Saxophonist Andrew Brooks is the humble, quietly spoken driving-force behind Melbourne jazz boundary-riders, _motion (not a typo). Which isn't to say its other members aren't spectacularly good, in their highly individual ways. He not only blows beautifully, but blows himself breathless. Berish Bilander is a subtle and sensitive pianist. Nick Abbey, the usual bassist, had taken ill; he better watch out, 'cause his fill-in fitted in perfectly. Hugh Harvey is an explosive, supremely confident, attention-getting drummer. As a combo, they share a passion for unorthodoxy. More power to them.I was alerted to their existence only very recently, thanks to the irrepressible Perth-based impresario and rocket-powered arranger, Mace Francis. I caught 'em at a not-that-secret gig atop an apparently disused ragtrade premises that doubles as a gallery, in a narrow Surry Hills backstreet. Aren't they all? I think it's already been running at least a couple of years. My friends and I were again reflecting how much better these underground venues are than the, ahem, 'real' ones. More comfort (you'd be surprised how snug a stripey Hardly Normalesque three-seater can be, given enough cabernet merlot). A laidback, communal vibe. And byo. But I can't tell you precisely where it is. Sworn to secrecy. Ask or look around: the discovery is half the fun. Suffice to say proceedings get underway about 7.30 on a Sunday, for a miserly tenner.
_motion (it's going to get tedious typing that; technology has made me so lazy) is part of listen/hear collective, which does a most excellent job of describing itself. 'The Listen/Hear Collective exists to provide a home for performers and composers whose music refuses to be defined by the expectations of a single genre. We see ourselves less like a record label and more like a creative network, supporting individual expression, while at the same time encouraging collaborations that cross styles and artforms, as well as continents. We bring together openminded, stylistically-diverse musicians, producers and technicians from around Australia and the world, to create music that is eclectic yet accessible, personal yet communal and, above all, unique.' So far, listen/hear is comprised of three outfits: _motion, the aforementioned Mace Francis and his incredible orchestra, which is a kind of bent big band, and Johannes Luebbers Dectet.
_motion sounded brilliant just doing a soundcheck and warmup. They kicked-off with 'Here. Now', I think. (My party arrived early-on and we were already well-and-truly into the cabernet.) The track comes from their debut album, Presence. It opens in a mellow and meditative mood, with Brooks supple, post-classical saxophone stylings sensitively supported by his cohorts. Harvey is constantly & bravely busy, but it works, amounting to a tickling, tinkling percussive cacophony, which flowers to reveal yet more of Brooks artistry, with Bilanders ivory mastery billowing below. It's blindingly beautiful. Music to shed tears. Or mend a broken heart. Soothing. Healing. Enduring. With no wearout factor (and I should know, as I've been moved enough to listen to its recorded counterpart again and again). New agers will approve. As, I think, will classicists and jazzheads. Composing a track likely to appeal to both conservatives and radicals is not to be sneezed at. It flows and ebbs like the tide. Comely indeed.
Brooks opening gambit on 'Pendulum', by contrast bends in an entirely different direction, with the band swelling ominously, with the kind of dark Damoclean threat as much Metallica as _motion. But it's at this early point that I 'get' the name, such is their fluidity and dynamism. Pendulum swings into a kind of jazz grunge I've not heard before, the velvety smoothness of Brooks sax challenged by gritty percussion and some hard and heavy electric piano chords. It's nothing less than exciting.
'I heard it before' delves again into melancholia, but with a romantic tinge. Harvey drives it, at speed, with deft cymbal and snare work, underpinned by (on the night) Abel Cross' bass, in tension with the more languid feel put out there by Bilanders and Brooksy, who doesn't give much (if anything) away to the likes of say, Mr Marsalis. Bilanders originality, too, shines. Again, this track urges itself on, taking flight gradually; more your majestic sea-eagle than slingshot Lear jet.
'Presence' sets off apace from the get-go, with all players in perfect harmony. Bilanders jumps around the keys with a riff that has one foot in the new, experimental and avant-garde and another that resonates with rock. But to analyse it too much takes away from its sheer, toe-tapping rhythmic appeal and melodic pleasures. It all sounds so easy and effortless. Yet these guys are so taut, tight, together and terrific, they sound like they've been playing together for lifetime. Maybe these young men are all old souls.
Here endeth the first set, which was so giving, so supple, so sensuous, fragrant and soulful, it's as if we've been served an exquisite degustation, by musical masterchefs.
Much of the second set, as I recall, was so hot off the press it isn't on the new album even though it's only been 'round a matter of weeks. Like the pieces themeselves, these musos obviously aren't in the habit of standing still. _motion by name, in motion by nature. So, unless you catch them live, you'll have to wait some time to hear 'Liberty stole my shoes', 'Little Things' & 'Fallen Tree'. Suffice to say, each of these are new platforms for distinguishing the distinctive styles of each individual in the quartet, since each is an engaging and charismatic soloist, as well as underscoring the cohesive collective sonority of _motion.
The concert ended with 'Circle', another work of halting beauty, sporting a rumbling backdrop of toms, the spaces in between delicately filled by Bilanders and a rich tone from Cross, with Brooks warm and wonderful timbre the airborne star.
_motion has an ambience all its own, yet transcends the merely ambient (since that term is so often applied to bland, vanilla, soporific keyboardem). Better yet, their compositions allow plenty of room for impro and they seem determined to continually strive to push themselves to the very fringe of their comfort zones. What could be more thrilling than sitting in a big, cosy couch, on the edge of a precipice? Go see 'em. And hear for yourself. I bet you'll second my _motion.
_motion
SYDNEY
Venue: 505 | 280 Cleveland St, Surry Hills
Date: Monday 28 June, 2010
Time: 8:30pm. Doors open 7:30pm
Tickets: $10
Website: venue505.com
Under 18's must be accompanied by a responsible adult
MELBOURNE
Venue: Bennetts Lane | 25 Bennetts Lane, Melbourne
Date/Time: Sun, Jul 4th, 2010, @8:30pm
Tickets: $15/10 concession
Bookings: www.bennettslane.com
