Arts Projects Australia. Botanic Park. 7 Mar 2015
Most people recognise this month as ‘Mad March’. It has certainly been the case for me, though not for the obvious festival reasons; rather than seeing shows, like the rest of Adelaide, I’ve been off travelling around the northern hemisphere for work! Having left the day after Soundwave, it was fitting that I return in time for WOMADelaide! Unfortunately, my flight got in too late for Friday’s festivities, but I did make it back in time to kick off my WOMAD on Saturday, which also marks my tenth anniversary at the festival!
Since I’d missed Friday, I decided to do a bit of catch-up by seeing as many acts as I could. Chopping and changing between stages is quite a bit of fun. First cab off the rank is the Tijntu Desert Band, hailing form Ikuntji a few hundred kilometres from Alice. These guys are on fire, really rousing up the afternoon crowd, and playing a bunch of bluesy, funky and reggae tinged tunes, singing in the band’s native tongue, Lurtija. Definitely an impressive set!
I swing around to stage three and catch the end of Hi-Tops Brass Band Featuring Shazza T. These guys also worked the crowd into a frenzy, and with only brass (sax being an honorary brass!) and drums, they have a truly massive sound! Visiting from Sydney, they are masters of their craft, with my only criticism being Shazza T, the singer’s, incessant use of auto tune. I’m really not a fan of the funnelled, tinny electronic induced so-called assistance device. Its presence started to grate a little, tarnishing what is otherwise a great act.
Starting to get a little peckish (lets blame it on the jet lag) I figured a bit of Taste The World was in order, especially since Spanish/Colombian/Argentinean act Che Sudaka was in the kitchen. On my way, I caught a couple of tunes from Spain’s Depedro, and was duly impressed. Looking forward to seeing more of him tomorrow!
At the Taste The World tent, is a band who fuses different sounds from different countries, so it isn’t so surprising to find that they were cooking a Thai curry with some subtle Latin influences. These guys are great, and do an entertaining session, including playing a few tunes. I only wish the Argentineans had shared the maté with me!
It is a bit of a trek back to stage three to see South Korea’s Jambinai, but well worth it. Another fusion set, bringing together elements of traditional Korean music with traditional instruments; the oboe-like piri, stringed haegum and zither-like gomungo, mixed in with hardcore metal. This group would fit equally well in at Soundwave. It is a great mix, and my mind is blown; traditional sounds with head-banging, amazing!
Maximising my exercise time after my flights, next on my schedule was Ramzi Aburedwan & Ensemble Dal’Ouna over on the Zoo stage. I caught a couple of tunes from Bolivia’s Andean Quechua songstress Luzmila Carpio too, and will definitely catch a bit more tomorrow. Ramzi and his ensemble are from Palestine, and put on a fantastic show, playing traditional music of the orient, with a variety of pieces that really speak to you - whether they had lyrics or not. Sitting under the trees around the stage, you can just close your eyes and let Ramzi and co take you on a journey. Fantastic!
Keeping with the sitting mood, I head back to stage three for a bit of sit-down jazz with Abdullah Ibrahim Quartet, from South Africa; definitely some fine playing and an interesting mix of styles freely flowing through the essence of jazz.
No more sitting down though - It is time to exercise the ‘D’ in ‘WOMAD’ with plenty of dancing!
Israeli-US act Balkan Beat Box is up on stage one, and they certainly know how to get a party started! It is fairly tight-packed near the front, but the party is going off! With a mix of Oriental, Mediterranean and Balkan sounds, all envisioned through modern eyes with hints of electronica, there is no way you can sit still! The music is fantastic, and the energy overflowing. Just about everyone in front of the stage is up and jumping for the majority of the set! My jet-lagged blood is certainly pumping, and it’s safe to say these guys certainly raise the bar.
I am proper-hungry by now, so armed (or should that be stomached?) with a curry, I head to stage two for some Brazilian party time with Flavia Coelho. She has big hair and a big heart too, with her music combining a bunch of Brazilian styles with hints of reggae, Afro-beat and funk thrown in for good measure. And of course, you just have to dance!
Next, I arrive at the Zoo stage, a little surprised to find everyone sitting, since Italy’s Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino promises a rousing show. I was even more surprised at the rude cow behind me, complaining at her obscured view after I sat to the side of her… WOMAD crowds do seem to be losing a little of their hippie tolerance. And in any case, the old cow’s comments were irrelevant, since as soon as Canzoniere took to the stage, everyone took to their feet! And rightly so! These guys are all-acoustic, and definitely all-sensational! With an array of interesting instruments, including a Mediterranean take on bag pipes, a bouzouki, violin, accordion, a whole host of drums and a bunch of others, they put on a fantastic performance! There is music stretching across the Classical world, and the band knows their craft well. It was excellent to see them in the intimacy of the Zoo stage!
A little more from Brazil is up next in the form of Criolo, an act that sees hip hop entwined with soulful Brazilian grooves. Needless to say, plenty of dancing ensues, and a relaxed crowd makes it easy to get into the groove and dance well into the night! A mix of toasting, rapping, and smooth vox, accompanied by electronic and acoustic instruments made these guys a perfect party band, and party we do! It is high-energy from start to finish, and I do not see one dissatisfied face in the crowd!
A finale should always be grand, and with Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club taking to, and closing, the main stage for this evening’s proceedings, a grand finale it is! The Orquesta comprises the originals and the greats from the documentary, which is now 16 years old, including Guajiro Mirabal, Aguaje Ramos, Barbarito Torres, and the amazing Omara Portuondo, joined by a full band of Cuban music maestros to bring all the tunes we know and love from the documentary and more.
Seeing these guys is definitely a special WOMADelaide moment, and I’m rather pleased to be a part of it. The music is spot on, ranging from son to guajira to boleros, the dancing is wild, and the atmosphere electric! There isn’t a whole lot of room to salsa, but the crowd are loving it just the same! The massive 90 minute set, including encore, is fantastic from start to finish, and this is indeed a perfect way to end a fantastic day!
Now, to some rest before tomorrow…
Luke Balzan
When: 6 to 9 Mar
Where: Botanic Park
Bookings: womadelaide.com.au
Photography by Aaron Vinall
Arts Projects Australia. Botanic Park. 6 Mar 2015
As one walks with purpose down to Botanic Park, through the cool, crisp Friday night air drifts the sounds you have been waiting for: drums, brass, roars of appreciation. Yes, it is unmistakably the start of Womadelaide weekend.
The familiar layout invites you in and the music spurs you on. Wandering towards the first act on your schedule, the noise and colour of Artonik's The Colour of Time completely engages and all plans are forgotten. With booming sounds and clouds like a powdered rainbow, you are drawn to follow the cheering, laughing, dancing parade as it follows the moving speakers, powered by The Colour of Time team. They lead the revellers towards a cat walk in front of the Healing Village. The crowd spreads and grows as it goes, swallowing up onlookers and those in its way. It is building to its crescendo: an explosion of sound, dance and giant plumes of colour. Inspired by Indian Holi Festival, a celebration of the victory of good over evil, it is a wonderful concept.
After this unexpected dance party, one seeks a break and decides to indulge in one of the best parts of opening night: exploring the new food and product stalls on offer in the Global Village. Many old favourites are present, Byron Bay Doughnuts, Beyond India and All Fired Up Pizzas, but there is also 15 news food stands to try. Sukhumvit Soi 38 immediately catches the eye with well-priced thai street food. Vegetarian larb is not easy to come by, so their tofu offering is an immediate winner. Some of the newer stalls are definitely challenging the price limit - $20 for a meal likely eaten standing up with plastic fork is a stretch, but for those with cash to splash, it's worth a try.
With a full belly, one’s original intention is forefront in the mind; time to check out some music!
Eager not to miss one of the highlights of this year's festival, it's back to centre stage to see Bueno Vista Sessions. Friday night's performance is a stripped back version of the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club (minus the orchestra). Touring for the final time, these stalwarts of the Latin music scene bring streams of festival goers and don't disappoint. The ever popular style is at its best with these masters whose Cuban soul is still sultry and effortlessly cool. Omara Portuondo blows the audience away with her energy and vocals; at 85, she reminds us all that age is no barrier to getting your cha-cha on.
Sharon Van Etten follows on Stage 3, and her mellow and bluesy pop rock brings you back to earth, and to yourself. The moody, hypnotic sound draws the audience closer: all eyes are fixed on the unstated figure clad in black. Deep bass and echoing vocals drift out from the stage and settle over the crowd like a warm blanket. Van Etten is a perfect contrast.
As the night progresses, the crowds ebb and make their way to the exits, keen not to completely exhaust their reserves on the first night and eager for the new experiences to be explored over the next three days.
Nicole Russo
When: 6 to 9 Mar
Where: Botanic Park
Bookings: womadelaide.com.au
Photography by Aaron Vinall
Adelaide Festival. Gavin Bryars. Studio 520, ABC Collinswood Centre. 27 Feb 2015
Marilyn Forever is a chamber opera, which means it is ‘small’ in its execution and composer Gavin Bryars proposes it therefore has the “…possibility of more frequent performance...” and is more “…intimate and confined”.
Marilyn Forever is about Marilyn Monroe and is a poetic exploration of the day Marilyn died. It delves into the prominence of men in her all-too short life.
Production director Joel Ivany sets the action in front of a large curving white backdrop that gently arcs its way to the floor and forms the acting surface as well. This works a treat, and simple props become prominent under the well-executed moody lighting.
A jazz trio (with the composer himself on bass) takes stage right, and an eight-piece ensemble fabulously conducted by Bill Linwood provides the main musical backing from stage left.
So, the stage is set.
Anne Grimm as Marilyn wears ‘that’ white dress – which we routinely associate with Monroe – throughout the non-stop 90 minute performance. At times she blends in with the set and appears almost ethereal, which works well with the frequent suggestions of her alcoholic and prescription-pill induced haze. Baritone Richard Morris, who plays a selection of the men in Marilyn’s life, looks stark by contrast in his black suiting, as do supporting singers tenor Adam Goodburn and bass Nicholas Cannon who play the remaining two members of the cast.
At times the music is absorbing, and the occasional improvised solos from the jazz trio, especially from saxophonist Julien Wilson, are decidedly enervating. The orchestration is at times inspired in its use of woodwind and minimalist development of harmony and melody, which is a hallmark of Bryars’ compositions. However, the sung melody line borders on monotony. It almost has a drone quality and lacks vocal colour. Monotone was a word that was uttered all too frequently by the audience as they left at the conclusion of the performance. That said, Grimm was excellent as Marilyn, and Morris was commanding.
The performance begins in a broodingly ominous way as it brought slowly into focus and light a sheet-draped image of a Marilyn reclining in her bed. It concludes with the fading of lights and loss of focus and these images will linger on in the minds of the audience for all the right reasons, but the vocal score will not.
Kym Clayton
When: 27 Feb to 1 Mar
Where: Studio 520, ABC Collinswood Centre
Bookings: bass.net.au
Crooning with Michael Coumi. Holden Street Theatres. 28 Feb 2015
Clearly there were high expectations of Michael Coumi for his Fringe show of old-fashioned crooning.
People were shoehorned up to the rafters for the opening performance.
Coumi did not disappoint.
The lanky actor, familiar to Adelaide audiences for his fine work in amateur theatre and musicals, had honed up a lounge act which was so slick and endearing that, well, his audience simply did not want to go home. Long after the show was clearly over, they sat clapping and craving more.
Looking very dashing in formal black and starched white and complete with cummerbund, Coumi had swung them through a series of the great old pop songs of yore: old Frank Sinatra numbers, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jnr…
They whooped approval.
He linked the songs with tight, well-wrought patter - funny anecdotes about his Greek background, his happy love life and he even threw in some most amusing superstar impersonations.
Not only but also, using every available inch of The Studio’s stage, he did some soft shoe and some tap routines, most notably, Mr Bojangles, which he presented as a beautiful little salon piece of itself. Its pathos and his theatrical flair with it will stay in audience memory. It was quite special.
For this achievement he gave credit to his choreographer, Adelaide’s stellar veteran music hall artiste, Phyl Skinner, who is still dancing, choreographing and entertaining at 92. Skinner had teamed up with director, Peter Goers in throwing expertise behind Michael Coumi, obviously in the recognition that this 27-year-old has star quality worth polishing.
Hence this gem of a show.
Despite his youth, Coumi has all the moves of the seasoned lounge act, all seemingly easy and natural. He connects with the audience, emanating his good nature. He does not have the greatest vocal range in the world, but he knows just where to take it with confidence and style.
“Style” is a good word for him, old-fashioned style in a stylish, old-fashioned show. This show has legs and, if there is still a club circuit to do, he should be on it. But not without his band, Breezin’. They’re a class act, too. The four young musicians supported and complemented their soloist with creamy professionalism .They have a winning presence of their own and are an Adelaide band to watch out for.
Coumi is touting this show as the one to which Fringe-goers can take their mothers and grandmothers but, funnily enough, what is old is new again and this fine little show has something for everyone.
Samela Harris
When: 28 Feb to 15 Mar
Where: Holden Street Theatres Studio
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
Laughing Stock and Shortwalk. The Garden of Unearthly Delights - The Factory. 24 Feb 2015
I could wax lyrical about the structure of the music, and how there have been significant attempts to ‘freshen’ it by giving it orchestral makeovers, but I shan’t.
Everyone knows the music and dare I say, loves it, but this performance is not just a musical feast, it is also a visual tour de force and should not be missed.
Picture two musicians (Daniel Holdsworth and Aidan Roberts, both Aussies by the way) on stage with four electronic keyboards, samplers, loop pedals, a mix of six or seven eclectic and acoustic guitars at various tunings, a mandolin, drum kits, glockenspiel, mouth whistles, their own voices, and, you guessed it, tubular bells.
The instruments are carefully and strategically located around the stage and Holdsworth and Roberts move swiftly between them with awesome dexterity as they recreate Mike Oldfield’s iconic score with the occasional minor improvisation as it takes their mood!
It is enthralling to watch as much as it is to hear. It is a breath of sweet air to witness two very accomplished modern musicians playing a substantial through-composed piece of contemporary music rather than a collection of three-minute sound grabs of uninspiring popular tunes.
Their musicality is only eclipsed by their exhausting athleticism. This is remarkable stuff.
Over many years of Fringe-ing, I cannot recall a show where an entire audience (of amazing diversity) rose simultaneously to its feet and erupted into a wolf-whistling standing ovation that lasted fully three minutes.
This is compulsory viewing, and sales are heavy. Buy a ticket if you can.
Kym Clayton
When: 13 Feb to 15 Mar
Where: The Factory, Garden of Unearthly Delights
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au