PRESS RELEASES - 2009 jazzfest
Jazz in the Park - Evening of aural treats a great start to the Jazzfest
Fairfield Park, Friday January 2nd. Reviewed by Paula Cunniffe.
The threat of rain didn’t stop Nelson packing out Fairfield Park’s grassy slopes for the opening of the Woollaston Nelson Jazzfest 09. My own trip back to Nelson to attend was almost thwarted by fog down to sea level, but the weather gods held out for the performing gods and goddesses of jazz by giving watchers alternating doses of heat and cooling sea breezes without the usual penetrating glare that fries your eyeballs.
Starting off the aural treats was Melbourne band Mark Lockett Quartet, and I particularly liked saxophonist/composer Paul van Ross’s originals, Tango for `H’ and Possum Strut. Auckland-based Mojave’s smooth jazz and Latin standards had a fresh new twist to them, created by lead singer and flautist Trudy Lile.
Quirky Wellington trio Hot Club Sandwich again amused the crowd with their original compositions that poke fun at life in New Zealand, with titles such as Why Do They Fill My Coffee Cup to the Top? and I Used To Be Your Rooster and Now I’m Just Your Feather Duster. With superb vocal harmonies and funky rhythms thrown in, they made the audience pay attention and avoided becoming a backdrop to crowd conversations.
Wellington Heads have always been popular in Nelson. Their accessible jazz and R & B style amped the afternoon up by encouraging more to dance along near the stage, including some eager Club Ceroc dancers. Among many, the song Ain’t No Such Thing As Bad Love, Just Good Love Gone Wrong had me consoling myself with its words of wisdom.
Brilleaux stirred up the mix again, their “go hard or go home” ethos infused in their music. Mouth organ R & B belted out and I couldn’t help but notice the number of people dancing on their picnic rugs.
Finally, Shaken Not Stirred rounded off the evening with Stephanie Hearfield’s sultry vocals, having entertained with classics such as I Just Wanna Make Love To You and encouraging audience participation. Many were grateful for the free sunscreen and sun umbrellas provided by the Nelson Cancer Society. A perky clown, Flossie the balloon lady and Sarah the face painter worked tirelessly through lines of eager kids as parents relaxed and listened and St John Ambulance workers stood by. In between sets were the usual giveaways and a marriage proposal, a first for the event.
Yep. Another great start to the latest Woollaston Nelson Jazzfest. Check the paper for venues and times and be sure to take advantage of the many free events coming this week.
Nelson School of Music, Saturday January 3. Reviewed by Jo Say.
I’m not an expert on jazz pianists. Before yesterday, the only one I’d really listened to was the legendary Keith Jarrett. But on Saturday at the School of Music, I watched Mike Nock, one of the acknowledged masters of jazz in Australasia.
Originally from New Zealand, Nock spent 25 years working in the USA with many of the world’s top jazz musicians. He is a composer, arranger and player. I’m none of those things, but even my untrained ear recognised a dazzling rare talent.
Listening to Nock reignited for me the tingling awe I felt upon first listening to Jarrett’s Koln Concert. Nock is able to compose and produce music that sounds wildly improvised but which is intricately structured and notated. Conversely, he can take a well-known melody and magically transform it live on stage until you gasp and think, “That can’t be improvised, can it?”. Well, yes it can. And that’s what a musical genius can do.
Frank Gibson played drums alongside Nock. The two have performed together for many years. Of the same era, they watched and responded to each other with the ease and familiarity of an old married couple. Gibson, with wonderfully intense and athletic facial expressions, seemed to be neither leading nor led by Nock. Rather, he created a beautiful musical synergy that drummers can produce only when they are highly skilled and experienced.
Nock announced at the start of the show that he had only met guitarist Neil Watson and bass player Tom Dennison that day. Dennison certainly seemed pretty nervous and under pressure; after each of his solos, he would visibly let out a sigh of relief and a smile would break open his fiercely concentrated face. Both he and Watson play in the Gibson Trio, and are highly talented young musicians.
Nock may have jokingly admitted that his memory was fading, but his playing had a breathtaking dexterity that often made him seem the youngest man on stage. He melted into and over the keys, sometimes half-standing, often flicking out his right foot, and increasingly throughout the night letting out half-sung, half-moaned noises (very Jarrettesque!).
So despite still not being an expert on jazz pianists, at least I now know of the genius that is Mike Nock.
Peter Gibbs in Art of Nelson | 1:35 pm 3 January 2009
Grant Winterburn and Orchestral Band. Saturday, January 3 at Woollaston Estate. Woollaston Jazzfest 09. Reviewed by Paula Cunniffe.
If you thought an old retro Hammond organ complete with wood grain effect was something that belonged in the back of the church orchestra pit, or that its sound was heard only in hotel elevators, think again. Under the spirited titillations of Grant Winterburn’s frenzied digits it becomes possessed by his infectious energy and centrepiece of the show.
I’d previously only seen and heard Winterburn as mild-mannered accompanist to Jennifer Ward-Lealand earlier this year. A stark contrast to Saturday’s antics that gave the illusion of him grounded only by hands moving often at hummingbird speed, using combinations plucked randomly from a creed of creative genius.
With an advance pardon for the unintended pun, Winterburn and his electrifying organ weren’t the only stars of the night. He was joined by individual talents with their own impressive musical lineage: Ian Parker on drums, Patrick Bleakley on bass, Deane Hunter on guitar, Damian Forlong on trombone, Andre Paris and Chris Peirce on saxophones as well as Stephanie Paris (Hearfield) joining in with vocals. Unashamedly I say to Stephanie – “give up your day job being a back-up singer for Holly Smith – we want to hear more of your sexy mojo voice out front.”
At the beginning of the evening, I was surrounded in the cavernous wine cellar by many of Nelson’s who’s who, all reserved and sipping surreptitiously on the owner’s delicious fine wines. But come fulltime, they were standing and applauding for more - more of the musical liquor from accomplished musicians that maketh the soul drunk, yet never having passed the lips.
But if it had been experience in the form of oral delights - we not only had our main of Porter and Davis staples, but nutritious Caravan and a large juicy chunk of I Feel Good – James Brown. Also an appetizer and mid-meal sorbet of television themes Six Million Dollar Man and The Loveboat. Dessert was a generous helping of Booker T and The MG’s Green Onions with a sweet topping in the form of I Feel My Mojo Working. There were other dishes devoured and all were specially stamped with each player’s signature solo, and the evening topped off with a Take The A Train espresso.
Needless to say, if they all decided to start a restaurant, I’d be eating there regularly. But I could be satiated and consoled in the meantime with a CD at least.
Nelson School of Music, Sunday January 4 2009. Reviewed by Pete Rainey.
A singer with no voice! Mimi Fox gave a stunning performance as part of the 2009 Woollaston Jazzfest. In doing so, her guitar was her voice. A fabulous melodic performance - all done on guitar. Fox is a true exponent of the West Coast sound. Influenced heavily by Joe Pass and Wes Montgomery, she relishes the tonal variety her guitar can produce.
In one of the truly international offerings from the Nelson Jazz Festival, last night’s disappointingly small audience was treated to a world-class performance.
Supported by Auckland-based musicians Kevin Field on piano, Olivier Holland on bass and Ron Samson on drums, Fox kicked off the set with two self-penned compositions, Blues for Two and Perpetually Hip. Her mastery of technique and hunger for creating a beautiful melodic line soon became apparent.
Lazybird, by John Coltrane, gave us an opportunity to experience the great skills of drummer Ron Samson.
Mimi then gave a great solo performance of Lullaby of the Leaves by Bernice Petkere, displaying great mastery of harmonics, her right hand taking over the role of the left with great ease, culminating in some superbly intense Bach-like passages.
Ellington’s Caravan allowed some fabulously fiery band interplay, always supported by Kevin Field’s intelligent playing. Again, Samson gave us some great moments on the kit, ably supported by Holland’s solid bass. The second half again allowed us to experience the intense honesty of Mimi Fox’s performance.
She is the perfect example of brain engaged, technique sorted, look out here comes the effortless solo. It was definitely a concert that I wished could have gone on and on. This woman has a big heart and tons of soul. She fired on Wes Montgomery’s Four on Six and gave us sublime solo moments on Paul McCartney’s She’s Leaving Home, her technique always backing her solid commitment to producing beautiful melody.
As she finished off with Van Heusen’s But Beautiful and then My Romance as an encore, there was no doubt in my mind we were in the presence of a truly great player. Well done to the Jazz Festival for bringing us this opportunity. Please can we have more? I loved it.
Harry Harrison
Harry Harrison Plays Pat Metheny
The Boathouse, Sunday January 4. Reviewed by Jo Say.
Pat Metheny apparently once said: Whenever someone tries to sound like me they sound like shit. Which could have been a pretty discouraging statement to someone planning on doing a Metheny tribute. But Harry Harrison is clearly a devoted fan of the guitar maestro and was not put off. Last night at The Boathouse his five piece band played a well rehearsed set of mostly Metheny numbers, which collectively showed off the composer’s diversity.
A guitar protégé, Grammy award winning Metheny went to Berkeley College in the USA to study music. Whilst on the course however he was asked by the college if he would like to stop studying and start tutoring. With information like that you get an idea of his shining talent.
The guitar sound he pioneered has been copied by thousands of guitarists: Chorusing is a watery, echoing type sound which Metheny originally created using several amplifiers at once. These days it can be produced using a chorus effects peddle.
Certainly the Boathouse was the perfect setting for numbers such as The Moon Song. This was composed by Metheny collaborator Johnny Mandel and was featured on Metheny’s album Beyond The Missouri Sky. Listening to this beautiful ballad I looked out the window and saw the Abel Tasman skyline silhouetted across a sparkling turquoise sea A boat drifted past the purple clouds and the whole evening took on a dream like quality.
Harrison played with great skill not only Metheny’s work but his own compositions also: Old Friends started gently and soulfully. It picked up in pace and energy until the climax section. This cleverly matched the rich franticness of Metheny numbers such as Follow Me which the band did a wonderful rendition of earlier in the set. Clearly influenced by Metheny in writing his own work, Harrison has skilfully produced music which pays homage to his hero without mimicking him.
My favourite piece of the evening was a Metheny piece played on just guitar and bass. Truly this was a wonderfully poignant dialogue between two instruments. It created such a conversational authenticity that closing my eyes I could almost hear the exact words being said. Brilliant!
Monday January 5th at Woollaston Estate. Reviewed by Paula Cunniffe.
Those faithful to original jazz versions are in for a surprise. Carolina Moon is gathering international acclaim for her fresh ability to rearrange the old favourites in the true postmodern sense. It was the most original arrangement I’ve ever heard of Moondance - done in a higher range, I think I liked it.
A mere slip of a woman in a crushed velvet amber dress that matched her eyes, Carolina Moon has an articulate thimble-full of voice that was sometimes lost in competition to the surrounding players. Perhaps it was because I was sitting close to the stage and compromised the quality of sound usually heard at the outer edges, but it came and went all evening.
Moon’s intonation of the lyrics and great range of expression through her body creates a striking centrepiece. Here she has total and unsubtle control over the band which includes husband Roger Manins on saxophone at her side. Moon takes full advantage of this in songs such as ballad I’ve Got A Crush On You and her own Parisian Thoroughfare which explains part of the pair’s meeting.
Manins played the oldest looking saxophone Ive seen. However he elicited some exciting solos for which he was visibly humbled by audience response, despite some notes that didn’t quite come off. Kevin Field had intense technical precision on the piano with some solos that didn’t receive the applause they deserved. Fields didn’t smile much whilst lost in concentration, but when he did it lit up the room.
Olivier Holland on the upright produced an exceptional solo accompanying Moon in Bye Bye Blackbird. I wished his scat vocals had been miked for this and Last Time I Saw Janine.
I don’t envy the job of the jazz percussionist at all, but Ron Samsom the sockless drummer had an understated, groovy and sensual command of the kit. He didn’t miss a beat all night, and his solo in Bullet Train with Moon’s improvised scatting was highly commendable and my personal favourite.
With the evening a little heavy on scatting for my own liking, I still enjoyed it along with the hospitality of Philip Woollaston’s fine establishment, Rowena Richards and The Nelson Jazz Club.
Nelson School of Music last night. Reviewed by Andrew Rose.
It was hot and sultry at Nelson School of Music last night as the capacity audience learned, with obvious delight, that sexagenarians can really play the blues. Midge Marsden, MNZM, was the star with his harmonica, guitar and distinctive vocal style. Accompanying him were the superb Chet O’Connell, guitar and vocals, an enthusiastic Mike Abbot, drums and vocals, while hard working Neil Hannan provided the bass rhythms. As an unexpected extra, there was Liam Ryan playing keyboards and the School’s venerable Bechstein Grand.
The band began with Struck Down by the Blues from Marsden’s highly successful Waiting for Rain album. Then more from the same album with Kokomo and Slow Walk, Jive Talk as well as the title track. After which it was back in time for an early Marsden track Carry My Blues Away, with the audience showing its enthusiastic appreciation at every opportunity.
Next came I Want To Be With You When The lights Go Out, heavily reminiscent of Jimmy Witherspoon’s similarly titled classic. This was followed by an original version of the Rolling Stones first number one, It’s All Over Now.
Marsden, an avowed Hammond Gamble fan, gave out with Whistling The Blues in the Rain, and the first set ended with a belting version of Elvis’ first hit single, That’s All Right Mama.
As the crowd spilled out into Nile St at half time, it was obvious that everyone was having a ball, and, after a refreshing libation, we eagerly returned to the auditorium for part two.
In my view this was the best set. It began with another Gamble song, It’s Been Too Long. Mardsen then gave a wonderfully improvised harmonica solo, Train Blues. The band joined in with a full head of steam for Leadbelly’s classic Midnight Special, then Sonny Boy Williamson’s Trust My Baby, and, in its wake, a fabulous full-throttle version of Sea Cruise.
Smokey Robinson’s Don’t Look Back, reggae style, was the next delight followed by Bonnie Raitt’s rocking I Believe I’m In Love With You - a sort of Sea Cruise with attitude.
The set ended with a climactic version of John Mayall’s Room To Move. After much applause, the band finally encored with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee’s Travelin’ On and then, sadly, a great evening was finally over.
Well done! A fabulous night’s entertainment from a kiwi legend and an excellent band. Come back soon.
Nelson School of Music, Tuesday. January 6. Reviewed by Leonie Hall.
Four hours of tapping feet and nodding heads marked a successful conclusion to the Nelson jazz festival last night.
If attendees had wanted more of a booty-shake, they were out of luck. The seated venue catered for a perfectly civilised, sit-down evening of entertainment, which may have suited the more mature members of the audience, by whom I felt rather outnumbered.
As the opening act, Mojave impressed the audience with the jazz flute rhythms of Trudy Lile. However, her animated expressions seemed to detract from her unquestionable musical ability which was later showcased, minus the overacting, in her performance with Shaken Not Stirred. Sadly, the first solo by drummer Jason Orme was one that evoked sympathy but, thankfully, by the second round he had found his groove and was back in form. Still, I felt myself willing the arrival of intermission.
The intensity of international jazz guitarist Mimi Fox soon left me lost for words. Rather than reaching for my pen, I was drawn to her exceptional and uncompromising performance. Band members were even treated to an on-stage tutorial during the first piece, when Fox interjected to save the timing by loudly counting the beats to pianist Kevin Field. Her virtuoso finger-picking and professional musicianship left the audience clapping and tapping and nodding without reservation. The evening was revived.
The rhythm and blues of Midge Marsden was also a huge hit. For this genre of music, Marsden was a crowd pleaser, but for me he seemed to be a taste I have yet to acquire. However, his stage presence and the lively performance of his band were more than enough to please the audience.
The final group in the extravaganza, Shaken Not Stirred, was the last act in a long night of jazz. Patrick Bleakley kept the beat with his dedicated performance on upright bass, while Stephanie Hearfield mesmerised the audience with her soulful vocals. Collaborations with Mark Baynes and Lile also added to an exciting performance, along with the impressive trio on horns. With a succession of solos displaying musicianship and an energetic groove, Shaken Not Stirred lived up to their name.
The Grand Finale of the jazz festival reflected some of the variety and dynamism of this classical art form. While the sit-down venue was a limitation, there was a tap or a nod for everybody.
Nelson Jazz Club • Ph: 03 547 7211 • info@nelsonjazzfest.co.nz
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