reviews - cd/book reviews

Oceana
Till Bronner
Universal 1708231 2006

Till Bronner-tpt/vcl; Dean Parkes-gtr; David Piltch-bs; Larry Goldings-pno/Wurlitzer elec pno/Hammond B3/esty org; Jay Bellrose-dms; Jim Cox-pno; Gary Foster-alto.
Producer - Larry Klein.


A "new' singer-musician from Germany who is making a comeback on record after a two year hiatus. His voice is well suited to the three songs he croons on the disc, other vocals surprisingly handled by Madeleine Peyroux, Luciana Souza and an absolute knockout in My Secret Life by the fashion model (I kid you not), Carla Bruni. There are eight instrumentals that vary in style from Wes Montgomery's Bumpin', Rogers and Hart's It Never Entered My Mind, to the traditional Danny Boy. Every one of them, plus a couple of South American rhythms, are given brilliant voicings that are modern, quirky and musicianly. Bronner is his own man on trumpet, though an occasional Chet Baker breathy sound comes over on the mainly slow tempo mid-register tunes. Extremely fine solos from his sidemen with the keyboard variations from Larry Goldings standing out. Nice one.

Reviewed by Ron Spain

River - the joni letters
Herbie Hancock
Verve 1744826 2007

Herbie Hancock-pno; Wayne Shorter-sop/tnr; Dave Holland-bs; Vinnie Colaiuta-dms; Lionel Loueke-gtr. Produced and arranged by Larry Klein. With vocals by Norah Jones, Tina Turner, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen (speech).

Music and lyrics by Joni Mitchell, except for Solitude by Ellington/Mills/DeLange and Nefertiti by Wayne Shorter.

Wonderful vocal interpretations of these Joni Mitchell song-poems by an unexpected array of vocalists. The band are something else, giving life to the Klein arrangements and soloing as brilliantly as the listener expects of such superlative modern instrumentalists, but somehow not coming over with the same impact on Shorter's Nefertiti (or did I lose the thread?). Mitchell writes some memorable melodies with lyrics that require more than a modicum of attention, but these singers are worth that attention and their interpretation evokes memories of The Dark Side of the Moon.
An unusual one for the collection that rewards a few plays.

Reviewed by Ron Spain

Marlene Richards
Here, There and Everywhere

Private recording

Incredibly, this is the first solo CD by an artist of great style who has been singing distinctively over nearly four decades, on television and in clubs from Adelaide to Sydney and back home where she is an icon of the local jazz scene. Marlene Richards sings jazz in a husky voice that evokes smoke-filled bars on late nights, typified by her opening song, ‘Close Your Eyes’, which brings on thoughts of a warm bed with good company. Lennon and McCartney wrote some exemplary tunes, often with difficult chord changes and on both the title tune and ‘Fool On The Hill’, Marlene accords them respectful interpretations with The Boss Trio providing appropriately simpatico accompaniment. Her version of the Francis Youmans/Billy Rose tune, ‘Without A Song’, is honey running over sand, complemented by one of Bob Jeffrey’s bouncing tenor sax solos and he shows some muscle on ‘You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To’, with spare piano accompaniment from Kerin Bailey, who also produced this CD, while Marlene phrases like Peggy Lee. She lives every note and expresses every word in the emotion-drenched ‘We’ll Be Together Again’ and rates approval from Mel Torme on the rarely heard ‘Green Dolphin Street’. Did Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein ll really write ‘Lover Come Back To Me’ in 1928? If so, they were ahead of their time and so is Marlene as she gives a contemporary twist to this romping version of a classic song of love. It’s jazz singing at it’s very best, plus one of Dave McEvoy’s hot solos. On the final ‘I Hear Music’, the lady is back in bed, but unable to sleep because she’s as hyped up as the listener will be after 12 choice songs sung and played in singular empathy by seven alternating musicians and one very special singer. It’s some CD – get it!

Reviewed by Ron Spain

Becky Fox
Allure
ABC 476 6239
ABC Jazz Melbourne 2006/7

Queen Latifah
Trav'lin' Light
Verve CD 1736504
Los Angeles 2007

I told you to look out for this one in the Dec/Jan JazzScene and here it is, fully living up to expectations. Queen Latifah has tempered her vocal style in the great nightclubs of the world and has, I suspect, an admiration for the delivery style of Pearl Bailey. Listen to "Georgia Rose" (love the phrase, "don't be blue 'cos you're black"), or "I Love Being Here With You" (Peggy Lee), or "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl" (Nina Simone), or "How Long" (The Pointer Sisters), or Donny Hathaway's "Gone Away". She gives every lyric special meaning, swings when it's required, phrases with dynamism and uses the backing musicians for impetus. The word is "professional".

Reviewed by Ron Spain

Early South Australian Jazz

The Late 1930’s and Early 1940’s Various Bands SAJA 05

A South Australian Jazz Archive project

For those with an ear for the development of jazz in Australia, this compilation comes as a welcome surprise from the private collections of three South Australian musicians who made the music and one notable collector who knew we’d like to hear it again. The opening tracks by the Claude Carnell Orchestra are not on a jazz wavelength, but typify the dance music of the early WW2 years, with some very competent musicians taking the occasional solo. Champagne music of the era when that was what we drank, perhaps. The selections from the 5KA Swing Club Band include a Ray Bauduc-style drummer and a clarinet solo that is presumably by Maurie Le Doeuff, while the latter’s own Swing Club Six take some very jazz-influenced solos, especially those by the leader and the hot trumpet of Max Lawson. Incidentally, I’m sure there is a second trumpeter on ‘Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen’. A good, swinging back beat adds pepper to The Maurie Le Doeuff and Wally Lund Band tracks, with the guitar of Lyall Cornish very tasty. There’s an unlisted and good trombone on ‘Blues In B-Flat’, which is a question that someone will resolve, no doubt. An 18-year old Bruce Gray shows very early promise in the BG style with the Malcolm Bills Trio, followed by two takes of ‘Ja Da’ with the pianist’s Dixieland Band and fine trombone from Mal Badenoch and the clear toned trumpet of Bill Munro. Bill picks up a valve trombone on the next three tracks while a Muggsy inspired Nick Stefakis heats the trumpet on some New York Dixieland with the leader filling nicely and soloing sedately. The next four tunes are by the first Southern Jazz Group (also known as The Southernaires), led by trumpet player Dave Jenkins, recorded in early 1946 before Dave Dallwitz took on the leadership and created history. This band is notable for showcasing the very swinging Lew Fisher on piano and the alto of Errol Buddle. Final tunes are by an augmented Southernaires, with some stock arrangements of 1930’s vintage. This CD contains rare material that is sometimes low on the Fi, but always high on the interest and it’s a worthy addition to the previously issued four CD’s from the annals of South Australian recorded music.

Reviewed by Ron Spain

FOOTSCRAY STATION WAY OUT WEST

Newmarket 3127 2

It was intriguing from the beginning; a CD with cover photos of a deserted railway station at night lit by tall lamps; rails gleaming silver in the dark, a band called Way Out West, and the title “Footscray Station”. What it turned out to be was the latest effort from Peter Knight (whose first disc “between two moments” captured attention), and his new band and guest artists. It is both innovative and exciting, gentle and evocative thanks to the use of three traditional Vietnamese instruments, the dan tranh, dan bau, and dan nhi, stringed instruments played and obviously venerated by Dung Nguyen. The opening,’Footscray Station Platform 1’ an atmospheric and moody pastiche of the hiss of train doors, the squeal of brakes and a chattering crowd, leads us into a scene redolent with train fumes and cigarette smoke. Ruminative and sophisticated music is woven into the tapestry of sound, and the stage is set for a vibrant meeting, a marriage between East and West. On track two,’Maribyrnong Sketch’, (Knight) Vietnamese strings introduce an insistent drum beat; this is typical of several of the tracks, exciting rhythms on percussion and drums overlaid by the delicate plaintive and haunting sounds of the Vietnamese instruments. Trumpet and bass add their part in a pleasant evocation of cultural closeness. Howard Cairns soloing on acoustic bass, Ray Pereira on percussion, Dung on Vietnamese zither round out the sound of “Way Out West” on ‘Platform 2’, ‘Amasya’ and ‘If I Knew Where You Were’. One of the many high-lights of the disc is ‘Is the Moon Really That Far Away?’ by Peter Knight, a wonderful poem sensitively spoken and sung by Martin Breeze, accompanied by Scott Lambie, drums, Leo Dale, alto flute, Paul Williamson, tenor sax, Howard Cairns, bass, Peter Knight, trumpet, and Dung Nguyen. Trumpet and sax blend in unison and in harmony with the voice in an original and expressive offering. The creative contribution of everyone involved in this CD is outstanding. This journey of exploration and experimentation is soulful and inspiring reflecting the desire to recreate the stimulating cultural mix of Melbourne’s inner Western suburbs. Some truly Australian jazz.

Reviewed by Pam Brow

Love Rhapsody - Emma Sidney
Move Records - MCD 211
14 Tracks - TPT 61:58 m:s

This debut CD from vocalist Emma Sidney was launched at Dizzy’s Jazz Bar in Richmond in July. She is accompanied by Todd Sidney, piano, Leon Heale, bass, Dean Cooper, drums & percussion, with Greg Clarkson and Ron Anderson, reeds & flutes or Reg Walsh, trumpet & flugelhorn backing Emma on some tracks. The 14 tracks cover a variety of jazz standards such as ‘You’d be so Nice To Come Home To’, ‘Nature Boy’, ‘Almost Like Being In Love’, ‘The Very Thought Of You’ to Lennon & McCartney’s ‘And I love Her’. Other tracks include Bonfa’s ‘A Day in the Life of a Fool’, ‘L-O-V-E’ Billie Holiday’s ‘Don’t Explain’ Ellington’s ‘Solitude’ and Emma’s own compositions, ‘Changeable Day’, ‘Lament’ and title track ‘Love Rhapsody’. Emma has a nice easy style whether swinging the standards or interpreting a slow ballad. The band give Emma good support as well as getting time to stretch out with the occasional solos. Todd Sidney did the tight arrangements on 11 tracks with Emma showing her versatility arranging ‘Love Rhapsody’ as well as co-production of the CD with Todd. A fine effort from all concerned and I’m sure this will be the first of many CDs from Emma

Reviewer Don Brow

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