Time Is Moved
(ABC/Ten Part Invention)
8/10
Somone’s been tinkering under the bonnet of the band I once called the Rolls Royce of Australian jazz. With a few spark plugs changed, it’s purring again – and roaring when the accelerator’s depressed. In the 20 years since Sydney’s 10-piece Ten Part Invention last recorded, their fearless leader, John Pochee, died. Half the band are now newbies – which means the other half, remarkably, have been on board since its 1986 inception.
Pochee would be thrilled that the project lives on, and appropriately they begin this double album with Andrew Robsons’ Hymn for John. “Feeling the love” has become a frightful cliche, but here it’s palpable. Crucially, the band’s spirit is intact. The compositions, including Miroslav Bukovsky’s wryly titled Nostalgia (isn’t what it used to be), come from the members, and there’s still a sense of 10 distinctive musical personalities digging in the same sandpit, rather than a well-drilled big band going through its paces. The warmth of original bassist Steve Elphick’s sound is also central to the band’s character, and new pianist Kevin Hunt slides effortlessly in beside him, as does drummer Rease Cameron, while the seven exceptional horn players ensure the music’s character is in constant flux.