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| Marie Wilson, Dave McRae, Sandie White, Craig Scott, Joy Yates, Laurie Bennett |
The Austrian Australian Club. Mawson. 5th
April 2019
Reviewed by Bill Stephens
Eric Ajaye’s jazz venue, The Jazz Haus, hosted a
masterclass in classic jazz singing when three veteran female jazz singers
presented a stylish evening of the songs by Duke Ellington and his associate,
Billy Strayhorn.
Marie Wilson, Joy Yates and Sandie White have each
sustained long singing careers both in Australia and overseas, and although
their voices may have lost some of the bloom of their earlier years, their
interpretations of their chosen repertoire, in this case, the music of Duke
Ellington, glowed with the special artistry achieved from a lifetime spent
perfecting their techniques.
Their presentations were notable for the respect with
which they interpreted the songs, honouring the intent of the composers with
impeccable phrasing in their interpretation of the lyrics. This respect was
also extended to their audience, with concise, well thought-out introductions to the songs, and to the three
consummate musicians who accompanied them, Dave McRae (Keyboards), Craig Scott
(Double Bass) and Laurie Bennett (Drums).
The program commenced with a bouncy opening song to
introduce the singers and musicians, after which, each of the singers presented
two solo brackets, changing costume for each appearance.
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| Sandie White - Dave McRae, Craig Scott, Laurie Bennett |
Sandie White commenced her professional 60 year career
singing at the Australia Hotel, and has
sung all over the world with such luminaries as Ray Ellington, Ike Isaacs, and Lionel Hampton. She’s headlined at Ronnie
Scotts in London, and in Australia at the Don Burrows Supper Club, the Brisbane
Jazz Club and the Basement on the Gold Coast. She’s a mistress of scat singing,
which she demonstrated in her upbeat version of “Drop Me Off In Harlem”. She
followed this with a lovely rendition of “It Shouldn’t Happen to a Dream” and
completed her set with Billy Strayhorn’s gentle “Day Dream”. Her second set commenced with an up-tempo
rendition of “I Let a Song Go Out of My
Heart”, followed by a pensive song introduced by Peggy Lee in 1935, “”All Too Soon”, and the
cheeky “I’m Checking Out, Goodbye”.
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| Joy Yates with Dave McRae and Laurie Bennett |
Born in New Zealand,
Joy Yates ,whose 50+ year career has also taken her all over the world
sharing stages with the likes of Neil Sedaka, Cliff Richards, Cat Stevens,
Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Cleo Lane and Art Blakey, just to name a few, lit up
the stage with swinging rendition of “In A Mellow Tone”, which she followed
with a beautifully phrased “Prelude to a Kiss” and an up-beat “Perdido” which
highlighted the drum skills of Laurie Bennett.
Her second set featured a stunning arrangement of
“Caravan”, an impeccably phrased, “In a Sentimental Mood”, a bouncy “Jump For
Joy” and a soulful “I’ve Got it Bad and That Ain’t Good”.
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| Marie Wilson with Dave McCrae, Craig Scott and Laurie Bennett |
Marie Wilson was born in Calcutta and migrated to
Australia in the early 1960’s. She’s also toured internationally and in
Australia soon established herself as a leading jazz performer appearing with
such greats as Don Burrows, James Morrison, Kevin Hunt and Bob Barnard. She
commenced her set with a swinging “Satin Doll”, followed by a sublime rendition
of “Sophisticated Lady”, then an upbeat, “Do Nothing Till You Hear From
Me”. Her second set commenced with “I’m
Beginning To See the Light”, for which Craig Scott delighted by bowing some
clever improvisations on his double bass. She poured her heart and soul into
the lyrics of Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life”, for which Dave McRae and the trio
provided an equally lush accompaniement, then finished with a superb reading
of Ellington’s “Come Sunday”.
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| Eric Ajaye |
One got the impression that these musicians could have
gone on all night, and indeed the audience were reluctant to let them go, but
host, Eric Ajaye managed to wind up the performance with an elegant few words
expressing the appreciation of all who were lucky enough to enjoy this
memorable evening of superlative jazz.
