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VARIOUS : TRANSTASMAN COMPILATION: REVIEWS COMPILATION CD's work primarily as surveys: listening maps of a defined musical territory. Even better if the music selections are sufficiently integrated to make an enjoyable whole. Such is the case here with this collection of Kiwi-Aussie jazz, compiled with great care for pacing and placement by pianist Gerard Masters. As the terrain in question is jazz, it's the personality snapshots of the players that provide the contrasting grain from track to track. For example, Masters' use of colour in his piece The Fall of Number 19 is more formal and sparse than Mike Nock's spiral inventions on Strata. Norman Meehan's a similarly understated player but with a stronger leaning towards blues and classic jazz. The cast of musicians is a useful trainspotter's guide to antipodean jazz and includes the more adventurous end of the spectrum with CL Bob, Jeff Henderson and a spiky free improvisation steered by the late Jann Rutherford. Master's
seems less concerned with playing it safe than with making a representative
document. In the process he's also created a very fine CD that will
surely pique curiosity in several rewarding directions.
Respected Sydney-based pianist Mike Nock, who performs the beautifully moody Strata with his trio comprising drummer Toby Hall and bassist Brett Hirst, provides the liner notes, describing the efforts in collating this eclectic mix of tracks as "a true labour of love" - an appropriate tag, given the sacrifices most will have made to establish their reputations. As with most compilations , the changing moods and styles make it difficult for the listener to settle into the album. Groovy opener Norwegian Bush from tenor sax player/composer Roger Manin's Project Shoint blends well enough into Baecastuff's The Essence, featuring the soprano sax of Rick Robertson, and on into highlight The Ambo, from the dexterous Aron Ottigon Trio, but the transition through guitarist Cameron Deyell's solo piece The Knife Fighter leads to more experimental territory. The free-form improvisation of Jeff Henderson's baritone sax in Head on the Tracks and skittering interplay of CL Bob's Shallop, followed later by the similarly improvisational but much darker And a Good Time Was Had by All from the Jann Rutherford Trio, will challenge those who prefer a more traditional approach. But a return
to smoother sounds can be found on tracks such as the funky Bad Babysitter
from the Matthew Ottignon Sextet and Good Friday, a laid-back treasure
from The Norman Meehan Quartet. This tasteful pick 'n' mix is capped
off by the delicate sax/piano duet West Coast Ballad from Gerard Masters
Reuben Derrick. |