Oct-Nov 2001

Notes from
Down Under
Archive

KELLER WINS FREEDMAN

It was enough to make you look twice: philanthropy toward jazz? Australia doesn’t have much of a philanthropic tradition, at least compared with America where the vigor of capitalism is offset a little by an onus on the very rich to contribute directly toward the public good. Against this background in Australia it was even more surprising to see the advent of the Freedman Foundation Jazz Fellowship, the inaugural presentation of which went to Melbourne pianist Andrea Keller recently at a special concert at the Sydney Opera House.

Keller, 28, studied classical piano, flute and saxophone at the NSW Conservatorium High School. After a year majoring in composition at Wollongong University, she graduated with a Bachelor of Music Performance in Improvisation from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1995 where she has been teaching since 1996. In 1997 she formed a contemporary improvisation duo with arco double bassist Anita Hustas. They toured Sydney and Brisbane last April and the Andrea Keller Quintet released its first CD this year (see review below). :

The award comprises cash of $15,000, assistance in the development of promotional materials of up to $5,000, workshops and career consultations to assist with the non-musical aspects of career-building, and active support from the Music Council of Australia personnel during the fellowship period.

The jury members were Dale Barlow, Jonathan Zwartz and Mike Nock. According to Nock, it was “an extremely difficult decision as the standard was so uniformly high, but in the end the judges unanimously awarded the fellowship to Andrea.”

The other finalists were Matt McMahon (pianist, Sydney), Jamie Oehlers (the Melbourne-based tenorist, now with a new CD – see below) and highly-ranked Sydney trumpeter Phil Slater.

At the Freedman Jazz concert I thought Jamie Oehlers played extremely well and would have been a worthy winner too.

The Music Council of Australia Freedman Music Fellowships are not the typical fellowships for emerging artists, but are for musicians up to 35 years of age who are at the top of their profession in Australia and are ready for international exposure. The awards - the first such awards specifically set up for jazz - will support programs proposed by the candidates, which range from embarking on an international career to developing more opportunities for music in Australia.

Dick Letts, Music Council Director, said Australian jazz seems to be entering a golden period. “There has never been such a depth and diversity of jazz talent here. Unfortunately, this is not matched by the opportunities for these great musicians to perform. The MCA/Freedman Fellowship will bring more prestige to the winner and to Australian jazz.”

The Freedman Foundation was established in 1998 by Laurence Freedman and his family as a way of giving something back to Australia. Laurence Freedman arrived in Australia at the age of 23 in 1966, with no assets other than a determination to succeed. Having studied at night to earn tertiary qualifications, he became involved in the finance world and, in 1980, established the EquitiLink Group, which at the time of its sale in December 2000 managed some $6 billion on behalf of investors around the world.

Kathy and Laurence Freedman join the ranks of Australia’s leading philanthropists, with their support of both science and the arts. This year, The Freedman Foundation has awarded the inaugural fellowship for classical music to virtuoso recorder player Genevieve Lacey. It will also inaugurate a number of scholarships for young Australian science and medical graduates, to encourage researchers to pursue their careers within Australia.

JAZZGROOVE CELEBRATES THIRD ANNIVERSARY

Though tucked away on the inauspicious Tuesday night of each week, the jam sessions involving SIMA (the Sydney Improvised Music Association) and the Jazzgroove organisation, at Sydney’s side-On Café, have been a success since the date was added to the roster two years ago. So much so that the recent third birthday celebration for Jazzgroove at the Side-On was jam-packed and an eye-opener as to the success of the organisation and its healthy following in Sydney. To cap it, Jazzgroove recently released a fine double album CD showing off the talent in its ranks.

The organisation was conceived by pianist Sean Wayland and the “swingin’ seven” commune in the hallowed halls of the renowned “Bill and Tony's” restaurant in Sydney. In the Jazzgroove Association their goal was to provide much needed performance opportunities for young musicians and new improvised music.

Three years later the Jazzgroove has nearly 120 members, most of whom are musicians, making it unique in Australia as an organisation run by musicians, for musicians, says association stalwart James Fletcher. While receiving a minimum of government funding ($10,000 in 2001), in 2001 Jazzgroove will present more than 100 bands through its regular Tuesday night program at the Side-On Cafe.

“We will also continue to co-present (with SIMA) the Wednesday night jam session at the Side-On Cafe. We also operate a record label, Jazzgroove Records, which has released the acclaimed “Jazzgroove” compilation. With the release of Nick McBride’s “Rectangle” in September, Jazzgroove Records began to fulfil its mission of making our members’ music available to the broader listening public.

“If you thought jazz was dead, we’re here to prove you wrong.”

(For further information, interviews or copies of “Jazzgroove”, contact James Fletcher: 0412 091 290, www.jazzgroove.com)

THE GREAT DANES

Palle Mikkelborg, the great Danish trumpeter, returned to Australia in October, his first visit since 1993. This time he was in company with the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra to perform his work The Voice of Silence, a homage to the artworks of the 20th century. The Sydney stop was part of a world tour.

What a night it was. The trumpeter’s muted, Miles-ish whisperings and intimacy was set against a tableau of sometimes brooding and mystical orchestral colours, including the harp of Mikkelborg’s wife, Helen Davies. And there were exciting, highly charged solos from within the ranks in a performance that satisfyingly balanced Mikkelborg’s compositional thoroughness with the cut and thrust of improvisation. The piece concludes with the whole orchestra playing toys that are like thumb pianos.

The encore was a glorious arrangement of “Wonderful World”, dedicated to Satchmo and a poignant counterpoint to all the bad news on the international front.

GRABOWSKY’S SITA SHINES

Another remarkable night at the Opera House was the Sydney premiere of The Theft of Sita, a striking and ambitious collaboration between devisor/director Nigel Jamieson and composer Paul Grabowsky (Grabowsky is one of Australia’s most successful bandleaders and jazz composers. Lately he is working on international film scores).

I mention this production because of its hybrid musical nature – a combination of Indonesian traditional forms and a slew of Western styles, mostly jazz and rock. If anyone is at home in such an East-West encounter it is Grabowsky, whose work with the Australian Art Orchestra included a collaboration with Indian musicians for the Into The Fire composition, available on CD and recently aired again at the Sydney Opera House.

This time there was a squad of Indonesians playing instruments such as the kendang, bumbang, the ponggang, kempul, rebab, and gongs. Alongside them were half a dozen Australians including the angelic-voiced Shirley Scown, saxophonist Sandy Evans and drummer Niko Schauble. Like the multi-layered puppet show – arising out of the Indonesian traditional form – the music was innovative, fresh and creative. It’s hard to laud Grabowsky’s work here too highly, as it confirmed that, like Into The Fire, the possibilities of a truly Australian style of music (jazz or not) may lie in a fusion of the Western music that has taken root in Australia and also the regional music around us. Grabowsky does such a good job of it that it really feels like a lively hybrid of musics and not just a “world music” hodge-podge with everything bolted together.

The production went to New York for a residency at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, in a month-long (October) presentation of contemporary Australian arts entitled Next Wave Down Under.

THE NECKS IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, THEN EUROPE

Also among the Aussies appearing at BAM in October are The Necks. This is a rare chance for New Yorkers to catch this unique band – in fact it’s their first ever US performance.

THE DATE IS: October, Sat 27, Brooklyn, USA: Brooklyn Academy of Music, (BAM cafe).

After that The Necks embark on a European tour:

• November Thurs 1st: Vienna, Austria: Porgy and Bess
• Fri 2nd: Ulrichsberg, Austria: Ulrichsberg Jazz
• Sat 3rd: Tampere, Finland: TampereJazzHappeningFestival
• Tue 6th: Venice, Italy: (TBC)
• Thu 8th: Bern, Switzerland: Reithalle
• Sat 10th: Bologna, Italy: ITC Teatro di S.Lazzaro
• Sun 11th: Thun, Switzerland: Cafe-Bar Mokka
• Tue 13th: Marburg, Germany: Kfz Marburg
• Wed 14th: Stuttgart, Germany: Hi! Club
• Thu 15th: Den Bosch, Netherlands: November Music Festival (@ MusikCentrum)
• Fri 16th: Amsterdam, Netherlands: Bimhuis
• Sat 17th: Essen, Germany: November Music Festival (@ VolkSchule)
• Sun 18th: Ghent, Belgium: November Music Festival (@ Vooruit)
• Tue 20th: Köln, Germany: Loft
• Wed 21st: Berlin, Germany.

(For news updates, info, press kit, or to purchase albums, securely, visit www.thenecks.com.

GERMANY’S PATA MASTERS FOR SYDNEY

Speaking of touring, Norbert Stein’s Pata Masters will appear at the Side On Café at the start of November. Stein leads one of Germany’s leading contemporary jazz ensembles. Their highly original music merges composition with improvisation, using an intriguing array of textures and rarely-heard instruments. Norbert Stein (tenor saxophone, electronics), Michael Heupel (flute, alto flute, bass flute, sub-contrabass flute), Klaus Mages (drums, percussion), Matthias von Welck (slitted wooden bass drums, gongs), Christoph Hillmann (percussion, electronics). The tour is assisted by the Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes. The band will go on to the Wangaratta jazz Festival, which runs from November 2-5 (Ticket bookings and information: Call 1-800-803-944 or check the website www.wangaratta-jazz.org.au).

WANGARATTA, LOUSSIER AND BURNS

Also headed to Wangaratta from overseas are Phil Mason’s New Orleans All Stars (UK), Michael Barretto (USA), Curtis Lundy Quintet, Corey Harris and Henry Butler (USA) and, on a return from about seven years ago, Odean Pope (USA).

The Jacques Loussier Trio is following up a successful tour here last year with a five-city sprint in the middle of November.

Someone forced to cancel or at least postpone is Ken Burns. The filmmaker (“JAZZ”, which goes to air on ABC TV in Australia on Thursday, November 29) was due to arrive in Sydney on September 17 to present the New South Wales Premier’s History Awards, but the catastrophe of September 11 forced him to cancel. A shame for everyone looking forward to his visit, including me, as I was due to interview him.

ALBUM CALL

Southpaw by Jeremy Sawkins (Rufus/Universal)

Perhaps you need to be exposed to a lot of contemporary Australian jazz before the thought evolves, but an album like this does hint at a distinctive Australian style. Devoid of the usual obvious artefacts that say “Australia”, or brashness or cultural adolescence, this music bears a roundness and quiet, contemplative quality that turns up time and again on recordings by local artists. This sweeping catholicism, absorbing styles and blending them into something new and nameless, is a strength of our local musicians. One of the leading practitioners here is Mirosvlav Bukovsky and his pers in the band Wanderlust, who happen to the sidemen on this album, the second by guitarist Sawkins. It’s as if this music harbours a secret; the listener is drawn into a rich, private world. Even when it swings, as it does handsomely on “TBC” and “Assimilation” – where Fabian Hevia’s elegant hail of pinging cymbals is joy itself – it maintains a sense of maturity and evenness. In its quiet moods, particularly the duets with pianist Alister Spence, it enters a state of grace.

It Might As Well Be Swing by Ben Jones (La Brava)

He’s a young tenor saxophonist from the city of Newcastle on the central coast of New South Wales but Ben Jones’ heart is back in the ’30s and ’40s. He’s got the look, the songs and, thanks to some vintage saxophones such as a 1922 item called the Naked Lady, he’s got the sound. Beautifully recorded by David Seidel’s La Brava label, this album is an audiophile’s picnic – young Ben (he’s 25) has gone for the Neumann valve mikes and 24-bit resolution to really do justice to those old horns and recreate something of the analogue warmth of the era of Rogers, Hammerstein, Fain, Schwartz et al. This sound is huge, capacious and transparent – a real treat. Jones plays solid, swinging tenor and sings here and there pleasingly too, in the spirit of the disc, and is surrounded by renowned players, most notably Tom Baker. Actually about half the tunes are Jones’s own and the fact they merge into the time-honoured tunes on the rest of the program is testament to his worth as a composer too. Ben Jones has the distinction of being in James Morrison’s six-piece swing band and John Morrison’s big band, Swing City. The casual charm of this album may suggest it is not meant to set the world on fire, but who knows, maybe it does herald the coming of a star. See www.benjonesjazz.com.

Lucky So And So by Bonnie Jensen (La Brava)

She sings “Teach Me Tonight” – fetchingly too – but you get the impression Bonnie Jensen’s absorbed the syllabus already. This is an experienced singer – she has worked extensively in Europe – and it’s the Diane Krall-like combination of innocence and sexy womanliness somewhere in the timbre of the voice that lets you know. Like Krall, Jensen does work as a pianist/singer and there is that great confidence and self-reliance evident in what she does. Here, though, the piano duties fell to Michael Bartolomei while a solid roster of names – notably session ace Graham Jesse on saxes, Nicholas McBride on drums and David Stratton on bass – mean that the singer has about as good support as you could reasonably ask for. Jensen makes good use of it, but part of the knowingness of this album is the choice of standards that leave her little opportunity to show us anything very original. These are great songs and superbly delivered. But it’s Bonnie. That voice. You can’t help wondering what she could do with a bunch of fertile tunes and the freedom and security to go with her instincts. Confirmation comes in her own originals, “Reality” and the Anita Baker-ish slow burn “The Best Thing In Your Life”, where you sense the real Bonnie at the microphone. Let’s hear more of YOU next time Bonnie - and a next time there ought to be. To purchase Lucky So And So, go to http://www.birdland.com.au.

Velocity by Jamie Oehlers (Newmarket)

Velocity aptly names the predominant style of tenorist Jamie Oehlers. His is a no-nonsense and forthright yet depthy way of playing which, combined with fine technical skills and imagination, makes him one of the most interesting of the rising crop of current players on the Australian scene. Originally from Perth and now based in Melbourne, Oehlers’ bop-inflected tenor sits squarely in the tradition though it is also a highly contemporary sound that encompasses more than bop. He is beyond cliches and stylistic mundanities, managing to sound fresh and creative within an area that nevertheless treads known pathways. His take-charge expression has tremendous drive but never at the expense of clean articulation and poise. And not everything has the burners on high. His slow numbers (and there are three really fine ones here) show a sensitive side that delves without getting sentimental. Attended by a first-class gathering of Melbourne’s veterans – Mark Fitzgibbon (piano), Matt Clohesy (bass) and Scott Lambie (drums) – Oehlers makes a highly convincing case. Not only that, all but Strayhorn’s “Lush Life” are Oehlers originals and they really shine. An enjoyable mainstream tenor album, well-focused, controlled and full of vitality. www.newmarketmusic.com

Dark Side of the Street by David Rex Quartet (ABC/Universal)

At 26 years old Melbourne alto saxophonist David Rex is a major presence on the local scene, an experienced player with the runs on the board. With Ian Chaplin and Sydney’s Andrew Robson he ranks among the finest on the younger altoists in Australia. His “Collision Course” debut CD on the Jazzhead label two years ago established his presence. This time the quintet is reduced to a quartet, comprising what he calls Serious business musicians: Mark Fitzgibbon (piano), Ben Robertson (bass) and Danny Fisher (drums). Bebop was a formative part of Rex’s development but his style is, as he puts it, “more modern, less frantic”. A strong melodic shows itself everywhere, abetted by choices such as Bill Evans’s “Very Early”, Strayhorn’s “Chelsea Bridge” and Sonny Stitt’s “I Should Care”. His own “Dark Side of the Street” is a slow, gravely pretty piece and he has the authority and weight in his playing to pull off a sombre statement like that. It’s a wonderful late-night rumination, with a strolling bass and relaxed cymbal work that gradually winds up the tension and heat for the soloist. And whoever Brigid is should be pleased with the sunny little study he penned in her name. The old hit, “Move”, (by Denzil Best) displays his technical ease with bop – not to mention some fleet playing by Robertson and Fisher. Great fun. This album worthily demonstration of Rex’s calibre and current directions. Impossible not to enjoy. (From ABC Music – 02 9950 3944 or email Jazz@your.abc.net.au).

Thirteen Sketches by Andrea Keller Quintet (Newmarket)

Riding high lately, what with a couple of CDs bearing her name in recent times and picking up the inaugural Freedman Jazz Fellowship (see above), Andrea Keller must be thinking her ship’s come in. Her piano talents are only part of the story. This disc show a huge compositional ability – fully 12 of the 13 tracks are from her pen, the other being Bartok’s “For Children” No 26. What a creative outing it is too. It is full of angular phrases, often given to the tenor sax and the trumpet to play in harmony or unison, and offset by the intense lyricism of her piano playing. Go straight to “That Day” or “The Sus One” for a demonstration of all this. There is a shaded feeling to her work, an almost chamber music sense of the interior, a private world or salon. She’s fond of riffs and firm thematic phrases with lots of space around them. Keller’s not afraid of slow tempos and minimalism, which she controls with confidence (hear “Empty Boxes” and “Dreaming The Glorified Bass Player”). There seems plenty of space for all her players in the quintet format, but whether solo or with a much larger aggregation than this her writing could accommodate it all. On this occasion she certainly does a lot with trumpet and tenor sax to suggest more than what’s really present. Keller’s an interesting artist and her next instalment will be fascinating. (email sales@newmarketmusic.com).

Shane Nichols is a senior journalist at the Australian Financial Review in Sydney, Australia. Among other things he reviews jazz CDs each week for the paper's Weekend Edition where he is a section deputy editor. As well as being a journalist, in his past Nichols played saxophone in rock bands and has studied improvisation in Sydney and at Alan De Silva's school, IACP, in Paris. He has written about rock and jazz extensively for Australian newspapers and magazines, including Rolling Stone.