Not Dixie

Someone joked that it looked like Dixieland but it was anything but. It sounded more like Ornette and the clarinet gave it a classical ambiance especially when playing with James' inventive harmonising. They all chose notes so well. I could hear bass ostinatos and even once or twice a walk, so there was tonal centre and chord changes, but the considerable freedom in harmonies and choice of intervals and counterpoint and the lack of a chordal instrument made for a freer sound. The charts appeared and times and the tunes joined in medleys, settling for a while for someone's solo then dissolving into more interplay in te front line and unresolved freedom until another tuned appeared. They seemed to have long written charts but with open space and room to escape the dots. for their individual statements. I'm writing this while I listen, and it's dissolving right now as I write, from a swing and walking bass and capable clarinet solo into an interlude of free then into trumpet and a marching drum and sparse bass on 1 with embellishments and already I'm feeling urgency as something grows into glissando bass and that solid march and Reuben steadily stating a melody increasingly clearly. Now counterpoint form 2 horns and soon delicious contrary motion from James. Nothing here is fast but it delights in melody and tunefullness despite none-too overt structure. Delicious is a great word. Two sets of 45 mins, mostly without a stop or chatter. Then just a final cover of Tomasz Stanko as an encore. Reuben Lewis (trumpet) led a quintet at the Gods with James Greening (trombone, trumpet), Jon Hunt (clarinet, bass clarinet), Mark Shepherd (bass) and Ronny Ferella (drums).

Wet enlightenment

The Enlighten Festival was wet and so quieter than previous years. We'd gone in to hear Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires. He's a mature soul singer from Brooklyn and one-time James Brown cover. Sounds good. The rain was very light as we arrived to find lighted candles fronting the High Court as the Fire Garden. Lovely and also warm. Then on to the outside stage beside the Portrait Gallery. It was closed and then an announcement that the band was moving to Uncle Ben's Electric Garden, a space behind Questacon and the social centre of Enlighten. It was a sensible move to concentrate the limited audience. Shame about the weather. But the rain held off well enough and there was a string of bands to entertain. Lolo Lovita were a Romani quartet playing music of the Balkans. Crystal Barreca and her band are well known locals, many out of the Jazz School. Sunshine Brothers are a reggae flavoured band out of Perth. Their line on the night was "We give you the lust, Charles Bradley gives you the love". Then a walk to the National Library to get some respite from the rain. Dirk and co were playing there, presumably as As Famous as the Moon, so some standards for a change. A quick visit to Questacon for some cutesy science. Interesting to see audio frequencies visible over a tube exuding small fires along its length. And a plasma ball that was both intriguing an beautiful. Then return to the stage and Cam and mates, Brass Knuckle Blues Band, were playing. They are well established and playing really well these days. Then Charles the man. The was a real stage show, nicely structured into two parts, a gee-up from the pianist at the mic, a V-shaped stage presentation with bass-guitar-guitar to the right and trumpet-tenor-keys to the lift, drums riser at center back and Charles himself front and centre. All soulful love for Australia and everyone with instrumental show-opener, songs neatly merging and a show-ending instrumental segment. This was an hour of richly toned music from the two guitars and keys in rhythm section and the two horns for hits and really neat drums and bass. Very sharp and well played, even if the music itself is just a few chords with fairly obvious themes. My ears twitched to a song towards the end that suggested politics, about it being so hard to get on in America, but I'm not sure his answer escaped American dream mythology. And another theme on tolerance that was also presented from an American God-aware worldview. But, then, we are all the products of our upbringing. I'm sure many Americans find us strangely secular. So, despite the light flittering of rain, this was a night of considerable pleasure and plenty of music. Nice.

What goes with acid-wash

I've said before that Shortis & Simpson are local gems and I stand by it. Capable musicians with wide knowledge of popular song and political wit in a cabaret package. S&S are a Canberra institution and how perfect are they for this town with its seat of government, as disappointing as it may sometimes be! We got to another of their Out of the Cabinet annual series. It's held at the National Archives of Australia, it looks at recently released Cabinet documents in music and in more prosaic historical form, with a summary from the NAA's resident historian. What a lark.

The year was 1986/87. Hawke and Keating were in power. Unleaded petrol cost 51cpl; a house in Duffy sold for $79K; DINKs, acid-wash jeans and scrunchies were just discovered; the first computer virus arrived and Email was still the name of a fridge. Halley's comet arrived with the grim reaper and Badgery's Creek was on the agenda (some things never change). An early mobile phone conversation between Peacock and Kennett was hacked and caused ructions in the Opposition. Keating was the Boy from Ipanema with the Banana republic and other brilliant putdowns. Jo blew the Coalition's election by going for PM and The Moonlight State led to the Fitzgerald Commission and the exposure of corruption up north. It was the International Year of Peace if we ignore Libya, Nicaragua, Arms to Iran and Starwars. Marcos fell and we were more interested in Imelda's shoes. Chernobyl led to Sting's haunting song, Russians ("We share the same biology / Regardless of ideology / What might save us, me, and you / Is if the Russians love their children too"). Hawkey promised no child would be living in poverty by 1990. And MFP, Fiji coups, Defence White paper (anothery),Collins Class subs, Land Rights legislation, Maralinga Royal Commission (there's a RC with a real purpose), Qld & Tassie forests, blonde jokes (how did that get in there?), Neighbours and Kylie, final Countdown, Lady Gaga b. 1986, Andie married Fergie and Malcolm Fraser was caught with his pants down (we ignore that he was doing worthy international work at the time). As for songs, think, Crowded House Don't dream it's over, Paul Simon Gracelands, Cyndi Lauper True colours, U2 Joshua Tree and Hunters & Collectors' enduring Australian anthem Throw your arms around me. John gathers all this after extensive time in the National Library combining with his love of popular music. On stage, he's piano and harmony and chatter. Moya is chatter and song with malleable voice ("Donald Malcolm Where's Your Troosers") and tongue-in-cheek wit. Dr Jim Stokes is their straight-man and occasional whipping boy. This was Jim's last Cabinet show after his recent retirement.

We were there that year as were the many grey hairs in the audience. No surprise there: it's great as a relived memory while perfectly good as history for others. Great mirth and pleasure and intelligence and even a bit of wisdom amongst the laughs from S&S, another discrete Canberra gem. Shortis & Simpson are John Shortis (piano, chatter, vocals and extensive research) and Moya Simpson (chatter, vocals). They were accompanied by Dr Jim Stokes (NAA historian, retired).

Difference that blends

Luke keeps returning with great bands. The Antipodes Quintet was the latest, at Smiths, this last week. It seems to have its genesis in Berlin, amongst the Australian jazz community there. The compositions are by Luke with perhaps a few from Jake. Aidan and Jake spent some time in Berlin and Luke visited while playing there and around in Europe and Scandinavia. Thus Antipodes was presumably on their common minds. It's a great blowing band with dense heads, occasional free and floating segments, room for solos and some great grooves. Luke's solos were always satisfying. I was fascinated how well the two horns worked together, although from very different influences. Ken was stunning with restrained legato and lyricism, blowing impressive bop-like lines, then turning all breathy and mystical. He'd mentioned before the gig how he clears his mind and just plays. It takes talent and practice to be able to do that successfully and he's obviously done his part. This was stunningly effective trumpet. Jake was more the iconoclast with truncated, detached notes, obtuse octaves contrasting with dense lines in response, more quizzical and ironic and intellectual than heart-on -shoulder emotional. These are very different players but they merged surprisingly well with harmonies both consonant and not and almost contrapuntal movements at times. Aidan was rich and full and driving, but also deep when he took a feature solo later in the night. James was sweetly toned, occasionally bowed, open and welcoming in presence and support for his colleagues.He blew a great fast bop earily on in warmup, but this was more fast unison heads and open playing against a few chords for the blows. Inventive and sympathetic and supportive. And Luke, of course, always great solos and smiling repartee, welcome support and a growing set of compositions with space to solo and various times and contorted, lightly dissonant heads. Great stuff, again.

The Antipodes Quintet comprised Luke Sweeting (piano), Jake Baxendale (alto sax), Ken Allars (trumpet), James Heazlewood-Dale (bass) and Aidan Lowe (drums).

Then there were only three

I didn't write up another gig for a drummer-less trio a few weeks ago, but here's another. It's a strange conjunction but pleasant enough. Play without drums and the sound is more open, but also there's a more demanding role to lay down a beat and hold it. Interesting for a bassist, but also for piano. The rhythm section is missing its heart and the response is both a challenge and a pleasure. Last time was the Old Parliament House cafe with Richard and Mike and me. This time was ANU Arts Centre, for a cocktail party-styled, pre-event get-together. I enjoyed both gigs. The OPH gig conflicted with something or other, so was not too well attended. This night at ANU was a buzz of activity and free drinks and chatter so we could play to ourselves and enjoy the outing and entertain a crowd. This was James and Richard and me. Standards, suits, even a few friends appearing from the crowd while we played. That's not always so easy ... at least for the altered or diminished chords. And an audience that was more interested in chatting, so leaving us to extensive solos and such indulgences. The only problem was that it stopped too soon. But then, as I tell myself, this is work, after all. It can't all be a bed of roses. James Woodman (piano), Richard Manderson (saxes) and Eric Pozza (bass) played at the ANU Arts Centre.

A salon of their own

Six women meet in a beauty salon in a town in Louisiana. Truvy has had her garage converted to the salon. Her slogan is "There is no such thing as natural beauty " (it's good for business). She's in a little town. Annelle is doing Truvy's hair as the show begins, and she gets the job as Truvy's offsider. Annelle's quiet and needs a job. Daughter Shelby is getting married that day. Mother M'Lynn also comes to prepare for the wedding. There are a few stories - one of Annelle, which is oddly undeveloped, and mostly the story of Shelby - which wend through four scenes spread over a few years. There's sadness, intimacy, female friendship and support. There's also good humour, occasional short tempers, some fear and hope and discovery and most of all, quipping. These are friends but not too conspicuously. It's a small town. The wealthy Clairee eventually owns a radio station and expands her horizons with travel to NYC then Paris. Shelby and M'Lynn go through tragedy. Annelle is born again and she eventually finds accord with her more mainstream friends. I'd heard of the work from the movie with that mega cast - Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts - but I hadn't seen it. The script was written by a man, living in NYC, following the death of his sister with diabetes, in just 10 days. The play was a buzz off Broadway and within a few years was filmed on location in the original town, Natchitoches. Here, Canberra Rep did it, and the Canberra Times gave it a great review, so we went. What thoughts? It's a pleasant drama with some depth and emotional resonances, so it's satisfying and presentable. I felt this was very, very well acted. The program gave a long list of acronyms and achievements, NIDA, WAAPA, STC, Q, Belvoir, All Saints, TV and more. Strangely, we are the salon's mirror and the cast often gazes at the audience. The accents were a test at first, and occasionally relaxed into Aussie nasal, but we got used to it soon enough. There are quips throughout, but not too many belly laughs from an Aussie audience. I'm not sure it's our style. This is wisecracking southern USA, somewhat parochial but nonetheless wise. I imagine our rural or smallish town life may be the similar. This is not Chicago or NYC or even Canberra but neither is it hick. This is women's wisdom, earthy, and wise and supportive. Author Robert Best was interviewed and spoke of steel magnolias as beauty made in very strong stuff. And of southern women as "while gorgeous, they are fragile and bruise easily" but with "a tensile strength stronger than anything [he] could muster". I understand. These are wise but wisecracking women and impressive. As was the Rep performance.

Steel Magnolias was performed for Canberra Rep by Karen Vickery (M'Lynn), Nell Shipley (Shelby), Amy Dunham (Annelle), Judi Crane (Ouiser), Liz Bradley (Clairee) and Rose Braybrook (Truvy) under Jordan Best (director).

Bowties

Steve Barry and Alex Boneham arrived in white shirts and bowties. I felt underdressed. They had played at the opening event for a new suburb. A musician's life is a string of diverse experiences. They were there to play with Alex Raupach and Mark Sutton. At least they looked casual. Not that the music is casual. As expected, this is deadly serious, even if with a jazz nonchalance.
The dress sense gradually dissipated, but the music didn't lose a beat. They started with Ron Carter's Eighty one. It's just a blues, but with a luscious Milesian floating feel with a sudden flourish in the head. Then a few standards and a few originals from Alex R. There were walks in some standards, but also interpretation that grew out of but almost concealed the underlying tune. Alone together was introduced with a bass solo, presumably in the D min key but it was some time before I even recognised this old favourite. Also Just friends and Wayne Shorter's Fall from Miles' album Nefertiti. Steve took an early solo with a long-sustained right hand 8th note line that ran on and on through choruses and gradually grew in dissonance. I was wondering how he'd escape. Eventually he doubled time for a few choruses on 16th notes then dissolved into chords. Fabulous. He set a bit of a theme for the night. Alex B had played a perfectly melodic and richly phrased solo earlier, but then dropped into his own sustained 8th notes on bass, although for one a few choruses. Ales R had a go later, too. Otherwise, he felt more Miles ethereal or sometimes boppy. Mark just laid out lovely steady grooves with tasteful fills and embellishments, always precise and neat. This is just so nice to play with: driving and unpretentious. I only remember one drum solo, of swapped 8s or 16s, again sharp and precise and free of flash. This is professional stuff and I'm in awe. I looked around out the windows at Smiths a few times, expecting the passersby to be peeking in in awe. Some do look; some come in. But too many just pass by on their way to bars or moshpits. Sad, that, but thus is the state of our rich and varied and too often too commercialised civilisation.

Alex Raupach (trumpet) led a quartet with Sydney visitors Steve Barry (piano) and Alex Boneham (bass) and local Mark Sutton (drums) at Smiths.

School's in

It's that time. The ANU School of Music and Friends launched the New Year at the Sitsky Room on Thursday with champagnes and beers and chatter and a sneak preview of the concert program for the coming year and a few student performances. It's a promotion for the Friends, but the deal is good: a decent discount on all performances and some special, invitation-only events, so it looks good on financial as well as artistic grounds if you are a concert goer, but then you may as well be. The International Chopin Piano Competition returns in September; there's a performance of Monteverdi's opera, L'Orpheo in August; The Australian Haydn Ensemble is appearing in four concerts and providing workshops as the ANU Ensemble in Residence; there are various other prizes, for accompaniment, chamber music, jazz/contemporary music; there's a concert series and Ensemble performances and recitals and public lectures. As for performances, Ciaran Edwards-McKeown (guitar) played Rodrigo, Aaron Chew (piano) played a Schubert Impromptu and Tate Sheridan (piano) and Calum Builder (alto sax) did a take on Scarborough Fair. Calum played some indistinct, breathy alto and I was amused to be asked if it was a jazz technique. It's pretty standard, of course, and nowhere near the experimentation of SoundOut and the like. Another reason why there's strength in combing the musical streams.

Wrapping in the Rain

Not quite rapping, but definitely WRAP. We are in Beechworth for a few days with some mates. Beechworth is famous for Ned Kelly and gold and being a deliciously cute town. When we looked at what’s on, we found the Writers, Readers and Poets’ Weekend, an annual event in Beechworth. It’s not so big. A few public readings and a few workshops. A few locals and some decent imports: Tony Birch wrote Shadowboxing and was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin; Beverley Lello is a local from Yackandandah who’s written short stories and for anthologies and more; Eddie Paterson teaches scriptwriting at UMelb; Kevin Brophy has published 13 books of poetry, fiction and essays; Kate Rotherham teaches Creative Fiction and has published in Best Australian short stories and elsewhere. There are others. There are workshops and they are small and intimate, at least one we looked in on. We mainly just attended one public reading, in a light rain by the main roundabout in Beechworth so somewhat noisy, but it places poetry and culture at the heart of the real world, so good. We heard Jeff Braithwaite (?) with some political statements in poetry, about refugees and environment: “Where is your heart, Australia / Have you a red hot centre / Or just a cold hard stone”. I liked his honest ethics and open challenge to our current malaise. Then Lisa Ride who was associated with ANU (perhaps in the past) and was reading publicly for the first time. She rushed a bit, as early performers are wont to, but she was wily and amusing with a poem about commercialisation of Christmas then another about the centre aisle at Aldi, with its urgent specials. I associated easily with this: I have a USB microscope that was a great deal and is a story that amuses me no end, but which I’ve never used. Then Jean Memory (?), with several poems, A woman for all seasons (last line: “clever, thoughtful, well designed”), and Rachel and the fairies (about mother Rachel and baby) and another tongue-in-cheek suggestive one about janitors with clean premises and dirty minds. Then Amy Brown. Dr Amy teaches Creative writing at UMelb and has published several books, including Odour of sanctity, which she read from. OoS is an epic poem about six saints. She read lines about saint Rumwald of Buckingham, born 662CE, lived 3 days, spoke “Sum Christianus” as his first words before dying just days later. The 3-day speaking baby saint. Fascinating and richly lyrical language. Then Ro (?) with two poems on Trees and a humourous one on Molly the Moth. I am no poetry buff, despite hearing Les Murray at Poetry at the Gods only days before. There’s something in this, though, and it’s worthwhile. I’ll try for more. In the meantime, that’s a WRAP.

The Other Gods

I’ve finally got to Geoff Page’s Poetry at the Gods for the first night of 2014 with Les Murray. Here’s my pic with thoughts from Sue Terry, a friend and lit blogger at Whispering Gums.

Whispering Gums

Linked with permission … thanks to Sue, nicely done.

On the touring circuit

There's an industry for popular classical recitals in churches or small halls throughout European tourist cities, Paris, London, Rome, Vienna, Venice, and it's reached Canberra. We've been to a few there. They usually feature popular classics. There's a journeyman musicians' feel to them, like a jazz player at a cafe standards gig. This was the Kammer Philharmonie Köln (Chamber Philharmonic Cologne) playing at St Christopher's. There was a Vivaldi Season (Summer) and a Bach concerto (BWV1042 in E major) from which even I recognised two movements. I liked this one. There was Mozart (Saltzburg Symphony) and Boccherini's Fandango. The ensemble was 3xviolins, viola, cello, bass, guitar/theorbo. The guitar/theorbo surprised me in this context but they performed a few appropriate works. The Boccherini featured guitars as did another Vivaldi guitar concerto in D major RV93. These guys were there to please and they did please a large audience. St Christophers is not small and it was almost full. This was a popular repertoire and perhaps lightweight, but it was entertaining and sometimes showy. Concertmaster Sergey was on his feet for some great flashy violin parts which he did with admirable skills. My favourite was the Tchaikovsky Andante Cantabile with some blaring demisemiquaver passages from Dmitri on cello. Nice. I was amused, too, but the senior of the team, bassist Alexander who leant back on the altar with experienced non-chalance between strong pizzicato and capable German bowing. And what an international crew! The one woman was on violin and perhaps was joining for this tour, Elisabeth from Melbourne. Otherwise the players were from St Petersburg, Cologne, London, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan. Journeyman indeed. Light and entertaining, but well received and I left with a big smile after three encores. That's doing the business. Glad to see that Canberra's now on the touring circuit.

Kammer Philharmonie Köln (Chamber Philharmonic Cologne) was led by Sergey Didorenko (violin) with Adam Solta (guitar, theorbo), Dmitri Gornovsky (cello), Anton Georg Goelle (violin), Elisabeth Cooney (violin), Sam Harding (viola) and Alexander Tschernoussov (bass)

Again so soon

Twice in one week ; another stunner although a very different concert. This was Steve Barry playing a trio set with Alex Boneham and Tim Firth. I heard this as contemporary original compositions and a few standards; long right hand solo lines from piano with sparse left hand chordings; richly effective syncopated feels from bass with exciting drums of flow and dynamics and gushing fills; several long and tortuous written heads played unison by piano and bass; dynamics that moved gradually to surprise with their intensity.
Steve had written one tune from two favourite standards, Conception and East of the Sun West of the Moon, and two tunes influenced by books, Plato's Republic and Kundera's Unbearable lightness of being. Joe Henderson's Inner urge was just a hard swing workout at considerable pace. More than you know was one standard more than I knew and they played it with slow, heavy, unrelenting walking eight-to-the-bar swing. The standard rewrite of Conception/East-West reimagined with a contemporary latin-ish bass. I asked the barrista how she found it. She was obviously not a jazz freak but she responded that she liked it, as she does all good music. I'm more one-eyed. This was a technical tour-de-force and I can't compare with contemporary indie or other, despite a good feel or intelligent lyrics. This was music pure and simple played with abounding skills. Twice in three nights; great! This trio is going in the studio later this month to record another album. It will clearly deserve a listen.

Steve Barry (piano) led a trio with Alex Boneham (busiest bass) and Tim Firth (drums) at Smiths.