On the last Saturday night before Christmas, James Morrison and his band enticed us into a merry festive mood with Christmas Carols and other favourite Jazz numbers at the Mundaring Weir Hotel.
Warren, Lisa and I met up with friends and made plans to meet again during the holidays. A good bottle of red to go with the pizza, salad bowl and squid made for a very pleasant meal while the sun gently faded behind the trees. James Morrison is a great favourite at the MWH but the threat of rain had kept away many, which was their loss. His own virtuosity with a wide range of instruments makes him a compelling showman as well as musician and his band all displayed their own special talents.
Emma Pask was only sixteen when she first began performing with James and they have a great rapport. She sings samba like a South American and he plays like one, too. A standout instrumental performance was “Autumn Leaves” – with James’ inimitable variations on a theme that never got lost amidst the improvisations. Many favourite Christmas Carols were rendered with a timing that was both impeccable and improbable for anyone else to carry off.
Dane Alderson on bass guitar sent shivers down your spine with his penetrating clarity in the twilight air; Troy Roberts, on tenor sax, featured as a soloist as well as backing up James’ trumpet and slide trombone. That segment lead to some (not) too witty repartee between James and Emma Pask on whether the resultant moisture on the trombone, once he starts playing, was genuinely spit or just condensation in the cool Mundaring air. I didn’t get to remember the names of the other musicians, I am sorry to say. Some great photos have been posted at Flkr, too http://is.gd/eRe3
The drummer may have been Andrew Fisenden and Matthew Jodrall may have been on trumpet, because these four players are from a group of young musicians from Perth, Western Australia and all feature brilliantly on a brand new DVD just released called “On The Edge”, recording with their high energy, creative approach. James Muller, I think, made up the fifth for the lineup on the night.
James Morrison is only 43 and his career is both long and distinguished, because, according to his website, he began playing at seven, formed his first band at nine and was a professional musician at thirteen.
For me, the highlight of the evening was their rendition of Silent Night. I was standing against the rail on the first floor and looking down into the music shell as a family of ducks made their way into the pool and quietly paddled out to get their own “best seats” view.
Vocalist Emma Pask has a fabulous voice for jazz. With her bright red Christmas shoes and wrapped in a shawl against the breezy Mundaring night, she was outstanding in this number. It was so easy, surrounded by the Hills’ bush, to close your eyes and feel the reality of Jesus birth; to see yourself alongside Mary and Joseph, with no room at the Inn. In the rustle of the trees, there was a strong sense of her vulnerability and the urgent need for shelter. Just as the orchestra shell offered respite from the threatening rain, so a sense of the respite offered by the stable was easy to grasp.
At the old Mundaring Weir Hotel, with her beautiful interpretation and the exquisite musicianship of the band, I entered into the words of this Christmas carol as I never have before – so aware that Mary was truly a young woman about to give birth to her first child, far from home and supported only by her husband, Joseph. It was an awesome and moving experience and made this event highly memorable for me. While I might idle away some time over this holiday break, thanks to Warren & Lisa’s surprise gift of a ticket, James and Emma have given me a Christmas present that I will treasure for many years to come.
Lesley Dewar © 2008.t
