Reviewed Saturday 19th July 2014
At the end of each day of the Festival the Space Theatre, set out in cabaret style, became a nightclub for various styles of guitar music. Saturday was the turn of jazz and featured three guitarists: James Muller, Christopher Hale, and Ben Hauptmann. They were joined by drummer, Ben Vanderwal, and vocalist, Gian Slater.
The late night sessions are a little less formal than the daytime concerts, with the bar outside open for service and the audience permitted to slip out and back in order to get a glass refilled, although the wise took in a bottle to last the whole session and relax for the evening.
Ben Hauptmann and James Muller alternate as lead and rhythm guitarists with most of the music written by Hauptmann, who was most often playing lead. The focus was primarily on the jazz rock feel. Having two such excellent guitarists on the stage together was a great idea and a source of pleasure for the jazz loving audience who couldn't get enough of them. But what of the third guitarist?
The odd one out in the three guitarists is Christopher Hale, who plays bass guitar, but not the normal four stringed bass, or even the occasionally seen five stringed bass. No, Hale plays a six string bass guitar! He does not, though, play it like most bass guitarists, with the thumb resting on top of the pickup and plucking individual strings with the first two fingers. He treats it more like a cross between a bass, lead guitar, and rhythm guitar, all in one.
For some reason, vocalist, Gian Slater, took centre stage, and stayed there, even though she only added her wordless vocals from time to time in each number. Why she did not move aside when not singing is inexplicable, but she effectively blocked the view of drummer, Ben Vanderwal, particularly annoying as my guest and I are both jazz drummers.
Duke Ellington made a feature of the wordless vocal on
Creole Love Call from 1927, which featured the singer,
Adelaide Hall, recorded again in 1944 with Kay Davis. The Duke used the human voice like another instrumental colour. As a once in a while addition to a tune that really suits it, the wordless vocal can be effective but, when used in every number, it becomes rather tedious.
Ben Vanderwal is a very skilled drummer and he drives along the high powered numbers, as well as underpinning the ballads. He is a highly respected musician, and for good reason. Together, these musicians created an exciting and captivating performance, providing a great way to end a day at the Festival.
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