NZ Jazz: Dr Tree

Dr. Tree: Dr. Tree (EMI)
Frank Gibson Jr. (d/perc) Kim Paterson (trpt/perc) Martin Winch (g) John Banks (perc) Bob Jackson (e.bass) Murray McNabb (rhodes/synth) Colin Hemmingsen (ss)

After digging into a few new(er) releases, I felt it was time to get into something a little older. I can’t say I listen to much fusion (occasionally some early electric Miles, Fourth Way, and other bits and pieces here and there), so this month has been a change of pace curtesy some jazz-rock fusion by Dr. Tree. This self-titled disc was the sole release from the group featuring some of the heavy weights of the NZ scene. The group won the 1976 Recording Arts Talent Award for "Best New Artist" and "Recording Artist/Group of the Year."

Dr. Tree is definitely at the rock end of the fusion spectrum (with touches of world music and some funkiness too). It’s pretty high energy throughout - not surprising when Frank Gibson Jr is at the helm. He's pretty busy, and some of the over-the-top fills aren't to my taste, but it's fitting for the music I guess. A little more variety would be nice as everything tends to tear along - a spacious ballad would have been a welcome addition. 

A bit more tonal variety from guitar and keys may have helped too. I found Martin Winch's guitar to be on the bright and trebley side and it became a bit tiring on my ears. And there is something about his phrasing/articulation that didn't sit with me - possibly it was something about the way the effects affected the phrasing. As a result (and probably partly due to my horn player bias rearing it’s head), I did prefer the times when Paterson (and Hemmingsen) were at the fore, as they provided a welcome bit of non-electricity. Paterson plays with plenty of energy and I want to hear more from him. I must get the live recording with Bernie McGann from the 60s as I have very little jazz by Kiwis from that decade (side note: Kim recently uploaded a video on Facebook playing solo in the bush – sounded great!).

During the 80s, Gibson, Paterson and McNabb would play together in Space Case and the intro to “Transition” brought to mind Murray McNabb's “Recurring Dream” from the first Space Case album (McNabb was the arranger for Dr Tree). McNabb takes bit of a back seat as far as soloing goes. But from the little I've heard from him that seems to be the case. I'm keen to check out his trio disc I have on the pile that awaits.

I got the feeling that the music is about the grooves, textures and energy rather than placing an emphasis on individual soloists. But everyone got some room to move with Bob Jackson getting featured on “Vulcan Worlds” and Frank stretching out on “One for Dianne” - which has an almost frenetic energy during the melody statements.

I couldn't help but think of 70s/80s TV themes as the melody kicked in on “Eugino D” (and to a lesser degree on “Vulcan Worlds”). The former is the track I listened to the most - likely due to the guest appearance of Colin Hemmingsen. It's a bonus for me as it's the earliest recording I have of Colin - plus he's on soprano. The playing may not have the continuity as his later work but there's plenty of energy and some nice twists and turns. 

Of course, I'm listening to Dr Tree with today's ears and the album sounds very much of its time. But what was this album like in the 70s for a jazz fan (or rock fan) from New Zealand? Were any other local groups recording jazz fusion in the 1970s? And while I’ve enjoyed giving this disc a spin, I think I’ve had my fill of jazz-rock fusion for now. Having said that, Dr Tree is an important record in New Zealand's jazz history so do check it out.

NZ Music Month: Sustenance - Food for Thought

Sustenance: Food For Thought (Southbound)
Phil Broadhurst (p) Colin Hemmingsen (ts/ss) Paul Dyne (b) Roger Sellers (d)

I think it's fair to say that Sustenance is essentially the Phil Broadhurst Quartet, but of the quartet, he is the musician with whom I am least familiar. Broadhurst also represents the geographic isolation between scenes that I've mentioned previously - my having only passing familiarity with the NZ jazz world outside of my local (Wellington) scene – an issue that this listening project is addressing. I did tune into his Radio NZ program, “The Art of Jazz,” on a pretty regular basis, maybe that's when I first heard Food for Thought. I remember he played plenty of artists/recordings I hadn't heard before. So I'm well overdue giving him bit of attention. He has numerous albums as a leader and one of the earlier trio outings is in the queue on the shelf.

Colin plays a lot more soprano on this album than I expected. In fact, there's more soprano than tenor, which is surprising as I always think of Colin as a tenor player. As a soprano player myself, I'll take it. There is a lyrical aspect to Colin's playing that not many people talk about. It pops up in many of his solos, even if just for a moment, they make a nice contrast to the more notey line playing and it's these moments that stick out the most to me – the solos on “Harbour” and “Food for Thought” came to mind first but there are examples across the album. Maybe it was all those years playing classical music?

I'm used to hearing Roger in standards/be-bop orientated settings and it's nice hearing him in a more contemporary setting (not that his playing is all that different). Throughout this series I have been (and will be) listening to a fair amount of Frank Gibson Jr. I find Roger's playing more understated but no less swinging or creative. He draws plenty of colors from the kit and one that grabbed my ear was the cymbal sound behind P.D's solo on “Why Me?” - it's the only time he utilizes that sound on the album. Paul is rock solid as usual. One spot that popped out at me was his playing behind Broadhurst on the title track – underpinning the group whilst staying melodically creative.

I don't have that many recordings of P.D and Roger. At first I wasn't sure why, but then I realized that back in the day I heard them play together (and individually) live on such a regular basis that it probably didn't occur to me to pick up recordings. C.L Bob, Jeff Henderson and some others come to mind that I heard live a lot but didn't get their albums (I did get the 1st C.L Bob album but that was before I heard them live). The same is true for Colin, although he wasn't gigging nearly as much, I did hear him play a lot... but do lessons and classes count?

It would be great if the earlier vinyl-only albums got reissued... how about a Sustenance box set?

This week I've enjoyed playing the melodies of “Dilemma” and “Harbour.” Interestingly, after 

working on the latter, I caught myself singing Mike Nock's “Mossaflo” too (recorded on Climbing and Open Door). Also, I listened to 75% of Sustenance on Radio NZ's “Musical Chairs” - Colin, Roger and Paul (even has an excerpt from the pre-bass days with P.D on clarinet!). 

NZ Music Month: Colin Hemmingsen - Music in New Zealand

During May I will be uploading a few articles on NZ jazz that I stumbled into while poking around the library. First up is the winter 1993 issue of Music in New Zealand in which my saxophone teacher, Colin Hemmingsen, was featured.

Click on the image to view the full article. More vintage magazine articles can be found here.

NZ Music Month: Colin Hemmingsen & Dave Lisik - Fate and the Processor

For the latest instalment of NZ Music Month posts (Here are Part 1 and Part 2), I have been listening to one of the stalwarts of the New Zealand jazz scene paired with a recent transplant from Canada.

Colin Hemmingsen & Dave Lisik - Fate and the Processor (Rattle) 2011. 

In comparison to Colin’s other recordings Fate and the Processor stands out as being the most “different.” Is it jazz? I'll say yes (although Rattle didn't release it on their jazz imprint). I find the album is best absorbed in one sitting and at 48 minutes this is very manageable. In fact, it is rare for me to put this album on just to listen to one track. I'm not all that sure why - perhaps it is the suite-like nature of the work.
While the album is adventurous, I still find it very listenable - perhaps in part due to Colin's melodic conception, which has got hold of me as I've listened this month. Colin provides all of the source sounds from his arsenal of woodwinds (tenor & soprano sax, clarinet & bass clarinet, bassoon) which were then arranged and shaped into the final album by Lisik and his computer. At times the sounds are largely acoustic, layered on top of each other. At other times the acoustic tones of Hemmingsen are blended with varying degrees of electro-acoustic manipulations from Lisik. There is plenty of variety as far as texture and density which helps the music from getting bogged down. Each time I return to the album I continue to notice things I missed previously, which makes for rewarding listening.

All in all, it's nice to hear Colin reaching out into areas I hadn't associated with him before hearing this album. Listening to Fate and the Processor leaves me wanting to hear Colin record with acoustic group playing free improvisations.