Wangaratta, Friday night, straight into it!
The Wangaratta Jazz and Blues Festival has come and gone for 2016, and some very wonderful musical experiences are now history.
A jazz and blues festival is an ideal combination – the two styles of music are so close together – same roots, just diverging styles.
The first sounds we heard were Blues Brothers 3677 (just Google the postcode) with their versions of the tunes the movie made famous.
Opening at Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre (WPAC) was an amazing session with Monash Arts Ensemble: Nyilipidgi with Daniel Ngukurr Boy Wilfred and David Yipinni Wilfred. This was jazz structures, with David right into it on the didge and Daniel on clapsticks and chanting. For me, the most haunting was the middle section with trombones echoing Daniel’s chanting.
We walked from WPAC to the Hume Precinct with the tones of Chris Wilson, Phil Manning and James Southwell drifting down Ovens Street with a wonderful echo and Monique Di Mattina packed the Pinsent Hotel with some very cool sounds, including Paul Williamson on the sax.
Saturday started with the Luke Howard Trio in Wangaratta Anglican Cathedral. Straight on to the CD list! Back at the Hume Precinct, the food vendors were in full flight and we listened to the MBAS Unearthed while eating lunch.
This year the MBAS talent is the Neil Hawker Band, formed in 2015 by Neil who has been playing around Australia as a sideman for a number of bands with differing genres. Only 18 months together, a very polished and sophisticated sound, excellent performers.
They were followed by Greg Dodd and the Hoodoo Men. Despite the fact that they’ve been down here relatively recently, how could you miss them? Then back to The Pinsent for the evening with Collided Balls from Melbourne with some Frank Traynor styled pieces.
Sunday kicked off with the Ronan Guilfoyle Trio from Ireland. Over there they are also known as The Long Way Round, from their habit of taking a theme and working it into variations. It was some fascinating work – structure underlying freedom.
They were followed by the Sandy Evans Trio with Bobby Singh. With a very well developed fusion of western and Indian rhythms, this is another one for the CD list.
Listening to Fiona Boyes & The Fortune Tellers was a must. This lady just gets better and better. It is no surprise she is getting so well known and liked in the USA – which is good as long as she doesn’t forget to come back regularly.
Our weekend finished with James Morrison’s Jazz Academy bands. They were having just too much fun. This is what I like to see with younger players – excellence, but not forgetting that music should be enjoyable.
In summary, a great program, a new venue layout, dodged a light shower, possibly fewer people on the streets, but sensational music, roll on 2017!
See you Sat 19th at “Pistol’s Blues Roulette – John Luke Shelley with Ben Wicks & Suit” – I’m not real sure what the Roulette will be, but the names are right, and it sounds very promising!
By John Lamp