The Joan, July 26 There’s one thing no one can deny about Emma Pask: she knows how to put together a band. In guitarist James Muller, bassist Phil Stack and drummer Tim Firth she had three of the best in the land, and was an appropriately generous leader, giving them…
Category: Concert Reviews
505, July 25 Duke Ellington wrote compositions with specific members of his magnificent orchestra in mind and Thelonious Monk wrote to suit his singular approach to the piano. Given that the jazz composer’s job is to inspire improvisers, Barney McAll has succeeded brilliantly with the material primarily from the Mooroolbark…
The Studio, July 23 Although Louis Armstrong invented jazz singing and Sarah Vaughan made it soar to dizzy heights, Billie Holiday remains the pinnacle if understatement, emotional directness and rhythmic nous are allowed to outweigh power and vocal gymnastics. In the centenary year of Holiday’s birth – she died in…