Rai will be playing at Stonnington Jazz on Saturday 19 May at Malvern Town Hall from 8PM

Jazz-planet: For you personally, what’s the difference between what you do with Thirsty Merc and the gigs you do in a jazz context?

Rai Thistlethwayte | Photo: supplied

Rai Thistlethwayte: I guess I have a different headspace for both those types of gigs and writings and all of that. That said, I also don’t really have as much of a division in my mind and heart for any style of music, it’s all some type of expression and storytelling and being in the moment and sharing that. The elements and principles of rock and pop and jazz would definitely delineate each other from the other. For instance, central to when I’m gigging with jazz I’m improvising, and when I’m doing rock and pop I’m playing more of a set list worked out, and I feel like I’m a ‘front man’ telling stories of lyrics that I’ve written myself; with a guitar mostly too, so it’s of course different. I’ve always liked the fact that a guy like Miles Davis didn’t consider himself a ‘jazz musician’ so to speak, he referred to himself as a ‘musician’. Now, I’ll never even put myself in the first steps of being in the same league as Miles, but I dig that way of looking at it. It’s all just sonic output that has some kind of intent, on an emotional level. I actually traverse different ‘jazz’ ideas even when doing pop and rock, and vice versa, although it’s hard to explain when and how and why. I guess maybe I can’t decide what I like, I just like it all, and although that is hard to ‘market’ to the world, it’s true to me, so I’m a mongrel. I reckon musos for the most part are all a bit mongrel-ish in terms of their listening, and that’s not a problem.

J-P: Poetry seems a large component of what you do, and we published your poems in extempore before – when did you start writing poetry and who would you say are your influences or mentors?

RT: Firstly, thanks for publishing the poems, it was a real highlight for me to see anything I did on that trip in print!! I think I got this poetry thing from my dad originally, who is a ‘words man’, a linguist; he taught French, German, Indonesian and Japanese in high schools while also being a musician, playing bass and guitar. Words and music make up songs. I started writing ‘high school poetry’ I guess as a way to try and internalise love letters to girls, even if I never sent them. Hormones were kicking in at teenage years in a big way – so that was a driving force.

Even just an intrigue with the areas between sleep and awakeness, or those subliminal areas of creativity, and to spew them out onto the page. The abstraction of it, putting it through a different kind of lens, however you get there. What I’m saying is that I’d be out on the town after a few beers and whatnot and I’d write while out in a club, venue, party. Any of these thoughts I’d write them all down in my mobile phone notes and do nothing with them for ages, although even songs that got ‘popped’ like ‘Mousetrap Heart‘ – a Thirsty Merc release – was a line in one of those poems between 2007 and 2009. Along the way, friends told me about John Cooper Clarke and people like rappers and Mike Skinner and the crossover artists like Saul Williams added to the mix. The poem ‘ID takeover’ (written about an internet fraud case) and a lot of the Michael Albatross stuff was written around a trip to New York for 3 weeks while the JVC jazz festival was on.

ID takeover

Between us
We had the place cased
Infiltrating bloodlines
Like every tomorrow
There was incredible triangulation
And variable geometry
Like some great visionary
The emotional dome was constructed
Placed over the district
Wires were tapped
And identities stolen
I could hear the machine hum
Kicking on downbeats
Like the hip hop thud of a subway car
And Asian cities contacted
Reconnaissance majors
Freedomstylin’
So no inkling went unheard
I was reading decades of past espionage
Finding 2600 hertz anecdotes
The blurry line between advancement
And electrical romance
And a life of crime
Fraudulent beginnings
Taunting victims
I was in the middle of a barbed wire
Warehouse line
Alphabet avenues
And screens unwilling
Blanking broken folders
Thru syntax and text marauders
My brothers would have been enthralled
Mall statisticians dumbfounded
Film czars open eyed
We had the whole place cased
We had the area covered
Sacredly underpinned
Groundshifted and landslidden
This was more than a fifth interval vinyl video
Documentary style sped up tape book reversed
Jazz bounced back into the iridium of yestermonth
It was a true conspiracy
I was a bicycle spider
And she was a try-cycle masterpiece
I was
At last
In heaven
At random central

(published in extempore Issue 2, May 2009)

J-P: Who would you say are your influences and mentors in jazz?

RT: My fave living musician is Keith Jarrett.

The list is huge. Oscar Peterson, Chick Corea, Steve Gadd, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Pat Metheny, James Muller, Steve Hunter, Phil Stack, Charles Telerant, Wayne Shorter, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Steve Coleman, cheesy fusion and chill out records, some bastard put a box of tapes of elevator music in a box at a fete in Sydney and I picked it up by mistake and chewed through it and I’ll never forgive them for it coz I will always love cheese now which is a blessing and a curse. No relation to that last sentence, but directions in groove (Terepai Richmond was my fave drummer when I was in my early teens, still one of the best cats in crossover jazz influenced stuff today),The Subterraneans, Paul Bley, Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans, and all the people at the conservatorium when I was studying there in Sydney in 1998. My friends in the SIMA scene, Jazzgroove gigs, guys like Paul MacNamara who taught me early stuff and got me on the trip before then, my old school friend and vibraphonist Ed Goyer who I played in a band with when I was 16 called ‘The Box’ where I played left hand bass, Phil Stack actually jammed with that band in 1996 and decided not to join because he was already super busy with James Morrison. Cameron Undy who has Sydney club 505, who even taught classes at the con when I was there, I played for his masters recital and he made me learn ‘Moments Notice’ for it. The first grand piano in that club was actually my old Kawai, and Cameron and Kerrie have been so amazing for the whole scene. Stevie Wonder and Steely Dan too I guess, Pretzel Logic and The Royal Scam albums.

So many other people, it’s a huge network of amazing people and the Side On Cafe on Wednesdays was a great hang too, the vibe was electric some nights, I wish these venues didn’t close down. It was romantic, and loose. The Bald Faced Stag Jam, the nights we had there!!! Jonathan Zwartz and all the Winebanc crew, Darren Percival and Danielle (now De Andrea)… inspired me to sing. I also have to mention Melbournite Lindsay Gravina too, one of the most interesting figures IMO in music anywhere, he produced two and a bit Merc albums and Living End albums and so much indie rock stuff but his studio is called ‘Birdland’ and he is completely obsessed with (late 50s, early 60s for the most part) jazz. He knows so much about it all too, wow.  And for me – these people are just the tip of the iceberg.

J-P: What music first switched you on to becoming a musician?  At what stage did jazz become part of the picture for you, and when did you first hear it?

RT: My mum played classical piano at home; that got me into music more than anything else. and my dad playing the guitar and electric guitar and bass in the garage. their record collection(s). jazz came into my world through listening to and trying to play the 12 bar blues, and jazz blues was a more complex chords version of that same form. then oscar peterson swung it in an irresistible way and I went from there, and then when I heard keith it spun me out coz it was so rubato I was like ‘can this guy play!?’ and then within a year I was so hooked on it it was the best thing I ever heard. Still is. I saw him a few weeks ago at Disney Hall here in LA, what a legend.

J-P: What can people expect from your set at Stonnington? Will it be something like the YouTube we embedded here?

RT: It’ll be solo, piano-based, just me. There will be elements of that YouTube for sure. I might have a loop pedal with me so I can sing, with a few grooves going on – a backbeat always makes it different and people have liked that. I tried that in Wangaratta and it went well. I don’t think I’ll do any spoken word but you are giving me some ideas!!! I guess it’s not a cop-out when I say this, but I don’t want to plan too much because central to jazz is improvisation.

J-P: Where are you based now and what are the challenges of being located there?

RT: I’m based in LA for the moment and it is awesome on so many levels, but also it’s a total layer cake. You need a car, downtown is desolate (where I live) but I also find it interesting. Hate to talk about this silly element of it all but it’s weird going from being ‘known’ in Australia to a total nobody, but also really refreshing because I got a bit too comfortable being in Australia on levels. Now I’m feeling the bumps again, which is great for the creative spirit, if nothing else. Also I can’t find a good bloody coffee!!!!

J-P: What are you listening to now?

RT: I’ve been listening to poolside, LA hip hop with all that crazy subdivision stuff going on in the hi hats (triplets then 16ths then 32nds then back to triplets etc) and the beat is super slow. That just gets played in clubs that my roommate takes me to, and you can’t help but hear it. I dig it though. At the Piano Bar in Hollywood there’s some classic country rock stuff going on which is different to anything you’ll really hear in Australia for the most part, kind of like a weird corruption of Credence with more jamming elements; it’s super feel-good and as my friend would say ‘it’s a vibe and a scene’ hahaha. I have been working there with my trio so it’s got into the system. In LA there is a lot of studio-based stuff too, everyone’s songwriting projects and the electro stuff and tracking sessions and that goes on here all the time, so you hear a specific brand of drum tones and studio vibes.

KJAZZ the radio station is all jazz here, only jazz so we put it on and leave it quietly on for days. They play everything and it’s a bit smooth but still great.

Rai will be playing at Stonnington Jazz on Saturday 19 May at Malvern Town Hall from 8PM

Musician Gian Slater receieved an early career fellowship in this round. She will use the fellowship to develop her jazz practice through mentorships with Meredith Monk and Theo Bleckmann in the US, and Paul Grabowsky and Lucy Guerin in Australia. In partnership with local choreographers, she will develop a new work for Invenio and dancers. Her fellowship will also see her focus on making INVENIO a strong and sustainable company so that it can have a long future in creating and performing new works, and fostering new talent.

On hearing about the fellowship, Gian said:

I am thrilled to be one of the emerging recipients of this amazing arts council initiative. It’s going to allow me to dedicate more time to the ideas that I have been developing, with greater momentum and focus.

There are so many road blocks in producing art, and this is like a big green light…go!

We interviewed Gian after the Invenio Singers performed with Barney McAll’s Graft last year at Wangaratta Jazz. Find out more about this interesting musician here:

Gian Slater : Gone Without Saying >>>>

Photos supplied by Brian Stewart of Cyberhalides Jazz

Jazz-planet: What got you started thinking about technology in this way, and the [to quote you] ‘the bizarre affect it is having on human connection’? Was there an epiphany or has it been a creeping unease?

Barney McAll at keyboard, with Invenio Singers in background

Barney McAll: I would say creeping unease. Looking around at family or social gatherings and seeing how YouTube, Facebook and general internet/digital activity has become such a supreme focus whereas ten years ago there was so much more human interaction.

When playing a gig it’s stunning to see how many people are texting throughout or videoing. The piano is an old world instrument so when I play I suppose I am always seeing the comparison. My son Julius trying to swipe the TV to see a new channel is bizarre to me or how I sometimes try to ‘Ccontrol F’ in my brain when I’m trying to find something around the house.

I recently read where Keith Jarrett was doing a solo concert and people were constantly taking pics and filming and his response was:

‘It’s not that I don’t like my picture taken. It has absolutely nothing to do with that. It’s a process here. It’s not something photograph able. When people take whatever they take home with them, it’s meaningless. BUT IT SCREWS WITH US.

…

‘Like, imagine back to some amount of time when photography demanded that you actually learn how to take pictures.’

That to me says a lot. Firstly that craftsmanship is in jeopardy but also how much technology limits our ability to maintain awareness of the present. Maybe our downfall will be a result of that crucial metaphysical nutrition known as ‘the present’ being systematically withdrawn from us. This is one of the meanings behind a track on GRAFT, ‘Nostalgia For The Present’. Its like people are constantly in need of capturing and documenting their lives and whilst imagining how it will represent them on their blog or page in the future – they stop being there and don’t ingest anything. I would say ‘occupy the present’.

Mark Zuckerberg was born in 1984 by the way.

J-P: Do you think we’re talking enough about how everything about life is being impacted by technology? Are we allowing ourselves to be snuck up on? Are there enough artists, writers, musicians talking about these issues?

On the one hand, what is happening is happening way too fast for us to avoid the pitfalls of it. If we are being snuck up on, we can’t know what the outcome will before we are ‘caught’ in a way. There are however some obvious things going on.

I’m certain social networking has increased the divorce rate internationally, and there are Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD), Texting addiction, a high rate of accidents caused by texting, Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), Video Game addiction…

Shouldn’t we make sure we spend more time with real people than we do with ‘digital people’ because the amount of human interaction we have has gone way down in the last ten years!

On a positive note, I recently went to see Bjork’s Biophelia: An Exploration Of Nature Music and Technology.

She had these crazy church organ-looking keyboards with that beautiful blond wood that organs have in many churches. And they were midi triggering these wacky futuristic/medieval fugue interpretations of her compositions by themselves, ghost style and THEY were her ‘support band’. Hilarious.

She had all these huge screens that had images being generated by the music she was delivering live, and there were quotes you could read about the positive power of technology and nature combined and she had

David Attenborough narrating some of these ideas: ‘much of Nature is hidden from us, we can use technology to reveal what Nature conceals, in the same way as with music we reveal our hidden emotions to others’

It was a beautiful way of dealing with things, I thought.

As far as other artists writing about these things, Science fiction writers like Asimov, Phillip K. Dick, Orwell etc have obviously been discussing these issues before they were even issues but things have really sped up and I think a lot of creative responses are now made in the abstract. A lot of techno / electronica musicians are making comments about our state of technological ‘burn out’ and they are doing it with sound itself.

J-P: Is there a difference in awareness of these in the USA compared to other parts of the world? e.g. Australia, or Europe?

I would say there is probably an equal level of awareness everywhere that iPhones and iMacs and iPads and Ibooks and iSlaves are sold and obsessively utilised.

You only have to get on a tram in Melbourne or go to a concert in Europe to see how all encompassing gadgetry has become.

Interestingly I offer some antidote in the form of a down loadable .pdf.

Jaron Laniers’s ‘You are not a Gadget’

J-P: What’s the Singularity and do you think it is really possible?

I first learnt about it watching the Ray Kurzweil documentary Transcendent Man.

I think the term is a little ambiguous but basically describes a scenario where technology develops beyond human intelligence and at that point, because we would be unable to comprehend it, technology itself would very rapidly speed up and eventually engulf humanity. I actually do believe it is possible! Shoot me down in flames but I feel like for example, when your cell phone buzzes in your pocket but when you check it there is nothing, is a very subtle example of it.

When you walk down any street, it seems every home is has the ominous light of a computer screen glowing (I wrote this interview by hand and posted it to Ms Zolin by the way). [Ed's note: Yup]

J-P: Please describe Graft – (instrumentation, how long is it, is it a suite of discrete pieces… )

Graft is 10 pieces for choir, two pianos, bass, drums, vibraphone, Chucky and laptop. It came to full fruition after Adrian Jackson offered me a chance to present it at Wangaratta festival last November but I had been thinking about the concept for a while.

Cover art for GRAFT CD

Here is a quick rundown of the pieces:

The first track ‘Sexmagikdeath’ was written after watching the Pablo Picasso Documentary Magic Sex Death. I watched it a year or so earlier but it sort of reared its head in the tonality or feeling of this piece. The underscore to the film has a similar feeling to what I came up with. Then I had my friend Chris Gavito write some lyrics for it which just drop in towards the end. So it’s not really a song but the lyrics are a surprise… just as technology’s speed can be a surprise?

The seed for ‘Jazz Epidural’ was planted after a dream I had where George Orwell was trying to give birth to a new music but needed an epidural. I also remember some dead fish floating in a river and the phrase ‘abandon the jazz pole vault’.

‘Nostalgia For the Present’ came together slowly and was written after hearing Invenio on some Mp3s that Gian had sent me.

‘Firefly’ was something I wrote in a bunk on a tour bus whilst on the road with Sia. I played it to her and she heard a melody immediately and popped the vox on in Los Angeles a few months later. Her lyrics and pretty revealing and also they are not.

‘Leiby’ is a two part homage to the tragic story of a small boy who lived around the corner from me here in Brooklyn.

‘Evie’ is about memory and memory loss and about a resulting fractured past.

‘Catch A Falling’ was written for the late Sam McNulty, a brilliant rapper and musician and son of Chris McNulty who sings on it.

‘Blood USB’ was another one written after hearing Invenio. After I heard them I realised how much they could do and it was very inspiring. I also wrote this on a tour bus.

‘Struggle Continues’ is about just that.

‘The music is the magic’ is one of my favorite Abbey Lincoln songs. She was such an amazing composer as well as vocalist. I thought I would put her song at the end of the album as a technology palette cleanser.

Generally the album attempts to juxtapose the beauty of Gian Slater’s Invenio Singers against a morphing sound mattress of subtle technology and improvisation between a rhythm section with two pianos and vibes.

Its funny because when I sent it to Andrew Walker at Jazzhead (who released the album) he listened to it and said, ‘It’s extraordinary but you need to re-check the master because I’m not sure which skip and glitch is intended!’

That was a great compliment in a weird way. It’s not an obvious subversion but there is some subversive element to what I’m doing if only to highlight or express the glitches I witness in actual people these days and many of the interactions around me. Have you noticed that people can now text with one hand and hold a conversation with you at the same time?

J-P: How do you attempt to address ambiguity? [this responds to your press release and is about your improvisation / composition, shadow / light, and... how the use of the choir fits in with your compositional ideas about humans and technology]

GRAFT at Wangaratta Photo: supplied

Well, I feel that the human voice is the most pure human expression, the most direct.

Gian Slater has a really distinctive and pure sound and her choir is for me, within this project, symbolic of light and humanity and clarity. So I took the sounds of the acoustic instruments and the choir and I processed them using the computer as a way to look at this ghost in the machine (unexpected spinning beach ball) or to express this feeling that things are slight off kilter. At times the processing is almost subliminal at other times it’s more brazen.

I think Im only scratching the surface of what I want to say and how I want to say it because I learnt so much making this record so I intend to make another album along these lines and get a little more extreme.

J-P: Often by the time I’m talking to a musician about a project they’re presenting, they’ve moved on to another creative project in the background. What are you working on now?

Well, I’m completing some Guajira influenced pieces written for guitar, piano, bass, drums and percussion.

I had been writing them a while back but then I got an extra spot at Stonnington Jazz festival to perform them as well as the Graft piece on a separate day so I thought I had better scrub them up!

They aren’t true Guajiras but there are some sections that have that hypnotic feel to them and they are all fairly slow.

I’m also working on a solo piano recording which will be called Wiltblossom.

Recently after some huge upheaval my friend Josh Roseman invited me to his studio (Looveartsbrooklyn.com) where I have been doing some post production, but when I got there he had kindly set up these amazing mics he had over the Bosendorfer Grand they have at and he said ‘your work today is to improvise some solo piano’!

What a fantastic gesture… and it was really very cathartic to just have a chat with that amazing piano on that day.

J-P: And our standard jazz-planet.com… question. What are you listening to now? What’s making you sit up and take notice?

Zomby Dedication

Keith Jarrett G.I. Gurdjeiff sacred hymns

Skrillex Monsters and Nice Sprites

Villa-Lobos: Complete Music for Solo Guitar

A lot of Gospel music especially The Clarke Sisters and Donald Vails

Always Brian Eno/Harld Budd The Pearl. Every day.

Various Meridith Monk

Lewis Taylor, The English soul singer is amazing. Wow. His song ‘Blue Eyes’.

Barney McAll concerts at Stonnington Jazz

Thu 24 May, 8pm – Chapel off Chapel, Barney McAll’s Chaos Lento: a Guajira Project / John McAll’s Black Money
Fri 25 May, 8pm – Malvern Town Tall – Barney McAll’s GRAFT

Barney will also be at Venue 505 on 19 May

ANU School of Music announcement – press conference

The press conference video on the ANU School of Music website: music.anu.edu.au/news/proposed-changes-anu-school-music-bachelor-music-degree

Opinion piece in Canberra’s City News

by Lucian McGuiness (@loosemacg) – trombonist, graduate of ANU

‘Say goodbye to School of Music’s teaching elite’: citynews.com.au/2012/arts-entertainment/music/opinion-say-goodbye-to-soms-teaching-elite

Petition

There’s a petition doing the rounds. The ‘Save the School of Music Team’ says: ‘If we reach 15 000 signatures we will be able to table the petition in Federal Parliament! But we need your help to reach this target! Please try to think of at least one other person you know who cares about music and share this petition with them:

http://www.communityrun.org/petitions/savetheanuschoolofmusic-1

Events

Protest Jam : Monday 14^th May, 12pm-2pm : Union Court, ANU

This event will feature high quality musical performances at various locations around the ANU campus between 12pm-1pm. At 1pm there will be rally with some short speeches and a march(ing band!) to Chancelry. We need as many people as possible to come to Union Court at 1pm to show Ian Young how much ANU and Canberra care about music.

For more information please see: https://www.facebook.com/events/404334596268196/

Concert to Celebrate the ANU School of Music : 7:30pm Tuesday 15 May : Llewellyn Hall ANU

In a united effort to stand against the proposed changes to the ANU School of Music, staff and students will be performing to raise awareness about what the community of Canberra will potentially lose if the re-structuring goes ahead. Many internationally acclaimed classical and jazz artists will be performing as well as some of the top graduate students. If you love music and believe that the ANU School of Music is an essential component of the social and cultural health and wellbeing of Canberra, please come along to this event and show your support.

For more information please see: https://www.facebook.com/events/421916184500143/

In the compositions one can hear Moody’s origins in classical violin and double bass, as well as her love of and skill within the jazz idiom. Belinda left Australia to play at the renowned Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London in 1990, before settling in Amsterdam for a period. In the mid ’90s, she commenced a ten-year collaboration with the Jeremy Monteiro Trio in Asia. After some years living in Japan, Belinda now resides in New Orleans, USA. She has performed with an international cast of jazz luminaries including James Moody, Leroy Jones, Ernie Watts and Terumasa Hino.

Filmed by Kostas Metaxas at BMW Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne.

Josh sent us this impromptu message out of the blue last year:

Jazz vocal music in Australia is really going from strength to strength; there are so many young, creative, interesting singers out there really pushing for long term careers inside the improvised music scene. Far too often singers in the past have dabbled in jazz then quickly moved to more commercial music, I think singers are now blending all their influences into one new sound of contemporary Australian jazz …

Josh is performing at Stonnington Jazz as part of his national tour, promoting his CD Possibilities. The tour started last night with a sold out gig at Paris Cat Jazz Club in Melbourne. He’ll also be travelling to Perth (The Ellington Jazz Club), Sydney (Venue 505) and Brisbane (Brisbane Jazz Club). You’ll find tour details at the bottom of the interview.

We caught up with Josh this week with some questions…

J-P: Until recently, you were living in the UK. What brought you back to Australia and are you here for a while?

Joshua Kyle: I had been living in the UK since 2009 and loved every minute of it. I have already been back to London once already, and I think this will continue for some time back and forth between London and Melbourne. I’m back in Australia to release the album and establish myself on the Australian Jazz scene. Before moving to the UK I hadn’t really pursued a career here as I had only finished studying in 2008, so it’s been really great having a project that can introduce me to the scene and help build a career here as well as in the UK: best of both worlds!

J-P: Who were your influences when you started and who do you look to for musical inspiration / mentoring at the moment?

JK: I managed to start singing lessons fairly young and my teacher Jenny Marks was a great fan of jazz but also The Beatles and Joni Mitchell so she really gave me an education early on in quality music. The biggest influence she gave me was Vince Jones, I remember listening to his Live album almost every day as a teenager thinking that this was the best thing ever, I still listen to it now and can sing along to the James Muller and Sam Keevers solos. I’m a big fan of Betty Carter – her style of singing is so interesting to me, hard hitting one minute then delicate and soft the next. You can tell she is kicking your butt every time she sings. Also singers Jon Hendricks, Jimmy Scott, Carmen McRae are all big influences.

In terms of more current inspirations I’ve really started looking at Australian musicians, I think coming home has facilitated that. Kristin Berardi is a world class vocalist and is such a joy to listen to – I spent a little bit of time with Kristin as a student and she is the real deal. I’ve borrowed a few of Kristin’s songs that I include in my set, I’m really grateful she lets me have a go at them! Sean Coffin, a saxophonist from Sydney was my lecturer at Uni and he and I have started working on new music together, trialling different ways of writing, to lyrics, for melodies, around melodies etc. so I think my next project will have a very Australian flavour to it – this country has some awesome talent.

J-P: Are there particular challenges or positives about being a jazz singer? Is is hard to break into or hard to get noticed?

JK: Jazz singing is a funny thing – people’s understanding of jazz singing has changed so much over the past 10 or so years with the introduction of mega stars like Michael Buble and with pop stars releasing swing albums. People’s opinions or understanding of what jazz singing is, is now quite specific when actually jazz singing is one of the broadest art forms around. It’s hard to compare singers like Theo Blackman and Diana Krall, Eddie Jefferson and our own late Joe ‘Bebop’ Lane. So for me one of the challenges is spending a lot of time explaining what I actually do in terms of repertoire and ideas of music. People on first take instantly think, ‘male, jazz singer, Buble impersonator’ and after they see my gigs they realise that its fairly different, ha! I’m a big Buble fan by the way, I think he’s great. Jazz singing allows you to experiment a lot with many different styles and ideas. One of the coolest parts of putting together my album Possibilities, was bringing together all my influences, throwing them all together and seeing what came from it. You work really hard I think as a young aspiring jazz musician let alone a singer to establish yourself and get noticed and create something new and interesting. People like interesting things so I guess the real challenge is maintaining that interest musically and keeping that momentum going. A full time job in itself.

J-P: You’ve been described as having ‘…an ear for the fascinating but underrated classic as well as a talent for original lyrics.’ What do you enjoy about singing standards? Which standards attract you and why?

JK: I spend a lot of time listening, listening to favourite artists back catalogues and less well known music. Kurt Elling told me in a masterclass once that you have to research everything; if you like a musician research their music, and that stuck with me. A lot of what I do with standards and not-so-standard tunes is a bit of risk taking. When I was putting together the music for the album I really wanted to have the chance to write lyrics to unsung tunes and really create something without already hearing someone else do it first. When listening to instrumentalists, every time I think I couldn’t or shouldn’t attempt to sing something, I actually do try and sing it; sometimes it works other times it doesn’t.

J-P: When writing your own lyrics do you enjoy that process, or find it a challenge? (or maybe a little bit of both!) Where do you get your inspiration for lyrics? Are there some subjects that compel you?

JK: I started writing lyrics to instrumental tunes as a way to practise writing original songs. I was struggling writing melodies and lyrics at the same time so I started doing them independently, then really enjoyed the challenge of matching these existing melodies to lyrics. It can be tough sometimes to try and create a story line and be restricted by the phrasing or amount of syllables available in the melody, but once you crack it, it’s awesome. Inspiration for topics can come from anywhere, e.g. the original title or by the feel or mood of the song. When I’ve learnt a new melody words will often come into my head that fit the rhythmic pattern and that will spark an idea, so there are a few different ways of coming up with topics.

J-P: Do you feel any particular there challenges or constraints when you’re adding your own words to great tunes by jazz royalty like Herbie Hancock or Wayne Shorter?

JK: I hadn’t really every thought about this until the first time I had to perform these songs live, and people started commenting on the fact that these tunes (‘Actual Proof’ and ’502 Blues’) where some of there favourite songs. Instantly I was worried I had destroyed their favourite song, but this wasn’t the case, well they didn’t tell me that anyway! You do feel a bit of pressure because you are changing something that’s already living and being enjoyed. You do however get a little more confident when the publishers give you permission to use the lyrics you have written, this helps you think you’re heading in the right direction.

J-P: How did Possibilities come about? Were there any special stories of serendipity or aligning of the stars?

Josh Kyle - Possibilities

JK: Possibilities came about after a year or so of working pretty closely with Bassist/producer Geoff Gascoyne.

When I first got to London I sent am email to jazz singer Claire Martin who has released something like 17 records and is apart of UK jazz royalty, literally, she was awarded an OBE last year, asking for a singing lesson. She invited me to play at her gig that weekend then sent me off to see her good friend Ian Shaw another prominent UK jazz singer, who in turn sent me to see Geoff Gascoyne who had just finished touring with Jamie Cullum for the past 7 years. We listened to loads of music and talked about ideas and basically from that day started meeting once a week at Geoff’s home studio recording, writing and arranging ideas. We never set out to record an album; we just wanted to create music which represented both our interests and influences and to see what came of it. After putting the dream band together and gigging the material we had to record it and here it is. The title track ‘Possibilities’ was originally titled ‘Joshua’ by Victor Feldman and I wrote lyrics to it – I really wanted to sing a tune called Joshua, for obvious reasons. Turns out Victor Feldman’s son, also Joshua, is a big fan of the new tune and album which is really cool.

J-P: Who’s in the band you’re playing with on your forthcoming Australian tour. How did you meet them?

JK: When I first got to Melbourne I started researching pretty quick who was around and who was doing what, as I knew I had specific ideas on what kind of musicians I wanted to start playing with. Friends from Sydney had also suggested a few people and I just started checking people out, their vibe, their sound – all that. So with the wish list together, I made a few phone calls and managed to hear ‘yes’ over the phone when I offered them a gig; a year later they are still saying yes, so that’s hopefully a good sign! Daniel Gassin a great piano player and mean Rhodes player. Craig Simon is one of the most creative drummers in the country and can blend and merge styles and feels so beautifully, and I’m joined on Bass by Alex Boneham. Alex and I met years ago at the James Morrison Generations in Jazz Scholarships in Mt Gambier and he just gets better and better so I was pretty keen to get a chance to play with him again.

J-P: What are you looking forward to most about your tour?

JK: In addition to the last question, I’m not really in a position to take the same band around the country so I decided I was going to go and get my dream band in each state. Australia has some ridiculous talent and I have wanted to play with some of these guys for a long time so I think that is one of the things I’m really looking forward to. Also finally sharing this music with friends and family… they have all heard and read about what I’ve been up to in the UK but it’s one thing to read about it and it’s another to come see it live, so that’s going to be really great.

J-P: What are you listening to now?

JK: A whole lot of different things. I have always been a Robert Glasper fan, and his new album is on high rotation. I was given 11 albums of Avashai Cohen recently by a friend and that stuff is killing, really digging the album Adama at the moment. I love the simple melodies and programming of pop artist Jamie Woon, I think it’s a really cool idea and vibe he creates. New Orleans rock band Mutemath is blaring from my iPod at the minute. Just really clever arrangements and production ideas, but just this morning I was playing ‘My one and only love’ off the Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane album so it’s always changing – my flat mates don’t know what to think half the time  – Ha!

Joshua Kyle on MySpace

myspace.com/joshuawilliamkyle

Tour dates

May 11, Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne, Vic

May 19, Stonnington Jazz, Melbourne, Vic

June 2, The Ellington Jazz Club, Perth, WA

June 8, Venue 505, Surry Hills, NSW

Jun 11, Darling Harbour Jazz & Blues Festival, Sydney, NSW

Jun 21, Brisbane Jazz Club, Brisbane, Qld

Lloyd Swanton Photo: Holimage

Here’s what Lloyd said in his initial email – and scroll down read our questions and Lloyd’s answers below…

The Planet is a legendary radio show which has been responsible for bringing so much wonderful, underexposed music to Australia’s ears. Eclectic by definition, it navigates the manifold streams of the world’s innovative and traditional musics.

So what will I be playing?

Well, unless you live in Sydney, you might not even know that I have presented a radio show for nearly 14 years.

On my show Mixed Marriage (on 89.7FM Eastside Radio), I look into an area of jazz which interests me most as a jazz musician myself – the points at which jazz starts to fade at the edges and introduce influence from other musical traditions. It’s a very popular show and I think that’s because this is where the more interesting things are happening in jazz these days.

As everything I play on Mixed Marriage would fit into the Planet style, that’s pretty much the framework I’ll be bringing to the show – so, contaminated jazz, and working outwards from there.

I do hope you tune in on the first four Wednesdays in May 11:20 PM, and please also check out the other guest presenters in May, Systa BB on Tuesdays, and Brent Clough (presenter of that other wonderful Radio National show, The Night Air) on Thursdays.

Listen online to the Daily Planet on ABC Radio National, or tune in Monday to Thursday 11:20pm

Our questions to Lloyd about his stint in Lucky’s chair!

Jazz-Planet: Is this your first time broadcasting nationally? If so, does it feel different to be talking to a national audience, rather than the smaller audience of a community radio station?

Lloyd Swanton: Yes, it does feel different broadcasting nationally. On Mixed Marriage on Eastside Radio in Sydney, I can kind of assume that the listeners will get any local references, and may even know who I am, but nationally, I need to background things a little more. That does reduce the spontaneity a little, but that’s a small price to pay because it’s just so exciting to be reaching a coast-to-coast audience.

But that’s not the only difference either. Having an engineer and a producer is a totally new experience for me. And preplanning the show, likewise, is not something I ever do on MM except in a fairly general sense. But, I stress, these differences are all very exciting, and I’m loving the challenge.

J-P: How does broadcasting fit in with your music making – do you find it expands your listening? Does your engagement with music and musical colleagues help make you a more adventurous programmer for the radio?

LS: It absolutely expands my listening. I am so lucky, as a musician, to have to extend my listening in the way that doing the research for presenting a radio show does. And I also deeply enjoy the two hours week when I’m actually doing Mixed Marriage, and the Planet at this point, when I can immerse myself in incredible music going out over the airwaves. It’s a completely different experience to performing music, or to listening to music at home, and I revel in the opportunity. Radio is the most incredible medium, which seems to have adapted itself to a changing world magnificently. A bit like my other favourite bit of old, future-proof technology, the bicycle.

Yes, I do think my background as a musician affects the way I present; not just in what I say, but in the way I construct a programme. When I feel I’ve done a really good show, it feels in one sense like I’ve actually composed a really big piece of music.</>

J-P: As a musician, do you find that presenting music (compared to making music) presents any particular challenges?

LS: Yes, on the one hand I have to think like a musician, because I believe that’s what gives me a special perspective, which the listener will pick up on, but I still also have to think like a non-musician, because it’s by no means a given that musicians have the final word on the significance of any music. I believe non-musicians bring some unique perspectives to presenting music, which musicians can only hope to emulate and learn from.

Thanks Lloyd!

Jazz-planet: In the latter half of last century, European musicians began to move away from the influence of American jazz – how did this movement manifest itself in Britain and how were you involved?

Trevor Watts: The founder members of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble in Britain were the drummer John Stevens, trombonist Paul Rutherford and myself Trevor Watts on saxophones. Sadly Paul and John are no longer with us. This happened around 1965, at a time in London where it was very creative. Everyone had the feeling they could do something original and different, it was in the air. And we  even did a gig at a ‘flower power’ underground gathering in Tottenham Court Road in 1967 with Paul and bassist Barry Guy. This was opposite the fledgling Pink Floyd, and was an example of how it was all mixed up together for a short while, and not put into neat little boxes. Bit of a horror show for recording companies and agents, so they quickly exerted their influence on the situation. But for that short while it was a very creative scene. Given this atmosphere, we had our own space in the middle of Theatre land where we could experiment as many days of the week as we would want to. The place was called The Little Theatre Club and is featured in a BBC 4 documentary called Jazz Britannia. This was in St Martins Lane. So we could use the theatre when the play had finished. This place was also a watering hole for actors at the end of their nights work, many of them well know in films and theatre. Also it was a place that if anyone was in town and wanted to join in they could. So we played with Don Cherry, Anthony Braxton and Chick Corea amongst many others.

When we began we were very obviously jazz influenced. This changed almost overnight when John Stevens came in one night and said ‘forget that way of playing let’s try this’. So this was the beginning of a very ‘pointillistic’ way of playing I call it. Almost approaching it like we were playing another drum, and trying to react in a way that was very staccato in the main at first. It was a collective music, so in that way referred more to New Orleans than the later jazz. Nothing linear was played until much later when the ‘style’ of music opened up a little after the austere beginnings. It was an experiment to strip everything down to its bare bones to a certain extent.

Trevor Watts and Veryan Weston – MÓZG FESTIVAL – November 2011

Rhythmic thrust however was always part of that music, and still is. That training in that area gave me what I have today in my playing. An ability to react quickly, but in my own space. Veryan Weston, who has taken an interest in very similar things, also loves rhythm, and so it’s a strong part of our duo music today. Not linear time, but rhythm. Our music has moved on from those times, and incorporates more elements like melody and different approaches. I think that the discipline of that style has informed the playing of people like guitarist Derek Bailey and saxophonist Evan Parker. Given that nothing is developed in isolation. It was the relationship to the drum that helped bring this about. This language is firmly embedded into the overall language of improvised music that is played all over the World today. I think we can claim that for the Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Other groups were AMM for instance who used electronics, noise and radio at that time, and influenced some of the Rock groups like Pink Floyd, and especially with Keith Rowe’s guitar style. Keith played later on with myself  in my Amalgam group of 1979/80, and that group influenced Sonic Youth amongst others.

J-P: Is there a British jazz sound?

Trevor Watts Drum Orchestra 1992 Photo: Margaret Richards

TW: I think today there are so many people incorporating and trying so many different influences from folk musics of the world as well as classical mixed with standard jazz practice or not, that it’s really hard to say. There was a kind of British sound in the days of Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott, but the over-riding influence on their music was American. In some ways I think it’s a healthy thing. Because if there was a British sound it would mean we were kind of all aiming for the same or a similar thing, and it’s much more diverse than that.

J-P: How do you find the scene in Britain now?

TW: Personally I don’t know a lot about the scene. There are a lot of good players who are very accomplished technically, but I still think the infrastructure is quite weak. Not that many places to play. Sure there’s hundreds of pubs with music, some of it jazz, but still not easy for players to sustain a living from the venues available, and of course we have more population now and more musicians, but not necessarily more places to play. However the London Jazz Festival and clubs like the Vortex and Café Oto have a very adventurous policy whereby people can hear music like our duo for instance as well as more ‘straight ahead’ styles; more places that incorporate the full range of jazz or jazz-related musics. So it’s healthier than before, I think. This also attracts many young people to listen to people like Veryan & me and others from that era playing in our own styles that we have developed over many years; a new generation finding it stimulating and interesting. That’s exciting to me.

J-P: How and when did you meet Veryan Weston?

Trevor Watts and Veryan Weston in Guelph Photo: Aldon Nielsen

TW: It was Veryan’s sister Armorel who found us the Little Theatre Club to play in in the 1960’s. So I first heard Veryan there as a very young man. He had been classically trained as a musician, and that was fairly obvious. That kind of training will give you a lot of facility, but it’s almost the opposite of improvising. Nevertheless he’s worked through all that over the interim years and is a consummate improviser and player. I then asked him into my first Moire Music 10 piece group that I had written compositions for in around 1982, and he played in that band and the subsequent 14 piece version of that until around 1990. In between we played some duo sessions, but never to the point of it being a regular thing. However, Veryan was always a good friend, and I think the thing that gave us the idea to continue was being asked by Martin Davidson of Emanem records to do a recording, and that was 6 Dialogues recorded in 2001 Emanem 4069. We also played at Martin’s ‘Freedom of the City’ Festival the following year. It seemed so natural to be playing together, and it’s been that way ever since.

We genuinely improvise. Neither of us know what the other is going to play, nor does Veryan anticipate what I will do next or vice versa. However it’s to do with total trust and confidence that we’ll shape the music in some way. Which way only reveals itself in the moment of playing. Very exciting, very real, but also very together, not messy at all. That is also to do with the time we have put in individually and together, and the concentration and quick reaction to what is being played in the moment.

J-P: You are known for your versatility as a musician and I gather that the music you’ll be playing when you tour here with Veryan is on the free and avant garde end of the spectrum. What draws you to this more ‘out’ style of music?
TW: First of all I’d like to make it clear that I love ALL music that stimulates me whatever style is carrying the music is immaterial. If it’s something that comes from the heart, then I can relate to it. That’s as much to do with classical music as ethnic music as jazz. I am not stuck on the one thing for inspiration, and in any case nowadays look inside for that inspiration. My career has been a long one. When I play this current music, this is where I am really AT as a player. If I was playing in a more straight ahead style there’s all that baggage that goes with it. Tons of it. People think they know what’s good and bad and judge it by the same criteria as they do a football match. They cannot do that with this. It’s like abstract painting, it either does something for you or not, but until you actually expose yourself to enough of it, and lend yourself to it for a while, you’ll never get close to it. There’s a lot of improvising around now as well as what you call avant garde. There is a lot of not very good stuff around, same as straight ahead jazz, but also if you happen upon what I shall call the good stuff, I think music of any style can move you. So I do urge people to come along and listen to Veryan and me because of the skill and integrity we bring to the music, and the knowledge and study of all kinds of music. I mean I spent 15 years with my Moire Music group with African musicians. I have just done a project last year with Djembe master Adama Drame in Burkina Faso and that was great. But what it doesn’t have is that closeness and real inventiveness that say two good players who know each other well can bring to it. After all, ALL music is improvised at its source. So people are catching that creativity as it happens. They are golden moments. Ones that you cannot repeat with the same feeling once you’ve learnt them and honed them. It’s the very essence of the music. All music.

J-P: Integrity, your own voice, being true to yourself, authenticity – these seem to be core ideas for you, based on what I’ve read. It sounds like you’ve chosen a path of no compromises, musically. Would you agree? And what advice would you give a young musician heading into the world with that approach.
TW: I would have to say be ready for rejection, and learn how to handle that because what you believe in is integral to yourself as a human being. Be aware that although not necessarily so, it could be a difficult path.  It all depends on whether what you play has some kind of instant appeal or not as much as anything. I think there’s a tendency for some musicians to say ‘if I don’t do this by 30, 40 or 50 I’ll give up, it won’t happen’. But life can be longer than you think. So just deal with it every day.

Trevor Watts caught in the act of playing solo. 'A rare thing for me.' Photo: Irmgard Huppe

Every day I do some music of some kind because I need to, like I need to eat food. No big deal, I just get on with it. Because of that it becomes over time quite natural to just play and explore your own things. Also though, it’s important at first to play and gain experience in any situation, any type of music or whatever, and try and fit some of the personal things you are developing into that structured style. Nothing is wasted, even though it may feel like it sometimes. Sure I always wanted to play more, but you often see quite good players in a certain style who work a lot, but a little bit bored of it. So keep on looking, and most of all it’s a lifetime’s learning. If you have that approach and philosophy, the fact that you’re never actually THERE but going somewhere is the most exciting thing. Try to allay the feeling of frustration you may have at the thought of not being where you think you should be. Once I am where I think I should be, then it always seems time to move on, or else it can become boring. It’s in the travelling not the arriving where all the possibilities are, because a lot of great music has an accident at its core, and so you should leave yourself open most of all. An accident in music can only be developed if your ear knows what to do with it. It’s that feeling of ‘Oh I’ve made a mistake’ that can stop you thinking of the resolution of that so called mistake. Your head’s full of ‘mistake’ rather than ‘opportunity’ to find something different.

It’s in the travelling not the arriving where all the possibilities are, because a lot of great music has an accident at its core

J-P: At an age when many people might like to see themselves retired, you’re still at it. What drives you?
TW: I think it’s being brought up in Yorkshire at a time of heavy industry. Not passing the 11+ exam and leaving school at just 15 with the prospect of working in a mill or factory. That 11+ test was very unfair, and condemned many a person to settle for a lesser life. I was determined not to be a victim, and found that the music my father brought back from the States and Canada where he lived in the early 30’s which was jazz – Ellington, Tex Beneke, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Fats Waller, Nat ‘King’ Cole Trio, etc etc. It was a big inspiration to me as we had very little ‘live’ music at that time in the North. I think this determination has stayed with me to this day. To achieve the best I can. Why settle for less?

Some people seem to play their best from an early age, but mine, I feel has been a steady improvement all through my playing life. I have also always been inspired by say classical musicians from India who continue well into old age, and with a freshness that their continuing involvement and interest gives them and the music. Or when I see quite old people in Africa still able to dance in a very lively fashion. Why give up, why slow down, what’s the point, we’re only here for a short while, even though sometimes it does feel too long. I often wondered at what point, you know, where is the cross over point from doing something to not doing it?

J-P: Is there any music you are hearing now that makes you sit up and take notice? If so, what is that music, and what is compelling about it?

It could be anything. But usually at that point of hearing something unexpected from the radio, or a snatch of some music coming from a car or whatever. That element of surprise is what it is, even if you’ve heard it in the past. It may be a beautiful duet from Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutti or hearing Cannonball Adderley or Coltrane after not listening to them for a long time and realising how great that music is. Also it’s quite amazing that music that once made you sit up and listen, doesn’t quite do it any more, maybe because of the familiarity. It’s part of the human condition. I know Veryan & I have that effect for some people simply because even we don’t know what’s about to be played. So the music can take unexpected twists and turns.

There’ll always be the cynics that don’t get any of it, but then they don’t deserve it!  You have to lend yourself to the music, whatever it is, and you’ll get more out of it, simply because you’re putting more in.

Hear some sound samples here > www.myspace.com/trevorwatts2

Read what Trevor said about his work on AllAboutJazz.com in 2004
Trevor says: ‘The AAJ article was 2004. Maybe a little old, but the sentiments within it with regards to playing I couldn’t put together much better than that. Of course perspectives have changed since then, but the core is the same. In 2012 I’d probably use less obvious conviction and would write about those things in a more relaxed way, with more knowledge I think.’

See and hear Trevor Watts and Veryan Weston in this YouTube video
Trevor says: ‘The Moire Music Drum Orchestra was an important group for me and although the music of Veryan & me is totally different, we both use that rhythmic aspect in our improvisations.

Trevor Watts (saxophones) and Veryan Weston (piano) – two tours and a new double CD release

Tour in Australia and New Zealand – June 6th to 20th 2012 inclusive

Tour in the USA – July 3rd to 16th 2012 inclusive

2012 Bell Award winners - Ian Whitehurst (for Andrea Keller Quartet), Kristin Berardi, Alex Boneham, Peter Knight, Allan Browne, Ros McMillan (for Brian Brown), Nick Haywood, Reuben Zylberszpic (WhichWay Music, for Luke Howard and Janos Bruneel), Eugene Ball (for Andrea Keller Quartet). Photo courtesy of Bell Awards.

The Jazz Bell Awards were announced and celebrated on Thursday 3 May 2012 at a gala event in Melbourne.

Awards were presented for a range of categories:

• Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album – Kristin Berardi Meets the Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra (Kristin Berardi and the JMO)
• Most Original Australian Jazz Album – Fish Boast of Fishing (Peter Knight)
•  Best Australian Contemporary Jazz Album – 1234 (Nick Haywood Quartet)
• Best Australian Traditional Jazz Album – Collected Works Volume II: Fifty Years of New Orleans Jazz (Allan Browne)
• Best Australian Jazz Song of the Year – Spir (Luke Howard and Janos Bruneel)
• Best Australian Jazz Ensemble – Andrea Keller Quartet
• Young Australian Jazz Artist of the Year – Alex Boneham

• 2012 Inductee to the Graham Bell Hall of Fame – Brian Brown

For more information see the official Bells website bellawards.org >

or see highlights from the awards on ABC Jazz >