bernie mcgann quartet

i'd left the decision to go this show very late in the day
so had a feeling i would miss the start and maybe not get a ticket
my first fear was confirmed as i arrived at the door to hear them underway
but no problem with the ticket - walked in to a near empty venue
i took a seat of choice a row or so back from the stage
my thoughts were immediately with the lack of audience
what is it with this city of 4 million plus people
that only about 30 of us can be bothered
to be entertained by one of the living legends of australian music
bernie mcgann plays his saxophone like he was born with it
his age, experience and talent takes his music up a level
beyond technical excellence to that soul kind of feeling
warwick adler on trumpet is his musical equal
they have obviously played together many, many times
again it has to be more than amazing musical talent
that means they can come in, harmonise, and finish tunes
note and beat perfect repeatedly without the aid of sheet music
the other big drawcard for me tonight was the rhythm section
james waples on drums is surely headed for legend status himself
i've seen him on quite a few occassions lately
in outfits that have allowed him space to be totally inventive
tonight he assumed the required role of a more conservative contributor
but within that still provided a huge array of beats and sounds
this man is such a dedicated musician he tunes his instrument between sets
he probably does not even realise it but that in itself is a performance
tonight he was doing this as inobtrusively as possible
but did so while a fairly sparse bit of solo sax was being quietly broadcast
meaning the between set music became a very spontaneous creation - thanks james
brother ben on double bass is also one i have a lot of admiration for
which started several years ago when i first encountered his regular band
tonight he also had the opportunity to play more conservatively
which for him meant he could be a lot more rhythmical than usual
he very much confirmed that he is up there with the best
so tonight's quartet is capable of providing a great noise
and they did - probably 8 or so long tunes over the course of the evening
all totally captivating and played with great skill and feeling
a new tune titled all care and no responsibility was introduced by mr mcgann
...which means we can f*#k it up was the quiet retort from warwick adler
but no chance of that as the brass section again played as though singing
and the rhythm section carried the tune like a train on a track
there were mistakes and awkward moments during this new tune
mostly to do with throwing control from solo mode back to band mode
but that to me adds to the live experience with this style of music
especially when the moment is handled with grace and good humour on stage
the final tune of the night was a eastern tinged number
written by a bernie mcgann compatriot from his days in new york
it struck me as being quite a complex but very satisfying piece
as was the entire nights set of tunes
shame more people weren't there to witness it
an excellent quartet