Banjocularity

I’ve heard it called jazzabilly. Zoe and the Buttercups are an oddly named band (no guy could lead a band with this name) and the lineup is somewhat heterodox given its paired horns with paired guitars that can switch to banjo and acoustic. But it’s a fabulously entertaining and eclectic sound that’s postmodern in its irony and its habit of collecting titbits of style. I enjoyed the CD, was surprisingly taken by their performance at JU2010, and adored this latest outing at the CJP. This one was particularly intimate, being in a small, slightly muggy theatrical space with stage lighting and decent sound and Viennese mirrors and Parisian café tables with the band on the long wall and the audience arrayed closely around it. I loved it, and obviously the band did too.

This music is delightfully and unchallengingly lyrical with melodies that are simple and just plain lovely. Buttercuppin’ is a theme tune and it’s pure and played unadorned and with heart and it’s just plain beautiful. Gut for garters was Zoe’s pirate song (“every band needs a pirate song” says Zoe) and was mysterious like the giant squid or the white whale. Sludgebucket was the heavy rocker with screaming guitars. Zoe mentioned Mahavishnu, but this is heavy like Beatles’ I want you (she’s so heavy), not metal. The Buttercups have too much wit and love for genuine heavy (good on them). But great guitars! Brother Ben is a favourite of mine when he lets go, which he does on this tune, but I also noted some nicely restrained overdrive from Aaron. These guitarists are a feature of the band, with Aaron’s airy reverb behind so many tunes, and Ben’s banjo defining the rhythm on others. Banjo? It’s disconcerting but joyous and just one of the Buttercups’ little idiosyncrasies. The Buttercups don’t get together so often these days (Ben is in Melbourne; the others in Sydney), but you wouldn’t know it. The rhythms were tight and supple from Zoe’s easy bass and brother James’ sharp drums. The harmonies were sweet, from the horns, but also sometimes in unison with one or other of the guitars. If there were weaknesses in performance here, I didn’t notice it. The band was concentrated but relaxed and the tunes were genuinely song-like: rollicking good feels with those attractive melodies. Oddly, at one time there was even jazzy disjointedness as feel-good decayed to free and atonal then back again to sweet song. Clever - they are jazzers under the hat, after all. But the whole is joy and sonority. Everyone likes a sea shanty, and I can’t imagine that everyone wouldn’t like the Buttercups. As for me, they bring wit and joy with impressive playing and I thoroughly enjoy them for that.

Zoe and the Buttercups is a project of Zoe Hauptmann (bass). Zoe’s blokey Buttercups are Ben Hauptmann (guitar, banjo), Aaron Flower (guitar), Dan Waples (sax), John Hibbard (trombone), James Hauptmann (drums).

My JU2010 / 3

On the other hand, John Mackey’s anything but smooth. John’s a virtuoso player with heart on his sleeve exuding passion. This time he was teamed with Mark Sutton (on the Sutton stage; named for the same reason as the Lowe/Milman stage) and the stunning bassist Jonathon Zwartz. John M was clearly not even sure what they would play: they ended up to be standards but these are performances of individual brilliance and group cohesion. Have you met Miss Jones, a blues, In a sentimental mood and one other: all fabulous and energetic and harmonically rich. John would take lines that just soared through and around the harmonies. Jonathon would hold the harmonies then solo fast and furious, or steady and lyrical, throwing in extended bass chords on the way. A lesson in jazz double bass. Mark’s no slouch either.

I just caught the last few bars of Matilda Abraham’s Quintet, but wish I’d been able to hear more. Carl Morgan was in full flight with a fast and expressive but guitar-clean solo, and Matilda finished up with cool and calm voice. What I heard sounded good, well attended, and on the best stage in the place, the relaxed and very jazz-apt bar. But it’s a long day, and I was flagging a bit.

Next was Luke Sweeting with a sextet on the Main stage. This was three horns up front (trumpet, alto and tenor) playing Luke’s compositions. Good and interesting and room for solos. I especially noted alto sax player Matt Handel. It’s a name I’d heard but I didn’t know him. His solos were a dream: well formed, nicely punctuated between outpourings and lyrical introversion. I caught a pic of his two offsiders in the front line watching his solo: evidence of respect. I must catch more of Matt. But the band overall was swinging nicely with Hannah James and Evan Dorrian in the rhythm section and some very capable front line melodies.

Tangent was a return to experimental. James LeFevre led on tenor and curved soprano sax, with drums and guitar, playing Ornette Coleman and the like. There was no bass, but Matt Lustri played quite a bit of single note bass-like lines on guitar. Again not the easy listen but demanding of a readiness to close eyes and open ears.

Matt Thompson returned with another bass-less outfit, but again there was a bass line from his organ playing. The lack of an acoustic or electric bass player is not unusual in organ outfits, of course. This displayed Matt’s typical uber-cool, distilled approach. Banish the unnecessary, maximise the value of every note. He was accompanied by drums and a front line of trombone, tenor and alto saxes. Ever cool and understated.

Fingerprints was Eric Ajaye’s trio for the day, featuring Matt McMahon and Mark Sutton. Along with Jonathon Zwartz, this was an education in bass. At this level, it’s not a matter of good or bad, but of style and approach. Eric’s approach was clear and softly spoken, with liberal vibrato or slide. Jonathon’s was soft in tonality, but explosive and expansive over the fingerboard and with some quite unique chordal playing. Fingerprints was a space for expansive solos, but perhaps more in a self-contained way than John’s trio, and also on tunes that were of more modern harmony. I particularly liked their rendition of Crystal silence, with Eric’s crystalline, diatonic solo and Matt’s expansive playing that touched on and toyed with dissonance.

Then to the end. This was a day of variety, and Zoe’s Buttercups finished it off with due deference and immense and appropriate joy. The Buttercups are popular and simple and involving beats meets jazz sensibility: crossover cum world cum fusion that entertains but also nourishes the intelligence. Sweet grooves from Zoe and brother James, searing guitars from the award-winners Ben Hauptmann and Aaron Flower, tinkling banjo from Ben, jaunty harmonies from the two horns and some really capable soloing that reminded you that this was not just everyday rockabilly but a cut above. I had wondered if this would work, but after a long day of intensity, this was the perfect joyful, jovial ending. Zoe and the boys, it was a great outing and much, much enjoyed.

So that was my JU2010. That is, apart from the preparation and committee meetings and the eventual clearing up and thoughts of a possible followup in 2011. What a day! What an intellectual and emotional treat! But how sad that more punters didn’t share it with us.

Zoe’s quirky Buttercups

Zoe & the Buttercups CD review. I don't usually do reviews, but just for this once. Zoe's Buttercups are playing at Hippo's on 12 Dec. Guaranteed to be a quirky po-mo musical experience. Recommended.

Listen to the last track and you’ll immediately recognise the humanity in this album. It’s alternately sweet and heavy, but it’s a Beatles heaviness. Not metal-heavy: this is joy and humanity talking. And it’s talking with the language of jazz, even if not in its dialect. The language of jazz because there’s the capability and sensibility of the player trained in improvisation and grooves. But the dialect is rockabilly, sometimes rock, sometimes country, only sometimes jazz, and then mainly in the solos. This is a challenge for the ears of the jazz lover, but bliss for the appreciator of the post-modern and indulgence. This is the Buttercups, and Zoe is our host.

Mum told me of Dad’s advice to Zoe: “If you want to play music professionally, play country”. Well, Zoe has indulged the sense of beauty and intellect which is jazz, but here she has done the turnaround and taken Dad's advice. She’s now released a heavily country-influenced CD with support of various brothers and friends. All trained; all capable; so much more than just country. This is a challenge to all ears. Indulge; you’ll love it. But don’t ask: is it jazz. Whatever, it’s music, and from the heart and the intellect.

But I have one note of concern. The one song on the otherwise instrumental album worries me: The creeps and the weezles. I can’t quite work out the philosophy and I’m not sure if I feel comfortable with it. Does it hint at nihilism and grunge superiority, or perhaps a tilt at an infestation of eco-rats? If it’s a chorus of us-and-them, I feel uncomfortable. We’ve had too much of that in recent years. I remain a little confused. Sad, as it’s so pretty in a ‘30s gothic cabaret style.

But otherwise, this is fun, with solid rockabilly grooves, and style-bending but capable solos on guitar, sax, trom, and occasionally on bass by Zoe. I have various impressions. Pigly wigly hoe down is soooo well named. Sludge bucket is a genuine launch pad for duelling guitars. Boom is a cool '70s funk with trom counterpoint and solos. Miscellaneous madness is edgy (detective Clouseau gets serious) featuring Zoe’s bass soloing against horn lines. There’s a train may have an Ellington reference, but the beat on the 1-3 and the banjo picking make for a very hick swing. The swapped and collective solos make for a satisfying although quirky tune. Buttercupin’ is the name Dad suggested, presumably so long back. It’s a hot, lazy, Sunday-arvo cut-time with sax melody and banjo response (who would have dreamed that up?) then a heavy, slow swing on the bridge. Feral and bed (where does she get these titles?) is Woodstock riffs and degraded, AM audio, then an 11/4 riff with great solos on guitar (obviously brother Ben) and sax. I’m thinking: this album has complex and rich grooves, always interleaved and multilayered. Nice stuff! Belly full o’ whiskey is a very short but lovely duo of sax and trom: cute and rollicking. Then comes The creeps and weezles. I’ve told you of my concerns here: a perfectly good song, but dubious philosophy. Sinchl (what is that title?) is a heavy boogie beat that you could hear at the local blues club when the hottest players get on stage, but with a nice twist in the turnaround and melody. Bill Frisell is a serene acoustic guitar ballad in trio format, with a countrified bridge and an acoustic bass solo by Zoe. Wednesday is a final ballad but with another Beatles-heavy interlude. It’s a humane finish to the album.

So is it jazz? It’s been asked, but is it an issue? How do we define jazz? Improvised music with a beat? Well trained musos who can play rhythm? Either way, Zoe and her Buttercups perfectly satisfy the bill. These are capable and groovy players who convince me, even if the beat is often on the 1-3 instead of the 2-4. I like it!

Zoe’s Buttercups are: Zoe Hauptmann (acoustic bass, vocals), Ben Hauptmann (guitar, banjo), Aaron Flowers (guitar), John Hibbard (trombones), Dan Waples (sax), James Hauptmann (drums) with guest Steve Appel of King Curly (vocals on The creeps and the weezles).

Zoe Hauptmann on MySpace; listen to some tracks from this CD

Keith Penhallow's review for NJWC