Exciting jazz performances and moments of genius evoke a trembling state of gorgeous mystery.
What do you get by combining guzheng, double bass and alto saxophone? The Evans/Odamura/Elphic Trio – one of the most exciting live jazz performances you will enjoy in Australia so far.
On Friday night, in the Utzon Room of the Sydney Opera House, guzheng master Satsuki Odamura participated in the first half of a concert with Australia’s most famous and influential saxophone player Dr. Sandy Evans and ARIA award-winning bassist Steve Elphick , Showing a series of impressive works by Evans' and Odamura.
Sandy Evans, Steve Elfick and Satsuki Odamura. Photo © Shane Rozario
Odamura and Elphick have appeared in Evans’ albums in the past, including Rockpool Mirror (Tall Poppies) in 2017, which witnessed the masterpieces of guzheng, such as the tenor saxophone, guzheng and bass guzheng of Her Wild Spirit (2019), and love is The deeper season of Guzheng, Besi Guzheng and Taiko (2020).
In the Utzon Room, the trio opened with "Where are we going now?" ——Evans’s musical prose explores her views on the fate of the world that she has always cherished after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Otamura bowed before entering her stage, knelt beside her 13-stringed instrument, and played the opening notes of the music at the same time-a series of sounds shocked the audience's attention.
She and Elphick circled around on the bass, and before Evans entered the hypnotic passage, the two circled around a central theme. Her revolving run showed her iconic boldness, and her ability to transform from fortitude to gentleness was shocking.
She continued her voice choreography, Otamura wrapped her arms and fingers around her instrument, bringing the melody to a timeless, major climax, while Elphick kept his hum and reliable octave jumping , Supporting the foundation of the work.
The opening song dazzled the audience with its subversive style. Three legendary musicians created a musical story full of adventure, vitality and noise.
Elphick and Odamura's work Out Trance, saw a more minimalist view of the possibility of double bass and two kotos Odamura available that night; the 17-string bass zither and the 13-string zither. Elphick explained to the audience that he was interested in examining the characteristics of his instrument and Odamura; this article is not about clear narratives, but about setting emotions.
Otamura’s performance is full of strength and athleticism-watching her use her left finger and thumb to press the strings to change the pitch, just like seeing the graceful posture of an Olympic fencer.
Her solemn method of making music with Elphick and Evans creates an atmosphere of solemnity and humility. The addition of a bass bow to the guzheng compliments Evans' fierce solo-every note has been carefully and thoughtfully processed.
The trio completed their setup with a series of works from Evans' Rockpool Mirror album, including Lake Yarrunga and Lake Yarrunga Colours.
"The past two years have been a period of change and pain, uncertainty and unexpected happiness," Evans declared. "For me, I am very happy to be with these extraordinary musicians, who make my life valuable."
Every sound Evans makes from her saxophone exudes Evans's lively personality and charm. We heard the sound of the guzheng rotating and cascading in Xiaotian Village accompanied by wonderful vibrato, because she moved the bridge on the instrument and moved dexterously along the long frame of the guzheng.
The energy of their performance continued in the second half of the concert, when four young musicians were fascinated by their progressive interpretation of music inspired by Armenian mythology.
Zelda Margossian, Adem Yilmaz, Jeremy Rose and Hilary Geddes, the vision of Nar. Photo © Shane Rozario
In a series of world architectural works, saxophonist Jeremy Ross and pianist Zelda Margosian presented their work as part of the ABC New Start Fund, the project is called "Gnar's Vision" , Named after the goddess of water and ocean-a powerful female power in Armenian mythology.
Members of Margossian's own quintet, extraordinary percussionist Adem Yilmaz and this year's Freedman Jazz Fellow, guitarist Hilary Geddes joined their stage.
In the hour-long scene, the ensemble depicted the broad soundscape of the towering mountains of Armenia and the cheerful surroundings of the Vernissage market in the capital Yerevan.
The ensemble works together, and each member shows a high degree of awareness. Their roles in creating Nar’s dance, the daughter of the sea, and the water, thunder and ocean scenes in the League of Myths are all created by the Margossian nation. Jazz, folk music creation-inject style.
When I was sitting in the auditorium, attracted by the lively and playfulness of music, I found myself thinking "What is jazz?"
Pushing existing boundaries? Create a new voice? The slow, gentle voice instillation that the world has not yet heard? Or is it the feeling of crossing a foreign country at the speed of sound?
Speaking of this band, all of the above. I like Margossian's work because her work distributes the singularity of melody and rhythm more evenly to all players.
Her work allows each musician to show his own unique voice. Sometimes Rose will play a lot of notes when he doesn't need it, and some of the high range will be affected by the spiked sound. But in general, his tone is broad, broad, and pleasant.
Rose's work, the song of birth, the world, and the fireworks are all good-the rhythm is interesting and complicated.
Geddes' guitars and Yilmaz's percussion have laid a close rhythm foundation. The level meter changes are flawless and are maintained by Margossian's clear sound on the piano.
Sometimes, Rose’s saxophone will overwhelm Geddes’s complicated and tortuous guitar sequence, but as Rose explained when introducing one of his works, it is still a work that “...can blend interesting personality and culture together” .
Several times we were able to hear Geddes show off her skills, she showed her agility and musical wit-a person who is clearly above her instrument. Her self-awareness as a performer and a musician as a member of the orchestra is surprising.
Margossian's solo is immersive in its power and simplicity, swept away-her wording has a magnified appeal, and her connection with Yilmaz on stage is a miraculous testimony. They seemed to be connected by some invisible force, intertwined perfectly.
When you witness some extraordinary things unfold in front of you, you will have a feeling-something called genius. It is unique, unique and rare, and you know it the moment you see it-in this case, hear it. Yilmaz is a genius on Friday night. He taps, percusses, drills, and percusses his collection of percussion instruments, which are surrounded by flight control panels like astronauts, ready to be launched into space.
Throughout the concert, his use of Fiberskyn tambourines, Kahun drums, Udu drums, thunder drums, bells and maracas was extraordinary. His dexterity is fascinating. His voice is pure and real, healthy and charming.
The performance evokes a trembling and gorgeous mysterious realm-we are just too lucky to embrace it.
The December playlist is completely constructed from the 2021 version. This is a great opportunity to look back at what happened during a tense and stressful year-and the amazing work done by our composers and performers.
Jessie Tu talks with Tessie Overmyer and Hannah James about playing Charles Mingus as a member of a nine-member band at the Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival.
These Pharos performers understand the key to great jazz: an indestructible attachment to the spirit of music, and an unremitting perseverance to explore the full range of human dynamics through intuitive collaboration.
After a closed winter in Sydney, guitarist Hilary Geddes (Hilary Geddes) is eager to return to the performance scene again-starting from the Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival this weekend.
Jeremy Rose talks about jazz, the flexibility of musos and the best local scenes at the Earshift Music Festival during the Corona Era.
Hamed Sadeghi and Eishan Ensemble provided rich and fascinating ideas and voices.
This month’s Australian art music playlist is curated by Cameron Lam and includes the first batch of new music from the 2021 Art Music Fund winner and the ABC’s New Start Committee.
What can a magnificent ancient European city tell us about life in Australia today? Roland Peelman and Julian Day talked about how new music and aboriginal musicians played an important role in this year's Vienna-themed Canberra International Music Festival.
A commissioned work focused on the importance of water and waterways is subtly integrated into the band of award-winning guitarist Hilary Geddes.
The gloomy and sometimes explosive exploration of percussion is set against the tension of the American civil unrest.
The collaboration is the name of the game in Cameron Lam's first Australian art music playlist in 2021.
Impromptu performers who break the limits of jazz, blues and Middle Eastern music perform live and private performances in the Utzon Room.
In this month’s Australian music playlist, Cameron Lam focused on exploring space and contemplating works.
Cameron Lam shared his latest Australian art music playlist during the lockdown in Melbourne.
Jeremy Rose read Robert Hughes' seminal description of Australia's invasion, colonization, and conversion into exile, "The Fatal Shore" in 2012. He was shocked by the cruel reality faced by prisoners and indigenous peoples brought from the mainland, and finally found a way to interact with that dark history through music. Iron in the Blood is a series of scenes performed by Rose and Earshift Orchestra, highlighting narrative excerpts from Hughes' work, read by actors Philip Quast and William Zappa. The excerpt outlines the struggles of criminals and the cruelty of British officers and legislators. The description of the treatment of primitive populations—especially the genocide of Tasmanian indigenous peoples—is distressing. In music, iron in the blood is an eclectic experience. The repertoire draws on more traditional jazz idioms, but also has artistic and musical features, including soundscapes with misplacement, semitones, and extended instrument effects. Some of the most attractive features are extended, crazy, improvised solo performances, usually emphasizing the most disturbing parts of the narrative. The personal performance and voice are great, and the narration is pleasant in terms of drama and education...
The inspiring guidance plan witnessed the victorious chicks leaving the nest.
Our professional writers analyze next year’s performances in theaters and concert halls.
Discover in our December magazine who was named the Man of the Year.
Double subscription to read two leading art magazines in Australia.
Learn what happened this week and add your own events to our free online calendar.
Subscribe before January 2 to have a chance to win the palace opera and ballet season tickets.
Looking for something new to listen to? Check out our latest playlist.
Unit 11, Level 1 183 Macquarie St Sydney, NSW, 2000
Learn about all the latest art news through the weekly news, reviews and special reports compiled by Australia's best art journalists.
© 2021 Limelight Arts Media Pty Ltd