Beatniks and Bohemians

I was really excited for the Freedman Jazz Concert at the Opera House. It was basically a competition in which notable artists from each area in Australia nominated candidates under 35 to receive a grant. The concert was the final criterion on which the appointed judges selected the recipient. I was hoping the concert would be in the concert hall, I thought it would be neat to see a performance in there, but it was in a smaller studio below. In the end I think the studio was a better venue since it still technically was the Sydney Opera House, but you got a way closer view (and the tickets were probably cheaper). There were four musicians who played, two pianists and two saxophonists, and they largely shared one ensemble, except for the last musician who had an entirely unique trio. I know names mean nothing (except maybe in case of the last trio) but I'll give them anyways. Sam Keevers was the first and a pianist. The first song he played was written for his dog Elie and it was called 'Simple Pleasures'. Have you ever heard a song that builds so slowly, only when it returns to its original tempo do you realize what a fantastic adventure you've just been on? Thats what this song did for me, I really like music that carries me places in my imagination and tells me stories. What really stood out to me when his ensemble 'Red Fish Blue' played was how each instrument was so individual while still an invaluable contributor to the whole. Each instrument seemed to carry the song and and dictate the mood throughout different portions of its course. I enjoyed focusing on the individual sounds, and the effect it had on my interpretation on the song and sound as a whole. In a later song that he had written for his wife, something that I really enjoyed, and noticed with most of the other artists, was how at the peak of a song, how fluently and expressively he was able to speak through his instrument. You could see him pour his emotion in, and then hear it amplified through each note. The second artist Jamie Oehlers played saxophone. He was definitely the most impressive musician throughout the night, but not necessarily my favorite. His first song was really hectic, not really my taste, but after that I liked it better. In his second song, after pausing and letting the rest of his quartet carry the song for a while he stepped in so smoothly and cohesively I couldn't believe it. Not only was the timing perfect, but the musical build up to it as well. He finished off with a song that began with an amazing solo on the saxophone, that must've required an amazing lung capacity, again his accompaniment joined in impressively fluidly, but their tact didn't quite parallel that of the first; that sorta makes it sound bad, but it really wasn't, the first one was just that good. The third Matt McMahon, was my least favorite, and also the winner, which shows how much I know about Jazz. I guess I am probably pretty ignorant, I just go by how I feel cause I don't know any better. He played a song 'Jagungle' which was inspired by a mountain and he described it as a mix between 'Lord of the Rings' and ancient cultures like the Inca's or something I think. That got me excited, and maybe I had reached my Jazz saturation level, but thats not where it took me, my mind more just wandered randomly, which probably is more my fault than his. I was a bit surprised he won as well, because his song seemed didn't really seem that 'jazzy' to me, more just like those piano songs that I'm not really sure which genre they belong to. I would like to be able to listen to his performance again with a clear mind, that might change my opinion. The fourth group, the Julien Wilson Trio, was definitely my favorite, I was sort of counting on it cause the saxophonist's name was Julien, and that was before I found out his ensemble included and accordion player. Like the previous group, the style stretched a bit what I considered Jazz; I never would of considered acoustic guitar or piano accordion in a jazz band, but the results were really good and a bit folky. Like the first song of the night, these were good imagination songs, the kind of music I'd like to listen to while dreaming, the accordion made them almost Decemberists-esque while being Jazz, It was really good. The last song they played didn't appear to be anything spectacular until you had heard it in its entirety. It's the best example of foreshadowing I have ever heard in a song (or maybe just the first that has been explicit enough for me to recognize). Throughout the song tiny hints of melody were dropped that imagination expanded on, longing for it to be carried out and realized, and then just before the song was completed in its full glory the melody was accomplished, resulting in weird emotions for a song without words. Their CD isn't out yet, but I really suggest you check them out, cause even if you don't like Jazz I think you will appreciate this.