June 2002

Notes from
Down Under
Archive

SANGSTER SIGNS OFF

Last Will and Testament of John Sangster. Various (Move Records). 8.5 stars: John Sangster was a fixture on the local jazz scene until his death in ’95 at the age 67. A hugely talented multi-instrumentalist (drums, trumpet, vibraphone) and composer, his passing left a gap in the scene. He was a one-off ­ perhaps “genius” is not inappropriate -- whose synchronous career matched and took in the various stylistic developments and movements of Australian jazz. This album is an attempt to do justice to his legacy and is the first in a series by Melbourne-based Move Records (other albums to come include Sangster’s Lord of the Rings ­ how timely! ­ rare albums from his own label and some previously unreleased material.). Fittingly, the players assembled for this recording feature some of those who likewise have made huge contributions to local jazz ­ Graeme Lyall on soprano sax, Tony Gould on piano, Tom Baker (who sadly and suddenly died last year), on sax and trumpet, Ian Bloxsom (vibes), and Bob Barnard (trumpet). Apart from the calibre of the musicianship in the playing of this music, two things stand out: it’s inherent swing, and, probably not unrelated, its joy and humanity (despite the composer’s less than perfect health). The aforementioned musicians brought this music to fruition in the studio in respect of “Sango” and it stands as a parting statement from the man himself as enunciated by the best of his peers. It is absorbing, variegated music that now takes its in place in Australian jazz history as part of Sangster’s legacy.

FERMANIS CLASS

Machines. Craig Fermanis. (Newmarket) 9 stars: Fermanis is an established Melbourne-based guitarist who has picked up some of the best local players in Matt Clohesy (bass) and Dave Beck (drums) to make this trio album. It is firmly in the jazz mainstream, specifically a guitar trio style rooted in Jim Hall and since informed by many others into something timeless and universal. No one insists jazz guitar should be like this, and indeed there are legions of guitarists totally outside it, but it’s amazing and somehow re-assuring that so many albums today sound like this, cut from a classic template. It goes without saying how good Beck and Clohesy are ­ they’ve appeared on many albums out of Melbourne ­ so it’s more a matter of Fermanis, who, as it turns out, has made a superb album here. His chord work and his lines are apposite and complete ­ a typical line such as the early part of his solo in “Two Chances” has slurred notes and phrases that draw on rock and then revert to a classic bop feel, and moments later to some Wes Montgomery-style octave picking. He can play slowly with good effect, as in “Valby”, and the very lovely “Elizabeth Drive”, and Jobim’s “Wave”, or build a solo to a tense and exciting set of exchanges with the rhythm section (hear “Sitcom” and “Mr Dankett”). He has written most of the material and it leaves you not wanting for anything. The way the band just drops into “Machines”, like a leaf touching ground, is indicative of the class at work here, and the delights to be had in the music.

TIM STEVENS OPENS RUFUS ACCOUNT

Freehand. Tim Stevens (Rufus) 8.5 stars: Tim Dunn’s distinguished Sydney-based Rufus label has produced more than 50 locally recorded albums over the past decade ­ so many, in fact, he can start to record them in streams and themes. This is an example of one of his mini sub-sets: with pianist Paul McNamara’s Conversations album of two years ago, this is the second in the “Invitation Series Solo Piano” works commissioned by Dunn. Melbourne pianist Stevens lives in Sydney now but his heavy credentials began in Melbourne where he was a member of the celebrated Browne Haywood Stevens trio that recorded the superb Sudden In A Shaft of Sunlight album (ABC Jazz, Aria finalist 1998) between 1994 and 2000. The 12 pieces of this new solo album reveal Stevens in fascinating close-up, and what’s there is a mixture of dynamism, lyricism and exploration wrapped inside unstinting discipline. There is a clipped character to his playing that indicates tight focus of idea. He is tremendously muscular and purposeful in all his playing. Always on the way to somewhere, his lines unfolding with spellbinding logic. Though the control of dynamics can be dazzling it’s the rigorous organisation of his ideas which takes centre place. There is enough variety here to keep most listeners enthralled, which changes of tempo and attack displaying the various facets of this artistic identity. He sounds unlike anyone else and is satisfyingly mature.

GIBBONS’ GLOW

Dusk. Corinne and Co. (Secret Service). 7.5 stars: The title sets the tone for this gently engaging album which indeed does have a lot of warmth and glow about it, thanks to Corinne Gibbons’ singing and the sympathetic, creative cradling of it by a posse of top Sydney players. Though the opener, East of the Sun, is not an auspicious start, with the singer offering nothing new to the chestnut tune, she improves out of sight with the next offering, “Something In the Way She Moves” (James Taylor), where Mark Punch’s harmony vocal seems to set her voice in the best light. She has an intimate, sometimes innocent and girlish way of singing, and quite a sunny timbre in her voice, and you wonder whether pop singing doesn’t suit her best (witness also Hendrix’s “Little Wing”), especially as she struggles with the range of the Look Of Love (pitched too high for her, similarly parts of “Close To You”) and to invest it with anything as sultry as the song demands. But after this the album settles down to a series of beautifully crafted engagements between her and the backing band, a conspiracy of soulfulness as the players probe the expansive arrangements that really let them show their wares. Of special note is Phil Slater’s trumpet work in his best Chet Baker mood. There are some real successes on this album; Gibbons just needs to sort out her strike rate and a more consistent singing persona.

LORDS OF BYRON AND BEYOND

Juicy Shoots. FATS. (independent ­ try jazz specialists or David Ades on 0417 449 213) 9 stars: One of our most talented enclaves of jazz players is the surfing musicians of Byron Bay. The inimitable and world-class trumpeter Scott Tinkler, the alto saxophonist David Ades, bassist Thierry Fosmale and drummer Greg Sheehan comprise FATS, which has again tapped the local community to help underwrite this, their second album. Like the first, it’s a combination of cutting edge jazz and a rock-style rhythm section, which makes for tremendously energised, focused and hard-hitting music, which, courtesy of the trumpet and sax seems to inhabit the known universe and the unknown at the same time. In that sense FATS play a kind of jazz rock but putting it that way is too suggestive of the usual meaning of the term as it derives from the ’70s. The regularity of the beat and the steaming rock-ish underpinnings make this a highly approachable album even for non-jazz listeners, but those familiar with Ades and Tinkler will already appreciate their intensely probing and even off-the-wall musical ideas, and their readiness to consider almost any sound if it seems the right one. Even among the plethora of popular groove jazz bands in this country, none has the heft and sheer strike power of this one. They always sound dangerous.

ALL STARS SHINE

Doin’ Our Thing. The Sydney All Star big Band (La Brava) 8 stars: Established big bands are a rarity anywhere so we should count ourselves lucky to have an outfit of this quality as an ongoing entity. It was formed around 1990, and, under the leadership of trumpeter Ralph Pyl, has a long track record of supporting international touring stars as well as gigs on its own account. On record ­ more sparkling audio quality by the La Brava label ­ there is a superbly balanced, crisp and deep band sound. Beginning with “All Clear” by expatriate US trumpet veteran Don Rader, the program shows off the varied talents in the band, through instrumental soloists of the calibre of Graham Jesse (alto), Trevor Griffin (alto), Bill Risby (piano), Dave Panichi (trombone), Rader (flugelhorn), Pyl, and Rex Goh (guitar). Most of these names are also on the score sheets as composer, with a resultant pleasing variety in the material. Dave Panichi’s 12-year US stint is behind his suite, “Manhattan”, with its interesting changes and moods. Though the album is firmly in the big band mainstream, this is suitably contemporary big band writing in a genre that often seems lacking in forward development. Besides the firepower of the soloists you hear superbly crafted scores that offer a richness of colour and shading and tremendously well handled, fresh ideas in the arrangements, such as the way the horns will burrow up through the mix to make a statement and recede. Every track has this level of refinement. Anyone with a hankering for modern big band sound will thoroughly enjoy this album.

Ralph Pyl: up to his ears in the Sydney All Star Big Band

(See http://www.ralphpyl.com)

Sydney trumpeter Ralph Pyl is a busy musician but he still finds time and energy when it comes to big bands. His main thrust in this area is his Sydney All Star Big Band, which he formed about 12 years ago. Numbering 20 of the best players to be found in the harbour city ­ many of them bandmates of Ralph’s in orchestras such as the one for actor/singer Tom Burlinson’s Frank Sinatra show ­ the All Stars are one of the more serious attempts at maintaining and extending the big band tradition. Keeping a big band alive isn’t easy but somehow Pyl has managed to do so, and has finally produced an album of the band to encapsulate the progress so far (see review above). Here’s what he has to say about the art of the big band:

All About Jazz: How often does the band work?

Ralph Pyl: It’s a bit up and down. Sometimes I don’t do anything with the band for a month or two, then at other times we’ll do five or six gigs in a month. But now the big thing I’m doing with the band is Tom Burlinson, and also Frank Bennett, they’ve been using our band for all their stuff for the past four or five years. We also do corporate work. On average we about two or three corporate gigs a month.

We’ve been a bit slow with Tom this year but that’s because we’re going to the States and Canada to do the show. I’m off to Toronto in July with Tom. We’re not taking the whole band ­ we’re taking four guys and the rest we’ll pick up in Toronto. Quite a few of them will be from Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass, which has been one of my favourite big bands for the last 15 or 20 years. It will be a band of 16 in total.

AAJ: You’re all leading musicians who presumably are pretty busy with lots of different things. Isn’t it hard to get everyone together for the big band?:

RP: The good thing is because well all work together all over the place ­ about 90 per cent of us on the big band album will be doing sessions and work for other people, other shows etc ­ so sometimes it works out that I know when we’re all working or not working and I can slot the big band in there. Sometimes there might a few guys who can’t make it but usually they make it a priority. It’s pretty good.

AAJ: What do you think about where big bands are these days?

RP: I think the biggest problem is economical . I think there’s still the interest in big bands. And the venues are a problem. We’ve just lost the Harbourside Brasserie ­ that was a great venue for us, because we can’t just play anywhere with all our pieces. It was a fun room to play in, and we’d get good crowds in there; we’d do a Monday or Tuesday night. Now we’re back at the Basement ­ basically that’s our only left. We’re doing one gig every six weeks and that’s done really well. We’ve had James Morrison and [singer] Emma Paske come and play with us and the crowds have been good.

But it’s not like the old days, like in the ‘40s and ‘50s and so on when it was your pop music, that was it. Don Burrows tells me stories of the amount of big bands operating in the ‘40s and ‘50s and he would just run from one big band gig to another. It was all big band, all dances, you know, the Trocadero and the Chevron.

AAJ: It had the function of dance music back then whereas now it doesn’t necessarily do that. There’s been a split in what a big band does It’s not only dance music now. You must have to write differently for those purposes.

RP: Well I have two books ­ what I call a dance book/corporate book and that’s for big functions where they specifically want a dance swing band, with everyone in the suits and the pearls, and they want the Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey and so on. And then I’ve got a concert book which is all the album material, the modern contemporary big band stuff such as we play at the Basement. It’s more ensemble playing, more technically difficult music, and it’s probably more featured soloists. The audience want to se a hot big band really swinging, in the groove, playing technical music.

There are bands around. There’s probably half a dozen big bands in Sydney still rehearsing and playing, people like John Ferguson still rehearse on a Monday night, and Jimmy Shaw’s big band ­ Shaw Enough, I think they’re called, they do the odd gig . . . Ed Wilson’s just re-formed his band and he taken a little bit of a different approach ­ only because he’s trying to take a different part of the market ­ and his band’s called the Wackiest Big Band In Town, and it has a bit of comedy in it; and there’s John Morrison’s big band, Swing City. John’s band is probably a bit more dance, more so than use ­ we’re geared more for concerts than dance. And as you say, the school bands . . .

When I was at school every school had a concert band and the luxury for those members was to get to play in the stage band, which is actually a big band but the schools call it a big band.

And I’ve got to say, I reckon nine out of 10 schools that have a music program have a stage band ­ which is really healthy , it’s a real good thing.

AAJ: Are they a nurturing thing for future musicians that might play in small combos or also for big bands?

RP: Well I reckon a bit of both. As far as I’m concerned, the basic training for any studio or jazz musician is big band playing . I think the discipline in a big band for its reading, phrasing and ensemble work is really important. It’s a really good grounding for anyone wanting to be a commercial jazz musician. For me, the best musicians in town are big band players. They know about light and shade, how to work together as a team.

AAJ: Are there new players coming through the ranks?

RP: Well, the guys in the band are mostly the ones I started out with when I was about 16. We’re still playing together but the reason for that is that I think they’re the best players around. But I do have a cross-section, though mostly they guys are in the mid-30s and going right through to guys like [US trumpet vet] Don Rader in his ‘60s and Bob McIvor ­ there’s a few of the older guys there but I can’t replace them, I can’t replace experience. These guys have been there and done that for so long.

I also run a Monday night rehearsal band of pretty well all ex-conservatory of Music students that have now left the course, and guys who are really keen to further their big band skills. I’ve got to say that after about four years now of rehearsal we’re at the point where I could put almost any of those guys into All Stars; they’re incredible. They’re in their 20s, almost a generation behind. A very good band. At times I just have to get in there play too, it’s so exciting.

AAJ: Where can big bands go from here? How can they develop and who is good at writing contemporary big band material?:

RP: I think pretty well anyone around who has interest in it ­ you know, guys around like Evan Loning ­ his writing is pretty amazing. And Ian Cooper, the violin player, he’s just releasing a big band album from last year that we did for him, using most of my band. Evan did most of the arrangements for Ian; Evan did some great arrangements for the Emma Paske album with James Morrison we did a few years ago. Even Graham Jesse, Dave Panichi, all these guys, they’re up there.

AAJ: Have you got any inclination to go to the more orchestral side, you know, something like Maria Schneider?

RP: Well I was going to say that that was our big thing this year, doing the Maria Schneider concert in the Sydney Festival, which was just amazing. I didn’t really use my own band for that, the reason being that, with the knowledge of her music that I have, there were certain players that had to be there, especially in the woodwind area, it’s really heavily woodwind, it has a lot of doubles on the woodwinds. She brought no one with her and she was pretty concerned about it, because her music is pretty difficult, and right up until the time she got here she was still saying ‘I hope these guys will be OK’.

And I knew they would be, you know. . . I mean, I pulled these guys up from Melbourne, Adam Armstrong came back from New York to play bass, I had James Muller [guitar], I had Scott Tinkler [trumpet] as a featured soloist, [pianist] Bill Risby, Gordon Rytmeister in the rhythm section, [saxophonist] Dale Barlow , [trombonist] James Greening ­all the guys that I knew would be suitable for the gig. To her surprise she was absolutely knocked out ­ the standard, the reading . . .

AAJ: What material was it?

RP: Off her albums. She sent them all ahead about a month before and I gave them out to everyone. And she was so knocked out after the concert, she said she would love to come back to do a three-week national tour, and I’d love to work on that . . . For that show we did five rehearsals - and we needed them all ­ but next time I hope we do the Sydney Opera House and then go and do a tour of the capitals, and have her involved in some master classes.

But that type of orchestral jazz, it takes a certain type of player.

And the main reason you don’t see more of it here is because the average Joe Blow just wants to hear a grooving, swinging big band. There isn’t the interest. Orchestral jazz is very suited to European audiences. But it’s all in the writing, I suppose.

AAJ: Do you want to make another album in a while?

RP: I’d love to! We’ve had a lot of interest from other composers in the album and know what we’re about, who’ve said they’d love to write for the band. I’ll give it maybe another 12 months or so . . .

Meet Secret Street

Dusk (reviewed above) is the third release by the independent Sydney-based label, Secret Street. Founded by singer Corinne Gibbons and bassist Rose Pearce in 2001, the label is targeting a niche market, which is, as the women put it, “a musical journey into the backroads and intersections of style and culture” and “delving into traditions and emerging with a refreshing take on contemporary Australian music and the music of the world”.

Secret Street “is about a community of people, all of them passionate about music, fascinated by the new and intrigued by the unknown.” The label says the music and the artists are the priority, and quality and integrity are the core values upon which the company is built.

Both Gibbons and Pearce have extensive histories in the Australian music industry. Rose’s early experience was with a contemporary urban country band, The Happening Thang, and since she has gone on to play in many more bands, writing music for films and eventually managing bands.

After her family moved to Alice Springs and then onto Darwin in the late 1970s, she lived, on and off, in the Northern Territory. Working extensively among the Aboriginal communities and musicians of the Territory, she has become involved in exposing the talent within indigenous Australia. Rose has produced albums resulting in the Deadly Sounds ‘Best New Talent’ Awards for both Wild Water (1996) and Rochelle Watson (1999) and continues to assist Indigenous bands and artists in recording, promoting and touring around Australia and internationally.

Corinne Gibbons hails from Bega, on the far south coast of New South Wales. Since her early days she has sung with a diverse range of established artists in jazz and rock and her songs have been used by a number of bands. Her marketing skills, developed by working some of Australia’s best known promoters and event management companies, have part to play in building Secret Street.

Secret Street Catalogue: Glenn Skuthorpe, Out of the Darkness; Corinne & Company, Dusk; Corinne & Company,Sunday Afternoon (live). Two more releases are planned for 2002.

See http://www.secretstreet.com.au

Jazz Action Society

The Jazz Action Society is one of the stalwarts of the Sddney jazz scene. Formed in May 1974, it incorporated in 1986. The JAS has held monthly concerts over the years and had a "Twenty Years of Jazz Action" celebration held at the Basement in April 1994. A concert celebrating the 25th anniversary was at the Opera House Studio Theatre in 1999. From 1977 until 1999 the J.A.S. organised the Jazz Composition Awards to encourage the devlopment of original jazz composition in New South Wales.

Among the well known musicians featured in past concerts are: Gordon Brisker Big Band, Bob Barnard's Quintet, Warren Daly Quartet, Lily Dior Quintet, Trevor Griffin Sextet, Mark Isaacs Quartet, Mike Nock, Sydney Conservatorium Big Band, ten Part Invention, Wanderlust.

J.A.S. gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the Australia Council, the NSW Ministry for the Arts, the A.P.R.A., and the sponsorship of Soup Plus, Basement,and Dymocks Books at Pitt and Hunter Streets. What J.A.S offers members monthly newsletter with complete Sydney Gig Guide, book and CD reviews, jazz news and gossip, radio jazz directory and Australian jazz festivals; discounted admission to monthly concerts by top Australian jazz artists (visitors are also welcome); and discount prices at Folkways Records in Leichhardt and Paddington, Sydney. In April the JAS presented George Washingmachine’s Art Class Band at the Bowlers’ Club and in May it offered the Blaine Whittaker septet.

See http://jazzaction.topcities.com/

"NEXT" BACK IN PRINT

The Necks’ bassist Lloyd Swanton advises that the band’s second album, Next, is now back in print on Fish of Milk, after being unavailable for some time. The album was first released in 1990, to laudatory reviews.

If you haven't heard Next before, now's your chance. Next (FOM0001) is available online at http://www.thenecks.com, at your friendly local import record store, or, throughout Australia, at all good record stores.

Swanton also said the band toured Canada in May and is scheduled for European appearances later in 2002, including a festival in Lisbon, the Jazz em August Festival (Friday 2nd August), and possibly half a dozen shows in the UK from mid-November. There is also a chance of some Australasian dates in late Oct/early Nov. Also in the works is a new live album, on Fish of Milk, early in the second half of the year.

Mark Isaacs does a lap of the globe

Meanwhile pianist Mark Isaacs is heading overseas again. Mark will be performing for one week in July 2002 at the prestigious Pori International Jazz Festival in Finland, doing six performances from July 15-20. He will be leading a trio with distinguished New York musicians drummer Adam Nussbaum and bassist Jay Anderson.

It what has become a major international tour, Mark will also be performing in New York, Russia (Moscow and Saratov), Beijing, Bangkok and Japan. Possible additional performances in Vietnam and Korea are currently being negotiated. For more details of the scheduled dates, see http://www.listen.to/gracemusic or email: gracemusic@bigpond.com.

I’ve asked Mark to write us a wrap of his adventures for the next Notes From Down Under.

Montreux Jazz Festival Saxophone Competition

We're proud to note that Jamie Oehlers has been selected as a finalist in the Montreux Jazz Festival Saxophone Competition in Switzerland in July. All of us down under wish him the best of luck.