He’s played with a who’s who of American, British and Australian jazz musicians. His classical compositions have been performed by orchestras including the Melbourne, Queensland and Tasmanian Symphonies. Now the circle has fully turned and Katoomba-raised Bruce Cale, one of the country’s foremost musicians and composers, is not only residing in his home town once more, but performing there.
In the intervening years Cale has worked with players including Billy Eckstine, Larry Adler, Zoot Sims, Annie Ross, Phil Woods, Bobby Hackett, Anthony Braxton, Mike Nock and Bernie McGann. Throughout that time his primary instrument was the double bass, but in recent years he has returned to three other instruments that featured in his life at various times: violin, viola and cello. He will deploy this full array of strings in a concert called Dreams of Falling at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.
Helping him create this series of intimate, dreamlike improvisations will be fellow Katoomba resident John Shand (drums, percussion), who is best known as a playwright, author and critic, including being a music and theatre reviewer for The Sydney Morning Herald for the last 21 years.
This duo is spontaneously likely to become a trio with the addition of Australia’s most influential improvising percussionist, Phil Treloar. Treloar flies in on the day of the concert from his long-term home in Japan, and if the stars align, will add his beautiful marimba and percussion to the others’ aural reveries, reviving an association with Cale that dates back to 1980.
Dreams of Falling: Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, Saturday April 5, 5pm, $12. Bookings essential: 4780 5410