Did the Bus Get Back To Altona?

And other irrelevancies. A review of the October 15th Jam Session

Upon reflection, this might have been an ideal week to skip going to the Jam: average weather, the last remnants of the Melbourne Marathon staggering along, and, as ever, no great prospect of much in the way of music to be had.

As it turned out, this was a quiet but satisfying end to a busy week.

Hortense, bless her little cotton socks, probably would have preferred to give it a miss, and possibly did. The gargantuan Madge, last seen taking a bus from Altona and not giving it back, couldn't be bothered to give her sax a polish, and said as much, which was, sadly, misconstrued by Miss H, much to the amusement of all concerned.

Naturally, I digress, and there must be at least three people vaguely interested in the dynamic congruence of jazz, session and jam which is the Victorian Wine Centre on a Sunday arvo..

Well.. alright, maybe two and as you are obviously one of them, it might be worth pointing a finger at...

The guilty parties:

The Good Captain: ran it all with aplomb, played up a storm (see below)

Six singers: Susie back for the first time in over a year, also Lisbeth (Challis Street looms!) , Aneta, Rose, Debbie and Ashley.

Saxophones: Calamatta as mellifluous as ever on Satin Doll,

Bass: Simon, with occasional sit-ins from Dean and Neville. I get the impression that both guitarists play guitar better when they take a set on the bass as well...Simon good all the time.

Guitars: The aforementioned part time bassists, and Samil (San?) welcome back for a second session

Piano : Gentleman John Curtis as studiously elegant as ever on keys

Slappers and Rattlers: Martin C and Mark on drums: both good at ensemble playing - they both have the chops to be pretty flashy, but also the restraint to fit well with singers and soloists

In the audience, Ivan Sultanoff, who didn't play bass, but hopefully will come again. Probably the most experienced musician in the room.

Highlights: Susie scores a mention - it has been a long road back - but the silver goes to the Good Captain (or Col, or Captain Chaos, or the Duracell Kid, you decide) for his take on Estate - and the gold to Aneta, who sang a great set - and showed just how far she has come in two short years...

So - quite a good session in the end? Did Hortense hit or miss? Did the bus get back to Altona?

You'll have to be there to find out - see ya Sunday?

About Melbourne Jazz Jammers Inc.

Some jammers may not be aware that the sessions are auspiced by a registered not for profit association, which also raises funds for, and then runs, the Newport Jazz Festival. The Association membership comprises the Festival Organising Committee. There is no membership fee, but if you would like to join, you will need to offer your services to the Organising Committee. As musical talent is not a prerequisite, almost any of the jammers could do this....