Antipodes + Hannah Griffin

Tonight it was back into the city to catch a concert at St Peter's Church. Two gigs in two nights..... not bad! This time around it was Antipodes - Luke Sweeting (p) Jake Baxendale (as) Callum Allardice (g) Max Alduca (b) and Tim Geldens (d). It was quite a different scene from last night (in terms of the setting, vibe and music). For this Easter concert, vocalist Hannah Griffin was added to the group for a set comprised of arrangements of hymns. I hadn't heard Hannah live for many many years, and she was the kicker to get me along. I don't consider Antipodes to be a "less is more" kinda group, so I was keen to hear how they handled playing hymns with a vocalist in a church. For the most part they did it pretty well. It was only when they hit a certain dynamic level that the vocals would lose clarity. It was nice hearing them take a more measured approach, although the last couple of pieces got a little closer to the "epic-ness" I associate with them. I'm not sure I'll make it 'three in three', but if I'm up for it, Antipodes are at Third Eye on Wednesday night.

Arthur Street Loft Orchestra - Callum Allardice and Daniel Hayles

Last week the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra featured a 17-piece band alternating pieces by Callum Allardice and Daniel Hayles. It was the most together I've heard the band sounding (usually they are somewhat under-rehearsed). I'd like to get along this week (John Rae) but I'm not sure the schedule will work in my favor - its bound to be an entertaining night. On March 11, Anton Watts and Blair Latham are the featured composers. I haven't heard either Anton or Blair live in a long time so I hope I can get along.

Callum Allardice Trio at Rogue and Vagabond

Today was a day of contrasts… the morning kicked off in the rain as I dug out a wire fence buried/tangled in grass and by the afternoon I was in the city sunshine on my way to hear the Callum Allardice Trio - with Seth Boy (b) Cory Champion (d) - at Rogue and Vagabond, before returning home in the misty rain.

I’m pretty sure that previously I’ve only heard Callum playing original material (maybe there was a standard or two thrown into the mix), so it was nice to kick back and listen to his lines flowing through two sets of standards. The appearance of “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You” put a smile on my face. Thinking about it on the way home, I don’t really listen to much by guitarists. But why? I don’t know. Perhaps I need to address this! But this evening I managed a double dose with Al Campbell sitting in and opening the second set with “Out of Nowhere” and “Body & Soul.” I hadn’t heard Al play in a while (maybe at the Rogue a couple of years ago), so that made a nice surprise. I’m not sure if they have played much together, but the two guitar made a good pairing.  Pretty good day, really.

NZ Jazz: Antipodes - Good Winter

Antipodes: Good Winter (Rattle)

Jake Baxendale (as) Callum Allardice (g) Luke Sweeting (p), Ken Allars (trpt), Max Alduca (b) and Aidan Lowe (d) 

Well, I finally got my hands on Good Winter (along with a couple of other new releases from Rattle). It was of particular interest to me as I've known Jake since the first week he moved to Wellington - that must be over 10 years now....rust never sleeps. Back then he was just a fresh-faced lad moving to the big city. It was while I was abroad that he developed into one of the movers and shakers on the scene here. Not only as a player but also an organizer, seeking out playing oppourtunities not only for himself, but the wider jazz community in New Zealand too. One of his main collaborators is guitarist Callum Allardice, who joins him here to form the Kiwi contingency of the trans-Tasman collaboration that is Antipodes. 

Compositional duties are evenly split between Jake, Callum and Luke Sweeting, with Alduca contributing one.  And it should be noted that Callum has been the recipient of the APRA Best Jazz Composition award on two occasions, and the 2017 winner, “Deep Thought,” appears on Good Winter.

I'm not sure why as I haven't listened to them in a long time, but two artists/recordings came to mind almost immediately during the first spin. There's an uplifting kind of vibe that made me think of David Binny and the other was Reid Anderson’s The Vastness of Space. But I wouldn't say that Good Winter sounds like either (but it did lead me to giving a listen to both just to check in with my initial reaction). 

It's the ensemble sound and collective effort rather than soloists that stands out to me. It is quite a busy and dense sound that features throughout with multiple soloist weaving lines together or soloists improvising lines as written melodies are stated. There are hints of ECM vibe too, but for the most part, things are a little over-the-top for the ECM thing. And that's probably my main criticism – there's just a bit much of everything (yet something is missing). There's no shortage of youthful exuberance but that seems to lend itself to an overblown “epicness” (think jazz power ballads). At times I almost caught myself laughing (definitely chuckling). I'm not sure why I do, but it's probably not what they were going for!

Perhaps the “diametrically opposite” component of the definition of Antipodes is reflected in the contrast between the mellow and the grandiose that is a feature of many (all?) of the tracks. It's not just a band name, but part of the aesthetic of the group. For me it’s a bit overstated and at times somewhat predictable(and in that regard, it reminded me of hearing The Bad Plus live). For example, you just know that the phrase at 0.55 on “Deep Thought” will reappear later coated in full-blown epicness (and it does at 3.20). “Sympathetic Resonance” provides some respite, as does “Haritomeni,” until things get cranked for the last minute or so.

Listening to the album has a whole had me wanting a change of pace. I was better off just listening to a couple of tracks in a sitting. I do like that they have a conception even if it's one that's not really for me. However, I'm still curious to hear where they would take things on a follow-up album.

The New Zealand leg of the album release tour kicks off in mid-December (next week!).

Dec 12 - Auckland, Backbeat Bar, 8pm

Dec 13 - Hamilton, Nivara Lounge, 8pm

Dec 14 – Rotorua, Princes Hotel, 8pm

Dec 15 – Whanganui, Musician's Club, 8pm

Dec 16 - Wellington, The Rogue and Vagabond, 5pm

Dec 18 - Christchurch, Space Academy, 8pm

Dec 19 - Nelson, Fairfield House, 8pm 

Dec 20 - Golden Bay, The Mussel Inn, 8pm

Dec 21 - Blenheim, Dharma Bums, 8pm

2018 NZ Jazz Award Finalists Announced

The finalists for the Recorded Music NZ Best Jazz Artist and APRA Best Jazz Composition have been announced. 

Does anyone know why change Jazz Album of the Year is now Best Jazz Artist? To me they are different things and the award is still based on the album. Anyway....

It's great to see a number of friends in the running. Of the albums, Fearless Music, is the only one I haven't heard, but Unwind has had plenty of airtime since I picked it up last year (and I woke up at 3am this morning with "View of the Moon" floating through my minds ear) and I'm listening to West of the Sun as I write this post. I've been listening to it sporadically since picking it up at the start of the year - Really enjoyable and recommended (I'll get around to blogging about it eventually). I'm a little surprised that Jim Langabeer's Secret Islands didn't make the final three. The composition award is a different matter – I'm not familiar with any of them! However, the works by Callum and Jake were recorded by Radio New Zealand and you can listen to the The Jac & Black String there (part of my plan today). Anita's tune is on her soon to be released album, Eat You Greens – her first as a leader (I think) and I'm looking forward to hearing it. 

Best Jazz Artist 

Lucien Johnson: West of the Sun
Hayden Chisholm/Norman Meehan/Paul Dyne: Unwind
Umar Zakaria: Fearless Music

APRA Best Jazz Composition 
Callum Allardice: "A Gathering"
Anita Schwabe: "Springtide"
Jake Baxendale: "Beyond the Palace"

More details can be found on the APRA/AMCOS website.