Jazz on Sunday in Wellington

I kept myself busy on Sunday by getting along to two gigs. If I had been organized, I could have got along to a third - maybe next time.

First up, it was off to Cafe L’affare for The Dry Horrors - Anthony Donaldson (d) Tom Callwood (b) Lucien Johnson (ss/ts). I didn’t realize that L’affare had music and I stumbled upon this while making a last minute check of the gig guide.

It was interesting to hear these guys playing a cafe gig - some tunes by Monk, Ornette, Bird, Ellington and David Murray, and some standards and blues. The acoustics had everyone pulling back. I was expecting it to get really washy but it actually wasn’t too bad. I hadn’t really heard Anthony in this context before (maybe ages ago) but I really enjoyed his playing. In some ways his beat has an old feel but it ends up sounding modern (which brings to mind Han Bennink). It was a chilled out afternoon - even when things were moving along - and it was nice to see parents with their young kids listening to the band (even if just for a moment).

The Donaldson and Callwood pairing is quite longstanding. Will it attain the stature of the Sellers/Dyne, Gibson/Brown, Hopkins/Haynes pairings? Maybe it is already there? I’m glad to have caught Lucien again before he heads to NYC this week. I’m looking forward to hearing what he gets up to.

Next up it was off to Rogue and Vagabond for the Jasmine Lovell-Smith Quintet - Jasmine (ss) Mike Taylor (trpt) Anita Schwabe (p) Phoebe Johnson (b) Hikarangi Schaverian-Kaa (d). What started out as a sunny day had now clouded over, and the music seemed seasonly appropriate and continued the Sunday vibe - intimate, warm and pretty chilled out.

I was expecting Callum Allardice on guitar, but he was subbed out by Anita. And while I was keen to hear a guitarist playing Jasmine’s music, it was a bonus having Anita there as I hadn’t managed to catch her live since I’ve been home.

It was my first time hearing Phoebe Johnson and I was particularly impressed by her creative accomplishment, nice sense of space and unhurried approach. She fits in with Jasmine’s approach really well. She locked in nicely with Hikarangi too. He doesn’t overdo it, but gives things a kick, often unexpectedly, when needed. At times the sound guy didn’t do the bass any favors - quit turning up the volume during the bass solos. It really threw out the balance of her tone and make the bottom end overly boomy.

I enjoyed listening to the contrast between the sax and trumpet. Between the more notey playing, Mike hints at a melodic side too. The notey-ness has been part of his playing as long as I’ve known him, so it might be a bit odd if he edited it out, but sometimes the strength of a melodic line is lost when bookended with superfluous notes (and, in this case at least, the contrast with Jasmine would diminish). I would like to hear them together more to see what develops, especially as far as collective improvising goes. And while the performance may not have been as cohesive as the album but I enjoyed hearing some pieces from Fortune Songs live. 

After the gig we were talking about Sunday in Wellington becoming quite the scene - Third Eye’s regular afternoon session, L’affare in the arvo (not sure how regular it is), Rogue at 5pm, and the odd Sunday night gig (JB3 were at The Library that evening). So if you’re a jazz fan and in the city on a Sunday, there’s something happening somewhere - check it out.

The Melancholy Babes at Snails

I forgot to post a photo of The Melancholy Babes gig. Snails in Palmerston North was the third stop (of five) on the trio’s North Island tour supporting the release of their fourth album, Shingles.  It was nice timing to hear Jeff live, having just spent the previous month digging into The Triplets Book. I picked up a copy of Shingles, so eventually I might get around to adding that to the NZ Jazz posts.

The Melancholy Babes (L-R) Jeff Henderson, Anthony Donaldson, Tom Callwood

NZ Music Month: The Truth Isn't Always Ornamental

Bleakley/Crayford/Donaldson: The Truth Isn’t Always Ornamental (Rough Peel Records)

Patrick Bleakley (b) Jonathan Crayford (p) Anthony Donaldson (d)

I stumbled across this 2016 release quite by accident a couple of months ago.

There is a slightly hypnotic feel running through the 1st four tracks. It leads to continuity while each piece still retains its own flavor. “Dots” features an ostinato from the piano that is maintained through as the solo buildings in intensity with lines of clusters. The flow created by rhythm section is superb. There is another repeated groove on “Bruno’s Tom Toms.” This time the piano holds firm as the bass bows over the top of a slightly sinister feel. The ballad “Street of Dreams,” features the drums bubbling away and building throughout the piece while the bass pedal makes you wait for resolution as the piano ruminates with sparse lines and plenty of sustain. It’s very collective approach rather than soloist and accompanists. The aptly named “Wall of Jazz” bursts out of the blocks and just keeps going - the trio is unrelenting. At times on this track (and some of the others too) Crayford’s phrasing brings to mind Lennie Tristano.

“Pink” is on the brighter side mood wise. The vibe is very familiar but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I kept thinking, “I know this… oh wait… I don’t.” Maybe there’s something about the piano that occasionally reminds me of Paul Bley, and perhaps Mike Nock too. The hypnotic feel present on the first four pieces fades as the rhythm is more broken up (it hints at a return towards the end of the piece as the bass pedals and the piano plays a short repeated figure) and once again it’s a very collective approach to trio playing.

The relaxed swing of “Departing Souls” is broken up with interjections from the drums. It keeps you on your toes and brings something different to the table (as Donaldson tends to do). Possibly the most “straight ahead” track is “Ornamental” and, courtesy of a fade out, it is frustratingly short. It may be a little more conventional playing than what I usually associate with Donaldson, but I’m really enjoying his playing across the entire album. The meditative “Tinalaca” frames the album with the return of the hypnotic quantity. The piece unfolds with a pedal, plenty of sustain and some timely fills from the drums. It wouldn’t be out of place on an ECM album.

There are no composer credits (it's hard to tell if there are tunes involved or if the trio is freely improvising - but I like that!) or recording date. The bass lacks some clarity and at times the overall sound is a bit “boxy,” but the recording does capture the live vibe (at Happy in Wellington) and if anything, it makes you hone your attention a little more. While the 38 minute length is refreshing, it was a little frustrating that some of the tracks fade out. But it left me wanting more, and that’s not a bad thing. These are minor complaints, and nothing that has stopped me from enjoying the music.

The Truth Isn’t Always Ornamental will likely be overshadowed by Crayford’s two trio albums on Rattle Records, Dark Light and East West Moon (both with Ben Street and Dan Weiss), but it offers something a bit different while still maintaining plenty for everyone swing, ballads, groove and collective playing.

Last weeks NZ Music Month post on C.L. Bob can be found here.