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Gig Reviews by 2007 Competition winners
Adrian Sherriff Band, review by Michael Webb | The Sylvia Mitchell Trio, review by Keith Penhallow
Adrian Sherriff Band
The Sound Lounge,
Seymour Centre, Sydney, Saturday 15 September 2007
Review by Michael Webb, 1st Prize winner in the National Jazz Writing Competition
On his bio on the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO) website Adrian Sherriff attributes his restless exploration of musical diversity to growing up in West Papua. A masterful improvising trombonist, unorthodox yet accomplished shakuhachi player and skilled Karnatic percussionist, Sherriff is a committed experimentalist and significant voice in the Paul Grabowsky led AAO.
It was AAO connections that brought Sherriff to town to perform with Sydney members of that ensemble—Sandy Evans, Alister Spence, Steve Elpick and Simon Barker. Some of these players accompanied Sherriff on a tour of India earlier this year and the Sound Lounge gig drew heavily on the repertoire of that trip. The evening’s program delightfully juxtaposed ragas and reggae as well as originals by Sherriff and several band members.
Opening with his piece, Pentacle, Sherriff’s unmetred shakuhachi improvisations over a keyboard drone supplied by Spence took time to settle and gain focus. On soprano, Evans’ unison and close harmony doubling of the bamboo flute became one of the high points of the evening’s musical collaboration. Spence built a powerful piano solo urged on by Barker and it became clear that Sherriff was in the company of sympathetic musical minds.
Next was Spence’s On the Loop, a joyful Latin tinged groove piece with some challenging twists of melody. After solos by Sherriff (who had switched to bass trombone), Evans and Spence, Barker steered the piece into a montuno and soloed before the band restated the head, coming full circle.
In Sherriff’s Sunrise, a textured mood piece based on a South Indian raga, you could feel the warmth radiating up through the layered harmonies generated by bass, organ, tenor sax and trombone. Evans and Sherriff played the complex Karnatic melodic subdivisions over what sounded like a ten beat rhythmic cycle set up by bass and drums.
After a jaunty solo introduction by Spence on cheesy organ, Niko Schauble’s Hydera Dub (a pun on Hyderabad, first stop on the band’s tour) erupted into a raucous Bollywood reggae party.
After the break the band played Song of the Water Boy by Sherriff, a blues inflected Creeper by Spence, Raja Raja Rajitag (a “cover” of a Karnatic classical piece), and the cleverly titled Sacred Cow’s Tale by Evans, in which Sherriff improvised an extended solkattu solo, vocalising the rhythmic syllables of Karnatic drumming and fascinating the audience by keeping tala with his hand.
Vande Matharam, a Bengali popular devotional song, brought the program and the evening to a peaceful close. Spence set up drones once again and the beautiful melody drifted out over the audience via the hushed tones and expressive portamento of Sherriff’s trombone and Evan’s ascetic soprano.
Throughout the evening, Sherriff’s bass trombone was capable of great delicacy, yet he could also unleash torrents of sound while hurtling across registers, and insert into the flow difficult multiphonic passages before diving to subterranean pedal tones.
He doesn’t often play in Sydney and the smallish yet appreciative audience indicated that he’s largely yet to be discovered here. With the support of a top Sydney band, Sherriff shared something of his unique and appealing Australian musical vision.
Adrian Sherriff Band, review by Michael Webb | The Sylvia Mitchell Trio, review by Keith Penhallow
The Sylvia Mitchel Trio
IN concert at The Gods Cafe,
Canberra, 7 August
Review by Keith Penhallow, 2nd prize winner in the 2007 National Jazz Writing Competition
The Gods Cafe in the grounds of the Australian National University is the nearest thing to the classic jazz cellar.
It is the ideal place for Canberra poet and playwright Geoff Page to share his love of jazz with other like-minded people. ONce a month for six months of the year, Goeff organises a jazz concert. The series is a clever mix of interstate and local musicians. Often the bands are put together for a one-off performance. Such was the case for the August concert when we were treated to the Sylvia Mitchell Trio a.k.a. Slyvia and the Sidekicks. Sylvia played alto saxophone accompanied by Zoe Hauptmann, bass player with Wanderlust and King Curly and guitarist Jess Green, known for her own bands katook and The Green Septet.
The gig started with Hey Mama, an angular swinging Jess Green original. The lack of drums was noticeable, missing but not missed, giving a clean chamber jazz sound with space between the notes.
The second number was a surprise. After nearly ten years of watching the Green talent blossoming with not just her guitar playing but also her composing and arranging skills, I was introduce to another facet. She can sing! _What Is This Thing Called Love_ by Cole Porter was the choice. The song began with just guitar and bass accompaniment and Sylvia introducing the alto with a solo. As a singer, Jess needs a spot of polish but the quality of her voice is such that she will shine - not the high pure characterless soprano of so many young so-called jazz singers but a sultry Black Coffee kind of a voice. I want to hear more.
Sylvia followed with a short and sweet version of Charly Parker's Confirmation, proving her chops and supported by Zoe's rollicking bass, her fingers dancing over the strings like two tarantulas in a mating ritual. Yes, I know, but she was cooking. We were treated to Cheeky Chappie, a Jess original with a calypso feel; Miles Davis' All Blues; Jess singing Willow Weep For Me with stinging shards of guitar in duet with Zoe; a couple of originals from Zoe's CD called Zoe and the Buttercups. The band played Steve Coleman's African Lullaby, a song with three melodies; a couple of exquisite originals by Sylvia from a play called Drumming on Water by Geoff Page, in which she is currently appearing. A highlight was Jess' Rainsong, written for the people of Togo where she spent some time a few years ago, and featured on The Greeen Septet CD The Singing Fish.
I have watched Jess and Zoe develop over the years into the confident and competent professional musicians they are today. I am ore familiar with Jess' work but I have always been aware of Zoe's stalwart playing. At this gig Zoe astounded me with her inventive playing.
Somehow I have missed Sylvia in the past, a traged. For a twenty four year old she displays a wonderful talent. Not the lowdown, mean and dirty sound of a sweaty jazz cellar but a cool, clean, precise yet swinging sound - ideal for a drummerless band. They finished as they started with another angular swinging number but this one well known, Thelonius Monk's I Mean You. So ended a satisfying concert featuring an intelligent selection of songs - standards, jazz classics and originals - a perfect mix.