MOONTRANE PROVIDES SOME JAZZ ACTION by Eric Myers Jazz Action S

MOONTRANE PROVIDES SOME JAZZ ACTION by Eric Myers ______________________________________________________________ Jazz Action Society concert February 6, 1980, Musicians’ Club Encore Magazine, March, 1980 ______________________________________________________________ his concert was opened by two sets provided by the John Leslie Trio, including the leader on vibraharp, Gary Norman (electric guitar) and T Richard Ochalski (acoustic bass). Their music consisted of jazz and popular music standards in swinging 4/4 tempo: Jerome Kern's All The Things You Are, Horace Silver's Opus de Funk and Doodlin', Oliver Nelson's Stolen Moments, Clifford Brown's Joy Spring etc. Richard Ochalski, bassist with the John Leslie Trio… These sets were mainly distinguished by the fluent playing of Gary Norman, who appears to be an impressive new addition to the ranks of Sydney jazz guitarists. He swings easily, and employs a nice vibrato at the end of his long notes, enabling the guitar to sing, in a style not unlike that of the American guitarist Larry Carlton. There was a hint of unease in John Leslie's playing, which appeared a little hurried and up on the beat, although this tendency was less apparent by the closing stages of the trio's second set. Inevitable sameness: The music played by this group suffered from an inevitable sameness, as the format adopted for each tune was, if I remember correctly, exactly the same: statement of theme, a solo from each player, then return to the theme. Bass solos are a welcome contrast, but in every tune? Without a drummer to provide some rhythmic drive and a few extra colours, this group played a little too long, which meant that Bob Bertles' Moontrane 1 was not able to start until 10.30pm. Because of this, a great number of people left after Moontrane's first set, and missed their superb second set. Bob Bertles… PHOTO CREDIT WALLY GLOVER, COURTESY ENCORE MAGAZINE Moontrane consists of Bertles on saxophones and flute, Mike Bukovsky (trumpet & flugelhorn), Dave Panichi (trombone), Paul McNamara (acoustic piano), Darcy Wright (acoustic bass) and Alan Turnbull (drums). Their first set opened with Mike Bukovsky's composition Are You Blueish?, a Latin-oriented tune which goes into swinging four. The front-line section work was crisp in the theme, and in the sharp brass punctuations which were played behind the solos. With the second number — Paul McNamara's composition Valley Of The Tweed, dedicated to the area in Northern New South Wales which includes Nimbin — it was more apparent that this group was equipped to play some extraordinary jazz. In this tune Bertles played a long, fierce solo, technically brilliant and, at the same time, lyrical. Group improvisation: Also, in this tune, Mike Bukovsky played a long solo which was not so much a solo as an exercise in group improvisation. The building and resolution of tension was just as much the responsibility of the rhythm section players, who provided colours which were entirely 2 complementary to Bukovsky's solo. Here, the music was not unlike that of the Woody Shaw Quintet, which I heard in 1978 at Ronnie Scott's Club in London. Trumpeter Mike Bukovsky: his long solo an exercise in group improvisation... PHOTO COURTESY BRUCE CALE The warm rapport in the rhythm section was one of the chief delights of the music played by this group. Paul McNamara, Darcy Wright and Alan Turnbull revealed a sharp awareness of the rapid exchange of musical ideas in the sextet, and I have rarely heard Turnbull display a more uncanny ability to anticipate the rhythmic punctuations and colours needed to propel the music along. He is a real communicator. This set also included Paul McNamara's beautiful composition, Psychic Surgeon of Baguio which concerns the Philippines faith-healer who has helped, among others, Australian musician Barry Stewart and the tennis player Tony Roche. 3 A delight in this concert was the warm rapport in the rhythm section, which included bassist Darcy Wright (above) and Alan Turnbull (below) who displayed an uncanny ability to anticipate the rhythmic punctuations and colours needed to propel the music along...PHOTOS COURTESY DAVID MARTIN 4 Last gig: This composition featured a lyrical melody stated on trombone over ruminative bass arpeggios on the piano, followed by a haunting, dissonant passage played by flugelhorn and tenor saxophone. While it included an extraordinary piano solo by Paul McNamara, this piece was very much a showcase for trombonist Dave Panichi, who was playing his last gig with Moontrane before leaving for Melbourne to join the Channel 9 Orchestra. Dave Panichi: his last gig with Moontrane before leaving for Melbourne… In the following tunes, which included George Cables' Think On Me, John Coltrane's Impressions and others, the group further revealed the cultured ease and authority with which it respectfully acknowledges various elements of modern jazz of the seventies. There were hints of the free jazz, modal and jazz/rock idioms, all of which seem to have been incorporated into the group's own style. Dave Panichi played relatively softly, with the microphone placed well inside the bell of his trombone. The result was a warm, lyrical style which contrasted 5 with the flare and power of Bukovsky and Bertles. This country has not had a good modern jazz trombonist for some time. With the advent of Dave Panichi and James Morrison, the brilliant 17-year-old who is playing with the Young Northside Big Band and also Bruce Cale's 10-piece orchestra, things may be looking up for the trombone. Emergent composer: With the performance of his third composition — James Cook RN — I felt that this concert saw the emergence of Paul McNamara as a composer of substantial talent and originality, to be bracketed with Roger Frampton, Mick Kenny, Bruce Cale and others who are in the process of writing important, original jazz in this country. Paul McNamara: a composer of substantial talent and originality… McNamara played an exquisite solo in Duke Ellington And The Sound of Love, a Charles Mingus composition arranged by Mike Bukovsky. Having mastered the keyboard, McNamara seems to have progressed naturally to the art of composition, and his works have an aura of substance and depth which suggests that he approaches jazz as a high art form. His book, A Twelve Tone Concept For Contemporary Jazz, published in 1978, is still available. Any musician seeking an adequate theoretical basis for contemporary modern jazz should find this book stimulating. Moontrane (which, by the way, derives its name from the Woody Shaw composition of the same name) recorded an LP of original material in late 1979 for Battyman 6 Records. It should be released shortly, and is expected to be called Solace, after the title track. Overseas study: Bob Bertles, who recently was awarded an Australia Council grant for overseas study, expects to leave in September for Munich where he will study with Charlie Mariano. Later, he will study in New York with David Liebman. Speaking of David Liebman, his powerful quintet recently performed in Sydney, playing a brand of dissonant jazz which has rarely been heard live in this country. Moontrane is one of a handful of Australian groups modern enough to be usefully compared with the Liebman quintet. Yet, thankfully, Moontrane does not have the awesome power and cold virtuosity of the New York players who make up that band. While the Liebman group reflects the singleminded intensity of a city that is determined to exist at "the front-line of civilization", to use Liebman's own phrase, Moontrane seems to me to reflect the warm cosmopolitanism and eclecticism of Sydney life. ______________________________________________________________ 7 .

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