The long anticipated opening of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival graced Melbourne’s elegant Hamer Hall, once again, for the 20th time and an appreciative audience filled every seat.
In his opening speech, Festival Director, Michael Tortoni, stated that having the combined talents of artists, Patti Austin, James Morrison and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, to pay tribute to the centenary of Ella Fitzgerald’s birth, was the ideal way to celebrate such an anniversary.
There could certainly be no questioning the talent on that stage. Ella Fitzgerald would have been proud to have Patti Austin, an equally famous icon of the jazz world, representing her, not only with her magnificent voice, but through the words of the songs she had chosen which reflected Fitzgerald’s often tortured and complicated life. Austin’s voice was an absolute delight, as powerful and clearly defined as it must have been when she succeeded at her first audition at The Apollo Theatre in New York six decades ago.
Having been raised in Harlem, Austin had a clear understanding of Fitzgerald’s painful upbringing in the shadow of the Apollo until her first successful audition there, at age 17 in 1934, the first time black people were allowed into the theatre. While Morrison gave us snippets of Louis Armstrong’s background, he made little mention of Armstrong’s stands against segregation and his support for Ella Fitzgerald as a woman as well as an artist. However, he did tell us, before his superb arrangement of an Armstrong favourite, ‘Up a Lazy River’ that the tune had dislodged the Beatles at the top of the charts for 16 weeks.
There is also no comparison for Morrison’s rendition of ‘Basin Street Blues.’ As far as skill and interpretation he was certainly a match, musically, for Austin. However, there is a difference between being a singer or a musician and being a consummate performer and, while Morrison can manage some basic patter to get a laugh, as in ‘Struttin with Some Barbecue’ it really didn’t seem to be enough to match the generous Austin, who gave her heart and soul as well as her deep understanding of her subject. She looked beautiful in two different outfits and Morrison’s remark about his one, over-sized, ill-fitting jacket, not only didn’t bring a laugh but was faintly embarrassing. Sometimes the laid-back, casual Aussie attitude just doesn’t cut it and, on this occasion, I felt it let Austin down.
Unfortunately, the same could be said for the usually wonderful Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Benjamin Northey. From the first blast of ‘Hello Dolly’ to the last ‘Hallellulah,’ the orchestra was pushed to its limits on ‘extra loud,’ almost drowning Austin out on many occasions. While her voice was powerful enough to overcome the volume, it should not have been necessary and it would have been good to hear more of her wonderful scatting demonstration in ‘How High the Moon’ without straining.
Jazz can be presented in many ways from big brass bands to small intimate combos and the Great American Songbook would work with them all in different ways and at different times. For some reason, however, the MSO seemed to have included every musician who’d ever had a yen to play jazz and the result was an oversized orchestra making a bigger than big sound that jarred more than it supported its star.
Thankfully, Northey managed to restrain them at times to allow the audience to hear Austin’s beautiful delivery of ‘Mr Paganini,’ ‘Let’s Fall in Love,’ ’Miss OtisRegrets’ and ‘Satin Doll’ and allow the double bass player a moment to shine, along with an excellent clarinet and piano.
Great jazz music, along with gospel singing, has been a product of great pain and suffering that has seen many changes in the world but, as long as there are interpreters like Patti Austin and James Morrison, there will always be a full house for quality jazz.
4 stars out of 5
A Celebration of Ella and Louis
Patti Austin, James Morrison and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Hamer Hall, Arts Centre, Melbourne
2-3 June 2017
Melbourne International Jazz Festival
melbournejazz.com
2-11 June 2017
