In recent decades, jazz has become the music of concert halls and universities. A style that was once considered to be an affront to public morality is now sometimes seen as old-fashioned and inflexible; a music meant only for those in the know.
The second night of renowned jazz trumpeter James Morrison’s Collaboration series at the UKARIA Cultural Centre, however, challenged this perception. Although all the musicians with whom Morrison played were world-class virtuosi, and the concert was run with consummate professionalism and polish, the atmosphere was relaxed and intimate.
Indeed, Morrison’s choices as curator made the music seem spontaneous to the point of being unprepared – in the best possible way. It felt as if it were mere coincidence that all of these musicians were gathered in Mount Barker; as if they had decided to play together on a whim, with the resulting energy producing remarkable results.
The second night of the series was titled “Realising a Dream”, and was intended to showcase the talent of Rai Thistlethwayte, a truly unique musician – and someone with whom Morrison had never performed before. Thistlethwayte’s skill is not limited to just one instrument, or even to just one musical discipline – he is a pianist, guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer and improvisor.
Rai Thistlethwayte is a pianist, guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer and improvisor. Photo: supplied
Born in Australia, but currently based in Los Angeles, Thistlethwayte studied jazz at the Sydney Conservatorium with a full scholarship. He is a founding member of the pop-rock band Thirsty Merc, has had an extensive career as a session musician, and is in the midst of a worldwide tour with rock legend Sammy Hagar. There are no edges to his musicality.
With such an impressive resumé, it is no wonder that Morrison invited him to participate in this series, and their performance together – backed by William Morrison on guitar, Harry Morrison on bass and Patrick Danao on drums – was truly unique.
It began with a performance of a Thirsty Merc song entitled “Betty Page”, which demonstrated Thistlethwayte’s pianistic brilliance and vocal prowess. It was quite unusual to watch seasoned jazz musicians letting loose over a pop-rock song, but their chemistry was undeniable.
In the midst of the final verse, as a surprisingly dissonant chord hung in the air, Thistlethwayte forgot the next lyric. However, he brushed it aside with good humour and immediately counted in the next chorus, replacing potential awkwardness with amusement. This set the tone for the rest of the evening, which was casual and conversational, filled with anecdotes and light-hearted banter.
The first set continued with number of jazz tunes that Morrison had requested, beginning with a rendition of eden ahbez’s famous standard “Nature Boy”. Morrison took to the piano for this number, accompanying a brilliant Thistlethwayte vocal, as well as a tasteful keyboard solo. Another of Morrison’s guests for the weekend, pianist Marian Petrescu, then joined the band for the tune “Almost Like Being In Love”, with an improvised vocal scat solo from Thistlethwayte.
The first set focused mostly on jazz tunes, which were being arranged in real time – many did not have written sheet music at all, making the collaboration as organic as possible. However, although Thistlethwayte’s improvisatory talent was constantly on display, his pop sensibility always shone through, emphasising bluesy inflections and deft lyricism. In particular, the juxtaposition of this straightforward, no-nonsense approach with Petrescu’s virtuosic maximalism was extremely effective.
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The first set ended with a gospel-tinged Thistlethwayte original which had not previously been publicly performed. It was enlightening to hear him speak about his writing process, and the late-night “hang” from which the tune was born.
After the interval, the second set introduced a handful of the weekend’s other guests – the string quartet from the Southern Cross Soloists. The repertoire was now more focused on Thistlethwayte’s original music, with the texture of the strings adding an orchestral feeling to a wide range of songs. Perhaps the most impressive was a tune entitled “Blood on the Cash”, played with a looper, which allowed Thistlethwayte to stack layers of his vocals together, gradually introduce the rest of the ensemble, and teach the audience the chorus, so they could sing along.
The second set ended with another Thirsty Merc song, “Mousetrap Heart”, which was perhaps the finest balancing act of the night. Morrison’s fiery trumpet meshed tightly the gritty drive of Thistlethwayte’s piano, and the added string lines let the chorus glisten beautifully.
A standing ovation brought the whole ensemble back out, with Petrescu joining them once again for a freewheeling encore of Milt Jackson’s classic blues tune “Bags’ Groove”. Each soloist sang out into the audience, welcoming them into the dazzling conclusion of an extraordinary collaboration.
Realising a Dream was performed at UKARIA Cultural Centre on September 7 as part of the James Morrison-curated series Collaboration, which comprised a series of concerts across the weekend.
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