Hatnohahat - Henderson/Dyne/Cranson

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jazz | Pint | Transitioning Alpha Theta

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 Transitioning Alpha Theta from his box set Cusp of Oblivion. 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 Kaum Quartet and Auto Poetica feature four and eight alto players respectively, Transitioning Alpha Theta, features Hayden alone, multi-tracked.

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. 

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.

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.

Some thoughts on the 2020 Wellington Jazz Festival

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.

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.

Here are some scribbles from the note book.
Wednesday 18 November

The Noveltones at St Peter’s Church

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.

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.

Devil’s Gate Outfit at Meow

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.

Thursday 19 November

Kevin Field at St Peter’s Church

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.

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).

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.

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!

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.

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.

Also, the crowd was a noticeably different demographic than Wednesday – an older crowd for sure and a lot less familiar faces.

Friday 20 November

Riki Gooch at St Peter’s Church

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.

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.

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.

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.

Saturday 21 November

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.

Tom Botting at Third Eye

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.

Royal New Zealand Air Force Jazz Orchestra at Te Papa

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.”

Hot Ostrich at The Library

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.

GRG67 at Third Eye

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?

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.

Sunday 22 November

Jazz Kōrero at Rogue and Vagabond

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.

HSK III at Southern Cross

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.

Jasmine Lovell-Smith Quartet at Whistling Sisters

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.

Now! at the Third Eye

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.

A few final thoughts.

The headline concerts provided plenty of variety (they were recorded by RNZ so keep an ear out for them)

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.

Low points: live sound at Kevin Field and the usual festival time clashes.

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.

And remember..... there's jazz happening all year round - not just during the jazz festival - get out and support it! ...cue Fred Dagg.

John Rae trio at Wellington Jazz Club

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.

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.

The return of Swagman

Last Friday night it was off to Raumati Social Club for the first gig by Swagman for quite a while (prior to lockdown sometime). The crowd was small to start but it picked up and was pretty much a full house by the end of the first set. As usual they started out mellow - even mellow-er than usual - and then ramped it up during the second set. It wasn't the dancing/party crowd this week (perhaps everyone was electioned out?) but they were digging it nonetheless. Gabe played a lot of vibraphone during the first set - more than usual, it seemed. He fired up the alto during the second set, playing a couple of solos that were as good as I've heard from him. I always enjoy making the effort to hear Swagman whenever I can. It's a fun gig - fine musicians, sweet guys, and good vibes. There's been plenty of good vibes at gigs I've attended recently. Maybe people have worked out how lucky we are to have live music soothing our souls. Long may it continue.

Usually I only catch glimpses of Brent McFarlane as he's tucked away in the corner somewhat obscured by Joe and Gabe, so this time around I made a point to grab a shot of the Swagman engine room.

Arthur Street Loft Orchestra - Rosie Langabeer & Zirkus

After a 13 year hiatus, last Monday the Third Eye was the scene of the revival of the Rosie Langabeer's large ensemble, Zirkus. It was part of the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra series, which continues providing plenty of variety for those interested in hearing original large ensemble music (although they may be looking for a new home in 2021). The group included some of the original members plus some new faces (19 musicians in total). And with people in from out-of-town to play and listen along with fond memories of the group "back in the day", there was a great vibe in the room even before things got started. Those good vibes are something I have always associated with Zirkus. That, and a little but of quirkiness/zaniness. I'm pretty certain most (all?) of the tunes came from the Sirius Music recording and hopefully more gigs might expand on that repertoire. At times the band teeters on the brink of chaos - just long enough to keep things interesting - and I was impressed by how well they navigated it considering that lack of rehearsal time leading into ASLO gigs (try getting the same 19 musician's in the same room at the same time on more than one occasion). I think of it more of a collective effort than as a band for soloists, although there were some nice solo contributions - Blair Latham (tenor sax) Mike Taylor (trumpet) and Nick Van Dijk (tuba) come to mind. Fun is the glue, it kept things moving and engaged the audience, but not at the expense of the music. Instead it is an integral part of the music. It was a really enjoyable evening, and hopefully we don't have to wait another 13 years to hear Zirkus fire up again.

none of the pics I took that night really captured the mood

Jasmine Lovell-Smith Quartet at Third Eye

Last Thursday, it was off to the Third Eye for the Wellington Jazz Cooperative gig featuring the Jasmine Lovell-Smith Quartet - Jasmine (soprano sax), Daniel Hayles (piano), Emma Hattaway (bass), and Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (drums). This was the first outing of this line-up. I'd heard Hikurangi a few times with Jasmine and he is well-suited to her music - a sensitive and creative accompanist who isn't afraid to interject and kick things along as needed. I hadn't heard Emma before, and she slotted in nicely. At times her tone was a bit lost in the mix but it got better as the gig went along. Her melodic conception works well with Jasmine's compositions. I was most curious to hear how Dan fit into the group as I thought it was bit of an odd choice. It seemed to take him a while to settle, and for me there was a marked difference between his playing in the second set as he found his groove in the music. Overall they created a nice band sound that filled the room without being loud. There was nice mix of material from Jasmine's output - older pieces, new pieces, and adaptations of larger works - and her melodic, lyrical vibe hit the spot for someone who's brain needed to relax.

Little Symphony Sax Trio + Blair and Anton at Rogue

Still playing catch up with the blog. Here's a couple of shots from gigs back on the 23 and 25th of October. First up was the Little Symphony Sax Trio (l-r: Blair Latham, Jake Baxendale and Oscar Laven) at Photspace Gallery. I heard The Noveltones there earlier in the year (or was it longer ago than that?) and it's a nice venue for this type of thing. The quartet was minus one (Anton Wutts) but that didn't stop them as they played through a recently written suite - 6 short pieces based on colours (Purple, Green, White, Red, Black and Pink) and some other older and newer material.

 When Anton made it to town on the Sunday, he was at the Rogue & Vagabond along with Blair, Paul Mouncy (electric bass) and Peter Elliot (d). The group had a fun name but I forget what it was now.... (that'll teach me for not taking my notebook). It was great hearing Anton and Blair join forces again - the pairing goes back over 20 years and the spark remains.

Anton stuck mostly to alto sax (and some synth too), with the tenor only a making an appearance towards the end of the evening. In addition to the usual tenor sax and bass clarinet, Blair also busted out the guitar too (a rare doubling combo). It was a fun gig, high energy and a little quirky - not unexpected with these guys.