Review: 48 fugues for Frank

The distinguished Australian pianist Michael Kieran Harvey has produced a powerful and virtuosic tribute to Frank Zappa. Harvey has created a suite that establishes him as an emerging composer of piano music.

Phil Treloar’s ‘Recollections’ series

Phil Treloar has contributed to past issues of extempore and his work can also be found on the Kimnara website. When we asked Phil if he’d like to contribute to our Top 5 | 2010 highlights, he instead sent us five new pieces from his Recollections series…

Recollections Ten- David Tolley – Phil Treloar: Reunion

After playing some we retired to the kitchen, a cup of tea, another long rave, and finally off to sleep.The following day, Saturday September 4, we played for hours. Our musical communication, as with our verbal communication too, showed absolutely no signs of having drifted apart over the intervening years, as many as these were.

Recollections Nine – Julien Wilson & Phil Rex, Masters Without Pretense

The Melbourne weather may have been cold but my spirit was made as warm as toast by these two remarkable musicians and their music-making. I await with patient anticipation, our next opportunity to play.

Recollections Eight – Sylvio Gualda: forever in my thoughts

Most musically interested people who have but glanced in the direction of Western contemporary composed/notated music will have encountered the name, Sylvio Gualda.

Recollections Seven – This is Dripping: The Drip Hards

The overwhelming aesthetic is eclectic though this style-laden environment is anything but imitative other than when tongue-in-cheek, and in this some humor is brought to bear. This imaginative trio explores a clearly etched ethos; one I perceive of as trajectories within trajectories; a process of creating layered textures.

Recollections Six – Miles, Ornette, Cecil: Jazz Beyond Jazz

Subjects on whom Howard Mandel might have chosen to write could have been drawn from a wide range of outstanding American improvising musicians. Why he chose Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, and Cecil Taylor seems to be uncomplicated: he’s utterly passionate about them.

Eric Pozza’s 2010 Top 5

It’s an interesting task to collect my five most significant jazz experiences of 2010. I can revisit my memories easily enough through my blog (CanberraJazz.net), […] Read More