“By a Thread” Paul Williamson CD launch at Bennetts Lane

It clearly was going to be a special night… as we walked in to the Jazz Lab at Bennetts Lane we were met with a circle of trumpeters occupying the middle of the room.  And not just any trumpeters, but around a third of the finest of that sub-species in Melbourne, sharing their own trumpeter-jokes in their own trumpeter-speak.  For a while this was the act, as other parts of the human race watched on.

The trumpeters (and the rest of us) were there for the CD launch of Paul Williamson’s “By a Thread”, with the other band members including Geoff Hughes on Guitar, and the young James McLean on Drums.

These are musician’s musicians, playing musician’s music.  The strengths of their unconventional and demanding configuration (Trumpet, Guitar and Drums Trio) soon became apparent.  They are able to control space as a group, as they develop themes and ideas together, at the same time providing us with exciting interplays and ideas at a more micro, individual, virtuoso level.

They can do this through the mastery of their instruments.  For Geoff Hughes, ideas appear to flow directly through to his instrument, while he maintains a compositional structure which holds the pieces together.  He plays with great innovation, range and tone control, from chordal solos, fast lines, and sometimes ambient use of effects and loops.  The bottom string is played an octave down, through the effects, allowing Geoff to provide the rhythm section where required.Paul’s trumpet playing demonstrates his songwriter’s skills, with sometimes beautiful, sometimes passionate, occasionally jarring solos, all the time with great voice-like tone shape and colour.  James McLean at 19 not only keeps up, but is a major contributor.  His style is expressive, relaxed and lyrical, with great dynamics.  As a collective, these skills and virtuosity gives them great range and flexibility.  They develop sparse and beautiful lyrical themes, which then can become pulsing, discordant, or ‘cooking’  at will.

The CD and the live performance are quite a different experience, with the CD providing the more accessible, structured listen.  The live performance is spontaneous, as themes are developed at greater length, with the more out-there ideas development.  Perhaps unusually for experimental music, the CD can be played over and over… and that will get you closer to the trumpet-speaking inner circle.

Links

Bennetts Lane

Paul Williamson

Geoff Hughes