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.

Throwing off chains

Spartacus was the gladiator who led the Third Servile war against the class-owning oligarchy during the Roman Republican era. Thus does Ronny model himself, the servile drummer at the whim of the overlords. As a bassist, I think he might have something there, but of course it's in some jest. The serious intent is to centralise the drums in this music, so the Spartacus Collective is a "quartet of solo drumset with instrumental accompaniment". Intriguing! They were to play at the Sydney Festival but that was canned. Lucky for us, because they played Smiths and it was intriguing and enveloping music, largely improvised although gathered within some indicative written lines or harmonic concepts (Two up, two down featured melody in two keys) or rhythmic grooves. It must have served Ronny well, because I think this is the most exciting I've heard him. Maybe in part because some of his drum influences got airings: To Elvin (as a verb) is an obvious reference but another to the "big, spacey, rich" drumming on Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska album is not so obvious). Each player had charts, but the improv was long and evident. Jess was excellent at setting the space for this, regular in form with occasional punctuations and embellishments, clear in tone and often quizzical in melody and often counting in changes or recurrences of a melody. John and Miro were their fully expected exploratory selves: thoughtful, informed, searching for relevance. The fairly rare "heads" featured harmonies between these two front-liners. My guess was John improvised harmony to Miro's melody, but not sure; maybe it was written. It was not a long night: Ronny had five charts and they added an improv leading to a mobile African groove from Jess, her song Jerboa, written about an animal that's shared between South Africa and Australia (and perhaps more widely: do extant animals date back to Gondwana? I must look that up). Interesting, too, that they played without PA. This was wildly exploratory yet not at all disoriented, improvised and clearly authoritative, responsive despite limited instructions. A great night that had me deeply absorbed. Lucky us for Sydney's cancellation.

Spartacus Collective is a project of Ronny Ferella (drums, compositions). The Canberra contingent comprised Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet), John Mackey (tenor) and Jess Green (guitar).

Baring souls

This was a wonderful, touching, personal concert featuring two wonderful, capable jazz-trained singers singing mostly their own compositions. Most singers in jazz are women. Not sure why but maybe the pitch fits. The higher pitches seem more honoured, the sopranos over the altos and the tenors over the basses (although I've noticed Jesus or respected prophets were often bass, at least in the baroque era). And many women sing of personal issues as if they own that space (they so often do, and I say that with respect and even awe). This was like that. Kristin speaking of her children, writing for them; Matilda writing of love tested and explored. Familiar territory for women, perhaps, too often unknown terrain for men. Now it shouldn't be that way and the essences of women and men shouldn't be profoundly different (under my second-wave feminist awareness) but they often are. Maybe we are surfing an interim level till we reach something higher. In the meantime, I guess it holds. But on the other side, it can be revealing and that may be just the thing of love songs and nothing to matter for unknown voices on the radio, but in people you know it may be a little too much to know. Again, maybe not for women who talk lots of many things, but for emotionally-simple blokes who just drink beer together. So the topics were profound and personal (not always - Kristin's "Full on the new" was just a delicious funky take on the excitement of visiting a new town). The singing all round was to die for: Kristin more embellished; Matilda more constant. Just fabulous, delicious, skilled and detailed and careful and correct and toneful. And the accompaniment was gloriously apt although very different. Kristin was sparse but wonderfully effective with piano-like chords on a tiny midi keyboard (the key size was a test!). Matilda used electronics more, adding a second (tinier) keyboard and Ableton or the like, so more orchestral. Both were a pleasure. We were surrounded by Matilda's family and friends for her visit gig from Berlin. I took a sojourning mate from Paris/Melbourne and he commented on how nice was the mix of ages. I like that too. We both liked the whole thing lots and lots.

Kristin Berardi (vocals) and Matilda Abraham (vocals) performed at Smiths.

Great players on a great day

I caught Trio Klein Ahnung in Sydney, at Lazy Bones in Marrickville after missing their gig at Molly's in Canberra. They were a fabulously modern, lithe, expressive band, understated at times, explosive at others, all powerful musicians in their own rights but all ready to lay low when the music called. I chatted after the gig with some of the Canberra contingent, now mostly out of town, in Sydney or even as far off as Berlin. Brian Blade and ambience were mentioned as similar or stylistically influential. Yes, but. Carl is so strong and, being the guitar, the front liner in a guitar trio and he was the patter of the band on stage. I heard current Manhattan guitar but wasn't sure which one. A quick survey identified Kurt Rosenwinkel as the closest to my ear. Strong and defined notes, devastating runs, softly overdriven with some reverb or echo or both (my guess). Sam was at his expressive best, often understated, hugely expressive in lines and just nicely explosive with his own devastating runs, just sometimes. Raj was hugely understated, soft and delicate, taking just a few solos, demanding us to listen carefully to follow his delicacy. They were releasing a CD on this tour with some tracks including Sean Wayland. So this is Aussies in the world: NYC, Berlin and home. Suffice to say I was enamoured by the gig in Marrickville. They played tunes from the album but also a few standards: How deep the ocean and Without a song. I tried to count How deep... at Marrickville but failed. I noted "oddly timed", thinking they'd changed time signatures from the swung 4/4. So what a surprise when I saw a video of this same tune from the Molly gig and hearing it as a clear four. My guess is this was time implied, held in the musicians' minds but far from clearly stated, rather than formally rewritten passages. I feel it in our trio at its best, usually when we're playing pretty frequently. Time dissolves but doesn't: it's there but not evident; ready to resolve occasionally. What appeared as time rehashed was an improvised interaction. Wonderful, exemplary and a statement of the contemporary in jazz. At least to my ears. (Carl, have I got it right?) So, a great gig at a lovely, dark, seductive venue (worth a visit for the design ambience alone). Thankfully, I didn't miss this one. BTW, klein ahnung translates as "little idea".

Trio Klein Ahnung are Carl Morgan (guitar), Sam Anning (bass) and Rajiv Jayaweera (drums). They performed at Lazy Bones, Marrickville (and Molly's) while touring their new album.

The history lesson that is jazz

Jazz changes and develops through generations of players listening and learning and standing on Newtonian shoulders. I could only think that seeing another generation tonight. Evans Room is a piano trio with Adam Davidson, Hugh Magri-Bull and Evan Marshalsey. They are not even the newest generation, being variously out os school or at ANU studying, but they take their places in the history. Apparently Adam is off to Monash to study jazz. He's wonderfully capable player already and just out of school, not yet into tertiary studies. Skills like that show up early. Hugh and Evan are no slouches, at various parts of their ANU studies. I hear Hugh is an encyclopaedia on jazz performers in history, so he listens and thus learns. Another worthy - and the traditional - approach. Both were lively and informed and interesting in their accompaniment and solos. So, the traditions continue, even as this trio goes its own way. They played standards and again developed and interpreted in their own styles, again as in history. I hear their mates are slogging through the jazz studies but performing metal and funk and the rest. So jazz school is a place of integration or tolerance these days. Maybe that's different? Dunno. But whatever, they played well.

Evans Room comprised Adam Davidson (piano), Evan Marshalsey (bass) and Hugh Magri-Bull (drums) and played at Molly's.

Rivalry

They are big names to have here in Canberra, at our NGA, Matisse and Picasso, but I was surprised at just how much came from our own collection. I recognised a few of the works but not all that were ours, maybe because they were mainly prints, interestingly a few times in book form, so perhaps not quite so memorable. And there was a mix of other works from overseas collections - Tate, MOMA, Paris Picasso, Baltimore, Minneapolis - and local - Sydney and Melbourne and a few private collections. We'll never get masses of these works on loan (not like the modern gallery in Cologne with its collection of 900 Picassos) but this was decent while not too big, with various periods and various influences outlined back and forth. The key theme was how both these artists watched and were influenced by each other through their careers. Picasso has to remain the more challenging or more intellectual of the two with his cubist distortions and extrapolations and minotaurs. At first sight, I preferred the more sensual simplicity of Matisse (not to deny Picasso!). Nice, too, to see costumes from both of them designed for the Ballets Russes. But it was in the last room that I got the most telling vision. It was an opened book with a few whispy, squiggly lines from Matisse (excuse my pic) that so clearly described a woman's body (very few men appeared in this display!). I was stunned by the effectiveness of so little and the required craft to carry it off and the desire that obviously underlaid it. It was the old "my kids can do that" moment blown out of the water. Just a revelation.

The Matisse & Picasso exhibition is at the National Gallery of Australia until 13 April.

NLA exhibition website