although undeniably authentic, was not quite so pleasing. Either way, he's an easy master, spelling harmonies and exploring chords with varied ease. Callum is nicely understated, clean, crisp but fast and well filled. Jake will play the distant and pensive, bent notes, slow connections, intervallic explorations, but enjoys the explosive, fast, loud, physical. So, I wrote before of a great blowing band, and they continue with plenty of nice improv, but it's composition that gets my admiration on this visit. A wonderfully lively and thoughtful band.

Antipodes comprised Jake Baxendale (alto), Callum Allardice (guitar), Luke Sweeting (piano), Tom Botting (bass) and Tim Geldens (drums). They played at Smiths.

Befores and afters

Just a note and some pics. Vista Needle were in town and performing at the School of Music. First up were a few workshops, at ANU but also a drum workshop at Groove Warehouse. I got to the first band workshop, at ANU, with hosts Steve Barry and Tom Botting. Two bands passed through the gaze for masterclass comment. "You guys can play" was the first comment then into discussion of energy and communication and dynamics, and count-offs as setting the scene, solo structure (where's the peak of the melody), approaches to improv (as an exercise, state a melodic cell and manipulate and develop), solo accompaniment (esp. behind those hoary bass solos), laying out (ask yourself, "is what I'm doing helping?"), approaches to bossa and use of various approaches (pedal point was mentioned).

Then, after the gig that night, I caught a snippet of a rehearsal for Mendelssohn Elijah by Llewellyn Choir, soloists and players on the stage in Llewellyn. Looking forward to the real thing on Saturday.

Steve Barry and Tom Botting gave a workshop at ANU and Llewellyn Choir rehearsed Mendelssohn Elijah.

Various twentieth centuries

Vista Needle is a new project of Steve Barry and Daniel Susnjar with Tom Botting on bass and they are touring the Eastern states. The spiel talks of influences of Paul Hindemith and Federico Mompou so I was a bit surprised to hear them warm up, before the gig, with a supremely delicate take on a sentimental standard, When I fall in love. But what pleasure. Then the first tune of the night was another standard, Everything I love. Both played with piano trio delicacy, great awareness and subtlety and flexibility by Tom, wonderful inventiveness by Steve, enjoying the sound of notes, then playing a flurry or colouring with all manner of chordal or scalar fills, and Daniel present but quiet and playing time and, at times, playing with time. I was thinking this is more Bill Evans than Hindemith. But the concert was mainly originals and some takes on the early 2th century composers. Early on, a Hindemith fugue that was a minimal, single chord, groove with a dotted crochet feel. It sat with slight variation, more promising than delivering after the clarity of a few standards. There were two pieces by Catalan Mompou (not known to me), both from his Musica Colada (=Silent music). No.3 was given a Monk treatment with various time signatures. No.15 was more flowing, haunting dissonant melody. But VN is also a vehicle for originals. Steve provided three. One with that common title, Untitled, started quietly in three with finger percussion from Daniel, then developed to a strong middle with deep syncopation and determined solo from Tom and a gloriously modern-styled piano solo. I'm thinking this is bliss. Then Steve's At the moment (Organic melody no.1), which was much more open, time indeterminate, free-styled. Daniel provided a tune with dedication to several renowned Catalans (Mompou, Dali and Gaudi were mentioned), more a pensive mid-tempo jazz tune. Another great bass solo and Daniel's first of two drum solos. I heard both his solos as intelligent dissection of time within a neatly overarching development to climax. Then a final tune by Steve, great solos all round, testing syncopations and unison lines, driving in 4 but heavily subdivided. So, really inventive and capable playing all around and some really effective originals and those explorations of Hindemith and Mompou. A fascinating and deeply satisfying concert.

Vista Needle is a project of Steve Barry (piano) and Daniel Susnjar (drums) with Tom Botting (bass). They played at the Band Room at ANU.

The unity of performance

Well, Liam Budge was not so uninfluenced by improvisation and instrumentalism, but it serves as a neat counterpoint to Tom and his mates the night before. Liam Budge returned to Canberra for a gig at Smiths. This was the complete performance, a merging of patter and songs and thoughts (thoughts of love or migration with a smattering of tongue in cheek standards), of instrumental heights through solos and the most exquisitely detailed and driving backing. I had been chatting to a jazz piano mate about his recent interests, how he'd returned to songwriting from improv (not denigrating either, but enjoying a change), how a beautiful melody denies embellishment, so I was thinking on these lines. But I was unprepared for the first notes, driving groove from the first dot, calm but pregnant with power, then a light intro voice line, then a song of love and ongoing growing power, then into a neat, quiet solo from Luke and everpresent insistent groove from Tim and Tom. I was floored from the first bars. The night went on like this, a complete performance. Luke playing quietly in the background, chatter from Liam, interesting tunes, some known, either Liam's earlier songs that we'd heard or standards or new songs previously unheard. Interestingly, and not surprisingly, the newer ones seemed less distilled, but that's the essence of new. Their time will come with time. This was not a long performance, but it was engrossing. A very different approach to performance. I forgot to mention Beryl, a continuing theme for the night, or the standards that did appear (old cuties Bye bye blackbird and Squeeze me don't tease me and an airy take on There will never be another you; and a Tom Waits cover). Or about each muso, but the performances were so gelled that it's hard to highlight anyone of them. All wonderful; all so nicely in synch. A complete package. And nice to be back at Smiths.

Liam Budge (vocals) led a quartet with Luke Sweeting (piano, Rhodes), Tom Botting (bass) and Tim Firth (drums) at Smiths.

Openers 1

It’s Friday Night at Wangaratta Jazz Festival. I usually miss this first night and I expect it will be more relaxed, less busy. It’s not too busy despite some big names. It will be busier at the Blues Tent. I’m eagerly awaiting Enrico Rava.

Starters is the Launch Party with invitations from AustralianJazz.net / Extempore and Miriam Zolin. This event featured two further launches. Firstly, of a new set of postcards celebrating the 25th year of the Wangaratta Festival with 25 postcards, one each for and by the 25 annual winners of the Australian Jazz Awards. It’s a multifarious bunch of postcard designs, all provided by the respective winner. Everything from rubber duckies through promo pics to hand drawings and considered themes. Gerry Koster of ABC jazz did the launch. John McBeath, jazz reviewer for The Australian, then rose to launch Geoff Page’s latest book, Aficionando : a jazz memoir. Geoff recounts his love of jazz from age 16, and John observed some of his own similarities. Any jazzer will understand the lure of the complexity and richness of jazz and it was mentioned in this launch. To finish, Geoff read five poems with backing from Tom Botting. Tom’s bass was surprisingly loud and firm toned, unamplified, while improvising on a range of grooves and tunes, Night and day, blues and others. Geoff read poems on jazz themes. I pricked up my ears for one on the community that’s part of the jazz world and Geoff’s mention of our reliable codgers’ table at Smith’s (Geoff, Keith, Brian and me. The table is mostly reliable although we failed last Thursday). Many thanks to Miriam for her impressive and tireless work for jazz in Australia.

Then Enrico Rava was the opening concert. Enrico, in white jacket over black, hair and face pale and flighty, his trumpet confident and guiding, sometimes firmly stating a line with big tone, other times lighter or tongued or tonal or whale screams, frequently releasing quick lines way up into the sky. He was playing with a mix of students from Monash and Paul Grabowsky and Steve Magnusson for one tune each. There were four or five tunes, 6/8 hard bop, a ballad, delicate grooves, a more playful tune to finish. I felt the students weren’t quite the challenge that to raise his spirits, but he played well, instructed and guided well. The students were capable, some surprisingly mature. I liked an early pair of alto/tenor, a later drummer and especially a pairing of trombone/tenor that spoke with real authority [PS, I now learn they were teachers; the tenor sax was Mirko Guerrini / Eric, 3 Nov]. Looking forward to Enrico playing with the pros.

Enrico Rava (trumpet) performed the opening concert with students of the Sir Zelman Cowan School of Music at Monash University and short stints with Paul Grabowsky (piano) and Steve Magnusson (guitar).

The Kiwis have it

It was a Kiwi-Canberra connection when Tom Botting and Peter Koopman (NZ via SYD) joined Alex Raupach and Aidan Lowe (CBR) as the opening band for the Smiths Jam session last Thursday. They had got together just that day, playing a function in the afternoon and then a few standards along with some compositional sketches from Alex in the evening. I arrived to a dumbfounding solo from Tom over my favourite, Alone together. Then Out of nowhere (another classic) and Skylark. Out of nowhere was medium swing, but this band subverted it, so walks became sparse and truncated and intervallic, rapidly moving from thumb to first position, and Peter shredded the tune with long passages and odd phrasing way off the one and a NYC feel that made me think of Kurt R. Dead steady and serious business. Alex was his best, more bop-oriented than Peter but moving phrases against barlines and flattening endings and often enough in between. Aidan seemed a touch more restrained in this company but perhaps not on latin or swapped fours. Swapping sixteens and eights seems outré for a contemporary outfit like this, but the historical references are still there. The whole band was feeling its way on Alex’s sketches, but the skills were stunning. Jocie Jensen sat in at jam’s end for some stunning takes on Round midnight and It could happen to you. Her scat and unison heads with Alex and high and accurate voice fitted this choppy-rich band perfectly. Mike Dooley sat in for a run of tunes, including a funky Nature boy and some boppy takes on Green Dolphin Street and the like. Mike’s feel is more bop-hot with some classical reference so these were interesting intersections of eras. I sat in for a few tunes as did drummer Mitch Preston who is so strong in the local blues scene. This was a stunning end to a rich night of jazz in Canberra. A blast with some stunningly capable and informed chops. Just to finish off, here’s a quote from Nick Dooley, Mike’s brother and once a trumpet teacher at the Jazz School. It’s out of context here, but wise advice: “It’s hard to be exciting rather than excitable in a band”.

Tone amongst meditation

From the first notes of Nathan Haines’ concert I was taken back to Coltrane and Love supreme. Not that Nathan comes over as a Coltrane clone. I sometimes heard Trane’s approach and sound, but Nathan’s a much more solid player than that implies.
Bala suggested Scott Hamilton. This wasn’t running the chords like SH but it was firm tone, defined and clear and well-articulated. I was really liking his tone, thinking of hard reeds and metal mouthpieces and occasional squeaks that are a cost of good tone, even if it seemed somewhat out of place. This music was meditative and that was the obvious Coltrane link, with few descending chords spread over bars, or perhaps chromatic movements like in Milestones, often limited melody and nicely intoned but oft-repeating bass lines. Against this was the intensity of that mid-’60s era, fourths or dissonant comping on piano and turbulent drums. Even the titles sounded like the ‘60s: Realisation, Evanessence (admittedly the one non-original), Universal man, Ancestral dance, Vermillion skies. This mix was a little culturally dissonant but satisfying. There was also a swagger of presentation and control that I felt was eminently professional. This was neat and cool. Nathan goes back a long way with fellow New Zealanders Tom and Kevin but only one day with Paul Derricott who was sitting in on drums so there was a little reticence and also a limited repertoire. He had to apologise for not playing an encore as they’d already performed everything they knew with Paul. Good on him. Jazz comes together on the day but there’s professionalism and respect for the art in not being too lackadaisical. Paul didn’t look so relaxed, at least earlier on, but he did a good job, soloing when called on, leading in one tune and laying out some suitably restless drums behind solos. Tom sat steady and accurate on some simple ostinatos and this just held the whole together. I liked his precise and studied intonation and limited fills, and when he did walk on two tunes, it took on a new import. He took a few solos, too, very scalar and etude-like, with careful intonation and long, sequenced runs over the neck. Nice. Kevin is obviously an old hand with Nathan, having played on several albums. His soloing is a counterpart for the sax: traditional post-bop sax-like right hand lines with chordal fills in the spaces. I loved the sounds and harmonies, even if I occasionally got lost in some very long lines and contrary chording. It’s not an uncommon experience in modern jazz. Tom’s solid ostinatos reminded me of the advice to bass: play more in when others are playing more out. But a nice gig and everyone around me enjoyed it. So did I. No encore? So what.

Nathan Haines (tenor sax) led a quartet with Kevin Field (piano), Tom Botting (bass) and Paul Derricott (drums) at the Street Theatre for the Capital Jazz Project 2013.