tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-211261932024-03-14T22:44:50.281+13:00When You Get There.....Adam Melville - SaxophonistAMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.comBlogger441125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-56586816629374201932024-03-14T22:44:00.000+13:002024-03-14T22:44:18.250+13:00Jazz | Pint | West Coast Live<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEik0Bb4E5kLScqSD61Obb3wU-Zf-G7q3LkuUIyP0kJnJ2uqmfHKflKQiS_WBHRSvf9h1Mir06Emk3QJzeJp6brBuXWGL2SIQIkcqNwfpR6C6_We_XRW-g4eRtJIm3arxyEOH_aIxLQ3ohNL9xv8E1Fn-CbUxO9xEAxOZOdrHVR_Eu3h88sgedZxTw" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Craftwork Brewery" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEik0Bb4E5kLScqSD61Obb3wU-Zf-G7q3LkuUIyP0kJnJ2uqmfHKflKQiS_WBHRSvf9h1Mir06Emk3QJzeJp6brBuXWGL2SIQIkcqNwfpR6C6_We_XRW-g4eRtJIm3arxyEOH_aIxLQ3ohNL9xv8E1Fn-CbUxO9xEAxOZOdrHVR_Eu3h88sgedZxTw=w300-h400" title="Chet Baker & Stan Getz - West Coast Live" width="300" /></a></div>I have bouts of listening to Stan Getz… most recently (late last year) it was the 3 disc set <i>East of the Sun – The West Coast Sessions </i>….that, and pretty much the rest of his albums I have are from the 1940s - early 60s… and the 2 disc <i>West Coast Live</i> is no exception. Considering it’s a live recording from 1953/1954 the sound is really nice. Getz was subbing on the gig for Mulligan, and the quartet (with Carson Smith on bass and Larry Bunker on drums) stick to standards from the great American songbook and a few bop lines. No complaints there. It’s all about the horns out front really.... and that’s why I grabbed this disc. So no complaints there either. Considering Baker and Getz were known not to get on, there are moments when they really hit it off musically.. ‘Strike Up The Band’ has some wonderful swinging intertwined lines. But they don’t always gel (and I don’t think either are consistently at their best) but that’s one of the things that make this recording interesting and also speaks to the nature of live performance – it is what it is in the moment. Just in this case, we get to have a listen again over 70 years later. Maybe eventually I’ll get around to listening to <i>Stan Meets Chet </i>from later in the 50s and see how they fared in the studio. But I have a feeling that these 2 live discs will fill my Chet with Stan needs. <br /><br />While listening tonight I’ve been sipping on Scotch Bonnet from Craftwork.<p></p><p><style type="text/css">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }a:link { color: #000080; so-language: zxx; text-decoration: underline }</style></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-88125149375055460632024-03-04T18:01:00.000+13:002024-03-04T18:01:45.994+13:00Jazz | Pint | Return From The Stars<p> </p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEif1Auh7wYvyY9RAR-r_sOuQapbxw4nO4LdRrbfXRpX4WrCXaYA6jLAcw1bpAGdLzZZOSHqCpXTUKcnMR5DOl1YO9f_ZUofcxjFsBaZ7CusUzXN7dh0jty9M5pKx3CB-jKbLu_qztNI_dJWkJoWkkRxuHrokzznuJvecP16d_SPGSicKVExVWuTBw" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Peppermint Tea" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEif1Auh7wYvyY9RAR-r_sOuQapbxw4nO4LdRrbfXRpX4WrCXaYA6jLAcw1bpAGdLzZZOSHqCpXTUKcnMR5DOl1YO9f_ZUofcxjFsBaZ7CusUzXN7dh0jty9M5pKx3CB-jKbLu_qztNI_dJWkJoWkkRxuHrokzznuJvecP16d_SPGSicKVExVWuTBw=w400-h400" title="Mark Turner - Return From The Stars" width="400" /></a></div>
For whatever reason, Mark Turner was on my mind recently so I picked up a couple of his albums when I was up in Auckland - <i>Year Of The Snake</i>, and tonight’s listening, <i>Return From The Stars</i>. Often the slickness of contemporary jazz from the likes of Turner and his associates isn’t really my thing so I just dip in and out on the odd occasion. As a result, I haven’t really kept up with Turner’s recordings – just keeping an eye what's happening without giving things more than a cursory ear. Looking back, I think part of it had to do with so many tenor players chasing after Turner that it put me off a little, which seems a little stupid as I reflect on it. But maybe that break has been a good thing as I’ve really been enjoying this disc. Jason Palmer (trumpet) is not someone I’m familiar with but he and Turner and work well together and get a nice blend (the unisons/melody on “Bridgetown” and “Nigeria II” leapt out at me), and there’s some nice interaction on “Terminus” too. I like the way the album eases into things as the leader steps aside and the bass of Joe Martin gets the first solo spot. I’ve enjoyed the space that the piano-less quartet brings, especially given so much contemporary jazz can be rather cluttered. Let’s face it, Turner’s a pretty notey player (“It’s Not Alright With Me”) but I’ve noticed on this recorded that he paces himself a bit more than I remember from earlier recordings. Maybe that’s a more recent development in his playing but I have plenty of gaps in his discography... even if it’s something he’s done all along, I noticed it this time and I like it. At times I wanted Jonathan Pinson (drums) to settle down a little too (like at the start of Turner’s solo on “Bridgetown”) and that would have brought that sense of space more to the fore. <br /><br />I have a feeling there will be more some Mark Turner getting a spin around here. <i>Return From The Stars </i>made me want to check out his previous piano-less quartet album <i>Lathe of Heaven</i>, and earlier in the day I gave the debut FLY album a run for the first time in I can’t remember how long. I picked it up in NYC shortly after it was released, and perhaps it will make an appearance at an upcoming 2000s themed listening session... I’m still wading through some tracks to decide what to play. I’m tempted to hold off listening to <i>Year Of The Snake</i> until I get my hands on <i>Sky & Country</i> so I can run through the FLY albums in order of appearance. <br /><br />The pint tonight took the form of peppermint tea. <p><style type="text/css">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }</style></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-40576320423738611962024-02-17T21:29:00.000+13:002024-02-17T21:29:06.273+13:00Jazz | Pint | Rip, Rig and Panic<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfqJPG1Tt50ajmQji3yHYkhTGd5HOZ9Jac7B-oi3hkcu85ZvdkLty1Z6UHm4Bzp_0payu506K_GFLyvWDRx-asWJx4nA9Rdz9WQ5SoEXUaaKuVPsr1k3Q5NYUlqe1dYjVXxSw7tU6YWPgpMUKACMfRKwbwGTqo1dtbo9umqb2-spJn1XxAxpgS9A" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Craftwork Brewery" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfqJPG1Tt50ajmQji3yHYkhTGd5HOZ9Jac7B-oi3hkcu85ZvdkLty1Z6UHm4Bzp_0payu506K_GFLyvWDRx-asWJx4nA9Rdz9WQ5SoEXUaaKuVPsr1k3Q5NYUlqe1dYjVXxSw7tU6YWPgpMUKACMfRKwbwGTqo1dtbo9umqb2-spJn1XxAxpgS9A=w300-h400" title="Roland Kirk - Rip, Rig and Panic" width="300" /></a></div>Some who know me might find it a little surprising that I enjoy the
music of Rahsaan Roland Kirk as much as I do. That said, I’ve only
managed to accumulate a few of his albums over the years... ‘The
Inflated Tear’, ‘I Talk With The Spirits’, ‘Domino’, and
most recently ‘Rip, Rig and Panic’. And it was that album that
did the rounds tonight accompanied by Citron Soleil from Craftwork.
There’s something about his energy that appeals to me. That things
often get a little rough around the edges just seems to work for me
when it comes to Kirk. And lets not forget that he one of the very
few utilizing the soprano pre-Coltrane too. The album features the
stellar threesome of Jaki Byard (is there anything he couldn’t
do?... seriously), Richard Davis, and Elvin Jones alongside Rahsaan’s
multiple horns. Did he record with a better rhythm section than this?
As a guy with only four of his albums it might be a little hard for
me to pass judgement. But this is one fine rhythm section and they work well in the Kirkian world – one of swing, blues, some abstraction,
plenty of personality, and energy. This disc also includes ‘Now
please don’t you cry, beautiful Edith’ but I didn’t get to
that tonight, choosing instead to give ‘Rip, Rig and Panic’ a
couple of runs. Because why not? Often I feel Kirk is shortchanged. I guess people just don't listen to his recordings. And I just remembered I also have 'Dog Years in the Fourth Ring' - I must pull that out again.<br /><p></p>
<p><style type="text/css">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }</style></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-70196718153776339972024-01-20T22:17:00.002+13:002024-01-20T22:17:53.665+13:00Jazz | Pint | Dave Brubeck Octet<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXeW9YLQmwSlRP1mcIz7bzrIB10ceqdA6CSGI8cJswW5aKnKKskxs5rRNnzwGHtVPyoTEDSUkGdxsH_idQu8z0ZL2puddLgQTGPXNcnZ2Y3z-xEbnfOq0XQNMwsdSVsj_6qLMMI1g_92gLSZ7RFHcoJ4h3PmyTKJWJ0q17O_A9OameXryyQ0KNng" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Craftwork Brewery" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXeW9YLQmwSlRP1mcIz7bzrIB10ceqdA6CSGI8cJswW5aKnKKskxs5rRNnzwGHtVPyoTEDSUkGdxsH_idQu8z0ZL2puddLgQTGPXNcnZ2Y3z-xEbnfOq0XQNMwsdSVsj_6qLMMI1g_92gLSZ7RFHcoJ4h3PmyTKJWJ0q17O_A9OameXryyQ0KNng=w300-h400" title="Dave Brubeck Octet" width="300" /></a></div>Earlier in the day I was reading a little on the Gerry Mulligan
Quartet over at Point of Departure (<a href="https://www.pointofdeparture.org/archives/PoD-84/PoD84Barbiero.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.pointofdeparture.org/archives/PoD-84/PoD84Shipton.html" target="_blank">here</a>), and that may have been on my mind
when I pulled the<i> Dave Brubeck Octet</i> recording from the pile
tonight. Brubeck is not usually one of my go-to artists but the octet is a pretty fascinating recording from sessions in
1946-1950 that I don’t hear getting mentioned all that often. Not
sure why really, I guess it’s not that hip to drop Brubeck’s
name, but from a writing/arranging angle it’s worth checking out
(more so than the soloists even with the presence of a young Paul
Desmond). Dated.... yes, but quite different for it’s time too.
Pushing ahead in it’s own way with plenty of signs of what would
become known as “Cool Jazz” and/or “West Coast Jazz”.
Arranging and composing duties are split amongst about half the group
(with saxophonist David Van Kriedt contributing the most... although
not all the arrangements are credited). And across the 18 tracks I
tend to prefer the standards which all get pretty interesting
treatments, although “How High The Moon” suffers a bit as it
moves through various styles in conjunction with a corny narration.
There’s plenty of counterpoint, colourful harmony, and 5/4 even
makes an appearance during “What Is This Thing Called Love”. A
number of the octet had studied with composer Darius Milhaud and the
classical influences come through across the work as a whole and on
the original compositions in particular. The original compositions
feel a little more forced than the arrangements of the standards,
like they are really trying to do something and it comes off more
stilted (there’s a bit of that in the standards too). All that
said, listening tonight has made me think it’s a shame that Brubeck
didn’t use some of that <i>Time Out</i> money to reform the octet
but with all that touring, I guess there wouldn’t have been much
time to write material. The listening was washed down with Zest saison from Craftwork.<br /><p></p>
<p><style type="text/css">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }</style></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-49092337172065095232024-01-18T21:23:00.001+13:002024-01-18T21:33:36.637+13:00Jazz | Pint | Always Let Me Go<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjheINoXc-HCaX0NzckOeDhd8qCLlWvjNqfDd-o79MfWFszLvgsho_dTbzYiZqp3ZRQSf5-xZDgDZMB4cwaQz8jLti8btKKn6eDAzliQigigpuRdknQBYoZ5-Xx2K3jlHWuy7pCuhWjz08RYkiz54280JuxEoqK2OmSC8KTPz9dF_VXiObC83X8OA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="ECM Records" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjheINoXc-HCaX0NzckOeDhd8qCLlWvjNqfDd-o79MfWFszLvgsho_dTbzYiZqp3ZRQSf5-xZDgDZMB4cwaQz8jLti8btKKn6eDAzliQigigpuRdknQBYoZ5-Xx2K3jlHWuy7pCuhWjz08RYkiz54280JuxEoqK2OmSC8KTPz9dF_VXiObC83X8OA=w400-h300" title="Always Let Me Go" width="400" /></a></div>After bit of an odd day it was nice to take out the evening listening
with some music. Tonight’s listening was washed down with
“Poodlefaker” from Craftwork.<p></p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">I picked up<span style="font-style: normal;">
</span><span style="font-style: normal;">this two-disc live recording
</span>on a whim fairly recently and this was my first listen. And
while I have a few albums from Keith Jarrett’s “Standards Trio”,
<i>‘</i><i>Always Let Me Go’</i> is the first from the trio that
I have that is comprised of free improvisations – and that was my
motivation for buying the album (I remember listening to <i>‘Changes’
</i>many years ago but that’s all I remember from it).
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">I was surprised by
how quickly the music passed. For me, that’s a good sign,
especially when the opening track is 32 minutes (moving from the more
abstract through to something more spacious and lyrical, before eventually settling into a satisfying mid-tempo
swing). The second piece is a brief, lyrical solo feature for Jarrett
which works as a nice link into the sparse opening of the third
piece. Are free ballads underrated? I really enjoy hearing them,
particularly when played by an ensemble with a rapport such as this.
And the piece works so nicely towards the fourth piece which rounds
things out with some energetic swing. The first disc is well paced
with a nice ebb and flow within and between works. And I guess that’s
similar to the second disc... which had to wait until the following
evening for its first run (note: I would return to both discs over
the next week... sometimes listening to a track or two... or a whole
disc... but my comments in this post were all taken during the first
listen).</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The opening is
spacious and some romantic bass work from Peacock emerges. By the
time DeJohnette enters the piece has taken on a completely different
shape with tension increasing until quite abruptly shifting gears. A
fine drum solo opens the second piece opens which at times has the
feel of hand drums – dynamic playing, great colours, and groove. In
contrast to the third piece which is more pointillistic with quick,
stabbing phrases from the piano from which powerful drums emerge
which morph into a moody bass solo. Across both discs the trio is not
compelled to give it all at once – solos, duos, and trios come and
go throughout which adds plenty in terms of texture and form. It’s
still early days and I’ve only listened to it a couple of times,
but ‘Always Let Me Go’ might be my favourite from this trio (or
somewhere near the top). It just goes to show what you can do if
you’re able to keep a band together (and you happen to be Keith
Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette!). It left me wondering if
this trio’s free improvised recordings been a gateway for fans to
explore similar forms of jazz?</p>
<p><style type="text/css">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }</style></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-20737482010820986962024-01-06T20:55:00.000+13:002024-01-06T20:55:18.729+13:00Jazz | Pint | a couple from Freddie Hubbard<p>I thought it was about time I reactivated things (and this series in
particular) as I take a listen to a bunch of recordings I have next
to my CD player. And while the original plan was to sit down and listen to these accompanied by a beer it ended up being a green tea instead.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh10_BkMtpm_zvrgEMP0ZtxTvyjTx8ajMWLuWxcEf67TnXx2FkkAnadjel6HxxGCa7RcP9-A558wvoLdQlDK0n5hwnOUjt607iLcirMSgm-nNvrMriFWHjqEkO2DGZuItNh_IWYCecvadykjFrYNq4Nk5Mhtk2XxKclSnju7SGvr528YzA2BgRFYQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh10_BkMtpm_zvrgEMP0ZtxTvyjTx8ajMWLuWxcEf67TnXx2FkkAnadjel6HxxGCa7RcP9-A558wvoLdQlDK0n5hwnOUjt607iLcirMSgm-nNvrMriFWHjqEkO2DGZuItNh_IWYCecvadykjFrYNq4Nk5Mhtk2XxKclSnju7SGvr528YzA2BgRFYQ=w400-h300" title="Freddie Hubbard" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">I have a handful of
Freddie Hubbard’s albums as a leader for Blue Note, but as a
general rule prefer his work as a sideman during the same period...
Wayne Shorter’s ‘<i>Speak No Evil</i>’, Herbie Hancock’s ‘<i>Maiden
Voyage</i>’ and ‘<i>Empyrean Isles</i>’, Eric Dolphy’s ‘<i>Out To Lunch</i>’,
and Art Blakey’s ‘<i>Free for All</i>’ come to mind. Maybe it’s not
just Hubbard’s playing but these sessions and compositions, seem to
full out stronger performances (from all personnel) than on Hubbard's
own albums. Or maybe I’m just more familiar with those albums... I
don’t know.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Anyway....earlier in
the week I was listening to ‘<i>Hub-tones</i>’ but tonight I turned my
attention to ‘<i>Here to Stay</i>’ a session from December 1962
(unreleased until 1962) that was new to me. I was drawn to ‘<i>Here to
Stay</i>’ by the pairing of Hubbard and Wayne Shorter, but the thing
that stood out to me were the standards, “Body and Soul” and
“Full Moon and Empty Arms”. Adding “You’re My Everything”
from ‘Hub-Tones’ and they’re my favourite tracks from across
the two albums. When I gave it a second spin I was getting into it
much more than the first time around but then it is hard to beat
Hubbard’s combination of tone and time – so full-bodied,
expressive, and swinging! Plenty of swagger without going overboard
in terms of bravado. Just really strong line playing. To wrap things
up I gave a couple of tracks from ‘Hub-Tones’ another spin
tonight too... in fact, I gave the entire album another run, I just
couldn’t help it. Some things are just unavoidable. And it’s a
really solid album, and maybe my favourite of his a leader that I
have (I still haven’t managed to check out ‘<i>Breaking Point</i>’...
add it to the list). I prefer Herbie Hancock on piano over Cedar
Walton, and Clifford Jarvis plays really well on this album making it
quite the rhythm section along with Reggie Workman who is on both
albums. There’s something to be said about the LP length – it’s
nice to be able to give things multiple listens without it taking 160
minutes. All in all it was a fun night of ‘<i>Hub-Tone</i>s’ and ‘<i>Here
to Stay</i>’, Freddie Hubbard remains one of my favourite trumpeter
players (not that that was ever in doubt) and his work as a sideman
still holds up as my favourite of his recordings I’ve heard to date
but I’m always open to recommendations though.</p>
<p><style type="text/css">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }</style></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-67201473804379333642023-01-30T21:59:00.001+13:002023-02-13T07:17:25.533+13:00Mark Lockett: Swings and Roundabouts<p>
</p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheZt6qfu4bxiYr2eHjqYcXccgxwZdRBa7m-a_8btHUGb7mmWw6gv1tb0v_xH73ui7s__R4GtH7L2E7Qw0r79qCTHkduwV_5uM1c5KCHc_4FO5vS3K44y30Su0-CxKUBaRrKzE8E96wDviqzrhvwqVzI1REtzigPuozOuaC3cpWu1yQ1rvVw1k" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="341" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheZt6qfu4bxiYr2eHjqYcXccgxwZdRBa7m-a_8btHUGb7mmWw6gv1tb0v_xH73ui7s__R4GtH7L2E7Qw0r79qCTHkduwV_5uM1c5KCHc_4FO5vS3K44y30Su0-CxKUBaRrKzE8E96wDviqzrhvwqVzI1REtzigPuozOuaC3cpWu1yQ1rvVw1k" width="240" /></a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><p></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An album I’ve been enjoying in
recent times is drummer <a href="https://www.marklockett.co.nz/" target="_blank">Mark Lockett</a>’s ‘Swings and Roundabouts’,
due to be released on 1 February 2023 (Mark hooked me up with a
preview copy). The album was recorded in New York City in July 2022,
and features the stellar lineup of Matt Penman (bass) Duane Eubanks
(trumpet) David Binney (alto saxophone) tearing it up on nine of
Mark’s compositions.</span></p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
hadn’t listened to alto saxophonist David Binney in quite some time,
and it served as a reminder of what serious chops he has at his
disposal. It's not my favourite type of playing, but the contrast between
Binney and trumpeter Duane Eubanks’ stripped back, less notey
approach is something that appeals to me. </span>
</p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><style type="text/css"><span style="font-family: inherit;">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }a:link { color: #000080; so-language: zxx; text-decoration: underline</span></style></p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are some hints at the music of Ornette Coleman (and one tune is dedicated to him). Some of
Mark’s compositions have a playfulness akin to Ornette </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">(see "The Crib" and "Rhubarb Crumble"), but ‘<i>Swings
and Roundabouts</i>’ isn’t overtly Ornette-y. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Virtual
Reality” with its Witch Hunt-esque phrase had me chuckle as I
was anticipating Elvin’s fill that didn’t eventuate.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Duane Eubanks' ‘bubbly/spluttery’
sound (for lack of better words... but I’m using that descriptor as
a positive!) hints a little bit at Don Cherry, and his approach as an improviser really suits the feel of the album. I really haven't listened to much of Eubanks, and this album serves as a reminder that I need to seek out more of his work (the only other album I have featuring Eubanks is Bill McHenry's '<i>Sonic Pressure</i>', which also has Matt on bass, it's about time I dusted that one off).</span></p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Matt’s woody tone
and melodicism is a great fit for the
album. I particularly have been enjoying his unaccompanied solo on
“Rhubarb Crumble”, and “Here’s to Ornette” with Mark on
brushes is fine too. Actually all his is playing hits the spot, and as I write I'm digging his up tempo walking lines on "Level 4". Side
note on bass tones (disclaimer: I don’t play bass so what do I
know): One thing that is a bit too common out here in NZ at times are bass
players with ‘ampy’ sounds. It’s a pet peeve of mine. Listen to
Matt.... great sound. <br /></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
many ways, Mark takes bit of a back seat. I’m not sure I would have
picked it was a drummer led session - and that’s kind of refreshing
– the focus is on the music and taking care of business rather than
showy, bloated drums. More often than not Mark's playing is understated
(especially by contemporary jazz standards). And even when he is featured blowing over the vamp on "G T" or the trades on "Happy Go Lucky" things never get carried away. It’s bit of
an old school, tasty approach that I appreciate, but don’t always
hear that much.</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So
if you fancy treating yourself, head over to
<a href="https://www.thickrecords.co.nz/" target="_blank">Thick Records </a>and dine out on ‘<i>Swings and Roundabouts</i>’. And to
support the release, Mark will be touring in New Zealand during
February, so be sure to get and support him. Joining Mark will be Roger Manins (sax) James Guilford (trpt) and Dan Yeabsley (bass). I'm keen to hear how the different personnel tackle Mark's music.<br /></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2
February, New Plymouth, 4<sup>th</sup> Wall</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3
February, Whanganui, Savage Club</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4
February, Hamilton, Nivara Lounge</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8
February, Auckland, Anthology Lounge</span></p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9
February, Wellington, Moon1</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10
February, Nelson, Fairfield House</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">11
February, Picton, Le Cafe</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">16
February, Christchurch, Space Academy</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">17
February, Dunedin, Playhouse Theatre</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p><style type="text/css"><span style="font-family: inherit;">p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }a:link { color: #000080; so-language: zxx; text-decoration: underline </span></style><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-20001221113935085562021-10-17T22:29:00.000+13:002021-10-17T22:29:23.773+13:00Joe Lovano: Trio Tapestry<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I used to keep listening
journals and on a raining Sunday afternoon I resurrected it. And while the blog has been asleep for a while, I decided to post it here.<br /></span></span>
</p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Joe
Lovano: <i>Trio Tapestry</i> &
<i>Garden of Expression
</i>(ECM)<br />
Joe Lovano (tenor sax/soprano sax/taragato/gongs) Marilyn
Crispell (piano) Carmine Castaldi (drums/percussion)<br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5pcVaG_kNnbLG-zAOnuil4Bfcxvi8hn0XDYRz4nLGegG-RfY0IzO8uhbVnJtChGSqmjuBlABkLMCXlULUo-YjKC5lbybnPaKf3iwphOJFZjP-8QA1f3IUU-A_VzKbMIG8L4YsQ/s2048/IMG_8517.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Garden of Expression" border="0" data-original-height="1617" data-original-width="2048" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5pcVaG_kNnbLG-zAOnuil4Bfcxvi8hn0XDYRz4nLGegG-RfY0IzO8uhbVnJtChGSqmjuBlABkLMCXlULUo-YjKC5lbybnPaKf3iwphOJFZjP-8QA1f3IUU-A_VzKbMIG8L4YsQ/w400-h316/IMG_8517.heic" title="Joe Lovano: Trio Tapestry" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've
kept an ear on Joe Lovano over years and I usually check out his work
when the other personnel are of interest. And it was the presence of
Marilyn Crispell that drew my attention to <i>Trio Tapestry</i> as over the
last few years I have been increasingly
enjoying her music.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
Recorded
in 2019 and released this year, <i>Garden of Expression</i> is the second
album from Trio Tapestry. I was excited when the first (<i>Trio
Tapestry</i>) was released but it didn’t strike me at the time…
something must have stuck with me though, as I didn’t hesitate
grabbing the second release. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The album touches on some
areas that have been of interest to me for a while that I want to
explore in my music - especially space, and silence - these are some
of the same qualities that struck me when hearing Evan Parker’s
2016 release <i>As The Wind</i> (PSI) as well as some of Hayden
Chisholm's work.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Chapel
Song” opens the album with a light, crystal, brightness that
becomes increasingly warm while retaining the lightness. A delicate
piano intro sets the tone for “Night Creatures”. It is
interesting to hear what a prominent role the cymbals have on the
sound and feel of both of these albums. Overall the drum texture
really works for me. Often
understated and unafraid of space or backing off.
The piano gets busy
under some melodic tenor....it works though. Ending is somewhat
abrupt. The tracks are longer on this album than the first - not
overly so (between 3- 7 1.2 mins with one sitting at almost 11),
although there are 3 fewer pieces. “West of the Moon” has a nice
flow to it – gentle swells. I like the change in “Garden of
Expression” following the opening as it shifts into being momentary
more rhythmically unsettled before returning to the warm melody. The
piano and drums really lock in through the piano “solo”... really
more of a piano/drum dialogue (with some nicely time gong hits from
Lovano). The piece moves through many moods before returning home. My
ears immediately pricked up as Lovano entered “Treasured Moments”,
the vibrato and intonation
bring a strangely wonderful tension – settled and unsettled at the
same time. Economy is key here. It leads wonderfully into “Sacred
Chant” which has a relaxed, joyous sound.
The piece ends and
feels unfinished. Piano and drums lead off on “Dream on That”,
before the piano makes way for the tenor, and then then trio all
together. Although this tune features a couple of duets, there’s
more of everyone
playing together on
this album. Something
I enjoyed with Trio
Tapestry is the way the trio is broken up - solos,
duos and trio. On Garden of Expression the sound of the trio is more
present. Whereas <i>Trio
Tapestry</i> ends with one of the more outwardly intense pieces, <i>Garden of Expression</i> comes back to space with “Zen Like”.
It’s my favourite
track on the album. Unhurried. Space.
A weightless quality. Dig it.<br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
Listening
to <i>Garden of Expression</i> led me to revisit<i> Trio Tapestry,</i> and I’m
enjoying it a lot more
this time around. It still doesn’t quite hit the spot the way
<i>Garden of Expression</i> does, but it has grown on me a lot since my last
listen (although I'm still not sure what ECM were thinking with that
cover art!). </span></span>
</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Opening
with gongs and cymbals before the tenor enters - I’m struck by the
blend between the gongs and the tenor. “One Time In” acts as a
spacious prelude. The trio are there from beat one of “Seeds of
Change”. Unsurprisingly the sound is denser. The playing remains
economical but the sense of space has changed. The piece feels
longer. It is, but remains concise. “Razzle Dazzle” opens with
solo piano with both hands in unison as
drums creep in. The difference in space between one, two, and three
active players is evident. Crispell’s piano lines behind the tenor
bring to mind the opening phrase. “Sparkle Lights” opens with
tenor and piano together before giving way to traded phrases that
merge in places while the drums remains sparse. The longest track is
“Mystic” (pieces range between 2 and 8 1/2 mins). A quiet rumble
of drums is greeted by Lovano on tarogato. Space is at the fore. The
rumbling swells but the space and sparse tarogato lines remain,
eventually replaced by gong sounds. Eventually
the piece builds into a more tradition duo between drums and
tarogato. This
may be my favourite piece on the album (which
is mildly amusing as Crispell lays out).
“Piano/Drum Episode”
is as it suggests.
Piano notes ring out and decay. The drumming is subtle with a warm
cushioning quality that is perhaps interrupted by the bass drum. The
cymbal hit at the end is all about timing and finding just the right
spot. “Gong Episode” is just that – two minutes of gongs. It is
well placed in the album flow. “Rare Beauty” opens with full
trio, the dynamics are raised and there is a sense of urgency –
perhaps heightened following the nature of the gong piece. Lovely
interplay between the lines in each hand of the piano. Some of the
busier playing on the album... but everyone else drops out to
maintain balance. Lovano enters on tenor with Castaldi swinging
quietly mid-tempo. The return of piano to take the tune out feels a
bit abrupt. “Spirit
Lake” opens with drums and tenor. I’m enjoying Castaldi’s stick
work at low volume. The piano entry here works much better than the
previous track. More
dense playing than previously hear - rippling
piano, tenor flurries with some growls and altissimo, and busier
playing from the drums. “Tarrassa”
opens with solo piano. The tenor enters with the drums – and the
drum phrasing is standing out to me during this three-way
dialogue. Creative playing without overdoing it. The
album had been building in density and I was expected the closing
piece - “The
Smiling Dog” - might see a return to the quiet spaces present in
the first half of the album. But
it doesn’t and it leaves things feeling somewhat unresolved.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So
these two albums have been getting a decent amount of airtime and
I feel listening to <i>Garden of Expression</i> opened up <i>Trio Tapestry</i> for
me. Lovano
has selected the personnel wisely
and I hope this group
stays together.</span></span></p>
<p><style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 115%; background: transparent }a:link { color: #000080; so-language: zxx; text-decoration: underline }</style></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-57105500179557211142021-05-18T07:24:00.001+12:002021-05-18T07:24:35.062+12:00Jasmine Lovell-Smith Quintet at Rogue and Vagabond<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jasmine Lovell-Smith (ss) Jake Baxendale (as/b.cl) Daniel Hayles (p) Emma Hattaway (b) Cory Champion (d) <span> <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>It seemed like it had been quite a while since I had heard Jasmine play (<a href="https://thenoveltones.bandcamp.com/album/karla-and-the-divide" target="_blank">Noveltones</a> aside), I think the last time was a quartet gig during the festival last year... or maybe a gig at the Southern Cross. I forget, but it had been a while. I wasn't too sure if Jake would be the right fit, but the more notey contrast grew on me. He’s more melodic/lyrical on bass clarinet (less chops!) and that made for a change in pace too.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>
Sonically, I find the pairing of bass clarinet and soprano really works (Jasmine used this on her album <a href="https://jasminelovellsmith.bandcamp.com/album/yellow-red-blue" target="_blank">Yellow Red Blue</a>). It's not a line up you encounter often, and I'd be happy to hear more (recommendations welcome!). I was looking forward to hearing Cory with this group as I hadn't heard him playing Jasmine’s music before - he was a great fit. Should I be surprised?.... not really, as Cory always brings something to the music. The live sound was more amplified than when Chris is on the desk, but the balance was pretty
good if a bit bright sounding (especially piano and bass clarinet). </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>The volume got louder in the second set and I wasn’t digging the sound as much. Then I noticed he had moved from nearer the stage back to the desk. Surprise surprise... it was much better near the desk. And then when
he moved nearer the front the levels dropped a bit. The downside of a sound guy roaming with an iPad (set them and leave
them!). I minor complaint. On the upside, there was a decent crowd in and they were listening.<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoJCCvXc0iGQZBDPgYkgkuJRL5bhaEa71X2WwjB5qwwJaR7b9PPp5FaAwryIw2FzUkFJsxqXWljYseD7-WFq7XVN6O6sv_bq4yGpik6fCYrG9C-sF1xZ7g2gNW5A-fXnlRQ0apQ/s1280/jasminelovellsmith16052021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="New Zealand Music Month" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoJCCvXc0iGQZBDPgYkgkuJRL5bhaEa71X2WwjB5qwwJaR7b9PPp5FaAwryIw2FzUkFJsxqXWljYseD7-WFq7XVN6O6sv_bq4yGpik6fCYrG9C-sF1xZ7g2gNW5A-fXnlRQ0apQ/w640-h480/jasminelovellsmith16052021.jpg" title="Jasmine Lovell-Smith Quintet at Rogue and Vagabond" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /> </span><p></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-40502356781858405072021-04-17T14:08:00.000+12:002021-04-17T14:08:23.626+12:00Greg Malcolm & Lucien Johnson at Pyramid Club<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAJXewy6B5z0v6SRbLzqYE8m1Hhp7V_lYvgMSRSZLXn_gi1OGWwaLKfxA_agefrff1Ecr6wZfCrIYCCrl-nog8r7SfDbYZ-2juHGEpFy-E2mFnMm1Fzaw-3u7xNUu2spF1FNrKw/s1280/LucienGreg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pyramid Club" border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAJXewy6B5z0v6SRbLzqYE8m1Hhp7V_lYvgMSRSZLXn_gi1OGWwaLKfxA_agefrff1Ecr6wZfCrIYCCrl-nog8r7SfDbYZ-2juHGEpFy-E2mFnMm1Fzaw-3u7xNUu2spF1FNrKw/w240-h320/LucienGreg1.jpg" title="Greg Malcolm & Lucien Johnson" width="240" /></a></div> Nice to get out two nights in a row and hear some quality music., albeit very different. Pyramid Club was the scene for Friday night for two sets by guitarist Greg Malcolm - joined
by Lucien Johnson's soprano saxophone for the second set. There was a
healthy crowd without it being totally packed. It would have been nice
to see a few more of the jazz crowd there, but I wasn't surprised that
they weren't (benefit of the doubt.... maybe they all had gigs). I was
particularly keen to hear the second set as it featured pieces by Steve
Lacy (Greg's album <i>Leather and Lacy </i>is worth hunting down). Greg
has a unique take on Lacy - a slowed down, drone-y type thing - and it
really works. Lucien has a deep understanding of Lacy's music and he
easily slotted into Greg's approach. Plus, it was great hearing Lucien
sticking just to soprano - I can't remember the last time I heard
that.... if ever, and I really enjoy his soprano playing. His tone has
great clarity without getting bright or thin. He also created some
sounds on a mystery box that I don't really know what it was!<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CjbkGmQvj8d3JDLZVbnFhHkdIjFanhC4yh3opM3NCrEBwX3-UN3QAa3iAzEIHMALGkzBC4VyBO6Cju4jBlihSBjjdQliJ14xfGi-n9PMvIBmagObvOcVv4UVrTl5DEOKky4DCw/s1280/LucienGreg3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Steve Lacy" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CjbkGmQvj8d3JDLZVbnFhHkdIjFanhC4yh3opM3NCrEBwX3-UN3QAa3iAzEIHMALGkzBC4VyBO6Cju4jBlihSBjjdQliJ14xfGi-n9PMvIBmagObvOcVv4UVrTl5DEOKky4DCw/w640-h480/LucienGreg3.jpg" title="Lucien Johnson (ss) Greg Malcolm (g)" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFt1WaL1LmQy6ML8RQChV-w4f5Qc3kKyeTOap1sD64HO0xLOB2FIRNnmLVJaLX81RzqmtfWBre1rcf-lLHlnMiCYka9RhTlYQKxyaWwVDINsgsPLvmpqqW2ZSJD9CPRSCUmZfWA/s1280/LucienGreg4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFt1WaL1LmQy6ML8RQChV-w4f5Qc3kKyeTOap1sD64HO0xLOB2FIRNnmLVJaLX81RzqmtfWBre1rcf-lLHlnMiCYka9RhTlYQKxyaWwVDINsgsPLvmpqqW2ZSJD9CPRSCUmZfWA/w640-h480/LucienGreg4.jpg" title="Greg's set up" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6T0ys0IV3yJw30vQMcjBtYXzPX2DBLnhU7jEH_B0grraDiJmi4PtV3LbgMSjkIpQslScPyhGR750IZFYKj_c8lIq-VtzcYAl5KJP4oFjcpIC6_fQP8IYTLQyNk1VGgaKuGiYsg/s1280/LucienGreg5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="New Zealand Jazz" border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6T0ys0IV3yJw30vQMcjBtYXzPX2DBLnhU7jEH_B0grraDiJmi4PtV3LbgMSjkIpQslScPyhGR750IZFYKj_c8lIq-VtzcYAl5KJP4oFjcpIC6_fQP8IYTLQyNk1VGgaKuGiYsg/w480-h640/LucienGreg5.jpg" title="Lucien's mystery box" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yCoZuKS3SCKkI4oLiuhid_cdBj_WbsEhpPDUbKXBLgIVn6xU5siV1Hnv3qnI3DNIBi2ve7tz-PbQL5c32y-3rS9i15SvvMzvXc5QhnWMNCkFzOwgl3J6cUypLZWm6Wk-ewvsUQ/s1280/LucienGreg6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Steve Lacy" border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yCoZuKS3SCKkI4oLiuhid_cdBj_WbsEhpPDUbKXBLgIVn6xU5siV1Hnv3qnI3DNIBi2ve7tz-PbQL5c32y-3rS9i15SvvMzvXc5QhnWMNCkFzOwgl3J6cUypLZWm6Wk-ewvsUQ/w480-h640/LucienGreg6.jpg" title="Set list.... kind of" width="480" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-90746327594471785042021-04-16T17:04:00.001+12:002021-04-16T17:04:13.771+12:00The Woods at Lovebite<p class="x_MsoNormal">On Thursday night the Wellington Jazz
Co-operative presented The Woods at Lovebite. The room was full and the
band was on form. Sometimes you can just tell things are going to click,
and right from the start Rick Cranson had a spark in his playing that
lit the fire that burned all evening (well, the two sets…who know, maybe
there’ll still on fire). Sometimes it got a little loud, but I’ll let
that slide on this occasion. I haven’t heard The Woods sound better.
I’ve been pretty selective as to the Wellington Jazz Co-operative gigs I
attend. This was my first since Third Eye closed and they started
presenting concerts at Lovebite. It’s a small space, but a good vibe.</p><p class="x_MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0L03wWM21n4LP0eBS2FdRaELQa6A1aX98_cHUiw951fhAn6DhDqZlvBdKilfLm_pbUS2qP9gd1v78m0fQT5NkopGfby7GoLQbbvG5rfZ5iL-X_V3gkS11_aHTI-sfwvU3CM_bLg/s1280/TheWoods-LoveBite-15042021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wellington Jazz Cooperative" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0L03wWM21n4LP0eBS2FdRaELQa6A1aX98_cHUiw951fhAn6DhDqZlvBdKilfLm_pbUS2qP9gd1v78m0fQT5NkopGfby7GoLQbbvG5rfZ5iL-X_V3gkS11_aHTI-sfwvU3CM_bLg/w640-h480/TheWoods-LoveBite-15042021.jpg" title="The Woods - Joe Callwood (g) Blair Latham (ts) Rick Cranson (d) Tom Callwood (b)" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-72752008136526146242021-04-13T07:30:00.001+12:002021-04-13T07:30:00.200+12:00Devil's Gate Outfit at Meow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguOlvwXYUPZxwQVqo-IklOFctHrXA9OWWeEG-EqszU5y6e4_MGHRzsDaawiwp6HIHi2FUHwG622eSznJvNKmZjzp4ELirQ_kilzB5_unrZMtPsHmmcRr_sqGK-P3fQEdG0QedZaQ/s2048/dgu10march2021.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Devil's Gate Outfit" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguOlvwXYUPZxwQVqo-IklOFctHrXA9OWWeEG-EqszU5y6e4_MGHRzsDaawiwp6HIHi2FUHwG622eSznJvNKmZjzp4ELirQ_kilzB5_unrZMtPsHmmcRr_sqGK-P3fQEdG0QedZaQ/w640-h480/dgu10march2021.HEIC" title="10 March 2021" width="640" /></a></div><p> Okay, I’ve been dragging the chain with this post… but here we are…….
finally. Devil’s Gate Outfit played at Meow every Wednesday in March. I
got along 4 weeks out of 5. Anthony Donaldson (d) Tom Callwood (bass)
Dan Beban (g) Cory Champion (vibes/percussion), Steve Roche
(trumpet/euphonium/electronics) David Donaldson (percussion/stringed
instruments (not sure what they are!) Blair Latham (as/ts/b.cl) And
Johnny Marks (vocals/percussion) subbed for Dan one night (and did a
great job). It was great to hear how things developed and shifted over
those weeks, particularly as I became more familiar with the tunes. The
live sound was some of the best I had heard at Meow (it can be pretty
hit and miss there… usually everything is over-amplified). The most
disappointing thing was the audience. Some weeks it was pretty quiet in
there, but the final night had a pretty decent crowd. Meow doesn’t seem
to have the same built in crowd the way Rogue and Vagabond does.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhmiOQ-OHfAlPZjIM89i_ZWAYTcGXE0NhJCr6F8-I3g2E-Jy7K-ZOQZFG1NWqkjzW8nKl53lFIVNaBXxkj61O4Wx4l_iDvqztjKo7OonV3uxpP5UDa_-bLFPbbyKETOznnjoppw/s1280/dgumarch172021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Devil's Gate Outfit" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhmiOQ-OHfAlPZjIM89i_ZWAYTcGXE0NhJCr6F8-I3g2E-Jy7K-ZOQZFG1NWqkjzW8nKl53lFIVNaBXxkj61O4Wx4l_iDvqztjKo7OonV3uxpP5UDa_-bLFPbbyKETOznnjoppw/w640-h480/dgumarch172021.jpg" title="17 March 2021" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMBA2nB-c30B-T2OXqVywgbGVL1SQyqV2Xs6ZnA5OTEiTIYvF9LGkNuiXe-hc3HgG_fSK1warnUMIclP6Y4sTfPUfj3ftRvLKBpTdkcaZqMRpYtKBA2GNSG7rMrORI8ztyP20dw/s1280/dgu24march2021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Devil's Gate Outfit" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMBA2nB-c30B-T2OXqVywgbGVL1SQyqV2Xs6ZnA5OTEiTIYvF9LGkNuiXe-hc3HgG_fSK1warnUMIclP6Y4sTfPUfj3ftRvLKBpTdkcaZqMRpYtKBA2GNSG7rMrORI8ztyP20dw/w640-h480/dgu24march2021.jpg" title="24 March 2021" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ycnqnA0u2pnqYu9eKEIFL_SQ4Z1oNqymbs0lUyM6DcZHGItGXzB8xA30hz5Y0bwzwq5WYa32HliU2VG_uX635qEvuBO5lOWDJlBGsh-MKnDhoJLYb4pXQrgru03QJBnooAEQ2Q/s1280/dgu31narch2021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Devil's Gate Outfit" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ycnqnA0u2pnqYu9eKEIFL_SQ4Z1oNqymbs0lUyM6DcZHGItGXzB8xA30hz5Y0bwzwq5WYa32HliU2VG_uX635qEvuBO5lOWDJlBGsh-MKnDhoJLYb4pXQrgru03QJBnooAEQ2Q/w640-h480/dgu31narch2021.jpg" title="31 March 2021" width="640" /></a><br /></div>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-69016563384370162412021-04-12T19:49:00.000+12:002021-04-12T19:49:08.011+12:00Sunday at Rogue and Newtown Festival<p class="x_MsoNormal">Sunday evening began at Rogue and Vagabond to
hear the Aleister James Campbell Quartet with Lucien Johnson (ts/ss)
Paul Dyne (b) John Rae (d). There was a smaller crowd (but attentive)
than a typical Sunday (no doubt due to Newtown Festival). I'm looking forward to catching Lucien again later in the week.<br /></p><p class="x_MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROwH_pxlS-8BuMxrVJbBzLdMl9csqdIbMYT2sKRKR5lmZgX6mPRbdA8wCQDbbPNpep9yQiXnxXElt4LZBEbj_rha9ozfY_W7cJtMcUyMZMeOmKUANyTyeUowufAR1jWhchfRa_A/s1280/AlCampbellRogueVagabond11042021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="New Zealand Jazz" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROwH_pxlS-8BuMxrVJbBzLdMl9csqdIbMYT2sKRKR5lmZgX6mPRbdA8wCQDbbPNpep9yQiXnxXElt4LZBEbj_rha9ozfY_W7cJtMcUyMZMeOmKUANyTyeUowufAR1jWhchfRa_A/w640-h480/AlCampbellRogueVagabond11042021.jpg" title="Aleister Campbell's Quartet at Rogue and Vagabond" width="640" /></a></div>I
couldn’t really be bothered dealing with the Newtown Festival crowds
during the day so I was glad that Cory Champion’s <a href="https://cosmic-compositions.bandcamp.com/album/clear-path-ensemble" target="_blank">‘Clear Path Ensemble’</a> was performing later in the night. It was nice to get down to the
old ‘hood again – I haven’t spent much time down there since moving
into the city. It seemed that technical issues had delayed the previous
band and the Clear Path Ensemble set seemed pretty short as a result (30
mins max). I was a little disappointed that they were sans horns but
I’m sure festival budgets was a factor in stripping things back a bit.
People still dug it though.<p></p><p class="x_MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjserwtLBIeS1yb16b2u_iT-Fhkr6YUC0xclXN1QKyPxMzq7d4tk3cK4DqMs46Ryy_N7ALzmQJxY02EGpyMmHcNqAjlsrH7EdKB5mYrvn1wttl02zmkQV3_XH72uZHd_WRBCPs1ig/s1280/ClearPathEnsembleNewtownFest11042021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Newtown Festival" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjserwtLBIeS1yb16b2u_iT-Fhkr6YUC0xclXN1QKyPxMzq7d4tk3cK4DqMs46Ryy_N7ALzmQJxY02EGpyMmHcNqAjlsrH7EdKB5mYrvn1wttl02zmkQV3_XH72uZHd_WRBCPs1ig/w640-h480/ClearPathEnsembleNewtownFest11042021.jpg" title="Clear Path Ensemble at Newtown Festival" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-17119556142903116852021-03-16T18:44:00.004+13:002021-03-16T18:44:49.534+13:00Swagman at Moon<p> Just found this photo of Swagman playing at Moon in Newtown back at the start of February. Better late than never I guess. My first time hearing them somewhere other than RSC. Different vibe to the night, with more amplification and effects, and none of the RSC locals.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2XK_a9ZkbIpu2xNoqZbpGz4ox3f66i-Xrq35JzYAbmWwlnlqR8FSz2uPMfQy8d8VqNw17nejpIkl1xoeBEIAB9GxcWRqx8W9JL4fKLWqugCa-20UuZmTlKN5VcOHcNgdke4JTg/s1280/Swagman-at-Moon-Newtown-Feb-2021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Joe Callwood Guitar" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2XK_a9ZkbIpu2xNoqZbpGz4ox3f66i-Xrq35JzYAbmWwlnlqR8FSz2uPMfQy8d8VqNw17nejpIkl1xoeBEIAB9GxcWRqx8W9JL4fKLWqugCa-20UuZmTlKN5VcOHcNgdke4JTg/w640-h480/Swagman-at-Moon-Newtown-Feb-2021.jpg" title="Swagman at Moon, Newtown, Wellington" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-83229781296934039672021-03-15T17:22:00.004+13:002021-03-15T17:22:52.550+13:00Lily Shaw Quartet at Rogue and Vagabond<p class="x_MsoNormal">Lily Shaw (tenor sax/flute/vocals) Hector McLachlan (p) Phoebe Johnson (b) Cory Champion (d)</p><p class="x_MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkzJwop-hh0DpnBsuKoOZCaL0VKNFgopDhWzd-MQIN66R-YnIYRQw3K5PPjT_C5kCCLFu8jYNhuowVeOam4XJx_Nyxg3Z6W2-uNe70XE0O8FUIdFwNEoQH7j3EnhnN-HvCe1njg/s1280/lillyshawquartet1_20200314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="New Zealand Jazz" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkzJwop-hh0DpnBsuKoOZCaL0VKNFgopDhWzd-MQIN66R-YnIYRQw3K5PPjT_C5kCCLFu8jYNhuowVeOam4XJx_Nyxg3Z6W2-uNe70XE0O8FUIdFwNEoQH7j3EnhnN-HvCe1njg/w400-h300/lillyshawquartet1_20200314.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Really
decent turnout and nice to see lots of people actually paying attention
to the music (not always the case at Rogue and Vagabond). I don’t
recall having heard Lily in the past. Nice tone and quite a melodic
player. It was a bit noisy to be able to focus on the lyrics but some of
them grabbed my ear. A little more melodic/harmonic tension from the
sax and piano would have been nice. But perhaps that would have
distracted from the relaxed Sunday afternoon vibes. As usual, Cory’s
drumming was a standout. Based on age, instruments in tow, and that they
were nursing half a glass of water throughout the evening, I noticed
plenty of what I assumed to be students from the music school. No cover
and no minimum - I don’t think they realize how lucky they are. You’d
expect to see at more gigs than I do. A new intake will just be kicking
off so maybe they will get out more. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KLeikyAdxK1aCvjIAhUCWeiEfuFsvQ_EtU7TkFdrLyJnV3Wsj7QS7cr0iJTcPJo7YMCi88TOzHHSCiXlXdCKsaj9HneX8npb6fRCagRPSDWjuwd8oX7SdrKPxXFZ1KmpInt8kw/s1280/lillyshawquartet2_20200314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="New Zealand Jazz" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KLeikyAdxK1aCvjIAhUCWeiEfuFsvQ_EtU7TkFdrLyJnV3Wsj7QS7cr0iJTcPJo7YMCi88TOzHHSCiXlXdCKsaj9HneX8npb6fRCagRPSDWjuwd8oX7SdrKPxXFZ1KmpInt8kw/w640-h480/lillyshawquartet2_20200314.jpg" title="Lily Shaw Quartet" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-74023877937939666212021-01-18T17:15:00.000+13:002021-01-18T17:15:01.085+13:00Swagman album release at RSC<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I couldn’t pass up getting along to Swagman’s album release gig at
Raumati Social Club on Friday night. Beautiful evening and the place was
packed (and the crowd was a bit noisier than usual), but as usual, it
was a fun evening – great to see and hear the guys again. I’m looking
forward to sending some time with the album.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tbZfLR8iuuu5TwXP06JYeOkKrsBEblswqRk3lthC6POOzQ5LchMdADtib25jYlMqOVKVFtu4Nz0PpBYfqmUyApniz-oAMMA1y6ZAJ5dSXHiV1SBgRMe45bjz9T287yqkfOpjcQ/s1280/Swagman-at-RSC_2020-01-15_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="New Zealand Jazz" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tbZfLR8iuuu5TwXP06JYeOkKrsBEblswqRk3lthC6POOzQ5LchMdADtib25jYlMqOVKVFtu4Nz0PpBYfqmUyApniz-oAMMA1y6ZAJ5dSXHiV1SBgRMe45bjz9T287yqkfOpjcQ/w640-h480/Swagman-at-RSC_2020-01-15_1.jpg" title="Swagman album release gig" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUg9FdLnx1ngrfVAwWu7pHcnV9mw3jlG0hrtFgL511ITiKMbN-SUcFGU5KWgtEMcD2rPXTwnfGjwgGJjt18DjWClym6SL-9f0e4_zaFGUpUFwFlH_zaHyqk3Mdrte5FCFVI8PoXg/s1280/Swagman-at-RSC_2020-01-15_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Swagman" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUg9FdLnx1ngrfVAwWu7pHcnV9mw3jlG0hrtFgL511ITiKMbN-SUcFGU5KWgtEMcD2rPXTwnfGjwgGJjt18DjWClym6SL-9f0e4_zaFGUpUFwFlH_zaHyqk3Mdrte5FCFVI8PoXg/w640-h480/Swagman-at-RSC_2020-01-15_2.jpg" title="Swagan at Raumati Social Club" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAg_gbIgdU1RROuhuSKYaAyXRsIBhZvJGII4-Ipiqc7QoZe04KPqU0gjKnh7mY2KnmrON3Z65NIdV_uk9YzqMWFySgTRjlmvv8cBo0NgXFNNIB8_mTxy7NzrUnpJNwTpQ7Ex8UQ/s1280/Swagman-at-RSC_2020-01-15_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Swagman" border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAg_gbIgdU1RROuhuSKYaAyXRsIBhZvJGII4-Ipiqc7QoZe04KPqU0gjKnh7mY2KnmrON3Z65NIdV_uk9YzqMWFySgTRjlmvv8cBo0NgXFNNIB8_mTxy7NzrUnpJNwTpQ7Ex8UQ/w300-h400/Swagman-at-RSC_2020-01-15_3.jpg" title="Joe and Gabe" width="300" /></a></div><br /> </span><p></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-34361033171326520122021-01-01T22:21:00.001+13:002024-01-06T20:55:46.988+13:00Jazz | Pint | Warne Marsh<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_g5-zsFrw6JMv7oBkKNROm55D6RHXm9CRR3OQWaGdNkHsEC-JEs6daZJ04t35UZG3I-Bp6K2PxwVQH2Zup_fi0C39ibCMkYhJ6pMy3wUbLfI_QvMzv-j1zgrVc2s9Weg_80g1w/s2048/IMG_7624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="North End Brewery Salt and Wood" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_g5-zsFrw6JMv7oBkKNROm55D6RHXm9CRR3OQWaGdNkHsEC-JEs6daZJ04t35UZG3I-Bp6K2PxwVQH2Zup_fi0C39ibCMkYhJ6pMy3wUbLfI_QvMzv-j1zgrVc2s9Weg_80g1w/w400-h300/IMG_7624.JPG" title="Warne Marsh and a beer" width="400" /></a></div>I thought of this set of recordings last night when I was playing on the street (accompanied by the sounds of fireworks and New Years revelers). Back in the day I used the money gained from playing on the street to feed my CD habit. One such purchase was the Mosaic Records set of Atlantic recordings by Tristano, Konitz, and Marsh. It took some saving up as I never made much money (mostly I was just practicing) and I remember the exchange rate really wasn't in my favour either! In fact, it way have been the first thing I purchased online. <br /><p></p><p>When I got the set, it was the solo Tristano and Warne's albums that excited me the most. And that's probably still the case, although now I appreciate the contribution of the rhythm sections far more. I think that back then I was so taken by Warne - especially his tone - that the others just faded into the background. Tonight, I spent a bit of time just digging the lines laid down by Paul Chambers and I was still able to marvel at Marsh. There are other albums I was really into back then, that when I hear them these days just don't resonate with me nearly as much. Whereas Warne's self-titled Atlantic album has got better with time. It's funny, as what were favourite tracks over 20 years ago are still my favourites today (well they are tonight anyway!) - "Yardbird Suite" and "Excerpt". "My Melancholy Baby" is great too as is "Just Squeeze Me" and makes me wonder why I'm playing favourites tonight. It always pains me to look in the liner notes and see listings for other tracks from these two sessions... "unissued, master no longer exists". We can only imagine. The upside is that we do have six tracks, and if you haven't heard them, please set aside 35 minutes and give it a spin (or you could just put it on loop like I did tonight).<br /></p><p>While I may not listen to this music as much as I once did (for a long time it was a daily occurrence), this music still travels with me. A great way to kick of what was otherwise a quiet start to 2021.<br /></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-63132838270954421852020-12-29T10:04:00.001+13:002020-12-29T10:04:32.466+13:00Reed Packaging Blues<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKArIMFSeVhKE11NiraoUBzcr9C4F_rtmlhXmsf_BDFDoplP3Nhxjl1frXYIHfl2G-eCvIL6O2EpUd4HxPaNfd0TCsBCvgvB46qjP_e4fcq9BoU41_LkEj3-vPGGmkVx9eJFpbag/s2048/IMG_7599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Saxophone reed packaging" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKArIMFSeVhKE11NiraoUBzcr9C4F_rtmlhXmsf_BDFDoplP3Nhxjl1frXYIHfl2G-eCvIL6O2EpUd4HxPaNfd0TCsBCvgvB46qjP_e4fcq9BoU41_LkEj3-vPGGmkVx9eJFpbag/w400-h300/IMG_7599.JPG" title="Gonzalez vs Vandoren packaging" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a follow on from a<a href="https://adammelville.blogspot.com/2019/09/its-time-to-drop-plastic-sleeves.html " target="_blank"> post from over a year ago</a> (forgive me for repetition). Over the past year and a half or so (probably longer… rust never sleeps), I’ve been making efforts to minimize waste. I’m not hardcore
about it, just little steps here and there, and I feel I’ve made some good
steps (here's a thank you and plug for <a href="https://www.befreegrocer.co.nz/ " target="_blank">Be Free</a> and <a href="https://www.hopper.nz/" target="_blank">Hopper</a>). <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One thing that has bugged
me for a long time is the excessive plastic used in packaging saxophone reeds. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><p></p><p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
would describe myself as a long term Vandoren user. Over the 26 years
or so I’ve been playing saxophone, I’ve used Vandoren more than any
other brand. Of all the Vandoren models, V16 tend to work best for me –
although I used Traditional a lot too and had a bit of luck with Java as
well. I never really understood why reeds come with the plastic reed
holders/sleeves. Once you take the reed out of the box and start playing
it, the plastic sleeve is never used again. The ‘new’ packaging didn’t
do anything for me (I forget when it was introduced… it’s been several
years now). </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Vandoren started individually wrapping the reeds in
plastic (I think they claimed it kept reeds at a better humidity level). </span></span>All it seemed to do was make the box larger and add another
layer of plastic.
I still have a few boxes of reeds in the old packaging and I’m not sure
if I have noticed any improvement with the newer packaging. </span></span></p><p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmlEgdkVOZ2ALkVH0IlssuCEalHg5iPlaXWJtgfXRDGGa949VLnNG7mIbP_ckxqhfD-1PDpo9m4FTbubxPZyCyO8gw7TWNAax3Rn4RbfGOmD_r3PtuKqlAdHpbdmjbDpv6flgCg/s2048/IMG_7601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Vandoren Soprano Reed Comparison" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmlEgdkVOZ2ALkVH0IlssuCEalHg5iPlaXWJtgfXRDGGa949VLnNG7mIbP_ckxqhfD-1PDpo9m4FTbubxPZyCyO8gw7TWNAax3Rn4RbfGOmD_r3PtuKqlAdHpbdmjbDpv6flgCg/w240-h320/IMG_7601.JPG" title="Old vs newer Vandoren packaging" width="240" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So,
even though I have a few boxes of Vandoren left, </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">during December</span></span> I made the move to
Gonzalez. I had expected to go with Marca, but they are harder to get
here and more expensive. Compared to
Vandoren, Gonzalez have WAY less plastic (only the outer wrapping on the
box) and the price is better too (downside being I can’t buy them
from my preferred retailer). I had played them on alto for a bit back in
the day but never settled into them. And back when I was hunting for soprano reeds I tried a couple of boxes and then moved on - and now I'm back. I
got a box of each model and I’ve gravitated towards the RC (regular
cut). Early days yet, but</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
it’s working out okay (I'm still on my first box). I would like to try a quarter strength softer, but </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">my plan is to stick with them and see how it develops.</span></span></span></span><p></p><p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm not much of one for new year resolutions ("I'm gonna play as well as Steve Lacy by the end of the month!"), but perhaps 2021 will be my year of Gonzalez.<br /></span></span></span></span></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-77213941090772683382020-12-23T22:46:00.002+13:002024-01-06T20:56:44.101+13:00Jazz | Pint | One Down One Up<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBJUSO7loFUCDLJcpvuPM2Qv9b0khHE2FU6vMzOcbLejQdlq55-PqGPInul19lIjDr2IT8tuEZaakgBzfwnJkYhRG6jjSQX1H7JAVKQAAPGfsGpgZyIrcfE4JGw0l2cKSj0GlSA/s2048/IMG_7598.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="North End Brewery Waikanae" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1354" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBJUSO7loFUCDLJcpvuPM2Qv9b0khHE2FU6vMzOcbLejQdlq55-PqGPInul19lIjDr2IT8tuEZaakgBzfwnJkYhRG6jjSQX1H7JAVKQAAPGfsGpgZyIrcfE4JGw0l2cKSj0GlSA/w265-h400/IMG_7598.jpg" title="John Coltrane Quartet - Up Down, One Up" width="265" /></a></div>I'll happily admit that John Coltrane isn't my favourite saxophone player. Unless I'm looking at something specific, I need to pick the right moment to kick back and dig it. And tonight was the night, with <i>One Down, One Up - Live at the Half Note </i>taking care of the Coltrane fix. It's not really music that I strive to emulate, but I get why people love it so much. Intensity is the first word that comes mind. An outward intensity. Maybe if I binged on it and really spent time working it, some of that may bleed into my playing. Who knows. It's not really where I am at the moment, but you never know.<p></p><p>The hook up with Elvin Jones is something else, and there are long periods of Trane and Elvin in duo. The only downside to this is the lack of Jimmy Garrison! (never fear, he's always present during McCoy Tyner's solos). The more I listen to him, the more I enjoy his playing. Is he underrated? Underappreciated? Maybe - I don't know. Not in my book. In the accompanying notes (he barely gets a mention!) there's a great photo of him on the bandstand at the Half Note. The lucky few in the front row could have reached out and touched his bass. I can only image being so close to that sound and feeling. Physically that would have been an interesting experience.</p><p>Usually when I tune it to Coltrane I'm focused on his soprano work. And considering it's a live recording, his soprano tone is pretty well captured here. I know a lot of people rave about <i>My Favorite Things</i>, but I prefer his soprano from a bit later on. <i>One Down, One Up </i>is a fine example (on "Afro Blue" and "My Favorite Things") as is <i>The John Coltrane Quartet Plays</i> (check out "Chim Chim Cheree"). Both were recorded in 1965, once he'd spent more time on the straight horn.<br /></p><p>So my spur of the moment pick worked out well tonight, and two discs of live Trane made for a nice Christmas Eve Eve. In the words of Alan Grant, the announcer on these broadcasts, "Stay beautiful".<br /><i></i></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-6745560453596805392020-12-19T22:31:00.001+13:002024-01-06T20:57:03.664+13:00Jazz | Pint | Monk Plays Ellington<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4U01qEGvkRGUQ8UvqYpc-vjx8EvNLSa4IFOl8rEfNK4XmwroJ7jAT4mCIJSWzPVCr8c9vbNKu4gBBY6W93_SYpANWGqhq84qQcVTMCIXiqVw16Dc_TwhXxM7b8-zFWbajcb92A/s1280/Monk_Chouffe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Houblon Chouffe" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4U01qEGvkRGUQ8UvqYpc-vjx8EvNLSa4IFOl8rEfNK4XmwroJ7jAT4mCIJSWzPVCr8c9vbNKu4gBBY6W93_SYpANWGqhq84qQcVTMCIXiqVw16Dc_TwhXxM7b8-zFWbajcb92A/w320-h240/Monk_Chouffe.jpg" title="Monk Plays Ellington" width="320" /></a></div><p>I was listening to <a href="https://pabloheldinvestigates.com/ben-street/" target="_blank">Pablo Held's interview with Ben Street </a>earlier today (be sure check out Held's other interview too - great series), and had bass players on my mind when it came to tonight's listening. I didn't have anything in mind, but when I spotted the Monk set in the pile, the Oscar Pettiford/Kenny Clarke pairing was the first thing that came to mind. And here were are. Of Monk's discs on Riverside, it was be a toss up between <i>Monk Plays Ellington</i> and <i>Brilliant Corners</i> as to the album I've listened to the most. It just so happens that Pettiford is on both. (<i>Thelonious Himself </i>would more than likely be third if you're wondering). Pettiford and Clarke have such a great flow - it sounds effortless. As the bass was on my mind, I tended to focus in that direction tonight. Such clarity in his lines and his tone. Tonight, the brief moments when his walking lines moved into the higher register seemed to pop out at
me. And the buoyancy of "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" really
appeals to me. And the 3.57-4.10 mark during O.P's solo on "Caravan" always sticks out to
me. Kenny Clarke is very understated throughout - in the best way possible. Economy of swing at its finest. Fantastic brush playing. Actually, he spends the <i>vast </i>majority of the album on brushes. The sticks aren't missed at all (they make a brief appearance on "Caravan"). Super tasty. Of course it's not just O.P and Klook grooving - Monk plays his part too!</p><p>The Houblon is not by favourite of the Chouffe beers, but it made a change and I hadn't had one in ages (actually it was my first Chouffe since moving home). Maybe not a great match with the music, but it really didn't matter.<br /></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-6043234700778695542020-12-06T21:24:00.004+13:002024-01-06T20:57:23.324+13:00Jazz | Pint | Tethered Moon<p>Another weekend comes to a close, so it's time to kick back and relax with music and a beer. Early on in 2020 I "discovered" Masabumi Kikuchi. I'm pretty sure I had heard him previously on a Paul Motian recording, but for whatever reason, it didn't stick with me. I'm not sure what led me to him this year, but I picked up <i>Black Orpheus</i> (solo), <i>Sunrise</i> (trio), and a few of the Tethered Moon albums. And I'm glad I did. Actually, the Tethered Moon recordings led me listening to a lot of Gary Peacock this year - with Jarrett, some other sideman work, and as a leader too - a rediscovery of sorts. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4YbF7H65JXoOghXJSEctXTbr_OyroU8tsCIwN2yRQpLPSnhFREMX6s3vJ9cH752XP0kjW22DTIskFJEw380zgFQujg3XylW9bTX_OMUlXzYOGtdXh_uDDY9l0nVFlEgy8UlbGA/s2048/IMG_7571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Morte Subite" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4YbF7H65JXoOghXJSEctXTbr_OyroU8tsCIwN2yRQpLPSnhFREMX6s3vJ9cH752XP0kjW22DTIskFJEw380zgFQujg3XylW9bTX_OMUlXzYOGtdXh_uDDY9l0nVFlEgy8UlbGA/w240-h320/IMG_7571.JPG" title="Tethered Moon - First Meeting" width="240" /></a></div>Tonight, I gave <i>First Meeting</i> another spin. The trio's first recording... but not their first to be released. The music is unhurried, with opening track slowly unfolding and setting the mood for things to come. I enjoy the sense of space throughout the album. The sense of balance between the trio is also particularly notable. The last month or so I've been playing in a trio (albeit with different instrumentation) and balance is something that is becoming more and more apparent to me. How are the three of us interaction? Not to overplay. When to contribute sound and when to contribute silence. Can the use of silence turn the trio into a quartet? It playing a part as vital as the sounds we make. Just a few of the thoughts that popped into mind during tonight's listen. And how about the groove of Motian and Peacock on the title track? I'm also enjoying the recorded sound. Of the three Tethered Moon albums in my collection, I've listened to <i>First Meeting</i> the most. Does that mean it's my favourite? I don't know, it's early days yet. Still, it's a very nice album.<br /><p></p><p>There is a slightly dark quality to Tethered Moon (and Kikuchi in general) - but I like that in their music, and it seemed that Morte Subite would be an appropriate accompaniment - in name mostly, but it's mix of sweet and sour (more of the former than the latter), and effervescence seems to tie in with the sounds bouncing around the apartment. <br /></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-2287816573412142452020-11-30T20:35:00.001+13:002020-11-30T20:35:32.543+13:00Hatnohahat - Henderson/Dyne/Cranson<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7i5ouBxiAaOJjKuxMdLPQVpVxQbA_DXPC_HR3TLu_p9cl1xKNr7PCV-Ob5blLEreeQRu_iHgC0_T5BCwVAnsc8gCclf2Mg0UoYwjEUChGMKAON_hpk-6SnZeUDQnA_n4phJ9FQ/s2048/IMG_7543.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="New Zealand Jazz" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7i5ouBxiAaOJjKuxMdLPQVpVxQbA_DXPC_HR3TLu_p9cl1xKNr7PCV-Ob5blLEreeQRu_iHgC0_T5BCwVAnsc8gCclf2Mg0UoYwjEUChGMKAON_hpk-6SnZeUDQnA_n4phJ9FQ/w240-h320/IMG_7543.JPG" title="Jeff Henderson and Paul Dyne" width="240" /></a></div>This was the last night out for the Wellington Jazz Cooperative before the Third Eye shut up shop on Sunday night. Hatnohathat - Jeff Henderson, Paul Dyne, and Rick Cranson - made it an evening to remember. Jeff doesn't get down here all too often, so this was a gig I didn't want to miss. <br /><p></p><p></p><p>Free interpretations of standards/jazz tunes was the modus operandi. "Bye Ya", "You Don't Know What Love Is", "Impressions", "Blues Connotation", "Friday the 13th", "Holy Family" (Ayler) and "Red Car" (David Murray) were the ones I noted down. I think they opened with a tune of Jeff's. Often the pieces were link by, or emerged from collective free improvisations. At times it was full throttle stuff - Rick being an excellent choice - from the first beat you knew he wasn't messing around. P.D was particularly fleet fingered on this evening. "Relaxed intensity" is what I scribbled in the notebook. Perched on his stood, eyes closed, fingers flying.</p><p></p><p>Probably my favourite pieces of the evening were "You Don't Know What Love Is" (with Jeff on baritone) and "Blues Connotation". The former being a well placed ballad and the latter serving a reminder that, as much as I enjoy him on baritone and soprano (he has a fantastic soprano tone), Jeff is an alto player through and through. His alto playing has that bubbly, buoyant thing going on, and a singing tone. It swings too. As swinging as any alto player I'm aware of in New Zealand. This side of his playing doesn't always reveal itself, but when it does, it's a real treat. Maybe at times on "Blues" his phrasing reminded me a bit of Ornette, but melodically it was quite different.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRgPnRDeNgWBz-6JIJi61oux9BvfH-Cbh8dqyrPvUqpqF3N4cCyglaQg68ie-t0v3BYR8nkqIRPNngggAZyLGTwe3jJKoBY4FpvPRrd_PDaocKdM586voxFFOTHDEI4CA0Josaw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wellington Jazz Cooperative" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRgPnRDeNgWBz-6JIJi61oux9BvfH-Cbh8dqyrPvUqpqF3N4cCyglaQg68ie-t0v3BYR8nkqIRPNngggAZyLGTwe3jJKoBY4FpvPRrd_PDaocKdM586voxFFOTHDEI4CA0Josaw/w640-h480/IMG_7545.JPG" title="Hatnohathat at the Third Eye" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>At first it seemed like it was going to be a small turn (I was suspecting a case of jazz festival fatigue), but it there was a late turn out and in the end a pretty decent crowd fronted. Hopefully some of the university students were there (I've lost touch with who's at school these days) as it would have provided them with a different perspective on how to approach these tunes.<br /></p><p>The only thing I'll mark it down for was the live sound. Seems to be a common theme of late (I'm getting fussy in my old age). Things seemed to settle down by the second set, but the first set was way over-amplified (and loud). Paul's bass tone suffered the most - especially when the dynamic level did drop. I'm not sure why they even used the PA. In that size room Rick and Jeff aren't going to have problems being heard! And it's not like they are battling a noisy room (like at Rogue and Vagabond). Anyway, I won't harp on. I'll survive. It will be interesting to see where the Wellington Jazz Cooperative finds a home in the new year.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkv2PyuUaoqZlyRnfAsr5beE4idsVQy8LbZlGQ2MDer9EDs5c8IpV_dNi7llj2muVNnwF3z2Tz4-F9l6iPG0iUUe86Rmo064mekRR9mkpMti6oIHH0NoSSuDO9u8-UFU8tc0HTw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="New Zealand Jazz" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkv2PyuUaoqZlyRnfAsr5beE4idsVQy8LbZlGQ2MDer9EDs5c8IpV_dNi7llj2muVNnwF3z2Tz4-F9l6iPG0iUUe86Rmo064mekRR9mkpMti6oIHH0NoSSuDO9u8-UFU8tc0HTw/w640-h480/IMG_7547.JPG" title="Jeff Henderson, Paul Dyne, and Rick Cranson" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-23515890963372179572020-11-29T22:29:00.002+13:002024-01-06T20:57:33.262+13:00Jazz | Pint | Transitioning Alpha Theta<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjIUjAgTJxixMFWc8Vdo48HVkfAZYVV9iY_BfuaRhjkYUmbd5yX-DLVaxWJaJT4oN4UHJsbX06WsSDbti4CYDW-U8dkwMosa14A79uNdch7QuZgmbDUL_cKuDGsV0xmcA0uZ7OQ/s2048/IMG_7557.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="North End Brewery" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjIUjAgTJxixMFWc8Vdo48HVkfAZYVV9iY_BfuaRhjkYUmbd5yX-DLVaxWJaJT4oN4UHJsbX06WsSDbti4CYDW-U8dkwMosa14A79uNdch7QuZgmbDUL_cKuDGsV0xmcA0uZ7OQ/w240-h320/IMG_7557.JPG" title="Transitioning Alph Theta | Wild Luna" width="240" /></a></div>A quiet Sunday evening at home called for a beer and some listening. The album that has lulled me off to sleep the last couple of nights is Hayden Chisholm's <i>Transitioning Alpha Theta</i> from his box set <i>Cusp of Oblivion</i>. If you hadn't picked up on it, I'm definitely a fan of Hayden's work, and I particularly enjoy his saxophone ensemble recordings. Whereas <i>Kaum Quartet</i> and <i>Auto Poetica</i> feature four and eight alto players respectively, <i>Transitioning Alpha Theta</i>, features Hayden alone, multi-tracked.<br /><p></p><p>Nothing is abrupt. Dynamics are at the quieter end with subtle variations as particular notes are emphasized and the sounds ease in and out with breath. Ebb and flow. Sublime saxophone playing. The Breath. Space. A sense of calm prevails. After 42 minutes the piece ends but feels like it could just keep going. Infinity. </p><p>The breath. Calm. Space. Areas that warrant further exploration in my own work and a record such as this (and others from Hayden), are a handy resource.... and an enjoyable listening experience. This past week or so I've been consciously trying to slow down while practicing. Leaving more space etc. Putting the horn down helps - you can't play if it's not in your hands.<br /></p><p>One of my regrets is not getting back to Greece for another of his workshops. Maybe in the future it will happen. For now, I can relax, listen, get lost in the sound, and slow down.<br /></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-70003097943903398902020-11-25T22:10:00.004+13:002020-11-25T22:10:50.809+13:00Some thoughts on the 2020 Wellington Jazz Festival<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOqP2arLRJlzsVJwVEUUanPb9_6hc52jjsA5yr05xpOnEgWqeIduJpjs5yXgoWJ8X-s7cbcDvQqr3yD01gcA9pkoqLynhEtBwSgOZtNkbtFzfKOnSqASBNlstijd5Bh-p9mQIVA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wellington Jazz Festival" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOqP2arLRJlzsVJwVEUUanPb9_6hc52jjsA5yr05xpOnEgWqeIduJpjs5yXgoWJ8X-s7cbcDvQqr3yD01gcA9pkoqLynhEtBwSgOZtNkbtFzfKOnSqASBNlstijd5Bh-p9mQIVA/" width="180" /></a><span><span> </span></span></span></span></div><p>COVID-19 prevent the festival from proceeding as usual but the silver lining was that homegrown artists featured throughout. In addition, the festival commissioned works by four local artists and featured them as the headline acts. <br /></p><p>Some might remember back when the Wellington Jazz Collective was directing the festival, they would commission a work to open proceedings. It's a great idea and moving forward, this should be part of the festival each year - a commissioned work by an New Zealand artist in a headline slot.<br /><br />Here are some scribbles from the note book. <br /><b>Wednesday 18 November </b><br /><br /><i>The Noveltones</i> at St Peter’s Church <br /><br />Since my return home, I’ve tried to catch The Noveltones whenever I could. I may not have got to them all, but enough to be pretty familiar with the group and the tunes. When I heard that Blair had been commissioned to write a piece for the festival and he was going to use The Noveltones to execute it – I added it to the calendar immediately. The quartet – Jasmine Lovell-Smith (soprano sax) Blair Latham (bass clarinet) Tristan Carter (violin) Tom Callwood (bass) – sounded great in the church. <br /><br />The commissioned work was “Karla and the Divide” and for it Blair expanded the quartet to include Dan Beban (live electronics) and Andy (video art). The video definitely added to the vibe and ambience of the night, and I was particularly keen to hear how Beban slotted into proceedings. I was a little concerned how the added amplification would play out in St Peter’s, but I needn’t have, as the group sound with the electronics was great. Dan contribution to “Karla and the Divide” really set it apart from the rest of the set – adding subtle manipulations and gradually increasing them before eventually taking over responsibility for the ensemble sound altogether. Yet it was so well integrated, that somehow he managed to maintain the band’s sound – we were always listening to The Noveltones – not The Noveltones plus live electronics. Wonderful and a brilliant concert to kick off the festival. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9y5FqggjH4942W-oG6KpMDyONUAQAgaphNNHmAsVPA_FaHW4lzP8oJZh4cz8MN8IBeETFNXQLzDu13rZayTGRy7rKvipQve_qPLnfGzPidsZKSPEFoADya15Hl_ftvngkSIEsAQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wellington Jazz Festival" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9y5FqggjH4942W-oG6KpMDyONUAQAgaphNNHmAsVPA_FaHW4lzP8oJZh4cz8MN8IBeETFNXQLzDu13rZayTGRy7rKvipQve_qPLnfGzPidsZKSPEFoADya15Hl_ftvngkSIEsAQ/w320-h240/IMG_7510.JPG" title="Devil's Gate Outfit" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></div><i>Devil’s Gate Outfit </i>at Meow <br /><br />AnthonyDonaldson (drums) Tom Callwood (bass) Dan Beban (guitar) Cory Champion (vibes/percussion) Steve Roche (trumpet/Electronics) David Donaldson (various stringed and percussive stuff) Blair Latham (saxes/b clarinet). This ensemble had a residency at Meow following the lockdown but I never managed to get along. And although it was going to make for a very long day, I didn’t want to miss out. The residency had paid off as the group was sound very together (and the lack of sheet music was refreshing). Blair, straight off the back of the Noveltones gig (Tom and Dan too) was in fine form – he even busted out the alto, in addition to his usual tenor and bass clarinet. I really didn’t have too much of an idea of what I was going to hear, and following what I’d heard early in the evening, I easily could have been disappointed. I wasn’t. It was fun gig with great energy and just the right amount of zaniness. <br /><br /><b>Thursday 19 November </b><br /><br /><i>Kevin Field </i>at St Peter’s Church <br /><br />When it was announced that St Peter’s on Willis Street was going to be the venue for the Wellington Jazz Festival, I was suspicious of its suitability as a venue for jazz. And on Thursday night those suspicions unfourtunately became reality. Usually, I try to stay pretty positive on the blog but here’s bit of a rant. <br /><br />I’m not a huge fan of this type of jazz (slick mainstream contemporary is I guess could be the pigeon hole), but I was keen to check out what Kevin had to offer – and he had assembled an interesting line up: Kevin Field (piano/Rhodes), Nathan Haines (tenor/soprano/flute) Keith Price (guitar) Lewis McCallum (bass clarinet) Cameron McArthur (bass) and Stephen Thomas (drums). <br /><br />Good live sound would have gone a long way to get me on board. But sadly, it was a mess - bottom end boom and lack of clarity, combined with a bright and thin top end (guitar in particular suffered on this front... my first chance to hear.... and it didn’t leave a positive impression). The soprano sax and flute of Nathan Haines fared pretty well in the mix and it was nice to hear him live again. The bass was less fortunate – a muddy mess. Early on, Kevin’s piano was lost in the wash to the point where someone asked me if the piano was even going through the PA (it got better as the concert progressed). The woodiness of the bass clarinet had pretty much been stripped (but who knows, maybe that’s not part of Lewis’ sound). The drums were a total mess and Stephen Thomas’s super-busy playing style really didn’t help the cause at all. The bass drum sounded like a neighbour pounding on the wall to get you to stop practicing (you ignore them, and the pounding continues.... and continues). In general the band sounded over amplified. Maybe on the bandstand things sounded okay (I’d be keen to know) but out front it sucked (I was sitting one seat behind where I was the previous night - good seats). At lower volumes things were okay I guess, but those moments were few and far between. <br /><br />For me, it was a distraction from the music, and any chance of subtly was lost. It’s a room issue really (Church acoustics 1 – Jazz band 0), and I felt for whoever was handling sound, they had an up hill battle and probably would have been better off turning the PA off and letting the band sort it out for themselves! <br /><br />At the end I turned to me old mate JJ and said, “Well... that dead horse is well and truly flogged.” In some ways I feel I shouldn’t complain, as we’re the lucky few who can attend live music, but this was a disappointing evening. For the people I was with, this was there introduction to Kevin’s music, and they left pretty deflated. Hopefully it won’t turn them off his music. I briefly entertained the thought of catching a late night set somewhere... but didn’t. I talked to someone else the following day, and they made no mention of any live sound deficiencies and were quite full of praise – mentioning Field, Haines and McArthur’s in particular. <br /><br />To be fair to Kevin Field, he received the commission before the venue was announced. Whereas The Noveltones suited in that acoustic space, Kevin Field’s group didn’t. And it left me wondering how Riki Gooch’s group would sound the following night.<br /><br />Also, the crowd was a noticeably different demographic than Wednesday – an older crowd for sure and a lot less familiar faces. <br /><br /><b>Friday 20 November </b><br /><br /><i>Riki Gooch</i> at St Peter’s Church <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBfwQoSdolkCWGsPvNl0JznZnQJh_t2aAAkXzWX3AMLp3H_Zw4HiZs2YjzBaPUSxWpoksWemXeLtk3TlAth4NZtTm463NQcMKhqOqOebHaBp6rQC1cghqtE1bOjgpkRBoBg94lg/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Wellington Jazz Festival" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBfwQoSdolkCWGsPvNl0JznZnQJh_t2aAAkXzWX3AMLp3H_Zw4HiZs2YjzBaPUSxWpoksWemXeLtk3TlAth4NZtTm463NQcMKhqOqOebHaBp6rQC1cghqtE1bOjgpkRBoBg94lg/" width="180" /><br /></a></span></span></span></span></div><br />I couldn’t get along to Riki’s Arthur Street Loft Orchestra gig, so I made a point of committing to this one early on. It was fantastic to have a sell out for something pretty adventurous and far from mainstream (Riki is a known entity beyond jazz so that probably helped). His piece “Ngā Tuone” was a conduction for a 12 piece ensemble. <span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br /><br />The programme notes put a smile on my face and hinted at things to come it terms of mood. “We have no music notation, scores, charts or predetermined musical ideas as such. But, before you start thinking ‘did I just blow 39 bucks and my Friday night out on this s**t, I have taught the players a series of hand gestures and signs that symbolise music notation”... Gold. So there was an aspect of fun involved, even some audience participation (cued rustling of the programme... it actually worked too). Riki has a great stage presence, and his conduction gestures took on a dance-like quality at times (or maybe a martial arts vibe) that made for a nice visual element. At times the gestures were subtle (a quick cue to a particular musician), other times they flowed (full body movements directing shifts in dynamics). And then there were the table tennis balls... bounced, tossed, and flung high into the air. The visual element was certainly entertaining but, importantly, it did serve the music. <br /><br />There was plenty of variety – dynamics, density, textures, time etc – that kept things engaging and moving along. In fact, I couldn’t believe how quickly time passed. For me, that means things worked. Riki’s choice of musicians was one of the keys to the success – flexible, imaginative, open. I had high hopes for this concert and I didn’t leave disappointed. Quite the opposite.<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPuir3cQWqQJEIo6hhelj3Mynuq_zs4CFy97aGQvLchyphenhyphen_TvZyyMUBpiTFHPvyjZcqkAIsdm6qziTVN1muox9GHGsezyP0-9EUWQecL4kgRPUREtSEN4hfgOPS5IslZF6MORwDmA/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wellington Jazz Festival" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPuir3cQWqQJEIo6hhelj3Mynuq_zs4CFy97aGQvLchyphenhyphen_TvZyyMUBpiTFHPvyjZcqkAIsdm6qziTVN1muox9GHGsezyP0-9EUWQecL4kgRPUREtSEN4hfgOPS5IslZF6MORwDmA/w320-h240/IMG_7515.JPG" title="Tom Botting" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></span>Following that, I didn’t feel like listening to another gig that night. Meanwhile the weather had turned to crap, if I had my horn with me I would found a dry spot and had a toot. Instead, I mellowed out at home. <br /><br /><b>Saturday 21 November </b><br /><br />I gave the headline series a miss on Saturday. The downside of festivals is you can’t get to everything. I heard very good things about Anita Schwabe’s Sextet (and it sounds like they sorted out the sound issues). I haven’t heard how the Avantdale Bowling Club gig was yet. But I did manage to get to a few things. <br /><br /> <i>Tom Botting</i> at Third Eye <br /><br />Started off the day with some solo bass. Tom was talking about and demonstrating various techniques on bass (multiphonics/harmonics etc etc). It was really interesting, and nice to hear someone using ‘extended’ techniques to play “pretty” music (although a little grit wouldn’t have hurt!). The only thing I found disappointing was he only played some prepared etudes he developed as a means of learning the various techniques, and I would have liked to hear him improvise with them.<br /><br /> <i>Royal New Zealand Air Force Jazz Orchestra </i>at Te Papa <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uUbnV2ONeEwIPoPNfuejNbTHDmhWWVtRPQuL1Q8oei6rkJccJ0RRgF0Tjt2O6YJJ2voxlIO_Q4ZFCNwAsOKFXvXV_MXPuX0KHrjDCCFJjrw6XBgMB5kbztGfEDQ_3B5YPE9j_Q/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Wellington Jazz Festival" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uUbnV2ONeEwIPoPNfuejNbTHDmhWWVtRPQuL1Q8oei6rkJccJ0RRgF0Tjt2O6YJJ2voxlIO_Q4ZFCNwAsOKFXvXV_MXPuX0KHrjDCCFJjrw6XBgMB5kbztGfEDQ_3B5YPE9j_Q/w320-h240/IMG_7517.JPG" title="Royal New Zealand Air Force Jazz Orchestra" width="320" /></a></p>I got along to the second of two sets they played. And while it was nice to hear Duke Ellington’s “Black, Brown and Beige”, I always get a weird feeling listening to a military band playing jazz. I just doesn’t sit well with me. But the band sounded pretty good and there was a really decent crowd there. Quote of the day went to some random teenager I overheard saying, “I liked that. It was really jazzy.”<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span></span></span></span><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiM4BU5y3mDHXPXzy5kCmv6cWkGsYIZqXweS94SltJO841bVmeB6iWW_LiIbXT6vFEbLEPpcnUmynr6c4MHBrxxOye4SfTkpJjQ0fOiVD-LqyIGshFgHk_SpW29FSF_R1LHsP7g/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Wellington Jazz Festival" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiM4BU5y3mDHXPXzy5kCmv6cWkGsYIZqXweS94SltJO841bVmeB6iWW_LiIbXT6vFEbLEPpcnUmynr6c4MHBrxxOye4SfTkpJjQ0fOiVD-LqyIGshFgHk_SpW29FSF_R1LHsP7g/w320-h240/IMG_7518.JPG" title="Hot Ostrich" width="320" /></a></span></span><i>Hot Ostrich</i> at The Library <br /><br />Ed Zuccollo (keys/synth) Blair Latham (tenor sax) Peter Elliott (drums) These guys play here on a pretty regular basis but I haven’t managed to get a long until this earlier than usual set. The bar was packed and I wasn’t really in the mood for that Saturday evening, packed bar, cocktails thing. But I hung out and had a listen nevertheless. Definitely a group I want to hear again, maybe when the scene is a little more low key.<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br /></p><br /><i>GRG67</i> at Third Eye<br /><br />Roger Manins (tenor) Michael Howell (guitar) Mostyn Cole (electric bass) Tristan Deck (drums). I came knowing what to expect and didn’t leave disappointed. If you’re looking for some contemporary tenor saxophone shreddin’ in New Zealand, nobody does it better than Roger Manins (but he’s much more than just a shredder). I got along to the first set and they were sounding on form playing tunes from their latest recording, Happy Place. It’s pretty rare that I enjoy electric bass, but Mostyn really takes care of things in this group. Really solid gig, but the crowd was on the small side – no more than 30. I was expected more, but that can be the downside of festivals with clashing timeslots. I wonder what the turn out was for the second set? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>
</span></span></span></span><br /><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtNWymoQygYLdUUTnHDAG3FI3MgYPYcC_hSaIy1vnqNaEMgIQFLkJFk1rG9rPFhEubgSL5f3etd85i7R4lFIicTx7MKK16ffa8fxB3IXRp0O3JKvlzPON8ODyIGLoOMFsnD5Cpg/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wellington Jazz Festival" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtNWymoQygYLdUUTnHDAG3FI3MgYPYcC_hSaIy1vnqNaEMgIQFLkJFk1rG9rPFhEubgSL5f3etd85i7R4lFIicTx7MKK16ffa8fxB3IXRp0O3JKvlzPON8ODyIGLoOMFsnD5Cpg/w320-h240/IMG_7519.JPG" title="GRG67" width="320" /></a></span></span>I was planning to go to Clear Path Ensemble but due to sleeping like crap from the last few night and my allergies kicking during the afternoon, I got down to the Meow and then decided to bail. <br /><br /><b>Sunday 22 November </b><br /><br /><i>Jazz Kōrero</i> at Rogue and Vagabond<br /><br />This year the topic for the discussion was “Jazz and Accessibility”. I felt it was pretty flat and just couldn’t really get into it. I’ll leave it there. <br /><br /><i>HSK III</i> at Southern Cross <br /><br />I only stopped in here for about 20 mins as I made my way to Jasmine’s gig. I wouldn’t mind hearing this trio again - Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (drums) Callum Allardice (guitar) Tom Botting (bass). This gig definitely had a chilled out Sunday afternoon feel about it, and while they sounded good, I’d like to hear them in a more high energy setting. But I was probably hoping to hear Tom employ (deploy?) some of the techniques he demonstrated on Saturday. It didn’t happen while I was there, but I dug his bass lines.<br /><br /><i>Jasmine Lovell-Smith Quartet</i> at Whistling Sisters<br /><br />During the festival, Whistling Sisters presented the series Wellington Women of Jazz. Whenever possible, I try to get out to hear my friend Jasmine – gotta support a fellow soprano player! Plus I was curious to see how this space worked for jazz. I was pleasantly surprised – the balance was really good (the band deserves plenty of credit). As with last time I heard Jasmine, Emma Hattaway was on bass. She’s a really good fit for Jasmine’s musics. Ayrton Foote was on keys (the downside of a lack of pianos in venues... maybe the festival could sponsor getting pianos into venues?), I’ve heard him a couple of times recently and want to hear a bit more. Jasmine’s music seemed new to him, but he handled it okay. I hadn’t heard James Feekes before and he demonstrated tasteful restraint that was very venue appropriate (wisely, he didn’t push the volume levels). Very nice to hear Jasmine un-mic’ed and the room brought out the singing quality in her tone. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0EqLF7qdd1cPrKshiUIXFTNAXuFe7hoZuJWPHkWLQie6V66F2nb4z4Fzwo-mVPsO9VmtL7_zEx8koyUK17D6_JnnQbH-rIic6Pn9OFAznjeZHsN-TCmSHQQEVbXrGuTZpOtM6ig/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wellington Jazz Festival" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0EqLF7qdd1cPrKshiUIXFTNAXuFe7hoZuJWPHkWLQie6V66F2nb4z4Fzwo-mVPsO9VmtL7_zEx8koyUK17D6_JnnQbH-rIic6Pn9OFAznjeZHsN-TCmSHQQEVbXrGuTZpOtM6ig/w320-h240/IMG_7532.JPG" title="Jasmine Lovell-Smith Quartet" width="320" /></a><i>Now! </i>at the Third Eye <br /></div><p></p>An afternoon of pretty chilled out melodic jazz gave way to an evening of free jazz (there may have been some composition involved). Now! Was under the leadership of Eamon Edmundson-Wells (bass).... well, I think it was. Alongside him were J Y Lee (alto sax/synth) Callum Passells (alto sax/ b. clar/synth) Crystal Choi (piano) and Steve Cournane (drums). I was keen to check out this group as – outside of some videos from John Fenton documenting of the Auckland scene - I wasn’t all that familiar with any of them (Steve Courname being the exception, I don’t think I’d head any of the others live). It was an interesting set, very enjoyable and not like anything else I heard at the festival. Time flew by and that’s always a good sign. The improvisation fluctuated between some pretty full on playing and more spacious, dreamy sections. During the latter (my favourite parts of the gig), Choi’s piano was the stand out, and the more stripped back Edmundson-Wells’ playing become, the stronger it sounded. It would have been nice to have had a larger crowd (I didn’t do a head count, but it wasn’t packed), but I’m glad this group made the effort to come down from Auckland. <br /><br /><b>A few final thoughts.</b><br /> <br />The headline concerts provided plenty of variety (they were recorded by RNZ so keep an ear out for them)<br /><br />Moving forward: keep commissioning local artists. Give them headline spots AND time to rehearse. It will really help develop the scene. Drop the church (unless the music suits that acoustic environment). I get that the festival was thrown into chaos with the pandemic and there were probably limited options, but the headline venue needs to be acoustically suitable. <br /><br />Low points: live sound at Kevin Field and the usual festival time clashes. <br /><br />High points (lets end on a high): The Noveltones and Riki Gooch. Not having to rely on 'big' name internationals to fill venues or give the festival credibility. <br /><br />And remember..... there's jazz happening all year round - not just during the jazz festival - get out and support it! ...cue Fred Dagg.<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span></span></span></span></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><style type="text/css"><font size="3"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 115%; background: transparent }
em { font-style: italic }</span></font></style></span></span></p>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21126193.post-56761215926997155262020-11-17T23:22:00.001+13:002020-11-17T23:22:04.094+13:00John Rae trio at Wellington Jazz Club<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEi2INJu9leJC2TSH0Pn7p0yIgSGdAJEcUTMfbo1WFTWo1BACE2wIDnYgcVnGxwhIiV3_H-DkWPu5Arts9v8wtN4cVQhcStkQiCUAF2ZjXOMkJT-Lpmc7qj1SWmNqp7b6rBp-Yw/s1280/LucienWJC2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wellington Jazz Club" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEi2INJu9leJC2TSH0Pn7p0yIgSGdAJEcUTMfbo1WFTWo1BACE2wIDnYgcVnGxwhIiV3_H-DkWPu5Arts9v8wtN4cVQhcStkQiCUAF2ZjXOMkJT-Lpmc7qj1SWmNqp7b6rBp-Yw/w640-h480/LucienWJC2.jpg" title="Lucien Johnson, John Rae, Patrick Bleakley" width="640" /></a></div>It's (very) rare that I get along to a Wellington Jazz Club gig, now
that I'm in the city I might get to more, but often the programing just doesn't
run with my taste. This past Sunday was an exception so I popped down to Meow to check out the John Rae trio - John Rae (drums) Lucien Johnson (tenor/soprano sax) and Patrick Bleakley (bass). A pretty decent crowd turned out - probably about 50 - and I had the impression that the vast majority were club members. <p></p><p>There was a great mix of tunes across the two sets from Scott Joplin
through to Steve Lacy plus a couple of originals - Lucien's "Les Oiseaux
d'Amour" (from The Troubles first album) and John's "Eastern Promises"
(part of The Troubles current repertoire). And even with all that variety the two sets had plenty of continuity. Perhaps my favourites were
the ballads "Chelsea Bridge" and "My Ship" - for whatever reason they
seemed to hit the spot on a Sunday evening. It was nice hearing "Eastern Promises" outside of the larger set up of The Troubles, Lucien's tone on soprano is crisp and focused (and he's pretty fleet-fingered on it too). John was his usual high energy self and Patrick underpinned everything with some very nice lines. Rae and Bleakley are a fine rhythm section pairing. They've been playing together for over a decade (since the formation of The Troubles) and it comes through in their playing. And it was nice too hear them in a trio setting, which I can't recall having heard before. If I did it was a long time ago and hopefully it won't be so long until the next time.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJg4kw2cHoJ4W5X23bZ4bnUWw8tPeln8ZVQDIf-5kJE516-BpWraEXMa8SxRK9bpQ_yvyZKvQtzWVFf9-6IDH5tYLh-so10mh9aPCfYhuxFGJTTLJjIE2KI5c2pS_s74wNq-Jlw/s1280/LucienWJC1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="new zealand jazz" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMJg4kw2cHoJ4W5X23bZ4bnUWw8tPeln8ZVQDIf-5kJE516-BpWraEXMa8SxRK9bpQ_yvyZKvQtzWVFf9-6IDH5tYLh-so10mh9aPCfYhuxFGJTTLJjIE2KI5c2pS_s74wNq-Jlw/w640-h480/LucienWJC1.jpg" title="Wellington Jazz Club" width="640" /></a></div>AMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730857933624595721noreply@blogger.com0