Dingo Australian Jazz Journal - Issue 4 Spring 2022

M USI C REVI EWS EDUCATI ON G I GS

Dingo acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, culture and community.

We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

Presenting the best contemporary jazz from around Australia.

PERFORMANCE FESTIVALS EDUCATION ARTIST DEVELOPMENT TOURING NEW WORK COMMISSIONS

sima.org.au

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EDITOR Adam Simmons | editor@dingojazz.com CO-EDITOR & MARKETING Cal Barry | marketing@dingojazz.com ART DIRECTOR Perri Winter | artdirector@dingojazz.com COVER ART Faridah Cameron www.handmark.com.au/artist/faridah-cameron WRITERS Jack Beeche, Leon de Bruin, Des Cowley, Louise Denson, Nick Freer, Matt Fripp, Damien Kingston, Richard Maegraith, Julia Messenger, Roger Mitchell, Tim Nikolsky, Barry O’Sullivan, Michael Prescott, John Shand, Ollie Shute, Heather Stewart, Josh Underhill, Callum Watson COPY EDITOR Roger Mitchell ARTISTS Meg Kolac | www.megkolac.com Mia Liang | www.mymiasart.com SUBSCRIBE subscriptions@dingojazz.com ADVERTISING marketing@dingojazz.com PUBLISHED BY Sounding Grace Pty Ltd 339 Clarendon St, South Melbourne, VIC 3205, Australia DISTRIBUTED BY ARE DIRECT ISSN 2652-9637 Dingo accepts freelance art, photo and writing submissions, however we cannot reply personally to unsuccessful pitches.

For submission guidelines please visit www.dingojazz.com/contact Views expressed by the authors are not those of the publisher. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. Copyright is reserved by the publisher.

Sumo Laser is an environmentally responsible paper manufactured under the ISO14001 Environmental Management System, using elemental chlorine free pulp. Sumo Laser is FSC Certified Mix pulp.

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editor Wominjeka/Welcome As we’ve been putting this edition of Dingo together, it has been refreshing to see a flourishing of activity as things are opening up once again; rather than talking about what is being cancelled or disrupted, it is great to be sharing news about what is happening on the scene.

On a broad level, the new federal government has demonstrated a renewed focus on the arts, not least of which has been to include “the arts” in the name of the responsible department once again. Importantly, the development process for a new national cultural policy is underway, as recommended by the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into Australia’s creative industries and institutions. It is well overdue and has great potential, though for the jazz community, it will require us to engage meaningfully with the policy and its implementation in order to benefit from it. Watch this space – and get ready.

With festivals enjoying the return of live audiences, and artists being able to tour domestically and internationally, there does seem to be a lot happening. One of the nice things about putting Dingo together is learning about the scope of jazz activity across the country and abroad.

From Hobart to Geelong, from Perth to Paris, from the ancient language of Ladino to the contemporary harmonies of Luoda – we are doing what we can to help shine a light on the diversity of our community’s activities.

Enjoy Adam Simmons

contents

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EDITOR’S LET TER

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S POTLIGHT

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THAT’S MY JAM JAM SESSIONS ACROSS AUSTR ALIA

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KEEPING TH E FAITH A PROFILE OF THE CATHOLICS

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TH E BRAVE N EW WORLD THE CHANGING L ANDSCAPE OF DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION

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NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT A LOOK AT FUNDING AVEN UES

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JAZZ IN TAS MANIA

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REVIEWS

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ARTIST SASHA GAVLEK

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EDUCATION IDE A GENER ATION AND CRE ATIVIT Y IN IMPROVISATION MAYBE WE COULD DANCE YOUNG ARTISTS

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GE AR REVIEWS

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LIVE

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GLOBAL PERS PECTIVE JAMMING IN BERLIN ALLER – TO GO MEET NOAM VA ZANA THE RELE ASING / GIGGING CYCLE

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CONTRIBUTORS

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60

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spotlight JAZZ IN THE SQ. Dingo’s inaugural Jazz in the Square event was held at the end of April to celebrate International Jazz Day, enlivening Federation Square in the heart of Melbourne. Several thousand people attended across the day, enjoying 8 hours of live music, featuring more than 70 musicians across 10 ensembles performing live. Throughout the day, video messages from artists and industry representatives played on the video screen, along with musical contributions from World Jazz Network, IKS Creative Consulting, Australian Music Centre, PIJF and SIMA. The entire event was streamed live via Dingo’s website and mirrored via Oh! Jazz, reaching audiences across Australia and well over a dozen other countries.

Our thanks to all our event partners and supporters that made Jazz in the Square possible: Australia Council for the Arts, City of Melbourne, The University of Melbourne, Fed Square, The Music Place and Red Rock Drums Australia.

Jazz in the Square will return in 2023 on 29 April – save the date!

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E M M A D O N OVA N P H OTO BY M I C H E L L E G RAC E H U N D E R

F E S T I VA L S It is great to see that festivals are well and truly back – Dingo has managed to make a few such as Sydney Con Jazz Festival, Orange Winter Jazz Festival and Inverloch Jazz Festival, relaunched in August after a two-year break. Congratulations also goes to the Merimbula Jazz Festival on the occasion of its 40th anniversary.

M E LBOURNE INT E RNAT IONAL JAZZ FEST IVAL Featuring over 400 artists from here and abroad, the Melbourne International Jazz Festival seems set to make up for the past couple of years with an exciting lineup for this year’s event. Returning with an explosive ten-day city-wide celebration of the diversity and dynamism of jazz with more than 85 performances and events across the city between 14-23 October. The 2022 festival’s feature events include international guests such as Al Di Meola, Lalah Hathaway, Dan Tepfer, MonoNeon, Melissa Aldana, alongside Australia artists including Emma Donovan, Transients and Quentin Angus.

WANGARAT TA FEST IVAL O F JAZZ & BLUES Another welcome return in 2022 is the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues, held over its traditional weekend prior to Melbourne Cup, 28-30 October. Co-Artistic Directors Eugene Ball and Scott Solimo have stated a focus on Australian artists: “We simply have a unique and bold way of making jazz and blues in this country, and it’s time to put our creators front and centre, loud and proud.”

Artists from across the spectrum of jazz and blues will include The Syncopators, Rebecca Barnard, Joe Camilleri and the Black Sorrows, Angela Davis Quintet, Checkerboard Lounge Blues Band, Fiona Boyes and Jazzaratta with special guest Dan Barnett. There will still be a significant number of international artists such as Pheeroan Aklaff (US), Emiliano Sampaio (Brazil), Kari Ikonen (Finland) and Iro Haarla (Finland), all in collaboration with local artists.

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P E RT H INT E RNAT IONAL JAZZ FEST IVAL Perth International Jazz Festival is continuing to expand its activities in 2022, both in number of events and geography. The main city-based program will take place over the weekend of 4-6 November including artists Troy Roberts NUJive (USA), Tal Cohen (USA), Sam Anning Septet, AURA, Brekky Boy and Transients, with a range of free and ticketed events. A week prior to this, PIJF will present Jazz On Film Weekend in Northbridge Plaza (October 29-30) as a free program. Following on from PIJF’s May shows, their “On Tour” series in south-west Western Australian will travel to Busselton and Yallingup during 11-13 November.

SYDNEY INT E RNAT IONAL WOM E N’S JAZZ FESTIVA L Now in its 11th year, the Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival returns between 27 October and 5 November, with the first week’s activities to be held in the Seymour Centre, Chippendale. Headlining the 2022 festival is Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana, Finnish pianist/ harpist Iro Haarla, Guguyelandji and Woppaburra woman Marlene Cummins and Melbourne’s Andrea Keller. A program of additional events will be presented at clubs and venues throughout Sydney.

AUST RALIAN JAZZ C ONVE NT ION For 75 years, the Australian Jazz Convention has moved around Australia. For its 76th edition 26-31 December this year, it will be shifting to Newcastle, hosted at the Newcastle City Hall. As the world’s longest running annual jazz event, the AJC is an opportunity for musicians to share ideas, make new friends and renew old acquaintances.

Registrations for musicians and delegates are now open. Musicians under 18 years of age can register for free but require a chaperone.

A L D I M EO L A

M O N O N EO N

M E L I S SA A L DA N A P H OTO BY E D UA R D O PAV E Z

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L E I G H CA R R I AG E

AWA R D S AUSTRALIA N JAZZ BELL AWA RDS Staged earlier this year at Bird’s Basement, the 2021 Australian Jazz Bell Awards acknowledged the achievements by a number of Australia’s finest jazz musicians. The Hall of Fame induction of Paul Grabowsky formally recognises the immense impact on Australia’s creative music scene throughout his career. Posthumous Hall of Fame inductions were awarded to saxophonist Mark Simmonds, clarinettist Nick Polites and guitarist Bruce Clarke for their respective contributions to Australian jazz.

AUSTRALIA N WO ME N I N M USI C AWARDS In May, jazz vocalist and educator Dr Leigh Carriage received the Humanitarian Award at the Australian Women in Music Awards for her contribution to music education, including coordinating the Visiting Artists Mentoring Program for Women in Contemporary Music directed to regional areas of Australia. Leigh graciously accepted the award: “I hope that my own journey has a lasting positive impact on each of my students, just as my teachers afforded me.”

G EN ERAT I O N S IN JAZZ SC HO LA RS HIPS In May at Generations in Jazz (GIJ) held in Mt Gambier, Thien Pham won the James Morrison Jazz Scholarship and Emma Simpson-Smith won the GIJ Vocal Scholarship both worth $10,000 each. The 2023 James Morrison Jazz Scholarship and GIJ Vocal Scholarship will be open for registrations from the end of November 2022: www.generationsinjazz.com.au

T H I E N P H A M A N D E M M A S I M P S O N -S M I T H P H OTO BY A DA M J O H N STO N E

FIRST N ATI O NS A RTI ST I N RES IDE NCE Presented in a partnership between Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF) and the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO), the First Nations Artist in Residence Program is an artistic professional development initiative that supports the career development of an emerging to mid-career First Nations musician with a practice in jazz, improvisation or contemporary art music and its composition. The 2022 resident is composer and Yuin woman, Brenda Gifford, who states: “I’ll be building on my work with the AAO from a recent Meeting Points concert, weaving in new ideas inspired by stories from my country. I’m also looking forward to playing some horn!” The residency includes a cash bursary, a MIJF presentation in October and participation in the AAO’s annual Creative Music Intensive.

B RE N DA G I F FO R D

J U DY BA I L EY

AUSTRA LIA C OUN C IL D O N BA N KS M US I C AWA RD Judy Bailey received the 2022 Australia Council Don Banks Award in August, which acknowledges the achievements of a distinguished artist, who has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to music in Australia. A New Zealand-born pianist and composer, Judy has lived in Australia since 1960, playing a pivotal role in Sydney’s jazz community as a performer, composer, arranger and educator. Judy’s contributions have been recognised through a number of other prestigious awards including receiving an OAM for services to music and education in 2004, and being inducted into the Bell Awards Hall of Fame in 2014.

AI R I N D EP E N DEN T M USI C AWA RDS The AIR Independent Music Awards were held live at Adelaide’s Freemasons Hall in early August. The award for Best Independent Jazz Album or EP was won by Hiatus Kaiyote for their latest album Mood Valiant, which was also nominated for a Grammy award and reached the top 10 of the ARIA’s album charts. The band are currently on tour in the UK and Europe.

H O L LY C O N N E R , TO M AVG E N I C O S , F LO R A CA R B O P H OTO BY K A RL S C H W E R DT F EG E R

ART MUS I C AWA RDS Presented in Melbourne by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre at the end of August, the 2022 Art Music Awards acknowledged the achievements of in Australian music across classical, jazz, experimental music and sound art. Gian Slater’s Grey is Ground won Jazz Work of the Year, while Jeremy Rose & The Earshift Orchestra’s Disruption!

The Voice of Drums won Performance of the Year for jazz and improvised music. The Luminary Award for an Organisation was awarded to the Australian Art Orchestra, for their sustained leadership and contribution as an organisation. Jazz artists Mark Ferguson (SA), Andrea Keller (VIC), Mace Francis (WA) were each recognised for their state-based contributions to art music.

FRE ED MA N JAZZ F E LLOWS HIP In early September Tom Avgenicos was awarded this year’s Freedman Jazz Fellowship, ahead of the other two finalists, Flora Carbo and Holly Conner. The 2022 judges, Steve Barry, Virna Sanzone and Andrew Robson noted, “Each finalist displayed a highly developed musical language that is pushing the music in new and exciting directions. Selecting a winner from such a rich pool of talent is always going to be difficult.”

G RAM MY AWA RDS (USA ) Congratulations to New York-based trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis, whose contribution has been formally acknowledged to Pakistani artist Arooj Aftab’s Grammy Award winning recording, Mohabbat, for Best Global Music Performance.

This marks the second win and seventh Grammy-nominated project that Nadje has contributed to since 2011.

N A DJ E N O O R D H U I S P H OTO BY L EO M AS CA RO

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STA N L EY J O R DA N

GETTING GIGS

RELEASING MUSIC

PROMOTING CAREER

INDUSTRY INTERVIEWS

Support & resources for gigging jazz musicians around the world. jazzfuel.com

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CONNECTIONS 7 VIRTUAL JAZZ CLUB C ONT EST Dingo is proud to be a partner for the first time of this international event. In late August the 7 Virtual Jazz Club Contest (7VJC) winners for 2022 were announced online from Milan, with many of the judges and performers joining. In the Pros & Amateurs category, first prize was awarded to Israeli sax player Daniel Zamir, who also won Best Soloist. First prize in the Under 25s category went to Norwegian’s Bliss Quintet. Other awards included Best Composition and Innovation Prize awarded to UK’s Diasporan Queens and Best Original Composition to US pianist Dave Meder.

There was significant Australian involvement in this seventh edition of 7VJC, with pianist Andrea Keller and Dingo’s own Adam Simmons participating in the international jury panel.

A shout out to Jake Mason for making the semi-finalist list for public voting and to Richard Pavlidis on being a finalist.

Entries opened in September for the eighth edition to be held in 2023.

OH! JAZZ In early August, Oh! Jazz launched in Australia, presenting Grammy-nominated Stanley Jordan as one of the first artists to feature live on the platform from Melbourne’s JazzLab. Oh! Jazz is an on-demand platform which broadcasts live jazz concerts from iconic clubs around the world direct to subscribers.

As well as giving Australians the opportunity to access international jazz performances, it also provides them with a central hub to learn more about jazz with artist interviews and club profiles featured on its dedicated platform and via its social channels.

Oh! Jazz is operated by Australian-based company, Aqui Media Australia. For further information and to subscribe, visit www.ohjazz.tv

RAIS E T HE IR VOICES In September, the Music Industry Review into Sexual Harm, Sexual Harassment and Systemic Discrimination report, Raise Their Voices, was released. It found “unacceptable levels of sexual harm, sexual harassment and systemic discrimination in the contemporary music industry in Australia.” While no specific jazz-related organisations appear to have contributed to the report, it would be naive to ignore the implications for the jazz sector also. For the full report and its recommendations: musicindustryreview.com.au CORRECTION We would like to thank one of our readers for spotting an error in our previous edition. The image on page 39 should have named Jerome Rhea and Billy Strayhorn (left to right). Rhea was Duke Ellington’s secretary.

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WO RDS DAMI E N KI NGSTON

JAM

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Jam sessions hold a special place in the folklore of improvised music. Stories of late night hangouts, head- cutting , mentorship and developments in the music spring to mind when considering the tradition . At their best, sessions are an ideal site for communit y building and musical development, but there is also the obvious potential for jam sessions to be unwelcoming spaces when egos and competition go unchecked.

A sur vey of jazz scenes from across Australia uncovers a thriving session culture, with long-running and new events continuing the session tradition in 2022 .

When I was a developing musician in Tasmania in the early 2000s, stories of late-night meetings between legendary figures at Minton’s Playhouse (Thelonious Monk and Charlie Christian!) gave me a sense of awe and considerable trepidation at the thought of attending a session. There were no jams running in Hobart then, so it wasn’t until I relocated to the Netherlands to study at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam that I could attend sessions regularly – there was one nearly every night of the week, with jams at prestigious venues such as the Bimhuis offering the opportunity to play. It took me some time to pluck up the courage to participate. Feelings of “needing to be ready”, “am I good enough?” and “do I know enough tunes” dominated. Taking the plunge, however, provided me with the best opportunity to improve and become involved with the scene – eventually I was participating regularly and an occasional house band member at various events.

Fast forward to 2018, a few years after I returned to Australia, and the gigging landscape in Tasmania had changed significantly. Far more venues were putting on live music, and regular sessions of various genres were running. In collaboration with the newly opened jazz venue Pablo’s Cocktails and Dreams, we established a new weekly jazz session that now brings students, recent graduates, hobbyists and professional musicians together to play. Establishing and running this session has been one of my most rewarding musical experiences; observing the development of community, providing a space where emerging players can network and develop a voice, and watching the interaction between the Tasmanian and the wider Australian scenes has been a privilege.

Witnessing the development of the jam at Pablo’s sparked my curiosity about session culture more broadly in Australia. What are the sessions? Who is attending? What do they contribute to the culture?

What steps are being taken to make them inclusive?

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OBSERVING THE DEVELOP MENT OF C OMMU NIT Y, PROVIDING A SPACE WHERE EM ERGING PLAYERS CAN NET WORK AND DEVELOP A VOICE

L A ZYB O N ES P H OTO BY M AT T H EW LO N G D E N

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The Sessions In Tasmania there are two regular jazz sessions: the weekly Pablo’s Cocktails and Dreams session and the Hobart Jazz Club “Jazz Jam” that is well into its 20th year. These sit alongside jams of other genres – a Hobart Blues Club event, a weekly Gypsy Jazz Jam, the free improv focused Free For All session run by Spike Mason in Launceston and a host of other sessions held at festivals throughout the year. Canvassing scenes across Australia uncovers a range of session activity across many styles of improvised music. When looking at those with a jazz focus, we see quite a few approaches.

Festival tie-in sessions are common: Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues, Perth International Jazz Festival and Melbourne International Jazz Festival are among the more high-profile festivals that have incorporated sessions into their programming.

A host of weekly jazz sessions are running throughout Australia – Lazybones Jazz Jam in Sydney and Molly’s Pro Jam in Canberra are just a couple of the events keeping the session tradition alive on a weekly basis; other sessions such as the Jazz Music Institute jam session in Brisbane, and the once-a-month Glasshouse Jam Session at Bar 303 in Melbourne also provide the space for musicians to perform. There are also sessions running outside the big city centres, such as the Bendig–o Jazz Club’s First Friday Jazz jam session, a monthly event that invites folks with a wide range of skill levels to participate in a supportive environment. One of the event organisers, Christina Finch, says the event was established in order to “provide a comfortable social environment … and an opportunity for people of all levels to participate”.

Who turns up?

Most events are run by musicians who also work as educators, this is reflected by the participants – the typical jazz jam attendee in Australia is a student of the music, most likely one studying in a university context. Saxophones seem to be the dominant instrument turning up to sit in, with some notable exceptions – the Tassie jam for instance has had on occasion eight double bass players turning up for a play, from my experience quite the anomaly.

Many of those I spoke to who host regular sessions feature house bands with rotating personnel. Harry Tinney, the founder of the Glasshouse jam session at Bar 303, speaks to the positives of a rotating house band, with the approach providing the opportunity to “learn more about the community around us … and new combinations of people playing together”.

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In addition to strong representation from student musicians, established players also regularly engage with sessions, bringing with them invaluable experience. At the Pablo’s session for instance, having folks such as Adrian Cunningham or Paul Williamson on saxophone drop by after a gig to sit in with the house band or student musicians has been amazing, providing a means for the local scene to actively connect with the broader Australian jazz community outside of attending gigs or private lessons – an important opportunity considering the physical isolation of Tasmania. Oscar Neyland from The Rookies, the house band for the Melbourne International Jazz Festival jam session since 2018, sees value in established musicians joining the session and interacting with those newer to the music: “Growth of community was made possible because they did choose to come and play … you get mentored at uni by experienced musicians who come and sit in your ensemble room and give you feedback, but the experience of playing with people who are further down the path than you are is pretty irreplaceable.”

International artists are also engaging with Australian jam session culture in a significant manner, from Christian McBride listening from the audience, or Sun Ra Arkestra members ascending the stage en masse at the MIJF session, to Wynton Marsalis watching on as members of his ensemble joined the JMI session in Brisbane. Organiser of the JMI session Dan Quigley recounts: “… it was pretty wild, we had the Jazz at the Lincoln Centre Rhythm Section playing "Take the A Trane" with first years and Wynton was sitting in the audience just loving it … it was such a lovely experience because those guys hear straight away where the students are at and they don’t care, they just want to play.” Outside more formalised masterclass scenarios, these interactions are made possible through the session setting in Australia.

What needs work A recurring theme when speaking to session organisers was the importance of making the events inclusive, welcoming spaces.

However, organisers were also quick to recall that they did not necessarily engage with or enjoy sessions when coming up through the scene. It’s easy to have a bad time at a session that is not mindfully curated – it doesn’t take long for a joke about someone calling for “Giant Steps” to be made. So, are these hangovers from a less welcoming time, or are there still steps to be taken to make things more inviting?

Running a session involves managing ensembles when needed, guiding repertoire choices and being on the lookout for poor behaviour.

Looking out for newcomers is also important. Harry Tinney from the Glasshouse session noted that “some people have expressed they’ve felt intimidated because everyone seems to know each other”. While sessions are fundamental to a healthy jazz scene, session runners should ensure that this scene does not feel elite or exclusionary, and that newcomers feel welcome. Sign-up sheets seem to be widely employed across Australia. This can reduce a newcomer’s stress when approaching organisers to sit in. The Bendigo First Friday Jazz session posts repertoire lists with material of varying difficulty prior to the event so that people can learn the changes and turn up prepared.

" THOSE GUYS HEAR STRAIGHT AWAY WHERE THE STUDENTS ARE AT AND THEY D O N’T CARE, THEY JUST WA NT TO PLAY."

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There are systemic factors too: as is the case in the broader jazz scene, sessions are overwhelmingly male-dominated, adding another barrier to participation. House bands with diverse representation are a fantastic way to begin addressing this. Events such as the Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival include a session for female and non-binary musicians. Chair of the MWIJF, Sonja Horbelt, says the event was established “particularly for women to play with other female aligned artists, for them to get to know who they are, and to just network.” Speaking to the value of the sessions, Sonja said that “resounding for [her] was, there was one female artist who said “I have never played in a band of all-female artists, and I just felt completely different, I just had confidence for the first time in my life.” In Perth, the issue is being addressed by Gemma Farrell, who is looking to establish the Womxn in Jazz Jam Session “especially for younger students of marginalised genders … to target a certain type of people that aren’t there to be competitive, but to nurture each other.” Increasing diversity in other house bands in

JA M ES M O R RI S O N Q U I N T E T P H OTO BY M AT T H EW LO N G D E N

addition to these events that specifically cater to musicians of marginalised genders provides a great way forward in improving not only engagement with sessions, but tackling wider issues across the Australian jazz scene. Additionally, men running sessions should be conscious that to get on the bandstand with a group of men is a different experience when you’re not a man, and do what they can to make it more comfortable.

Culture Asking those who run sessions to recount the best aspects of jams reinforced their importance in my mind. Overwhelmingly, responses mentioned community development as the most important factor. As a space for building culture, making new connections and networking, sessions are invaluable. At Pablo’s, people new to the scene often drop by either to play or just hang out and meet folks, while emerging players get to meet others in a similar position and connect with established players, providing opportunities for mentorship and guidance outside the formal lesson space.

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When considering the broader legacy, stories surrounding stylistic development come to mind – sessions contributed to the birth of bebop, as informal jams where people shared ideas from the woodshed led to the music being developed by a community. While today these stylistic leaps may not be occurring overtly in sessions, I would argue that the jam is still significantly contributing to the development of the music in Australia. Original material is often featured or workshopped in house band sets, new ensembles spring from connections made at the session and attendees get the chance to hear new ideas or approaches emerging in the language of the younger generation.

A universal sentiment of those who I had the chance to speak to was the importance of the connections made between musicians that do not happen outside the session space – between emerging musicians, established professionals and those of the next generation, peer-to-peer catch ups and when “heavies” from out of town drop in for a play. Con Campbell from the Canberra Molly’s Pro Jam relates a recent successful session: “We had a number of interstate guys who really played beautifully together with the local players, the music was wonderful … some of these people I hadn’t seen for more than a decade, it was really lovely to catch up, to hang, to talk and to play.” This coming together of folks from across the Australian scene to catch up and play, not only with friends but musicians across all levels of development, can really happen only in the session space, pointing to the value of the event and its continued relevance. I’m hoping that the Pablo’s session continues to contribute to the local scene, and look forward to folks from out of town dropping by.

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A C O M BI NATIO N O F P LAYERS AND IN ST RU M E N TS T HAT FRES H LY ILLU M I NAT ED ALM OST ANY ID IO M IT TOUC H ED.

L LOYD SWA N TO N P H OTO BY I A N ST E N H O U S E

KEEPING

TH E FAIT H WO RDS J OH N SHAND

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T H E CAT H O L I C S P H OTO BY CA M I L L E WA LS H

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You have to make your ears squint prett y hard to hear any overlap between embr yonic jazz and the music of The catholics, the Australian band that ’s spent 31 years stacking happy-go -luck y melodies atop African , Latin and Caribbean -inflected grooves . But then its leader, bassist/composer Lloyd Swanton , didn’t want to ape the nuts and bolts of early jazz, he wanted to catch its spirit – “wild, exuberant, fun and danceable”, as he puts it.

Having such clarity of intent has meant that, despite numerous personnel changes and a veritable congregation of deputies across the years, the septet’s character has remained intact; evolving, but never evaporating. This is all the more remarkable because Swanton has done it while his primary commitment across those three decades has been to The Necks, the trio that is Australia’s most successful jazz export.

The only survivors from the band’s very first rehearsals are Swanton and saxophonist Sandy Evans. “What I had in mind for a group sound was much more about a knot of interlocking rhythms,” recalls Swanton, “and just sitting on that and letting it slowly evolve. Elements of what we do in The Necks were definitely in my thinking, but more formalised.” Initially, he says, the emphasis was on “the textural interplay of the rhythm section … but with just a single horn. After a couple of runs through, Sandy felt that she wanted another horn to dialogue with.”

Enter the fiery red hair and twinkling eyes of trombonist James Greening, whose mere presence changes the on-stage vibe of a band. For The catholics he was the readymade joker in the pack, his exuberance infectious and his playing always the perfect foil for Evans’s luminous saxophones.

In the early stages the material was all Swanton’s. “Like a lot of freelance jazz players, I’d played in various combinations in different styles of music, and found it very exciting,” he told me in a 1994 interview. “It was my idea to bring together all these things that I was enjoying, and see if it worked.”

He learned and tampered as he went along, and tried drawing on a different genre for each piece he penned.

After the first album, the personnel became fairly settled for a few years, consisting of Swanton, Evans, Greening, guitarist Dave Brewer, pedal steel guitarist Michel Rose, drummer Toby Hall and percussionist Sammila Sithole – the latter soon replaced by Fabian Hevia. It was a combination of players and instruments that freshly illuminated almost any idiom it touched.

Who’d heard a pedal steel over a reggae beat, for instance?

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“The instrumentation defines the sound to a great extent,” said Swanton in ’94. “I couldn’t get across the ideas so effectively if I had an alto saxophone, piano, bass and drums. It’s not as if by putting together this weird combination of instruments you’ll create a whole new style of music, but by putting the same old combination together, you’re really limiting your chances of coming up with anything new…

“We can pare down to two horns, bass and drums, and it sounds like a jazz group. You bring in percussion and it starts to sound a little less specific to that genre. You bring in Dave [Brewer] playing Buddy Guy and funk and soul idioms on the guitar, and it’s really pushing it out. Then you bring in an instrument like the pedal steel, which is not central to that tradition in any shape or form, and you’re really giving yourself a lot of room to move in.”

They swiftly came to need room in which the audience might move, too, with people treating them as a dance band as much a listening one – and thereby they became improbably popular for an instrumental jazz act.

Not only could they pack out Sydney venues and mount tours (including overseas), every two years or so they could release a new album that actually sold, rather than ending up in boxes under the bed.

The personnel began to change across the late 1990s, when lap steel guitarist Bruce Reid replaced Rose, drummer Hamish Stuart replaced Hall, and guitarist Jonathon Pease replaced Brewer. Swapping such pivotal players would change most septets beyond recognition, but not this one, with the tunes (still mainly

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Swanton’s at that time) and collective attitude defining the band as much as the individuals involved.

A bigger change was a shift in the compositional ideas. While the general bounciness had often been broken up with the odd more atmospheric piece, on 2006’s Gondola they focused on this area, and both the instrumentation and players proved just as well suited to the new cause, the album replete with some of the band’s strongest improvising. That the material was developed in a chapel showed in the spaciousness and attention to sonic detail. “Oaxaca”, for instance, begins with whispered bleakness from guitar and percussion, beckoning a gentle stream of grief from Greening’s pocket trumpet over Swanton’s solemn bass. Then, in a flawless example of sustaining a narrative flow between solos, that grieving is followed by an emotional twist of the knife from Evans’s soprano saxophone.

When they played the same material live, the audience encountered a sound world of drifting guitars, crying horns and elusive percussion. It was a crucial reinvention, because sometimes the

relentless jollity could seem a little forced, as though the music wore one of those smiles that ballroom dance competitors have cemented on their faces.

Now any merriment was more organic: a natural outgrowth amid the new breadth of possibilities, and, with the players freed from compulsory jaunty duty, the band came into better focus in terms of interaction and allowed more personalised selfexpression. Part of the success stemmed from Stuart and Hevia maximising textural options against minimal rhythms, while “Penumbra”, among Swanton’s most striking compositions, was made eerie by Greening’s use of multiphonics.

The catholics had never sounded better.

Gondola turned out to be more an aberration than a U-turn, because 2007’s Village was a return to the breezy rhythms and perky melodies that made the band so popular, including having Evans playing iridescent soprano saxophone over the fluid Afro groove of “Pease’s Pelicans”.

More significant was 2010’s live double album, Inter Vivos, which caught both the band’s onstage energy and ability to cast deep spells.

I HAD T H REE SEC O N DS TO M A K E U P MY M I ND BEFORE T H E E N D O F T HE SO N G . SO I W ENT WIT H MY GUT F EEL IN G …

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A longer-term turning point in the sound came with 2013’s Yonder, the first to feature Gary Daley’s accordion (and occasional piano) as a replacement for Reid’s slide guitar. The accordion thickened the textures without the group sound losing its essential airiness, and, more than ever The catholics sounded as if they played the national music of some imaginary – possibly Caribbean – country.

Other curiosities included a standard (a reggaeinfused “I Cover the Waterfront”, no less), and if Yonder didn’t quite hit the heights of Gondola, it was classic catholics, nonetheless.

In 2015 Swanton augmented the band to make the 12-piece orchestra he needed to perform his magnum opus, Ambon. This was not a catholics project, per se, but any history of the band would be remiss without mentioning perhaps the most important work in which it has participated.

Effectively a suite, it was Swanton’s memorial to his uncle, Stuart Swanton, who died in a POW camp on the Indonesian island of Ambon during World War II. The work was an ambitiously large-scale integration of music, spoken word and projected images, its world premiere lasting two and a half hours, and representing an extraordinary achievement in terms of conception, content and realising Swanton’s desire to expose and commemorate the suffering and resilience of these Australian servicemen.

The spine of that narrative was spoken-word material skilfully penned and adroitly delivered

by Swanton himself. When he read directly from his uncle’s diary, what hit home was the enduring humour in the face of such horrors and adversity.

This dichotomy, in turn, was a hallmark of the music – humour, desolation and ferocity were as thickly entangled as vines in a jungle. Swanton’s bass, meanwhile, was the humming axle around which turned the mighty wheel of Evans, Greening, Paul Cutlan and Alex Silver (wind), Hevia, Stuart and Ron Reeves (percussion), and Rose, Pease, James Eccles and Chuck Morgan (strings) – with the latter delivering a ukulele solo as wistful as a letter from home. While some of the music lay within The catholics’ regular oeuvre, much of it was a programmatic world away, and added up to a compositional triumph.

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Pieces from Ambon were incorporated into the regular repertoire of the incarnation that emerged as the band’s finest and most flexible: Swanton, Evans, Greening, Pease, Daley, Stuart and Hevia.

Those compositions included “Darkest Days”, a 12/8 lament that could also be construed as hymn to resilience, and that in a 2017 performance featured sand-blasted tenor from Evans. The same concert boasted several striking solos from Pease, a plunger-mute one from Greening to live in the memory and, alongside his work on accordion, a delightful melodica solo from Daley. More telling than any individual performance, however, was the abiding sense of the band having a collective heart as big as a house. And it was this heart that was having the dialogue with the audience.

At a 2020 gig Nelson Cavaquinho’s bossa nova of “Folhas Secas” began with the tune barely fluttering from the keys of Gary Daley’s accordion, and the groove just the gentlest of updrafts. When Evans’s tenor and Greening’s trombone entered they were like two human voices singing mellifluous harmonies. Greening’s “Mossman” opened with fractured cries, whispers and insinuations from the composer’s pocket-trumpet over a bass ostinato, and then Evans’s soprano took flight, before the music unravelled to an enthralling improvisation of such tiny sounds as might be made in a toyshop when no humans are around to hear. By contrast Evans’s sprightly “Margarita Thing” arrived in a blaze of colour worthy of Frida Kahlo – a collective vibrancy heard again on “Ransome”, while on “High Times” Pease used distortion the way a fine chef uses spice.

As recently as the inaugural Orange Winter Jazz Festival in June, 2022, pieces from Ambon and Gondola happily cohabited with a vastly entertaining version of Wes Montgomery’s “Mr Walker”, featuring guest guitarist Hilary Geddes. Performing in a cathedral, the band alternated wind-in-the-leaves delicacy with more spirited playing, and, as ever, sounded like no one else. In a sadly reduced music scene, the catholics’ gigs being more occasional has just made them all the more cherished by their fans.

As a bass-playing leader, restricted in his ability to conduct and cue, Swanton has encouraged a sense of “autonomy and agency” among his musicians. “It does mean that sometimes I feel a tune isn’t going where I thought it would,” he says. “But part of the development of the band has been a process of me learning to let go and trust the musicians if they’re taking it somewhere that wasn’t quite what I had in mind; to see that as a positive, and nine times out of ten it’ll be a pretty good area we get into.”

The lives of bands should be measured in dog years rather than human years, because it’s so challenging to form one, write material, organise rehearsals, find gigs, attract an audience and record. To hold a septet together for three decades is a tribute to Swanton, his colleagues and to the potential implicit in the initial concept all those years (and personnel changes) ago.

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THE BRAVE N EW WO RLD

WO RDS DR TI M NI KOLSKY ILLUST RAT ION MEG KO L AC

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MORE T HA N EV ER, M US IC IS A BOUT HUM A N RELAT ION S HIPS.

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So, you’ve poured your heart and soul into compositions, herded the cats to eke out rehearsal time. You’ve scrimped and saved to capture the heightened intensit y that only red-light fever can bring. You’ve negotiated the mind-bending space time altered continuum of the recording studio.

Congratulations, you have successfully distilled your humanity into a series of zeros and ones.

Now, the real work begins. Launch. Promo. Tickets. Streaming. Physical.

Digital. Aggregators. ISRC codes. APRA AMCOS. Royalty Splits. Radio.

Fans. Social Media Engagement. Reviewers. Newsletters. Traction.

Exposure. Vinyl pressing wait times. Streams. Playlists. Remixes. Simply getting people to notice/care/listen seems to be the greatest challenge.

This article outlines challenges facing the independent musician, illustrates some opportunities, weighs up the issues and suggests possibilities.

One pressing issue is whether to stream or not to stream. For some, it is akin to getting under the sheets with the devil. For others, it represents genuine engagement with a larger net, unexpected opportunities and is the only way forward. For some it can virtually connect with many more ears outside Australia, presents greater value for back catalogue than physical, and results in a trickle of income that may one day turn into a stream and then a flood.

On whether independent musicians must now embrace streaming, the Australian Music Centre (AMC) says that it is “likely – it’s where audiences are and adds a sense of validity”. On whether independent musicians should be creating content other than music to feed social media, the AMC states: “As much as is healthily feasible. The emotional labour of relating with audiences is relentless, but can be valuable in developing long-term relationships with listeners.”

Direct fan engagement is the ultimate goal. Migrating casual listeners from streaming services into highly engaged “superfans” who are more likely to pre-purchase albums, crowdfund, buy merch and attend live shows is now the game.

The scene is challenging. It is noisy. There is much well-produced content to compete with. Attention spans are decreasing. The path to getting your music “out there” is far from perfect. Often it is not sustainable. Gatekeepers still exist, as does payola (in a different form), and fake artists on popular streaming playlists are a thing now. Momentum and traction is not easy. However, independent musicians have never been more empowered.

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Everything is available, all of the time. The tools of self-production are powerful and affordable. The pace of change is rapid. Getting good quality sound is far easier. Previously hard-won knowledge possessed only by the few is instantly accessible and freely available. People are more qualified, capable and competent. The rules of engagement in this game are mostly similar, but the landscape on which it is played is quite different.

Yet some things are unexpected – Kate Bush becoming popular again after 37 years, thanks to a well-placed sync in Stranger Things. Nostalgia is powerful, but looks backward. TikTok fame is bewildering. The rediscovered tangibility of vinyl records, fostering the human connection with music and album details, is clearly important. New vinyl pressing plants are opening up locally. Nobody would have predicted this 20 years ago. High-definition vinyl that doesn’t degrade is being developed by producer T Bone Burnett.

Innovation is happening also in attribution, authorship and ownership of work.

Bandcamp is consistently touted as the way forward and the most sustainable platform for independent musicians. It has earned loyalty from the jazz community (and others) through artist-led initiatives focused on building community engagement, the efforts of altruistic founder Ethan Diamond and the waiving of fees on Bandcamp Fridays. Yet while “Bandcamp believes that music is an indispensable part of culture, and for that culture to thrive, artists must be compensated fairly and transparently for their work”, it is unclear how this altruistic motivation will survive after Bandcamp’s recent purchase by the internet behemoth Epic Games (in which 40 per cent is owned by Chinese conglomerate Tencent).

Julien Wilson (Lionshare Records) finds Bandcamp fulfils the need to facilitate emotional engagement in music, to be part of and be able to connect with community. “I never want to sell my fans out,” says Julien. There is a focus on providing an organic, analogue, tangible experience to 1000 highly engaged listeners; rather than 100 million passive, unengaged streams.

Yet Jake Mason, from Cookin’ on 3 Burners (CO3B) and label Soul Messin’ Records, has had considerable success with streaming. Jake is one of the rare Australian musicians to reach the one billion stream club with This Girl.

His collaboration with French DJ Kungs came about unexpectedly after randomly being contacted for a remix request after the 7” pressing had found traction in the club scene. “It wasn’t really causing flashing lights or anything ... It was cool, but it wasn’t something which I took a whole lot of notice of.”

This “unexpected success” belies the fact that the harder you work, the luckier you get. CO3B has been steadily and consistently working, producing and releasing for more than 20 years. Streaming has been critical for Jake’s artistic output to reach worldwide audiences. Yet he still echoes Julien’s thoughts on success as an independent musician: “It’s all about how you cultivate and engage those 50 or 100 superfans.” Dom Alessio, from Sounds Australia, confirms this: “Streaming has been incredible in developing an international fan base [previously inaccessible], but the real question is how you convert the casual listener into a fan.” Audience engagement and development is still key. How you do this will be different for every artist.

More than ever, music is about human relationships.

Web3, which is difficult to define, offers many opportunities for creative musicians who are often at the forefront of music technology innovation.

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Basically, it is moving away from creative works being owned in a centralised, top-down structure (such as a record company) and is decentralised, transparent and horizontal in design. Blockchain – known best in relation to cryptocurrency transactions and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) – offers new ways of transacting, tracing, attributing and offering provenance for digital objects.

It creates a digital record that has the potential to revolutionise music royalties, music publishing, copyright, ownership, attribution and authorisation. It could be a powerful tool to help artists regain control of careers and content. Blockchain also removes the intermediary (“the agent” or “the middleman”) and can facilitate the exchange between creator and consumer.

The nitty-gritty of how musicians fund, protect, manage and monetise their work has blockchain implications from now on.

We are at the precipice of revolution in our industry.

Crowdfunding, subscription models such as Patreon, and direct community engagement are legitimate tools to fund projects.

The lines are becoming blurred between fans, supporters, investors and micro-venture capitalists. With independent artists reclaiming control of IP, contracts, ownership and communication, the need to stay on top of a complex array of business, legal and marketing responsibilities increases, potentially further taking the “plugged-in musician” away from the primary function of creating organic human music.

Typically, top-down music ventures have involved substantial risk, ego, ambition and investment. Berry Gordy from Motown records springs to mind. Do we need an Elon Musk-type character to disrupt and restructure the music industry, or are the creators and consumers capable of navigating this change on their own? Maybe the market will find Keynesian efficiency, rather than a socialist, altruistic utopia being realised. There is certainly the air of the “Wild West” about this emerging scene – speculators, meme-pushers, influencers and pyramid-sellers are capturing the headlines. It is unclear what or who will illustrate the benefits of blockchain.

WE ARE AT T H E PRECI P I C E O F REVOLUT IO N I N OU R I NDUST RY.

I suspect independent musicians will still need assistance in organising and navigating this new digital paradigm. Sarah Hamilton from Ditto Music acknowledges it is a particularly challenging time for many independent musicians, but blockchain “has potential to open a new doorway for people to create sustainable careers, based on a system that is empowering, fair and transparent”. Ditto is on the front foot in navigating this industry transition, developing Opulous over the past five years.

We are still a while away from widespread community adoption and acceptance, yet the digital infrastructure is being built to facilitate these new transactions and interactions between creator and consumer. Human intermediaries are still required to spruik publishing and sync opportunities on behalf of music creators.

For instance, Stranger Things’ music supervisor Nora Felder was instrumental in Kate Bush’s resurgence into the music charts.

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If artists ran the streaming service as a cooperative and bypassed the distribution systems that allocate so much to intermediaries, given “musicians create most of the value in music, and deserve to capture most of the profits” as Ted Gioia states, could more artists achieve a sustainable career outcome? The days of existing business models of publishing, copyright, and types of royalties such as mechanicals may be numbered. If these models don’t adapt, industry will change and evolve without them. This will affect our representatives such as APRA AMCOS. To an extent, Patreon is a new model of Web3 possibilities, reinvigorating the idea of community around the creator. The brilliant Jack Conte of Pomplamoose and Scary Pockets, has created an artist-led multi-billion-dollar company that facilitates the support of independent content creators. Brilliant, sustainable and “artist-led”.

Engagement is still critical. For independent musicians to achieve the magic 1000 highly engaged fans/listeners/supporters/backers, it has been suggested by Reggie Ba-Pe III from Club Media that wider broadcasting via streaming platforms is necessary. But it is unclear how casual, disengaged listeners on streaming platforms migrate out of this ecosystem when album metadata, credits and links are not included because the algorithm is designed to cater to listener need without going elsewhere.

At a recent Web3 event at Victorian Music Development Office (VMDO) Reggie said new developments in blockchain not only have implications for regaining control of IP, but also that co-funding and investor models can be employed to realise projects. Fans become micro-venture capitalists. Reggie states: “These new spaces (including Metaverse) can only involve greater opportunities for creativity and expression.” They can also provide new avenues to engage with audiences. These models have been successfully implemented by American artist Holly Herndon; where attribution of copyright contained in remixes includes a sustainable, reasonable percentage going back to the original creator, all handled by blockchain automatically. It remains to be seen if these new digital spaces will be appropriate in the Australian creative context.

As we work towards making our scene a more inclusive, diverse and sustainable one that fosters, encourages and supports us to be creative and to tell our stories, I’m not holding my breath for any kind of UBI or living wage arrangement for artists and creatives. The new government has a great enough challenge to repair damage done to the arts, creative and education scenes.

Australian musicians need to explore the wider world and cultivate opportunities.

We do not have enough listeners here (for most) to support and maintain a sustainable career. Sarah Hamilton from Ditto wants us to be part of the global music scene, while still celebrating the Australian opportunities.

Again, the challenge is how to turn the casual listener into a fan.

Sounds Australia facilitate business-to-business connections at international music trade shows, as well as supporting artists getting into overseas markets.

Dom Alessio sees participation at events such as Jazzahead in Germany as “incredibly important and valuable to facilitate in-person connections”.

Taylor Davis from Brekky Boy says, “Showcasing at Jazzahead [recently] was an incredible experience that opened doorways to the European jazz/crossover scene. It enabled us to establish connections with festival directors and venue programmers in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Iceland (to name a few) for future bookings late 2022 and beyond.”

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The Australian Music Centre now offers assistance for Australian musicians to attend this event, with AMC’s CEO Catherine Haridy stating: “The grants were initiated to enable Australian artists to extend their networks to elevate their careers and represent Australian music on a global platform, and we have some of our best homegrown talent to do just that.

This opportunity will benefit not only the grant recipients, but also audiences in Australia, as well as the ongoing dialogue between Australian artists and the international music market.”

An attendee at the VMDO’s recent Web3 event stated, “If the art is good enough, it will always find an audience.” I strongly disagreed. Plenty of brilliant creators deserve a wider audience.

Van Gogh’s art may not have survived if it was not for the patronage of brother Theo while he was living, and the dedicated celebration and curation of his work after death from sister-in-law Jo Bonger. Patronage and support are required for all arts to thrive. Much more needs to be done to facilitate, curate and support adventurous music making and new music experiences.

Music is about human connection and interaction, whether this occurs digitally or in real life.

THE D EFI N ITIVE C O LLECTI O N O F AUSTRAL IAN JAZZ I N D I GITAL AN D PRI N T

australianjazzrealbook.com

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THE K EY THING IS TO K NOW THERE A RE AVENUES OF SUPPORT.

NICE WORK

IF YOU CAN G ET IT WORDS ADAM SI MMO NS

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OVERVIEW O F FU ND I NG OPTI O NS Arts and culture have helped sustain us during the pandemic and they will continue to play an important role as we emerge into our “new normal ” which is any thing but certain . As a key contributor to reactivation of public space and the nightlife economy, as well as a tourism drawcard for regional centres through festivals and the like, music is well-placed to benefit from the money being of fered to address this, but where is the money, who’s likely to get it and how?

As outlined in my article pushing for a National Arts and Culture Policy (Oct 2021), there is a strong case to be made for jazzrelated activities to be funded and the benefits of that. There are those who may view funding as unnecessary or think they would be ineligible or overlooked anyway, but from my experience, no assumptions should be made. You have to be in it to win it, and if used for the purpose intended then funding for the arts can be of both economic and social benefit. Make no mistake – it is competitive and there are no guarantees of success, but it’s “nice work if you can get it, and you can get it if you try.”

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Things are volatile both domestically and internationally, impacting employment opportunities, workforce shortages, living costs, disaster recovery and more. Despite this, there is a sense of optimism in the air as events and festivals are back up and running again, audiences are returning, artists are touring internationally, and people can reconnect once again. On a political level, the new federal government is in the process of developing a new National Cultural Policy, which bodes well for the future.

Funding support is out there to help activate spaces, connect to audiences, create new events, sustain existing activities, develop skills and more.

Federal funding is certainly one option, but there are a range of potential funding sources that should be considered for your next project.

Funding options When considering funding options, it is important to consider not just what is funded, but why.

Funding may often come from registered charity organisations, but generally it is not charity itself that is the reason for giving out money. In fact, when considering the requirements of most funding programs and their recipients, I doubt many would match the Macquarie Dictionary definition of charity as “the private or public relief of unfortunate or needy persons”. Rather, from my experience of funding programs as an assessor and applicant, I feel that what is rewarded more often than need is some combination of: innovation, excellence, potential, reputation and longevity.

So, by shifting your mindset away from “hand-outs” for your personal benefit, to more positive notions such as “investment opportunities”, “partnerships” and “capacity building”, that help benefit a potential funder and their stakeholders, you will become a more attractive proposition – and it will help you identify what avenues of support to explore.

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Government Governments use their financial capital in a range of ways such as to supply goods and services not supplied by the private sector, improve supply side of macro-economy such as on education, subsidise industries that require support for operation or expansion (e.g. infrastructure, energy, ABC and SBS), and to redistribute income and promote social welfare. All three levels of government support the arts through funding programs. Exploring the data on cultural funding in Australia shows that each level plays a key role.

Federal funding is available to all Australians. The most common place to begin is with Australia Council for the Arts as our main arts funding body, though in more recent years there have been instances such as Catalyst and RISE funding that have been administered directly through the Office for the Arts. DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs) is another avenue that can assist export of musical services and goods.

State funding will often reflect what is available federally, though with a state-based focus. This does not preclude interstate or international projects necessarily – but care in reading the aims and eligibility criteria is advised. Funding might be available only to state-based applicants, or it may be allowed for non-state-based applicants to apply for projects within the state in question.

Local funding is likely to vary between councils from formal grant programs to more informal, discretionary opportunities. Keep in mind, they will often have access to and/or manage resources, such as venues, that will be within their capacity to offer on an in-kind basis (i.e., free) that can be a substantial contribution to a project.

Examples include: Federal – Australia Council, DFAT, business.gov. au, Regional Arts Fund (see below) State – Creative Victoria, Create NSW, Arts SA, Arts NT, Arts Queensland, Victorian Multicultural Commission, VicHealth, Lotterywest (WA) Local – Councils

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Non-profit

Philanthropy

There are a wide range of non-profit organisations, including many that rely upon and distribute public monies, though are ostensibly independent of government. An example is how the federal Regional Arts Fund monies are administered through independent state-based non-profit organisations, such as Regional Arts Victoria and Regional Arts NSW.

Philanthropy is an avenue that is more likely to be of relevance for organisations. Not all philanthropic foundations will offer a formal process or accept unsolicited applications, but through establishing good relationships, it can be possible to partner in a more collaborative manner. Often philanthropic organisations will require applicants to be registered charities with both Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) and Tax Charity Concession (TCC) status. Some may be national, others state-based. Explaining the charity registration process is beyond the scope of this article, but a common structure for this purpose is an incorporated association, which is how many jazz clubs and festivals are set up.

There are national organisations such as Australian Music Centre and APRA AMCOS that offer different opportunities, including some specifically for “art” music (though the latter have announced they no longer provide project funding).

Various state and local organisations, even some festivals, may offer a range of options from direct funding through to artists residencies and access to venues for developing work. Just be sure to understand the scope of their activity to ascertain your project’s compatibility.

Examples include: APRA AMCOS Australian Music Centre Regional Arts Fund - Regional Arts NSW, Regional Arts Victoria, Flying Arts Alliance (QLD), Regional Arts WA, Country Arts SA, RANT Arts (TAS), Darwin Community Arts, artsACT Multicultural Arts Victoria

Individuals and non-charity organisations can potentially still access philanthropic funds by having their project auspiced by another registered charity organisation. Another avenue is the Australian Cultural Fund (ACF), a fundraising platform for artists that offers donors tax deduction benefits as it has DGR status (though not TCC).

Philanthropy tends to go towards larger institutions and infrastructure as part of building legacy. Jazz and improvised music suffers in this regard when compared to classical music, for instance, even if audience numbers are similar.

Examples include:

Local arts councils/foundations

Sidney Myer Fund/The Myer Foundation

Festivals

The Ian Potter Foundation Besen Family Foundation The Vizard Foundation Harry Kestin Foundation

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Crowdfunding A more recent phenomenon is crowdfunding, using digital platforms to raise money for a project from a number of contributors. While it has been used as a model since 1997, it has come into its own over the past 10-15 years as internet engagement and technologies have developed.

Typically, a project’s aims and activities will be explained, with a range of rewards on offer at a variety of price-points, with a target goal to be reached. Commonly, but not always, it will be based on all-or-nothing, which helps reduce the element of risk when supporting a project and develops a sense of shared community in the project’s success.

There are examples such as Amanda Palmer or Celeste Barber whose crowdfunding campaigns went viral, but for the most part, success will rely on the strength and support of your own community. There are different models with plenty of advice available and examples to learn from, and anyone can set up a project if they so choose.

While the model of one-off/defined projects is common, increasingly there are subscription-based models that creatives are using. Patreon is a popular example, used by Australian jazz artists such as Barney McAll, David Jones, The Rookies and the West Australian Jazz Project. This model allows fans to connect with artists, becoming “patrons of the arts”, in return for regular updates, exclusive offerings and personal access.

Something to note is that unless the recipient is registered as a charity, any “donations” will not be fully tax-deductible. All monies received will be considered and accounted for as taxable income for the recipient.

It can be challenging to achieve campaign success and/or to maintain the promised level of engagement and creativity, but for those who are prepared to put in the work, this democratisation of accessing capital is empowering at the same time as community building.

Examples include: Pozible (Australian owned) Kickstarter Indiegogo GoFundMe Patreon

Private/sponsorship Finally, there are the possibilities of funding through private sources. The good old “bank of mum and dad” or looking to friends and colleagues may be options for some. Sometimes it is necessary to use personal income from a different source to fund your musical activities – not necessarily a sustainable practice, but legitimate and common nevertheless.

Sponsorship or advertising options should be explored also.

Aligning with other brands can be of mutual benefit. Think laterally about the possibilities and approach potential partners with an idea of what your unique offering to them could be.

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Support doesn’t have to be in the form of cash.

In-kind support can take many forms such as: free venue hire; promotion of your project through their channels; free products for use or as rewards; volunteer staff/services and more. Be imaginative.

Examples include: Cash – family, friends, self In-kind – venue, products, promotion, volunteers

This list is not exhaustive, though I have tried to include the most common sources here. Consider looking at business funding more broadly and you will find more potential options. The key thing is to know there are avenues of support.

There are no quick fixes here or pots of gold just waiting to be found. But there are many organisations and individuals eager and willing to support worthy projects that contribute to developing skills and capacity, economic prosperity, social wellbeing, community building and increasing accessibility. Given these are the kinds of things that the jazz community does, and that it could benefit from a little extra assistance, why wouldn’t we give it a try?

A RTS AN D CU LTU RE .. .

W IL L C O N T IN UE TO PLAY AN IM PO RTA N T RO LE AS W E EM E RGE IN TO OU R “ N EW N O RM AL”.

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WO RDS LOUI SE D EN SON I L LUSTRAT ION MIA L AI N G

JAZZ IN TA S M A N I A

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In August 2021, I upped stakes and moved to an old sheep propert y 30 minutes outside Hobart. Unlike other climate refugees from Queensland, I am not finding the (much) chillier climate intimidating – it ’s positively balmy compared to the deep -freeze Canadian winters of my past. Since I plan to spend my post-academia life here as a composing /performing musician , I’ve been exploring the arts and culture scene over the past year.

Traditionally Australia’s “poor cousin”, Tasmania has been coming into its own with steady population and economic growth (and some attendant problems) manifesting in the past decade. Far from being the imagined “cultural black hole” dismissed by mainlanders in the past, the Tasmanian arts scene is abundant, varied, rich, thriving and island-wide. In the past year I have heard the music of Ornette Coleman, Philip Glass, William Barton, Miles Davis, Edward Elgar, Alberto Ginastera, Peter Sculthorpe, Bill Evans, John Coltrane and Charles Mingus (among many others), and standards, originals, experimental and freely improvised works. Not bad for a state with a population one fifth that of Brisbane and less than one tenth of Sydney’s.

The jazz/improvised music world in Tasmania divides largely into three communities, centred on Hobart, Launceston and Burnie. Hobart naturally has the largest, most active scene. A growing number of strong young players (bassists Sasha Gavlek, Seb Folvig and Dom Nguyen, guitarist Eli Davies) are joining established artists (pianists Matt Boden and Kelly Ottaway, drummers Konrad Park and Tom Robb, bassist Hamish Houston, saxophonists Danny Healey and Al Dobson) in presenting an ever-expanding range of repertoire in many jazz-friendly venues. Guitarist/composer and UTas lecturer Damien Kingston says, “It’s a bit of a weird holding pattern post-COVID, but there’s still lots of places to play jazz and improvised music.”

No gigging musician would deny the importance of the music program at MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), an internationally celebrated art destination that has revolutionised the local scene since opening in 2011. According to Brian Ritchie, artistic director of MONA FOMA (the summer MONA festival), the original vision for MONA did not include music; but director/owner David Walsh soon saw the potential to “add value to the museum visitors’ experience” through live music. Brian says, “Since the first day we opened there was already live music all over the place … it has actually increased in diversity and also volume: we have four venues going every day … so that’s remarkable.” Several local players estimate that MONA gigs represent 50 per cent to 60 per cent of their income – remarkable indeed.

UNCLE GUS P H OTO BY K E L LY S L AT E R

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Hobart enjoys three annual jazz festivals. Hot August Jazz, curated by the Hobart Jazz Club, takes place in venues on Elizabeth Street, North Hobart, and focuses on straight ahead styles – trad, blues, latin, swing – on one non-stop day.

Tasmania’s largest jazz festival, the Clarence Jazz Festival, is planning its 27th incarnation in February 2023. This Clarence City Council flagship cultural event is co-directed by trombonist/composer Stevie McEntee and event producer Bek Varcoe. CJF has strong community support, offering extensive, family-friendly, free programming on several outdoor stages, in addition to ticketed indoor events. A six-month Jazz Scholars program for selected young artists, performances by the Scholars, emerging artists and community big bands, and workshops led by local and interstate artists are emblematic of the festival’s commitment to development of a sustainable jazz culture. Also notable is CJF’s mandate to increase gender and non-settler artist representation in the festival. Stevie says that 42 per cent of the 2022 artists were women or non-binary, the highest percentage ever. It required “consciously programming” artists whose names were perhaps not the first to come to mind, but who made strong contributions to a varied and high-quality event schedule.

“…THERE’S A G REAT VIBE O F CREATIVIT Y AND I MPROVI SATI ON IN T HE MUSI C I N TAS SIE.”

The most recent addition to the annual festival schedule is Jazzamanca, curated by legendary Australian jazz drummer Ted Vining. Residing in Hobart for the past 11 years, he started the November festival and associated monthly performance series with the support of Joe Bugden, CEO of the Salamanca Arts Centre.

Ted’s aim for the festival is “artistic excellence”, presenting top echelon local and interstate artists.

As is often the case, one jazz hand does not necessarily know what the other is doing, even in a comparatively small geographical setting.

So, I was delighted to make the two-hour trip up the Midland Highway to Launceston to meet and play with wind player/composer Spike Mason, a pivotal force on that improvised music scene. He has recently completed his “10 recordings in 10 years” project, which is JA Z Z LO U N G E P H OTO BY E D E N M EU RE

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extending to “12 recordings in 12 years” and beyond. Prior to COVID, Spike curated “four different gigs … in four different venues, [each] once a month …” which made them sustainable for audiences and venues alike. These “opportunities to play American songbook standards [or] original music” have disappeared for the moment.

But curiously, what is thriving in Launceston is improvised music.

Spike says: “The thing I found incredible … was that … there were all these gigs everywhere of people just getting up and playing totally improvised music, and really well, so many different instruments, and different people from different disciplines,” adding that “people in Hobart are really surprised … at all the free music [up here]”. The Launceston Improvised Music Association (LIMA), started two years ago by Spike and composer/wind player Karlin Love, focuses these creative energies, mounting “the Smallest Improvised Music Festival in the World” for the first time in 2021, and running a weekly community improvisation event called “Free for All.” LIMA has 30 members, a committee of five, and supporters/volunteers whose contributions ensure the sustainability of live improvised music performance culture in Launceston.

Driving an hour and a half west brings you to the jazz centre of north-western Tasmania, Burnie. Vocalist Sophie Leslie moved to Burnie to work as a speech pathologist, expecting that she would eventually move to Hobart. However, she says: “I just didn’t expect to find what I did … there’s this incredible, healthy jazz scene up here that gave me all these amazing opportunities to play with artists from the mainland and from overseas …”

The driving force on the scene for several decades has been pianist Viktor Zappner, renowned both for his fine musicianship and for curating and mounting events, including artistic direction of the Devonport Jazz Festival. Sophie says: “Viktor says he has been educating the citizens of the North West in different styles of jazz over the last 20 years.” He has also “taken musicians under his wing,” offering informal – but invaluable – mentoring in a community where opportunities to study music are very limited.

As everywhere in Australia, live performance in Burnie was disrupted during COVID, more due to musicians cancelling appearances or tours than to lockdowns or restrictions per se. There is no regular jazz gig in Burnie for the moment, but Jazz at the Wharf in Ulverstone (last Sunday of the month), attracts good crowds to hear local and visiting artists.

My conversations with colleagues about “Taz Jazz” in the past year have revealed some common themes. Many mention being surprised by the amount, kind and quality of the music they found here. Similar to the experiences of Spike and Sophie, after eight years studying overseas, on returning to Hobart Damien Kingston found “that there were good people to play with, it was quite different from when I left when I came back. It was a very different scene.”

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B I G DAY AT K A N G A RO O BAY P H OTO BY U RS U L A WO O D S

A frequent comment is that contrary to some scenes on the mainland, which seem cliquey and hard to break into, scenes in Tassie are refreshingly welcoming: “… everybody just plays with everyone here … it’s just really open and everyone’s in each other’s bands,” says Spike. As a female bassist, Sasha Gavlek says she feels “super fortunate in [the Hobart] community with the support I’ve had” in her studies and her professional work.

Opinions vary about how receptive audiences are to original music. Older audiences are undoubtedly more sympathetic towards familiar repertoire. Ted Vining encourages Jazzamanca artists to present “the music of X” so that audiences will have an idea what they’ll be hearing. Otherwise: do a special event for originals (Damien); they’re not interested (Danny Healey); play them constantly ’til they sound familiar (me).

All agree that Saturday night in a pub on the harbour is probably not the right venue for your newly penned bi-tonal ballad … but Brian Ritchie offers this very positive observation: “The audience in Tasmania is really open to all kinds of musical experiences. I really think the bands have a lot of freedom … They have a presupposition that the audience is not up for it, and they are really up for it … Tasmanian musicians, except for a few … they really could push it more, because I think the audience is willing to go along.”

There is certainly a lot left for me to discover about improvised music in Tasmania. But so far, what I’ve heard – and heard about – convinces me that I’m in the right place to enjoy many years of adventurous and satisfying music-making.

H A M I S H H O U STO N

Inspiring the next generation of creatives REG IST ER FO R 20 23:

sima.org.au

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reviews

GO OSE TO GO OSE Scott Tinkler Hill House

While the fashion for unaccompanied solo – at least for wind instruments – harks back to Coleman Hawkins’s 1948 masterpiece “Picasso”, it didn’t really come into vogue until Anthony Braxton’s pioneering solo recordings For Alto (1969) and Saxophone Series F (1972). Since then, it has become a testing ground for creative artists, challenging their improvisational and imaginative mettle. When it comes to trumpet, few have explored the format as fearlessly as the late Bill Dixon and Wadada Leo Smith. To these names we can add Australian trumpeter Scott Tinkler, who over the past three decades has established a presence as a bold and intrepid improviser, faithfully evidenced on his many collaborations with artists like Mark Simmonds, Simon Barker, Errki Veltheim or Jenny Barnes. Goose to Goose presents four extended solo improvisations (the digital release adds two further tracks), giving veracity to the phrase: nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The album comes across as a continuous suite of music, bristling with long serpentine lines that twist and snake, as Tinkler bends and sculpts his unadorned notes. Replete with short, sharp bursts, and intense rapid-fire flourishes, there is a core logic behind these improvisatory journeys, a stark and fragile beauty that conjures the isolated landscapes of Tinkler’s home on Bruny Island, where this music was recorded. Goose to Goose is a manifestation of Tinkler’s enduring fascination with the sonic possibilities of his instrument. Beautifully and crisply recorded, it is an album demanding intense focus, rewarding the listener at every turn.

Des Cowley

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LOW LIGHTS

WET

Spirograph Studies

El Topo

Independent

Ramble Records

Spirograph Studies is the brainchild of bassist Tamara Murphy, who composed all of the music on this thoroughly enjoyable album. Lowlights serves as a sophomore to 2019’s Kindness, Not Courtesy and was recorded just before the COVID mess created all this chaos.

Wet, a nine-track debut album by Polish trio El Topo, feels right at home on Ramble Records, the independent Melbournebased alt-music record label.

The album features the same personnel as their debut apart from pianist Sam Keevers replacing Luke Howard on three tracks. The line-up is completed with James McLean’s superb drumming and Fran Swinn’s beautifully understated guitar.

This is not a bassist album as there are no solos from the leader but there are seven tracks of real beauty. From the opener “Another Bright Light”, dedicated to Allan Browne, Murphy’s highly melodic and thoughtful compositions stand out. The theme is introduced by Swinn’s guitar over Murphy’s bass and on this track, Murphy has added a wordless vocal almost floating over the top, beautiful.

Fronting the impeccable rhythm section, Swinn is the epitome of economy, her restrained guitar is the perfect fit to Murphy’s compositions.

Her almost minimalist approach to the songs gives them a contemplative quality and is perfectly complemented by the pianists Keevers and Howard’s imaginative excursions.

This is not an album bursting with power or aggression, rather it has a peaceful quality that makes the collection quite distinctive but at the same time it is an album that can be appreciated over and over. And that surely is the sign of a fine album.

Michael Prescott

With Łukasz Marciniak on guitar, Alan Kapołka on drums/percussion and Kamil Guźniczak on bass, the self-proclaimed philosophy of El Topo is “intricacy of strings and risk of percussion”. Not up for interpretation this is acutely clear from the first track “Skoda” which shows Alan tinkering amongst his percussive objects before the rest of the group join in with urgent, stilted sonic jabs. Playing with ever so slight dissonance, the group create an uncanny emotional presence on the third and title track “Wet”.

Closing the collection, “WJ” is a cut where traditional implementation of guitar, drums and bass goes out the window, with string scratches and cymbal scrapes making up the bulk of the auditory creation.

Solid and rhythmic, for me, the highest moments on the record come with joint tracks “First Eye Click” and “Second Eye Click”. These up-tempo groove vignettes provide something for the ear to latch on to and become more than pure sound experiment.

In totem Wet is a comparatively minimalist entry into free-jazz, math-rock, soundscape music. Exposing the listener to its roots and influences without being entirely alienated, El Topo has made an engrossing gateway record.

If you are up for something different and find satisfaction in process as well as result, Wet by El Topo is worth checking out.

Josh Underhill

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DRUM J UN K ALLY Independent

Drum Junk – born from a partnership between percussionist Giorgio Rojas, and Afro-Cuban/Latin/jazz saxophonist Gai Bryant – gives life and representation to styles not so commonly explored. Ranging from tangos and landos to Peruvian festejos with a waltz between, the rhythmic roots are core to the sound found here.

Gai is commanding on her instruments, both tenor and soprano variants, delivering the melody of each tune with authority. Supporting her and alongside Giorgio we have James Greening on trombone, Max Alduca on double bass and Daniel Pliner on piano, forming a tight quintet.

Max and Daniel’s contributions are particularly exceptional. One can really feel the force of Max’s double bass, which is luxuriating in the additional headroom allowed by the lack of a full drum kit.

Meanwhile, Daniel’s artistic chord choices and flawless solos are reminiscent of Herbie Hancock on “Maiden Voyage”– an exhilarating listen.

A key feature of the album is the arcane spoken word by poet Dai Moret. Far from feeling over rendered or intrusive, the religious, ancient and astrological themes she draws on add a spice and mysterious allure to the tracks she speaks over.

Presenting sensitively arranged versions of “In a Monk’s Dream” and “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” nestled amongst triumphant originals, ALLY’s Drum Junk is an important work in moulding and propagating crucial rhythmic tradition to help ensure its relevance for generations to come.

Josh Underhill

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BE FORE NOW A F TER Java Quartet Dharma Records

The first track, “Before”, opens with a very moody, almost sombre but thoroughly original bass introduction from leader Michael Galeazzi before pianist Greg Coffin adds colour and finally drummer Mike Quigley and the sax of Matthew Ottignon complete the quartet. This builds for over 14 minutes of brilliance.

The tone is thus set for the whole album, just three lengthy tracks, between 14 and 18 minutes in duration, all with a similar structure. They are based on variations of the Dorian mode, but each track is different, compelling and a perfect distillation of Galeazzi’s vision for this music. The closest comparison that comes to mind is The Necks and their slow build, although The Java Quartet has its own form and feel.

Essential to this brew is the original piano of Greg Coffin, from his colourful additions during the work’s early stages to the rhythmic pulse and solos. Likewise, Matthew Ottignon, whose very distinctive tone provides a series of imaginative and thoughtful solos.

It is hard to imagine that the music would be as successful in anyone else’s hands.

From the opening blast of bass (each track starts with the same note) to its conclusion, this album has a high emotional content often missing in music today. That and its obvious originality, quite simply, explains The Java Quartet’s success with this CD. Michael Prescott

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TH E H OUSE IS E MPT Y Reuben Lewis Shimmering Moods

Reuben Lewis’s debut solo album The House is Empty strives from the outset to find a deeper musical spirit. Initially, the path is one of quiet meditation and musical abstraction simultaneously. The electroacoustic sounds are thoughtful and captivating, leaving the listener inquisitive for more. Ambient and shimmering concepts are layered, pulling the curious listener into a seemingly private world – perhaps under water or within a galaxy. What is clear though, is that Lewis’s intention is to entice the listener into another realm. The four tracks glide into each other, as if in movements, each clearly contrasting with the other. Track two “Together/ Apart” starts with echoes of trumpet and veneers of ambient modulation. Found sound creates percussive sonic spheres, almost like machines whirring and reverberating through a new space – like witnessing robots on the daily grind of life. The abruptness of what feels like overhearing a conversation between two people in a private kitchen in “He’s Like You” further takes the listener on the role of the voyeur. Words are not clear – and it’s as if we are secretly listening from the dark through a crack in a doorway, trying to decipher the meaning behind what is being said. The finale “Animal I God” is quite a fitting title for the music.

The graceful yet provocative soundscape creates an ambience that brings us almost full circle on our journey’s completion. Overall, the album is both exquisite and haunting, and is as beautiful as it is daring and experimental.

Julia Messenger

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LISTEN ING WITH YOUR EYES Galaxstare Independent

Saxophonist Richard Maegraith’s aim is “to move the listener to a realm outside of themselves” and he certainly does that with the release of band Galaxstare’s third album Listening With Your Eyes. The original, fresh and exciting compositions, all written by Maegraith, come to life through the stunning interplay of a quintet of accomplished Australian jazz connoisseurs. The tone and rhythmic vitality of Maegraith’s tenor saxophone is brilliant.

Steeped in the discipline of global contemporary jazz, the album pushes beyond this to create a sound that is authentically “Australian”. It was recorded in both Berlin (Maegraith’s current home) and Sydney.

Guest artist First Nation’s spoken word poet 21Monks performs on four of the eight tracks, providing a direct indigenous voice. “The Ones Who Were Here First” with lyrics by 21Monks, references the Dreamtime: “ancient stories we loved to share by the fire” – perhaps vital subject matter for the book of Australian jazz. The track starts with Maegraith, this time on didgeridoo, and soon the lulling voice of Kristin Berardi coupled with Gary Daley’s Rhodes offer a poignant and moving melodic expression of beauty and sorrow befitting the subject matter.

The poetry and voice of 21Monks soon breaks the trance with intense passion, commanding you to listen.

Always present in the energy and exuberance of Maegraith’s songwriting and compelling arrangements, is the driving backbone of double bassist Jonathan Zwartz and drummer Tim Firth, who also have a flair for shaking things up. This album is a formidable addition for those already familiar with Galaxstare, as well as those seeking to hear something innovative and of value in the current jazz landscape.

Julia Messenger

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ISOLA Cameron Deyell and Laurence Pike Endless

Isola is a duet outing of artists with high profiles in the avant-garde. Drawing upon their twenty-year-plus history of collaborations and friendship, it represents the geographical isolation of home in Australia, a continent renowned for its vastness and subsequent poetic responses to its natural singularity. The album was developed remotely between their home studios before being completed whenever restrictions permitted. One of the often-encountered effects of the pandemic has been to reduce artistic motivations to their most fundamental core. Deyell recorded his guitars alone on an empty pier with acoustics in Port Melbourne, while Pike played drums and piano in his Sydney home. Their unusual instrumentations establish subtleties in the music that constantly shift and move, requiring more than one spin to appreciate its shades and textures. Tracks like “Before Time” and “Before Meeting” facilitate a Twilight Zone spookiness, both sounding like they’re coming in on the airwaves via a jittery short circuit. Often noticeable is defiance emanating from this creativity and resilience, with a refusal to let the arduous creative circumstances interfere with the process of crafting uncompromising music, to be accepted on its terms or not at all. Given the amount of overdubbing, editing, and general post-production finessing that the duo employed, the fourth-world mysticism of Jon Hassell and the prior excursions of Eberhard Weber influences are explicit on some tracks. From the opening bars, it is apparent that something special is about to unfold, and it sure enough does.

Barry O’Sullivan

LIVIN G IN THE MAC HIN E SHAYAN and Melbourne Amplified Strings Independent

Living in the Machine represents Melbourne saxophonist Omid Shayan’s second full-length outing, following on from 2019’s Sounds from Cross Street. Once again, he has assembled a stellar cast: altoist Flora Carbo, electric bassist Costa Hagi, guitarist Theo Carbo, and drummers James McLean and Julia Bebenek. The major shift for this recording is Shayan’s collaboration with Melbourne Amplified Strings, comprising violinist Xani Kolac and cellist Anita Quayle. The results speak for themselves. Living in the Machine feels like a giant step forward, revealing a harmonic complexity that exquisitely melds the Iranian folk songs of Shayan’s childhood with improvisation and electronic effects. The opening tracks “Waltz for a Dying Flower” and “Blue Glaze” make a case in miniature, both vehicles for Xani Kolac’s harrowing and deeply rendered violin excursions, gently underpinned

by Theo Carbo’s delicate guitar. There is a filmic quality to these pieces, brimming with dignity and grace, as the ensemble traces melodic contours, fabricating stately and majestic backdrops, before dissolving in the face of Kolac’s stark intensity. This is unhurried music, full of space, redolent with emotion. As the album progresses, the myriad themes assume a more upbeat aspect. “An Ode to the Iron Sheik” hinges on a deep bass riff, with Flora Carbo’s sax driving the music forward, gliding across Bebenek’s funky percussion. Shayan’s vision clearly embraces community, both drawing upon folk melody and accentuating group dynamics.

His compositional themes prove arresting and memorable, elegantly heightened on this occasion by the presence of Kolac and Quayle’s amplified strings.

Des Cowley

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IT WAS O N LY YESTERDAY REC O RDE D IN LO N D O N Janet Seidel Muzak

The late Australian vocalist/pianist Janet Seidel recorded eighteen albums in Australia, many of which were successful and acclaimed in Japan and the United Kingdom. They were accompanied primarily by the brilliant guitarist and ukulele player Chuck Morgan and her brother David on double bass. The trio lived and toured in the UK throughout 2011-2014, including performing at Ronnie Scott’s in London. This posthumous release was recorded in London and is her last studio album. With Janet wanting to concentrate on her singing, English pianist Simon Brown took charge of the Bosendorfer Grand with the trio.

Opening with a rarely heard complete version of “Gone With The Wind”, the album traverses an intriguing compilation of standards. Yes, musicians can record from the Great American Songbook without disgracing themselves! The little jazz bird vocally acquits herself admirably, providing solid evidence that the singer makes the song rather than the other way around.

Featured are a number of skillful solos from Morgan on guitar and Simon Brown on piano, with the instrumental stalwart David Seidel on bass breezing through the fifteen tracks with poise and charm. Highlights include many of Janet’s favorites, including “A Kiss To Build A Dream On” containing a delightful overdub of George Washingmachine’s violin playing following Chuck Morgan’s Django-like guitar.

The open and fresh English and French sung version of “Autumn Leaves” sits comfortably between “Misty” and “Danny Boy”. The gatefold sleeve design perfectly complements this nostalgic historical vocal recording from one of this country’s much-loved jazz legends.

Barry O’Sullivan

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T HE VIEW F RO M TH E TO P

N EW H AT

Gemma Farrell

Pearly Shells

Independent

Belmar Records

Philosophically challenging and musically enriching, The View From The Top is one for the collection.

The music on New Hat is another direct result of the lengthy lockdown in one of the great music cities of the world, Melbourne. A Creative Victoria grant for composition and arrangement enabled the ten musicians from The Pearly Shells Swing Orchestra to finally go into the studio and lay down ten tracks of some new and old songs. Formed by double bassist and bandleader Steve Purcell as a Count Basie-style dance band, The Pearly Shells Swing Orchestra has evolved over more than fifteen years to become a unique Melbourne musical institution with an enormous repertoire of original charts.

Composed by Gemma Farrell and played by her quintet, this album is a fresh entry into the Australian jazz anthology. Perhaps influenced by the contemporary brass band sound coming out of the UK at the moment, the quintet succeed in creating an album that’s distinct, but comfortable.

Spanning a spectrum of moods and time signatures, the one constant throughout the record is the collaborative groove of the group. Kate Pass on bass provides a solid bedrock throughout the record, setting pace on up-tempo tracks and sitting in the space on the more ethereal numbers. Next to her, Ryan Daunt on drums switches easily between timekeeper and spotlight holder, his fantastic fills being a delight and highlight on the record. Dan Garner on guitar takes the role of chordal instrument with true proficiency and gives breadth for the remaining brass to play over. Sam Hadlow on trombone and Gemma on saxophone deftly play in unison and step out for each other whenever a tune requires it.

Colourful, serried and striking, the album cover – designed by Annie Mitchell – subtly presents both a literal embodiment of the title’s sentiment, and a symbolic representation of the music within its gatefold.

This collection of music is no free chaotic mess; quite the opposite. Gemma has composed melodies you will find yourself humming days after your last listen.

The album’s music includes some familiar stalwart tracks from Irving Berlin, Louis Prima, Leonard Cohen, Richard Adler, and Jerry Ross as well as others not so familiar from band members Julie O’Hara, Gavin Gray, and Rob Price. Mainly throughout, the vocals are Julie O’Hara’s contributions, with Nichaud Fitzgibbon, Hetty Kate, Mon Shelford, and several band members providing some notable additions of all-encompassing quality and balance in the swinging and dancing style of the band. The stand-out tracks of “Whatever Lola Wants”, “Boogie Guarantee” and “Walking Stick” are superbly handled by Fitzgibbon and delivered with the required suitable panache. This party album in a particular style showcases some very accomplished musicianship, allowing the ensemble and the soloists to shine on a musically rich time for dance enthusiast record buyers.

Josh Underhill

Barry O’Sullivan

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on tracks ROGER M ITCHELL SELECTS T WO D ISPARAT E T RACKS FRO M A FAVOU RIT E ALBU M FO R A CLOSER LIST E N.

A N AC CUMULATIO N O F SUBTLETIES Mike Nock Trio FWM Records 2010

Featuring Mike Nock piano, Ben Waples double bass and James Waples drums, this magnificent double album – an accumulation of creativity, spontaneity and vibrancy – is the outcome of a Sydney Opera House Studio session and a live performance at Sydney’s Sound Lounge, both recorded in 2008.

An Accumulation of Subtleties 7:04 Absences make this piece so appealing. As the title track opens, seemingly luminescent piano notes drop singly and in tiny clumps into our consciousness, their beauty enhanced by the spaces between them. It is immediately inviting. At the track’s end, the final notes are followed by more than 20 seconds of silence.

It’s as if we are experiencing, at a live gig, that wonderful pause which occurs when an attentive audience acknowledges the beauty of what has just been played. There are many spaces also within the piece, creating expectation and holding our attention. We are drawn in and held not just by the notes, but by what is left unspoken, as well as by subtle changes in dynamics. We are also treated to a perfect union of piano with bass, as if the players are performing a slow, gliding dance in which everything fits seamlessly together. Yet the instruments retain their independence, trading places in the limelight.

Rite of Passage 5:52 Switch from a beautiful scene to abstraction, still with plenty of spaces and compelling clarity, but now an urgency conveyed in sharp, fragmentary interventions that evoke emergence as if from a primeval swamp or some upheaval in deep space.

Forms are building in the murk, but we don’t know what.

We are focused on what may materialise. Drums, piano and bass make forays that abruptly become louder and more insistent. Strong bass chords take prominence briefly before keyboard and kit rise up to assert their claims in this wondrous chaos of creativity. We take delight in the disorder. Then, as if begrudgingly backing away submissively, bowed bass notes twist, turn and die away. What scary fun it’s been.

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A C OM PREHEN SIV E PICTO RIAL H ISTORY O F JAZZ IN G EE LO N G Ian Coots Independent

The recurring COVID-19 lockdowns in Victoria left many of us isolated and a bit despondent. For Ian Coots however, this was an opportunity to finally tackle the daunting task of documenting the history of jazz in his hometown of Geelong.

Geelong is the most populous regional city in Victoria, 75kms south-west of Melbourne. At present, the region is home to a vibrant music scene across a variety of genres.

However, as is a recurrent theme in this book, demand for jazz in Geelong has varied substantially across the decades since its introduction in the 1920s. This has made it challenging at times for musicians to sustain their practice – forcing them to adapt to survive.

This ethos is exemplified by Geelong jazz artist Des Camm who is well represented in this book with 12 of his bands featured. Coots describes Des Camm adapting during the rock’n’roll era of the 1960s and 70s by performing in the untapped market of small country towns in south-west Victoria. An image of a newspaper interview with Camm in the book however notes this initiative was not enough for the band to go “completely professional”.

A big focus of the book is the diverse range of interesting historical imagery just like this.

The book includes posters, tickets, newspaper excerpts and photos encompassing almost all of Geelong’s key jazz acts including the likes of the David Gardner Quartet, Soul Sister Swing and Owen Yateman’s Geelong Jazz Band. There is also imagery from past jazz events such as the Geelong Jazz Festival and Jazz by the Bay. Accompanying the imagery are key artist/ensemble biographies and descriptions of the key events and organisations. Much of this information has not previously been published.

This makes it a great read for any jazz enthusiast not familiar with Geelong’s rich jazz history – as well as a great resource for those who actively participate.

I feel this book also has a place in discourse surrounding Australia’s national jazz history. Geelong jazz artists – like everyone else – are at the mercy of the nation’s collective musical tastes and sentiments.

Thus, an interesting, localised perspective of Australian jazz history can be gained from this book’s collective biographies and discussion.

I commend Coots for his efforts in putting this valuable resource together. If only it could be distributed more widely so that more would read it.

Callum Watson

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P H OTO BY T RU D I M EU RE

artist

SASHA GAVLEK

SAS HA GAVLEK (24) I S A LOVER O F SOU P, JAZZ C O MPOSER AND A C O NTEMPO RARY BAS S I ST HAI LI NG FROM NI PALUNA LUTRUWITA (HO BART, TAS MANIA ).

SAS HA’S “LO NELY FELLOW” I S THE BONUS TRACK AVAI LABLE WITH THI S C O PY OF DI NGO, FRO M THE DEBUT SASHA GAVLEK QUARTET RELEASE.

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What’s your musical background?

I grew up in a family of live music lovers. Although neither of my parents are musicians, they’ve always supported me in wanting to pursue a career in the arts. They took me and my brother to many concerts when we were little. I picked up electric bass when I was in high school and took private lessons but found my love for jazz and double bass when I attended Elizabeth College for grades 11 and 12. I then did my Bachelor of Music at the UTAS Conservatorium of Music, under the tuition of Nick Haywood, graduating in 2019.

What is jazz?

Jazz is ridiculous and freeing. The improvisation aspect of the genre has changed me as a person for the better, led me to be bolder and to have less fear of others’ impressions of me. It is forever evolving and has such potential for an individual to add their personal touch, to create something new yet again.

What excites you about composing?

To get all these dang feelings out of my body! Once I get into a rhythm of composing a new piece, I can feel the cogs in my mind start to turn again, after being gunked up from anxiety and fatigue.

Tell us something about the track “Lonely Fellow”.

I originally wrote the piece with lyrics. I was messing around with recording my voice and overlaying harmonies when I decided to put some lyrics to one of the melodies I’d come up with. I later concluded I was too scared to sing it, so I transcribed the melody for bass and guitar and brought that to my quartet.

FREE D OW N LOA D w w w.dingojazz .com/sasha-gavlek Passcode: LON ELY2022

“Lonely Fellow ” is from Sasha Gavlek’s first album with her quartet, O n Second Thoughts due November.

“Lonely Fellow” is dedicated to some loved ones in my life, who in times of struggle have shut themselves away out of fear of being vulnerable. This notion that being vulnerable shows weakness, has had a great impact on how they communicate within their relationships. Admittedly, I can address this piece to myself for the same reason. We have all had to work hard to move past this damaging ordeal. A few songs on the album relate in some way to themes of living with mental illness, and the “firsts” of early adulthood.

What else are you working on?

Collaborations and more compositions! Once the album has been released, I hope to delve back into composing for the quartet, and perhaps a new ensemble as well. I would love to have a band in which we can easily bring in feature artists to compose and then record a new piece with. I would also love to do an interstate tour to the mainland either on my own or with my quartet. It would be lovely to see some friends and make some new ones from across the pond.

P H OTO BY C O L I N R EYN O L D S

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ORIGAMI SHANGHAI MEMORIES with Wang Zheng-Ting CD & Digital Distributed by Trailblazer Records www.origamijazz.com

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I D E A G E N E R AT I O N A N D C R E AT I V I T Y I N I M P R O V I S AT I O N LEO N D E BRUI N M usical improvisation involves complex thinking that seems to occur on the spur of the moment, yet there is much more to improvisation than spontaneit y. Improvised musical ideas can be initiated from a myriad of sources, as well as be trig gered by a diverse range of contex tual, emotional and imaginative/inner and outer sensor y driven impulses . For the jazz improviser/ educator, this raises questions and intrigue regarding how we learn to improvise.

Understanding the instigators of idea generation and the veneration of certain ways of approaching thinking towards the teaching and learning of improvisation, can go a long way to deconstructing processes, canons, myths and convergent thinking towards being first and foremost a creative thinking musician. Numerous pedagogues, scientists and musicians have throughout the last 40 years extolled the virtues of popular and not-so-popular approaches that usually emphasise a range of rhythmically based, tonally centred, and uncontextualised patterns; a diet of which may actually hamper the development of creativity.

This article surveys and identifies the foundations of idea generation in improvisation. Highlighting key concepts provides a practical link between the understanding of improvisation skills and development to their execution.

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Australian scholar Jeff Pressing provides in Improvisation: Methods and Models (1988) one of the earliest published cognitive models that summarise the broad facets of improvisation learning. His thinking draws on facets of physiology, neuropsychology and motor programming, offering several important elements. Pressing’s basic plan of creating an idea includes: the brain creating a plan (motor schema) – of how the body produces that idea, and the body then enacting the plan in expressing the musical output. However, Pressing draws on the notion of redundancy – how attentional limits and pre-concern narrow vocabulary/technique in novice players, but become more accessible and manipulatable in developing to expert players. Simply, specific practice develops new levels of capacity. This in turn allows the musician to redirect their attention to higher order thinking skills such as organisation, process and response to sensory feedback in potentially more sophisticated ways.

John Kratus outlines a seven-tiered spectrum of behaviours oriented across levels that ascend from beginner to expert. These include: 1. the personal exploration of sounds; 2. process-oriented creating and initiating of audiative capacity; 3. student awareness of structural principles; 4. the automation of technical control and fluidity of improvisational ability; 5. structural improvisation that incorporates a range of strategies such as utilising mood, images or patterns to shape an improvisation; 6. express stylistic/idiomatic improvisation skillfully, that may include memorised clichés, licks and imitation; 7. only here is the “rarified” ability of the few who are “able to transcend recognised improvisation styles to develop a new style”.

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Alfred Pike approaches idea generation through a sense of “tonal imagery” as an underlying process in improvisation. He describes a tonal imagery derived from memory-based reproductive images, and productive images that are creative. This inner continuum is blended with external musical events, to create a perceptual insight or intuitive cognition from which ideas are generated. Pike’s notion of the improviser’s musical experience is what he describes as consisting “of a layer of tonal impressions, a consciousness-flux of percepts and feelings”. This again ties in directly to the socio-cultural, communal and relational impacts that play on students’ desires, emotions and feelings of pleasure through music making.

David Sudnow’s personal observations in learning jazz improvisation on piano over several years establishes three broad phases of improvisational development. “Beginnings” describes the development of a vocabulary, establishment of motor skills and play-analysis. “Going for Sounds” links melodic intention generated by preconceived, and at times imitated sounds in his head. Thirdly, “Going for Jazz” reveals a synchronisation between the ideas audiated with those that actually come out of the instrument.

These very different approaches to understanding the accumulation of improvisation ability span four very different yet inherently connected aspects of cognitive development.

Motor-generated ideas Development of motor-generated ideas is dependent on the involvement of repetitious movement – both physically and mentally. Repetitive practice increases the instrumentalist’s chances of using motor-generated ideas during an improvisation that involve the movement of specific muscle groups for specific notes, as well as the reinforcement of fluency and fluidity of vocabulary such as scales and arpeggios that may be used as the basis for concepts of musical creation.

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Hearing-generated ideas The nature of the development of audiationgenerated ideas is a subconscious and intangible component of learning that, like a person’s speech, develops and becomes more complex and is naturally ongoing. The hearing of music inwardly with meaning – audiation – is an imperative skill in higher-level practitioners. The mastering of repetitive motor performance also assists in the imprinting of sounds and development of skilled audiation and ideas from ingrained behaviours.

Imagination-generated ideas The capacity to be imaginative/creative in process and conception has been an implicit and under-explored area of improvisational thinking. Being able to express a fluency of ideas and solutions, a flexibility in looking at a topic from various perspectives, to create novel ideas and to elaborate and further develop such ideas, both defines creativity and the developmental journey of an improviser. Derek Bailey argues that improvisers operate and describe their work in improvisation sympathetic to descriptive influences such as colours, textures, verbal cues and key phrases that trigger improvisation, rather than strict musical terminology. In an educational sense we can use these in more agile ways to trigger and provoke musical responses to these cues. Perhaps a way forward to discovering the complexity of these inner-sense modalities is to strategise ways of embracing new descriptors/prompters in the learning and teaching of improvisation.

Strategy-generated ideas Strategy construction, development and implementation are a significant aspect of metacognition and self-regulatory (organisationally applied) behaviour in improvisers. Strategies can provide targeted plans as a means of developing specific behavioural and problemsolving capabilities. References to the use of diverse strategy-generated ideas by musicians are recounted by numerous greats – Warne Marsh, Lee Konitz, John Coltrane, George Russell to name a few. Louis Armstrong explained such improvisational devices are employed in a theme and variations concept in his improvisations; “On the

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first chorus I plays the melody, and on the second chorus I plays the melody around the melody and on the third I routines”.

Bill Evans’s teaching before joining Miles Davis evinced a thoughtful and prescient approach to teaching: “Principles of how to treat an idea … different ways an idea can be treated: expand it, contract it, add notes to it, subtract notes, play it on different levels, play it in a sequence, play it upside down, play it backwards, play a contrasting idea. I didn’t want to get hung up teaching style … I wanted to give some principles to the people that they could carry with them, make exercises out of them.” Uttered back in 1955, the significance of personalised concept development was realised even then, that continues to challenge modernday tertiary “lecture” approaches to improvisational learning worldwide.

Whilst Pressing’s model reflects a continuum of knowledge influence, ranging from didactic teacher-centred embellishment and patterns/ models approach through to the more process-oriented utilisation of self-concept, Kratus’s model argues a developmentally sequential acquiring of behaviours – the evolving of “certain types of skills, knowledge and attitudes” to expectantly prevail over time. Pike and Sudnow capture abilities, perceptions, concepts as a personalised, non-linear and emergent development of technique, process and creativities that enable improvisational capacity to develop.

Pressing argues that “a considerable degree of residual decisionmaking remains” including the environmental and socio-cultural milieu of learners that provides the ebb and flow of engaged learning. Fed a diet of recordings and passion for Allan Browne’s Red Onions Jazz band, a student will most likely develop an attunement to this improvisatory approach. Given time and direction they may delve deeper and explore Browne’s trio and contemporary works and discover his capacity across other settings. Concomitantly from an educational perspective the student immersed in a high school world of big band rehearsal and performance may rarely if ever extend beyond the written page, and scribed solo. These realistic analogies outline how learning is something a student does, not what a teacher does to the student – emphasising the relational “impress” and connection teachers can have upon their students and to the subject matter presented.

Well might we question whether students are morally exposed educationally to the experimental and explorative personal and collaborative musical investigations that big bands can provide. Today, eager secondary school musicians interested in improvisation may meticulously be copying Bob Mintzer, Bubber Miley and Joe “Tricky” Nanton solos, 90 years after they were first played. Jazz education does remain a puzzling paradox between creative and re-creative urges, made all the more predictable when it vociferously champions imitation.

From a music education perspective in Australian schools (where even our most regaled improvising performers have a direct or strong indirect input) one might question how and why improvisation is dealt with as a separate “instrumental” ability. While Australian music education borrows as adaptations from English and American models, the significance of engagement in improvisation as a powerful medium for cultivating

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creativity, critical thinking, community, and personal development – cornerstones of modern educational thinking – remain under explored in pedagogy and application to our specific context.

Recently departed creative educator Murray Schafer’s sentiment carries equal resonance today as it did 50 years ago when he said: “It is my feeling that one learns practically nothing about the actual functioning of music by sitting in mute surrender before it. As a practising musician I have come to realise that one learns about sound only by making sound, about music only by making music … The sounds produced may be crude; they may lack form and grace, but they are ours.”

Helping learners explore and develop musically, creatively and personally may be the catalyst that shapes so much of what they will become – to these three connection points, the role of the teacher should never be under-estimated.

This article extends on ideas in de Bruin (2015) “Theory and practice in idea generation and creativity in jazz improvisation” published in the Australian Journal of Music Education.

F U RT HE R READ ING Coker, J. (2008). The Creative Nudge. Jamey Aebersold Jazz.

Collier, J. L. (1978). The Making of Jazz. Dell publishing.

Kratus, J. (1991). Growing with improvisation.

Music Educators Journal, 78 (04).

Martin, M. & Wason, R. (2005).

Constructing a post-modern-jazz pedagogy.

Jazzforschung/Jazz Research, 37 (2005).

Akademische Druck-u. Verlagsanstalt Pike, A. (1974). A Phenomenology of Jazz. Journal of Jazz Studies 2 (1).

Pressing, J. (1988). Improvisation: Methods and models. In Sloboda, J. (Ed.) Generative processes in music. Clarendon Press.

Schafer, R. M. (1986). The Thinking Ear. Arcana Editions.

Sudnow, D. (2001) Ways of the Hand: A Rewritten Account. MIT Press.

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M AY B E W E COULD DANCE DR N ICK FREER

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Luoda is a ten-piece contemporary ensemble featuring a front line of four vocalists (Janine Maunder, Rocky Loprevite, Troy McMillin and Josh Kyle) and sax (Tim Wilson), accompanied by piano (Darrin Archer), synth (James Bowers) guitar (Glenn Cannon) bass (Ashley Smith) and drums (Gerry Pantazis). “Maybe we Could Dance” is from their debut album Running Out of Time and teases the seam of a traditional rendition of a jazz ballad.

Form and Harmony “Maybe we Could Dance” consists of an AABABC structure.

The opening three bars harmonically and rhythmically signal the ensemble’s intent not to be bound to a traditional interpretation of a jazz ballad. The harmonic sequence of G13 –C13(sus4) –E9(sus4) – F9♯11 in measures (mm) 1–2 is a mixture of traditional fourthbased motion G13 –C13(sus4) and non-functional succession C13(sus4) –E9(sus4) –F9♯11. These harmonic movements pair with the shifting meters of three-four in mm1 G13 –C13(sus4) –E9(sus4) and two-four mm2 F9♯11, after which the opening sequence unpreparedly modulates to a B minor tonality (B13(sus4)) in mm 3 and into a time signature of four-four (Figure 1). From here, B minor broadly acts as the key centre of the composition, but a vertical realisation of a pure B minor chord does not occur, with B13(sus4) acting in its stead. The B13(sus4), along with the other suspended chords employed, collectively reinforce an absence of a clear vertical tonality. Collectively, these suspended chords create a manifold sense of sonic ambiguity and therefore, as individual chords and as a collection contextually, suspended chords contribute to an overarching sense of tonal abstraction.

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[Figure 1 Opening six bars of “Maybe we Could Dance”]

## 3 & 4V

G13

C13(“4) E9(“4)

## & V

V

D©7(#9)/A©

4

V

A‹6

V

V

V

F9(#11)

2 4 V

V

2

F©‹9 5

V

B13(“4)

V

3

4 4 V

V

E/G© A(“2) B13(“4)

V

V

6

V

V V

V V

There are hints towards other locally diatonic areas such as the tonicisation of C♯ minor in G♯7♯5 –C♯m6/9 mm 7–8 and the unprepared but potentially diatonic approaches to F♯ major in mm 24 and 33 in the B section. Other harmonic passages progress towards tonicisation using a traditional fourth-based movement, such as the back-cycled III–VI–II–V A♯7♯5 –D♯7♯5 –G♯7♯5 –C♯7♯9 progression in mm 11, which ultimately fails to arrive at its aimed for state of an F♯ major tonality. More broadly, the realisation of an F♯ tonic possibly occurs non-adjacently in mm 17 as F♯m9 or as F♯ Maj9 in mm 24.

Chords containing inverted triads and alternate bass notes involving stepwise voice-leading from above: D♯7♯9/A♯–Am6 mm 4 or below E/G♯–A(sus2) mm 5, B/D♯–E(sus2) mm 8, also allude to a sense of traditional diatonic harmonic motion. However, surrounding these familiar harmonic connections are the many other non-functional successions in the A and B sections and other non-tonal harmonic mechanisms like the planed C/D–B/C♯–A/B chords in mm 33–34.

Melody In the A section, the lead vocalist McMillin employs a traditional jazz approach of freely interpreting the timing and articulation. The first hint of a deviation away from a traditional jazz interpretation of the melody is the four-part vocal harmonies that occur in the B section. Four-part vocal harmonies are not a prevalent feature in jazz ensemble practice, and the intervallic structuring, voice leading, and invariance used in the B section’s four-part harmonies is even more atypical.

V

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[Figure 2 Voice Leading Mappings between C♯ (sus2)/E♯ and D♯m11]

4

&4

22

C©(“2)/E©

D©‹11

#### ww w w

23

E#

S

#### ww w w

F#

m2nd

M2nd

m2nd

D#

A

E#

M2nd

M2nd

M3 rd

C#

T

C#

Invariant

P4th

P4th

G#

B

G#

Invariant

Figure 2 shows the voice leading transformation between the first two chords in mm 22–23 of the B section, C♯ (sus2)/E♯ and D♯m11, which require three degrees of voice leading work without crossing voices. The bass and tenor voices G♯ and C♯ remain invariant with alto and soprano voices ascending by a tone and a semitone, respectively. This small degree of voice leading transformation is a product of the non-tertian intervallic structuring of the C♯ (sus2)/E♯ and D♯m11 chords, which are diatonically voiced as the relative root note scale degrees of P5th, Root, M9th, M10th and P4th, m7th, M9th and m10th and intervallically as P4th, M2nd, M2nd and P4th, M3rd, m2nd.

[Figure 3 Voice Leading Mappings between B (add9) –C♯ (add9) –D♯m7]

4

&4 S

B(„ˆˆ9)

C©(„ˆˆ9)

w ####w w w

w ###w w w C# B

C#

F# D#

M2nd

C# P4th

G# m3 rd

B

D# M2nd

P4th

T

w ####w w w

D# M2nd

A

D©‹7

m3 rd

A# m3 rd

E#

M3 rd

F#

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Figure 3 shows the following harmonic sequence in mm 25, B (add9) –C♯ (add9) –D♯m7, extends the use of invariance via planed transposition between the B (add9) and C♯ (add9) and contains a constant intervallic structure of m3rd, P4th, M2nd that alters to M3rd, m3rd, M2nd for the transformation to the D♯m7 chord. The intervallic structures utilised for the four-part vocals in the B section are unconventional in jazz vocal arranging and are more akin to post-tonal harmonic conceptions of voice leading and transformation. The contemporary voice-leading techniques described in vocal harmonies, impart a modernistic aesthetic into the vocal section paralleling the contemporary orientation of the instrumentalist’s sonority within the ensemble.

The C section (figure 4) contains unusual dialectics between established and evolving elements, within the composition and the idiom of a jazz ballad. The change in rhythmic feel and articulation to a sticked R&B groove in common time moves the drums away from the jazz ballad brushed feel previously articulated mostly on the cymbals throughout the A and B sections.

This rhythmic transition is paired with a repeated F♯m9 –A/B II–V progression that creates a familiar sense of an unresolving harmonic stasis. These rhythmic, harmonic and genre association changes widen the compositional conception explored in “Maybe We Could Dance” beyond the stricture of a traditional jazz ballad interpretation towards a contemporary reorientation that allows for a wider purview.

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[Figure 4 C section]

## 4 ° ™ & 4¢ ™V

F©‹9

5

# & #

V

2

V

•

V

A/B

V

V

F©‹9

V

V V

2

•

V V

V

G13 C13(“4) E9(“4) F9(#11)

V

V

V

Reflecting this broadening lens is the reintroduced non-functional cadential sequence of G13 – C13(sus4) –E9(sus4) –F9♯11 in mm 55, 63, and 71, appearing in the C section after three repetitions (and an orphaned bar of F♯m9) of the F♯m9 –A/B II–V progression. This harmonic sequence initially appeared in mm 1–2 and mm 13–14 and 35–36 (where it was harmonically anticipated) metrically in three-four (G13 –C13(sus4) –E9(sus4)) and two-four (F9♯11). As noted, the first two chords of the cadence, G13 –C13(sus4), suggest an attenuated form of function through their fourth-based relationship that is now mimicking the surrounding F♯m9 –A/B II–V progression.

However, the following E9(sus4) –F9♯11 that completes the sequence abates any sense of harmonic progression towards a goal established by the opening G13 –C13(sus4) chords of the sequence.

V

™™ ü †

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Nonetheless, the reintroduced G13 –C13(sus4) –E9(sus4) –F9♯11 cadence is curious on three compositional levels. First, it mnemonically creates an intersectional harmonic familiarity, while breaking the harmonic stasis established locally through the repeating II–V progression. Second, the G13 –C13(sus4) –E9(sus4) –F9♯11 cadence internally is non-functional. Third, the final F9♯11 chord of the cadential sequence, cleverly aligns with the aimed for (but untonicised) resolution established by the surrounding F♯m9 –A/B II–V progression of an E major I chord, with the F9♯11 chord acting as a bII tritone substitute. Therefore, the internally non-functional cadence aligns with an aimed at harmonic goal contextually.

The alignment of these characteristics points to a conscious manipulation of the harmony, and saliently, a compositional hand that deftly draws together numerous elements without the sacrificing of aesthetics in doing so.

Running Out of Time adds to a growing chorus of Australian jazz musical voices that embrace elements of tradition without being bound by stricture. For those interested in innovation over replication, Running Out of Time and Luoda offer a new voice in Australian contemporary jazz deserving of your attention.

Dr Nick Freer is a Melbourne-based musician and music theorist. He currently sits on the national board of Musicology Australia and in 2022 was awarded the Melbourne Conservatorium Director’s Award for Exceptional Doctoral Research, a first for a jazz-based researcher.

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H a rpe r Dawson (20) Alto saxophone Malvern East / Woiwurrung land Monash University, 3rd Year

I am a jazz saxophonist, improviser and composer from Melbourne with an affinity for lyrical playing and a love for collaborative music making. I spent my formative years gigging in prominent venues and festivals across Melbourne and Victoria with soul funk band The Sweethearts.

I discovered saxophone after an unsuccessful vocal audition for the band in late primary school, and by the age of 18 had toured with them in Europe twice. Recently, I turned my focus to jazz and improvised music and composition and have performed at The Jazz Lab, The Paris Cat Jazz Cafe and the Melbourne Recital Centre.

Teachers: Angela Davis Inspiration: I’m inspired by many different artists and take influence from a range of styles.

Currently I am really inspired by Dutch saxophonist Kika Spranger’s work, as well as trumpeter Kenny Wheeler’s playing and compositions.

What I like about jazz? I love how diverse and creative jazz allows me to be as a player, and the ability to explore a blending of styles and musical language. I also love the collaborative aspect of playing in a jazz ensemble and the spontaneity of group exploration and improvisation.

What will I be doing in 10 years? I hope to be living in Naarm/Melbourne, and performing creative and beautiful music with like-minded people.

Favourite travel destination: Italy Favourite jazz club/festival: It would have to be a tie between Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival and Melbourne International Jazz Festival.

I also like: Yoga, reading and poetry.

Best practice tip: Make sure you incorporate something fun and enjoyable into each practice session; don’t let the constant technical grind make you lose sight of the joy of making music. Allow yourself the time to create music freely and passionately!

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YOUNG

artists

Storm Ta n uvasa (16) Drums / Percussion Albury / Wiradjuri land The Scots School Albury, Year 10

I began playing the kit at two. I joined a concert band at eight. At 10 I joined a jazz band led by Mr Brett Spokes. I knew then I was born to be a jazz drummer. Since then, I have joined many bands including concert, orchestra, rock, wind ensembles and recently a Scottish Pipe Band. I also attend Border Music Camp and Jazz Workshop Australia. My biggest highlight as a jazz drummer so far is playing in an ensemble with John Morrison and having James Morrison as a special guest. My biggest achievement is receiving a scholarship at The Scots School Albury, where I have become the school drummer and played in the pits for the school musical.

I aspire to become a musical producer and play the music I love most – jazz!

Teachers: Brett Spokes, Michelle Revelant, Gary McDonald, Chris Torok Inspiration: I am inspired by my very first jazz music teacher – Mr Brett Spokes.

What I like about jazz? I love how free jazz music makes me feel.

What will I be doing in 10 years? Musical production Favourite travel destination: Chicago Favourite jazz club/festival: New Orleans Jazz Festival I also like: Piano, steel pans, Scottish pipe bands and singing.

Best practice tip: Repetition plus proper knowledge equals skill.

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of things. More recently I have been involved in Young Con up at Brisbane, which has been a great challenge, with so many talented musicians.

Bea u Thom pson (18) Alto & Tenor saxophones Casuarina / Bundjalung land Kingscliff High School, Year 12

I started playing sax in primary school with the school band but didn’t begin to take it too seriously until high school. I started playing jazz in early high school, largely due to Martha Baartz, who I am still getting lessons from. Jeff Reid also took our school’s small jazz ensemble, which was a big stepping stone in my passion for jazz music. After our school band was no longer around in Year 9, I was finding it hard to stay motivated to practice, but my weekly lessons with Martha kept me on track and keen. A bit later in high school I was lucky enough to play in John Hoffman’s youth big band, which really made me miss the big band side

Teachers: Martha Baartz Inspiration: Braxton Cook, Coltrane, Joe Henderson What I like about jazz? I love how free and expressive it can be, with no one way to play or resolve something. Also, the rich history and past.

What will I be doing in 10 years? Playing music one way or another; thinking maybe teaching; would love to take a school big band too.

Favourite travel destination: Japan, for the snow and culture.

Favourite jazz club/festival: Has to be JMI. Done a few master classes and seen some great gigs there too.

I also like: Soccer and surfing.

Best practice tip: All about consistency.

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Ave lyn Reynolds (16) Violin / Vibraphone Mentone / Boonwurrung land Mentone Grammar, Year 11

After seeing an orchestra on Play School, I was set on learning the violin. I begged my parents for violin lessons, starting the year I turned three years old. Since then, music has always taken the front seat in whatever I do. In my early years I played a lot of baroque, classical and folk music. Around Year 9, I was introduced to jazz through the school jazz band, Froggers. This led to becoming a member of the small free jazz group, the Roquettes. The Roquettes have since become one of my favourite places to create and perform music.

Teachers: Simon Forrester, Niran Dasika, Natalie Morgenstern Inspiration: One of my teachers, Mrs Morgenstern, has been a really big inspiration to me as a woman in jazz, and her insight and things I’ve learnt from her are irreplaceable.

What I like about jazz? I love that jazz has a free nature that classical music often doesn’t have. Jazz is always more relaxed and encourages such a fun vibe.

What will I be doing in 10 years? I want to be working with music overseas, maybe furthering my education in Europe and creating a performing career for myself, whether that be orchestrally or otherwise.

Favourite travel destination: Thailand and Denmark have been my favourite places to travel.

Favourite jazz club/festival: I haven’t had much experience with jazz clubs or festivals, there doesn’t seem to be a whole heap of underage options.

I also like: Baking, travelling and hanging out with friends and family.

Best practice tip: Practice makes permanent – make sure you’re correct before you solidify something.

2022 FESTIVAL October 28th - 30th WANGARATTA

NATIONAL JAZZ AWARDS feature instrument: GUITAR supported by

THE RURAL CITY OF WANGARATTA & P U G HO US E

GEAR

reviews

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RE D ROC K DRUM S AUSTRA L IA DRUM KI T

VIC Silky Oak RRDA+WTS model kit Australian Red Cedar Heritage model snare With so many bands, producers, venues and of course drummers looking for versatility in drums it is hard to see a drummer not having multiple kits in their collection for different sounds, styles or situations. But I can soundly say after playing these beautiful stave drums from Red Rock Drums Australia fitted with the new Welch Tuning System, they have created something to fix this problem in such an ingenious, quick and effortless way.

Roger Terrill, a Rokeby local and master craftsman, and Mat Duniam, an avid drum enthusiast, teacher and musician, make up the team behind Red Rock Drums Australia. Since 2003 they have made bespoke drums for the likes of Todd Sucherman and Jackie Barnes, that complement the phat deep tones they are after, whilst also creating kits for artists such as Brian Blade and Nate Wood who desire higher, singing, cracking tunings for jazz.

Now imagine being able to go between these distinctive styles, or any other style for that matter, in only seconds. And no, this is not a joke: it literally takes seconds thanks to the Welch Tuning System. This ingenious device utilises a cable pulley system criss-crossed around the drum that simultaneously tunes both the bottom and top heads with a turn of a knob (or in this case a bass peg).

When taking these on gigs I was astounded by not only the tuning range that Red Rock Drums are famous for, but also that it was such a satisfying feeling going between funk and straight-ahead jazz in the easiest and most stress-free way, thanks to the Welch Tuning System. No drum key required!

If you are a drummer that is looking for a kit that “does it all” and makes it easier than any other kit I have seen, check out Roger and Mat’s beautiful and creative works of art.

Ollie Shute

www.olivershutemusic.com

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KÜ HN L & H OYE R BA RT VA N L I ER . 4 80/. 4 88” MK I I DUA L BO RE TRO MBO N E

A true traditional small-bore jazz ’bone with a sweet tone and plenty of punch. Sounds too good to be true, but this trombone – one of three models made for Dutch trombonist Bart van Lier – delivers in spades. Similar in ways to a classic King 2B, it has a solid centered tone with a clear high range. While compact, there is still a versatility and warmth to the tone that feels more familiar to a larger bore instrument.

Kühnl & Hoyer have been producing beautiful handmade brass instruments in Germany since 1948 and the .480/.488” has all the elegance you would expect from a boutique manufacturer of this calibre.

The hand slide brace is curved, allowing a more comfortable grip. Even when dry and clean the slide action of the lightweight nickel silver slide is perfectly smooth and quiet. The optional bronze slide and divisible weight system allow for custom set-up to preference. In a nod to the classic Conn and Holton designs, the bell rims are left unsoldered, leading to a lively response with more flexibility in tone.

Overall, the .480/.488” dual bore is a nice flexible lead horn and while it’s a little more reserved and can’t get quite as much volume as with the .500” or .512” bore options, it is perfect for studio and combo work and really sings up high. A real pleasure to play.

Cal Barry

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Recently, I had the pleasure of playing with Jody Espina of Jody Jazz mouthpieces. His DV NY mouthpieces have been my go-to for alto, tenor and baritone for years, producing a big, dark, resonant tone. Well, now Jody has a new creation: the Hand Hammered. This mouthpiece begins life as an extra wide brass blank with thick rails; it is then hand hammered by a cymbal hammering artisan, before being faced at the Jody Jazz factory. The concept behind this is that hand hammering changes the resonance of the brass, making it warmer. It has a small rollover baffle, straight sidewalls and a large chamber. Also available is a hand hammered Power Ring ligature which I used on the test play.

My test play of the Hand Hammered tenor 8* was brief, but literally left me losing sleep. The piece was big in every way: physically wide and heavy, and tonally huge. It was not quite as dark as my DV NY but played much louder with great resonance. Most significantly, it had consistent tone colour at all volumes. When I push a mouthpiece to loud volumes, I find it brightens the tone. The Hand Hammered stayed dark and rich from subtone to full volume. And what a subtone, easier and fatter down to low Bb than my DV NY. I would call this a dark piece, between the DV NY and Custom Dark, but at loud volumes it retained better tone colour than both.

The Hand Hammered is a limited release of 300, individually numbered tenor pieces, finished in rose gold plating. It comes at a price: US$1000 for the piece only, with the hand hammered Power Ring ligature sold separately.

Jack Beeche

www.jackbeeche.com

J ODY JAZZ H A N D HA MME RE D T E N OR SAXO PHO N E MOUTHPI ECE

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F E S T I VA L S 2022

2023

September 24 – October 9 The York Festival York, WA

January 27-29 Sound Out Festival Canberra, ACT

June 9-12 Merimbula Jazz Festival Merimbula, NSW

www.yorkfestival.com.au

www.facebook.com/ SoundOutFestivalandEvents

www.merimbulajazz.org.au

October 14-16 South Coast Jazz Festival Goolwa, SA www.sajazzfestivalsinc.com

October 14-23 Melbourne International Jazz Festival Melbourne, VIC www.melbournejazz.com

October 28-30 Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues Wangaratta, VIC www.wangarattajazz.com

October 27 - November 5 Sydney International Women’s Jazz Fest Sydney, NSW www.siwjf.org.au

November 4-6 (Perth) & 11-13 (Busselton) Perth International Jazz Festival Perth & Busselton, WA www.perthjazzfest.com

November 20 Phillip Island Jazz Extravaganza Cowes, VIC www.phillipislandjazzfest.org.au

December 6-12 Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival Melbourne, VIC www.mwijf.org

December 26-31 Australian Jazz Convention Newcastle, NSW www.australianjazzconvention.org.au

February 17-19 (Launceston) & 24-26 (Hobart) MONA FOMA Hobart/Launceston, TAS www.mofo.net.au

February 1-5 Clarence Jazz Festival Clarence, TAS www.clarenceartsandevents. net/clarence-jazz-festival

February 10-12 Port Fairy Jazz Festival Port Fairy, VIC www.portfairyjazz.com.au

February 25-26 Eltham Jazz, Food & Wine Festival Eltham, VIC www.elthamjazz.com.au

March 11-13 Kiama Jazz & Blues Festival Kiama, NSW www.kiamajazzandbluesfestival.com.au

May (dates TBC) Victorian All-State Jazz Championships Brighton East, VIC www.allstatejazz.com.au

May 5-7 Generations in Jazz Festival Mt Gambier, SA www.generationsinjazz.com.au

May 27-28 Big Band Blast Bathurst, NSW www.bigbandblast.org

June (dates TBC) Sydney Con Jazz Festival Sydney, NSW www.sydneyconjazzfestival.com

June (dates TBC) Cronulla Jazz & Blues Festival Cronulla, NSW www.cronullajazzandbluesfestival.com

June (dates TBC) Orange Winter Jazz Festival Orange, NSW www.owjf.com.au

June (dates TBC) Castlemaine Jazz Festival Castlemaine, VIC www.castlemainejazzfestival.com.au

July (dates TBC) Devonport Jazz Festival Devonport, TAS www.devonportjazz.com.au

August (dates TBC) Inverloch Jazz Festival Inverloch, VIC www.inverlochjazzfestival.com

August (dates TBC) Newcastle Jazz Festival Newcastle, NSW www.newcastlejazz.com.au

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live

GIGS In The Pocket A new collaboration between Northbridge venue Astral Weeks and Perth International Jazz Festival featuring guests playing their favourite jazz records. Previous guests have included Austin Salisbury and DJ Jimmy Mac. The final listening party for 2022 is Sunday 9 October at 4pm, with PIJF’s Mace Francis confirming they will begin again in early 2023. Free entry, though be early.

Jazz at Bareena Also on Saturday 9 October, a new monthly jazz series kicks off at Bareena Bowls Club in Newtown (Geelong) every second Sunday of the month, starting with the Des Camm Jazz Band, followed by Pip Avent’s Mouldy Jazz in November.

Morgana at MIJF Reforming to mark their 30th anniversary, groundbreaking all-female quintet Morgana reunite at MIJF 2022 to perform their hardhitting, dynamic brand of jazz. Founded in 1992 by Fiona Burnett and featuring Lisa Young, Andrea Keller, Annette Yates and Sonja Horbelt, they will perform on Saturday 15 October at Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran.

Marloo’s Blues by Marlene Cummins Proud Guguyelandji, and Woppaburra woman Marlene Cummins tells the musical story of Australia’s First Nations jazz and blues artists of the 50s and 60s – one of vulnerability, strength and survival. This world premiere will speak of their shared experiences before and after the Aboriginal Rights Movement. The York Theatre, Chippendale – Friday 28 October.

Migrant’s Home Born in South Korea and raised in the US, Melbourne-based pianist Mina Yu presents a program including Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus, along with vocalist Fem Belling and her own original works. They will be joined by drummer Ben Charnley and bassist Oscar Neyland, performing on 2 December in the Primrose Potter Salon as part of Melbourne Recital Centre’s Blossom concert series.

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JAMMING IN BERLIN RICHARD MAEG RAITH I grew up in Sydney and studied jazz at “The Con” which led to playing with some amazing musicians, recording and touring with all kinds of bands, appearing at major festivals and being involved in music education from primary to university. So, the time was right from a musical perspective to change continents.

I’ve now been living with my family in Berlin for the last seven and a half years. We moved there originally because I’d scored a job as a creative director of a newly-formed church. Part of the job was to connect with as many jazz and improvising musicians as possible.

So, whilst learning German by day and wading through the various administrational procedures of moving countries, I’d check out jazz clubs in the evening as much as possible.

I wasn’t expecting to discover so many jam sessions. Very often, there’ll be several on each night of the week. I decided this was probably the best way to get to know musicians and to be heard.

I’ve got to be honest and say that back then in my early 40s, to start networking again through jam sessions felt kind of weird, but it was the best way to meet and hear the most number of musicians. Sure enough, the gigs started to come in as I made new musical friends.

Aussie Trumpeter Dane Laboyrie was touring through Europe in 2015 and inspired me one night to do my first jam session in Berlin … it had been a while and I was still in culture shock. I’m so glad I went that night and played some tunes with Robin Draganic at the B Flat Club. This sparked an important musical friendship that gets stronger each time we play. Robin has hosted “Robin’s Nest” jam session there at the B Flat for 23 years.

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global P E RS P ECT I V E

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There are at least six full-time, dedicated jazz/improvised clubs, with many other venues offering a mixture of genres.

And there’s live music to be heard seven nights a week.

An early impression of the audiences was that they really do listen attentively to the musicians on stage. This was very inspiring and gave the concerts (whether they were jams or rehearsed) an intimate and special vibe. Very rarely, would there be audiences that didn’t listen and talked over the performances (like I sometimes experienced in Australia). A special mention should be given to Donau115. This club was voted in the top ten jazz clubs of Europe by The Guardian.

About two years in, I started a series of monthly concerts in our local neighbourhood, using the church space (a cool little shopfront) as the performance venue. “Batik Live” ran for three years and featured Berlin musicians (as well as touring Aussies and other bands). It was a cosy and very acoustic performance space, and the audience and band shared the same wooden floorboards, only separated by candles.

One of the most memorable performances was a young Scottish pianist called Declan Forde collaborating with two dancers, double bassist James Banner and drummer Lukas Akintaya in an evening of improvised music. Again, because the audience was so captivated by the concept and dedication of the performers, it became a beautiful blur of participators and spectators. The divide between musician and audience was almost undetectable.

Most recently, I’ve begun another performance space in collaboration with an award-winning building called Lobe Block. They have a grand piano and were keen for me to host a monthly jazz evening. I selected a small band of musicians who I enjoy playing with to perform a hard bop set (a seemingly rare genre to be heard in Berlin), with a jam session to follow. We had NZ/Aussie bassist Eden Ottignon, German drummer Jan Leipnitz, Italian pianist Davide Incorvaia, my wife Ali Maegraith on vocals and Aussie trumpeter Greg Ambroisine. The concerts have been well received and attended. I’m keen to experiment with more evenings like this. There seems to be no shortage of potential venues willing to try new musical expressions.

During the summer months, due to the long, freezing winters, I’ve often played with bands outdoors. A new “alt-jazz” ensemble called Money Jungle with Aussie’s Hal Strewe, Frank Dasent and Israeli drummer Nir Tom thrives in this environment. Audiences can number in the hundreds as they stop to dance or just appreciate the music. They often generously tip us at the end of the set, too.

I’m now in about seven different groups ranging from big bands to a marching band to various small groups. There’s not always a lot of money to be earned, but there are some great musicians from all around the world who have made Berlin their musical home.

Let me know if you’re ever passing through Berlin - I’d be happy to show you around!

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A L L E R – TO G O H EATH ER ST EWART Six years ago, I moved with my husband and daughter to Paris. We left sunny Melbourne, a beautiful community and my slowly blossoming career for a musical adventure. Many people have said “I’d love to, but I couldn’t.” We booked accommodation and got on the plane. “Why not?” We carried minimum luggage, a double bass, a violin and our 18-month-old toddler with her hot pink Maclaren1. I told myself we’d return in five months and resume our interconnected lives in Melbourne.

Six years later, we still live here and what was obvious to probably everyone, became obvious to me: the five-month idea was something I told myself to muster sufficient courage to get on the plane. Nothing is certain. Nothing is forever, and knowing this from experience is the reason it was possible to gather courage and to go.

We rented furnished apartments in the 18th, 11th and lastly 19th arrondissements and began our journey of meeting musicians and finding our feet in a new city, culture and language.

I’ve always loved learning and I’ve sought out adventures since childhood, imagining myself without fear or constraints. Moving, meeting new people and experiencing their music and art inspires me to create. Paris has attracted travellers, dreamers and musicians for centuries and is a huge and constantly changing scene. I remember clearly thinking at the beginning of this adventure, we’re leaving Oz with appreciation, love and a restless yearning for more music.

1 Brand of pusher/pram/stroller – mode of transport for small children.

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Being five months pregnant when we arrived was an immediate topic of curiosity for the French musicians. Without French to join conversations or discuss good concerts and festivals, children were an icebreaker that gradually filled me with warmth for Latin culture. I went to jam sessions at Vino e Cucina, Caveau de la Huchette, Pop up du Label, Duc des Lombards, Riv 38, Boeuf sur le Toit, and found venues that suited me musically and people-wise. I found people whose music gave me happiness, inspiration and focus. People I hoped to have something to say with. So much of music-making is finding people who you feel comfortable with and who simultaneously challenge and inspire you. No hiding and staying safe, but learning and growing together which motivates each person’s practice and work.

It wasn’t long before I started working with Édouard Pennes’s Paris Jazz Sessions. This project had just begun and we played concerts at Le Bal Blomet2 that included arrangements for jazz band with a classical string quartet. The concerts forged new friendships and invigorated the links between jazz and classical music for me. My professional training was as a classical violinist and vocalist, so revisiting and integrating these skills gave me confidence and insight into two worlds that have been intertwined since the beginnings of jazz.

Since COVID-19 struck every musician to the core, Paris Jazz Sessions invited musicians to make music videos together and reminded us of musical goals and our essential connections to community. We filmed videos in ad hoc venues, outside by my local Canal du l’Ourq, and Paris’s beautiful La Bellevilloise. We recently recorded an interview and performance on TSF Jazz (national jazz radio) and it was fascinating to talk about how far the project has come and how diverse the groups involved are. The goal is to do something interesting, to see what happens and because why not.

Alongside new groups and wonderful experiences with two small children, I missed the musical projects I had built in Melbourne. Leigh encouraged me to meet Lucas Montagnier, a young, dedicated guitarist who was playing some similar repertoire. We immediately hit it off and our group The Dirty Ragtimers (now Orchestra) has become an ongoing touring and recording project. It feeds my interests in early acoustic blues, jazz, country and folk and how these musicians and musics shared influences and often repertoire. I think sharing and seeking inspiration from others has always inspired me. Growing up on an isolated farm in NSW, my family valued and shared music as a necessary life resource and outside influences and travelling concerts were rare and precious.

I am excited to say (fingers crossed), I will be touring Australia this November/December with the Leigh Barker Band. We’ll feature musicians from our latest Melbourne and Paris albums and beautiful swinging original and old music. Music from any old where is the ingredient, the concert is the cooking show.

For more information about Heather Stewart: www.hezzjazz.com and subscribe to her YouTube channel: Hezz Jazz.

2 Le Bal Blomet previously called Le Bal Negre. It was a worldwide famous venue in the 1920s and closed by the Nazis during their Paris occupation.

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CHANGING T H E N A R R AT I V E ADAM SI MMO NS Noam “ Nani” Vazana is an acclaimed international singer, composer, pianist and trombonist – and one of the hardest working people I ’ve met.

meet

NOAM VAZANA

Nani is truly a world artist. A Dutch Israeliborn artist with Moroccan heritage, based in Amsterdam, performing original music that blends Middle Eastern music, North African beats and the Sephardic traditional song, and is a professor at the London Performing Academy of Music and the Jerusalem Music Academy.

Some of her artistic achievements include: Top 20 ranking on the World Music Charts Europe (No. 13 for Ke Haber); representing the Netherlands at the EU Music Festival in Vietnam; performances at the Kennedy Center USA, BBC Radio 3, the London Jazz Festival UK and the Jodhpur RIFF festival India.

Nani has a fiercely independent and structured approach to her practice, which she shares in forums such as TEDx (Amsterdam) and WOMEX. Her venture, Why DIY Music, offers a selfdirected course as well as personal one-to-one mentoring, seeking to empower other artists to take control of their own career development.

When we spoke, Nani was in France for a series of concerts, to be followed over the coming months with touring in the USA, Spain, Portugal, Czech, Germany and Netherlands.

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In 2017 when I first attended Jazzahead in Bremen, I remember being struck by your image plastered around the exhibition halls, which I later found out you’d done all by yourself. Following your career since then, I’ve seen that same tenacity and commitment as you’ve been constantly touring, developing new musical directions, and going above and beyond to share your experiences with others through Why DIY Music. Firstly, how did you come to jazz, and how does it inform the wide range of activities you do?

I got into jazz, mainly because there was a big band in my conservatorium.

I played trombone and my teacher was the big band conductor.

So, he asked me “Do you want to play?” I had no idea what a big band was – I was only 12. My sight reading was not great; I was just starting out. Most of the time I was just listening to see if I could catch something. And so that was my first acquaintance with jazz.

And then, back when you had CD stores, I used to go to Piccadilly Records and choose records because I liked their covers. But that’s how I got to know Buddy Rich and of course J.J. Johnson and Glenn Miller. My beginning was very much swing, dixieland and big band, because I was attracted to something that I already knew. Then at some point I put a record on by Ella Fitzgerald and I was like “Woah, this is so cool.” I really liked the way she used her voice as an instrument and I wanted to do that too. I think my first inspiration to actively do something of my own – not only playing written parts in a big band – was after listening to Ella.

I guess jazz helps with being a self-managed artist because you’re kind of used to improvising. This is something you really must do when you manage yourself.

You have to find loopholes everywhere. You have to adapt really quickly when somebody is – I would say not changing the chord structure but actually pulling the rug from beneath your feet. But of course, there’s a learning curve to it – it’s not like right away you know everything. I didn’t know anything when I started out. I was walking the road and trying to mark my own map as I went, though it was not to scale. Eventually I got back and corrected some of the spots.

Now I have a roadmap of sorts, that I try to inspire others to follow as well.

You’ve established yourself as the world’s first original Ladino artist, which apparently has approximately only 50,000 speakers. Can you speak a little of the origins of Ladino, your connection to it and the impact on your music?

Ladino is a language that originated in Spain and Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula of the Middle Ages. Back then Latin was the main language in that area. But Ladino was a very specific language that was spoken by Jewish women. All of the songs and literature from this time have a distinct matriarchal theme. This is one of the only recorded histories we have from a woman’s point of view My specific connection to the language is through my grandmother. She spoke it and taught me some of the songs and words when I was a kid, but I didn’t continue after she passed away. Some 15 years later, I was touring in Morocco with a few days off, so I visited her hometown. On the streets of Fez, I heard a melody she had sung to me, reminding me of something I had completely forgotten about. This sparked my interest to learn more, which led to an album of traditional songs. But at one point I felt something was missing because I was used to playing my own songs. I decided to write new songs in Ladino and that’s how the new album, Ke Haber, has come about.

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What do you feel has been key to your success as an artist – and dare I ask, what does success look like for you?

I think it’s a lot about persistence and patience. And it’s also a lot about creating community around what you do. I think composing in general is a very lonely profession.

You sit around in your studio or room or living room with a keyboard, and you do only what you want to do – which is not very human; to be alone, so often and for so many hours of the day. Then you have this thing you are so proud of, but when you try to communicate it to others, they don’t get it. The reason they don’t get it is because you as an artist have no perspective. I like touring a lot because I feel that that’s where my songs come to life. Because I get a perspective about what other people feel about what I say, which are just my opinions. And then people reflect and say, “No, but I think this” or “I want to say that”. They even come after the show and say in response to what you’re saying in that song: “I have something to say.” And I think that’s brilliant because it is real conversation. If you manage to tap into that community and engage them around what you do and keep in touch with them, in the long run you will succeed.

It’s about real connection and once you make a real connection with a small group, you’re most likely to make a real connection with a larger group. By touring, by collecting email addresses, by keeping in touch with these people, and not only when you need to sell something. Send them stuff for free, organise parties, give them exclusive material or whatever. I have something called the music family on my website. People can sign up. It’s like $3 a month. And they get access to all the music that I ever release and subscriber exclusive releases that nobody else has.

And these people will contact me and tell me their stories – amazing stories of connection. One person told me she was listening to my music when she was recovering from surgery and it helped her heal. This is priceless. Of course, I will give her free membership for her entire life because of that story and because I want to give something back. Maybe I will write a song about it. So, it feeds back. It’s not just you and what you get out of it. I say that a lot to people who come to study with me for one-to-one mentoring. That when they start a conversation with – let’s say, a programmer as a good example – they would usually start a conversation with “Give

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me that”. And I say, “No. Change the narrative.

Offer them something. Ask ‘What do you need, what can I help you with?’ Listen to them first.”

Because in that way you create friends and a genuine relationship with someone. What’s the worst-case scenario? Worst-case scenario, you’ll make a friend. That for me is not a worst-case scenario.

I have admired how you have taken to empowering other artists through sharing your experiences via Why DIY Music. How did this come about and what do you feel the impact has been?

The reason I called it Why DIY Music is because people were always asking me “Why don’t you get an agent? Why don’t you get a manager?” First of all, why would I do that if I can do it myself. I would lose all my contacts if I just hand them out to a manager and I won’t develop the personal relationship which is what I really want to have. Also, nobody will invest in your music in the way that you do.

Originally, I started it as a completely pro bono project back in 2019 because a lot of people were asking me for advice. Sometimes I would get five or six requests a day and I just didn’t have the time to manage this. A friend was making a singing course online which inspired me to think: “Why don’t I make a website where people can find information and we don’t have to make an appointment to get the info, you can just get it online?”

For the impact on my students, I think the fact that they could do something on their own is huge. Getting the message out that you’re capable as a person to take control of your own life and your own career and do something without depending on others, it’s already a big deal. Once they realise “Hey, I can do this”, it’s so much less weight on their shoulders.

I’m sure you’ve got more than a few things planned – what are you excited about for the future?

You’re right, I’m not the person to rest [laughs]. I am about to release a new television series that I wrote and host myself. It’s a very sweet slot, five minutes to midnight and it’s a bedtime story and song. It’s very fitting to my character because I’m such an owl.

For me, in life or in anything, music is the first inspiration to do anything so if I did not have that passion to create music, I don’t think I would push myself into self-managing. It’s a lot of work, and you don’t want to do all this work without having anything in return, right? So, my return is that I get to hang out with the Muses. That’s what I like about it; there is a big reward. It’s not just the audience. It’s also this creative sphere, this connection you have to, I want to say another world, it’s not our world. It’s a very imaginative magical world where you “download” things from.

This for me is a good reward for doing that. www.nanimusic.com | www.whydiymusic.com

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From experience, the boost in bookings for an independent artist doesn’t always come because there’s an album, as much as because the album has made some great noise.

• • • • •

Press coverage → Club/Festival pitching email → Booking → Gig Audience engagement → Club/Festival awareness → Booking → Gig Spotify attention → Club/Festival awareness → Booking → Gig Word-of-mouth buzz → Club/Festival awareness → Booking → Gig Killer video content → Club/Festival awareness → Booking → Gig

So logically the gigs don’t happen the same time as the release, but in the months (or even years) afterwards.

Pitching Ammunition If you’ve ever tried booking gigs, you know it helps to have “news” to share with promoters so they can see not just how great your music is, but that there’s momentum. So, if that holds true, the weeks around your release when it’s being reviewed and talked about most will be the ideal time to (re)pitch for gigs. Clubs and festivals are often working at least 4-6 months in advance, so this is the more realistic timeline for touring your release.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t try to book gigs – especially in your home city – around a release, but unless you’re touring worldwide, gigs are just a small part of your release strategy and not one that must be so closely connected in terms of dates. With that in mind, here are some ways in which a new release can turbo charge your profile and give you more ammunition in the future to book gigs with.

Talk to Journalists A promoter is of course used to every artist and agent telling them how great a project is. Quotes and recommendations from people with nothing to directly gain is a really effective tool, which is why reviews in the jazz press can be so effective in a pitching email. Of course, it’s hard to persuade a magazine or blog to write about you when there’s nothing happening. So, releasing music is a brilliant opportunity to grab a bunch of fresh, convincing quotes that you can share with clubs and festivals in the coming months and years.

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SUPPORT ACT CRISIS REL I EF & WELLBEI N G H OT L I NE Support Act is Australia’s only charity to deliver crisis relief services specifically to artists, crew and music workers as a result of ill health, injury, a mental health problem, or some other crisis that impacts on their ability to work in music. This support extends to all genres, including jazz in all its varied forms.

Wellbeing Helpline – free & confidential 24/7 support: 1800 959 500 General Enquiries | Crisis Relief: 1300 731 303 www.supportact.org.au

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Social Media Boost Unless you naturally enjoy social media, keeping up a steady stream of engaging content all year round can be a challenge. Whilst there are plenty of techniques for overcoming this, having upcoming or recently released music is a great opportunity to produce more of the good stuff. From behind-the-scenes photos and music videos to pre-releases and new singles, there’s plenty of genuine “news” to share with the world. Not only does this help you drive traffic to buy your music, it also increases the engagement you’re generating which, in turn, increases the number of people seeing your content.

It’s not just about fans either: Facebook is one place that many club and festival promoters will go to when checking out a new band.

Spotify Whilst you can of course work all year round to boost your Spotify profile via playlisting and driving traffic, releasing music is the real opportunity to level up. It starts with the strategy.

Frequent singles in the build-up to a release (or simply as standalone events) give you multiple opportunities to: • Pitch for an official playlist • Send more fans and followers to stream to your music • Grow your number of followers

This, in turn, means more people are notified about your next release and your next one and your next one …

Turbocharge Your Newsletter Being connected to a big group of engaged followers by email is a massive advantage. In fact, a recent study suggested that emails were more than 40 times more effective than social media at reaching customers!

Growing your list is not something that can happen overnight though, and once you’ve got a list up and running you need to maintain that by sharing interesting content. New releases give you so many opportunities for this type of content meaning this immediate pre/post-release period is ideal for both growing your list and engaging your existing followers.

Bandcamp To really tap into the power of Bandcamp you need to be building your followers and, as with Spotify, releasing new music is a good way of doing this. Long pre-order periods with frequent “spikes” of news (such as singles and extra special merch) are a very good way of growing this.

Whilst music sales may not beat touring income for many artists in the 21st Century, getting to the point where you know you can sell a certain quantity or CDs of vinyl every release can make a massive impact on your income and, as a result, your freedom to create.

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Additional Content Contributors

VA L E Dingo wishes to acknowledge the passing of the following valued members and contributors of the Australian jazz community and extend our condolences to their beloved friends and family: Bob Barnard AM – trumpet, contribution to Australian music and ambassadorship of Australian jazz, Australian Bell Jazz Awards Hall of Fame inductee Howard Belling – piano, educator, leader of Musicians Union of South Africa Tommy Carter OAM – drums, vocals, football commentator, inventor of Bertie Beetle showbag, services to community in the Mornington Peninsula Judith Durham AO – vocals, piano, composer, lyricist, writer, poet, actor, numerous awards for services to Australian Music Les Fithall - trombone, Yarra Yarra Jazz Band, Victorian Jazz Club life member Judy Gaudion – member of Victorian Jazz Club committee Peter Hicks – jazz entrepreneur, Hobart Jazz Club member, Australian Jazz Convention organiser Alan Lee – bandleader, vibraphonist, guitarist, percussionist Paul Marks – guitar, vocals, Melbourne New Orleans Jazz Band Brian O’Neill - trombone Charles Paine – double bass Archie Roach AM – singer, songwriter, First Peoples rights campaigner Robert Smith – piano, New Wolverine Jazz Orchestra

7 Virtual Jazz Clubs Contest Australia Council for the Arts Freedman Fellowship Generations in Jazz Melbourne International Jazz Festival Oh! Jazz Perth International Jazz Festival Sydney Improvised Music Association

Additional Photographic Contributors Bady Abbas Mirza Babic Zac Bromell Pawel Czerwinski Milad Fakurian Ilargian Faus Joseph Gonzalez Ally Griffin Gianluca d Intino Edward Jenner Heye Jensen Jonathan Kho Ming Jun Hamann La Ron Lach Danny Lines Andrii Lytvynko Margerretta Mart Production Josep Martins Bp Miller Tima Miroshnichenko George Pagan Tanya Potasheva Ready Made Rodnae Productions Sonia Sanmartin Julian Scagliola Evie Shaffer Anna Shvets Yoann Siloine Ahmed Syed Patrick Tomasso Jon Tyson Luis Vaz Emily Webster Karsten Winegeart Tino Xvx

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Cover Art ‘Music in the Dark’ Faridah Cameron