Above: James Morrison played jazz trumpet, trombone, tenor saxophone, piano and flugelhorn at this event. Photo credit : Jacquie Manning.
Two absolute living musical treasures collaborated at this magical treat of an event for one night only at the outdoor Speakers Corner venue. William Barton and James Morrison joined Morrison’s salubrious quartet in repertoire which included music writen for didjeridu with trumpet, jazz standards and even rearrangements of Barton’s traditional language songs for the event ensemble.
The meeting of musics was very magical, especially as it reflected the phiolosophies of remembering and togetherness as well as sharing in order to transform the opposites into a new greater whole. These goals were successfully realised as evidenced in the amazing exchange of wind instrument timbre and performance effects on the engaging, welcoming Speakers Corner stage.
The use of diversely contrasting First Nations and jazz lineage gestures to choreograph new movement was consistently special. Scored plus improvised dialogue worked timelessly on stage by the two greats in a gorgeously candid and heartfelt discussion. Morrison’s anecdotes and explanations of the set’s each new jazz or jazz/ didjeridu combination were full of humour, integrity and informed analysis. These interludes were a gift to the keen crowd assembled and heightened the venue and the event’s incredible intimacy as well as the rewards in store during each item in the set.
Above : James Morrison was the master of five instruments as well as the MC microphone at this event for some quality discussion and descriotion of this collaboration. Photo credit: Jacquie Manning.
Morrison’s multi-instrumentalist smorgasboard for our Festival-hungry ears was truly impressive, especially a phenomenal effort on keys for a special version of Duke Ellington’s theme song for his shows, Take the A-Train.
William Barton not only presented us memorable manipulation of the standard didjeridu technique, to include voicing, utterances, patterning and accentuation to mirror Morrison and quartet’s jazz inflection and intricacy.
The closeness achieved on Barton’s didjeridu to the improvisation and organic development of melody or harmony in the jazz groove was very exciting, especially as the identity and base ingredients of his voice, language and timbral pallete remained true, enduring and engaging.
Communication and cultural exchange had no chance of bordering on the trite, token , terribly pretentious and perhaps even patronising in fitting the ‘other’ into an established environment. No effort was one-sided here as can sometimes be the unfortunate case in any ambitious meeting of very established musical worlds.
Above : The James Morrison Quartet supplied a rich tapestry of foundation for each collaboration and soundscape created. Solos were exciting on acoustic bass, drums and guitars (above). Photo credit : Jacquie Manning.
The big, bold statements from both William Barton and James Morrison were drenched in a complexity which derived from respectful and acute listening. Also the musical skill from creating instant mood from blended backgrounds in exchanges within both scored music or elaboration was incrediblely flexible and fluid. These moments made use of a plethora of established, shared and new joint experimentation.
This extended extemporisation and the building of new songlines in an inimitable new hue was perfect Festival fare, and was very enthusiastically received. The shifts in instrumentation from Morrison was also supported in William Barton’s comfort in a chameleon-like and rapid shift in styles.
Barton cleverly undertook a humble but accomplished fragmentation of traditional jazz idioms, structure and verve to re-invent it in his own wind intrument virtuosity and create a new cultural experience in an instant to already reverberate as if it has been the practice for some time already.
This was an evening of stunning instrumental accomplishment as well as blindingly good cultural give-and-take. A solid new music was created with each piece and every solo within it to heal our pasts and present. This Festival opportunity helped the musicians and audience alike look to the future, trialling ways to sing together and contribute separately with dignity, individuality and understanding.