Reviews

CD REVIEWS

Neverever... Well, Maybe Someday
by John McBeath
The Weekend Australian Newspaper - May 2009

There is a surge of talent from Western Australia and this third album from the 13-piece Mace Francis Orchestra demonstrates it. The all-original material is mostly from conductor-composer Francis, plus three from saxophonist Daniel Thorne and two from trombonist Tilman Robinson. Comprised of noted performers from small groups across Perth, the band last year recorded this album live at Sydney’s Sound Lounge during its national tour. The title is divided into two tracks, opening with Neverever, where a resurging guitar theme of six notes builds the ensemble into a strutting beat radiating out into chime-like passages, leading to a thoughtfully restrained trumpet solo from Callum G’Froerer.

Well Maybe Someday continues with bass and guitar underwriting a mysterioso theme, explored and extended by sax solos from Alistair McEvoy and Daniel Thorne.

These layered compositions and scoring convey colour, atmosphere and movement far more effectively and with greater interest than the stock standard arrangements often heard from big bands. Francis, understandably, has attracted international interest with his outstanding orchestra and compelling compositions.
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The Hounds - Bell End Blues
by Ron Spain
JazzScene - June 2009

Oh, joy! A youthful band with a ‘traditional’ line-up, mostly their own compositions (by Francis and Slater) and no vocals! What more could you ask of some of WA’s finest young musicians who acknowledge allegiances to RTR fm, The Jazz Club of WA, Jazz Fremantle and the Perth Jazz Society. One can ponder on the inspiration for Captain Benny’s Magical Jazz Wand (a tour de force for clarinet, of course), Dingle Dangle and The Monk, The Drunk and Derek The Researcher (reminiscent of The Mooche) but it’s the music that counts and this music something outside of the box.

The title track comes in like the Second Line of a street parade in the pre Katrina New Orleans and the happiness starts right here. Viennese Line Dance is a tearaway introduced by solo bass and enlivened by muted cornet in boppish mode throughout. One of the only two non-originals is Some of These Days, most often a vehicle for a burlesque singer, but this time we are fulfilled by some glorious plunger trumpet from Ricki Malet. The other recognizable ‘oldie’ is King Porter Stomp which goes from banjo introducing the clarinet and a sotto voce ensemble into cornet and the trumpet exchanging phrases, more ensemble to banjo then a drum solo and a wild Condon type exit by the whole group.

The writing is professional and the arrangements are just tight enough without curbing the impetuosity of youth on the rampage. It’s very good music from a bunch of young guys who enjoy what they are doing and want to enjoy it, too. Classify it as original jazz based on traditional styles and by that token it is very refreshing.
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The Hounds gave us Bell End Blues
by Ben Craig-Wadham
Perth Jazz Review

Modern traditional or ‘trad’ jazz groups set themselves up for a fair share of criticism. One could question the relevance of their music, and in particular the ‘authenticity’ of it, as a not-so-modern style played by inescapably modern musicians.

That said it would be hard not to fall in love with The Hounds; a group of talented young musicians who not only have a knack for merchandising and an unabashedly daggy sense of humour (free novelty calendar with every CD purchase anyone?) but who are also whole-heartedly embracing the idea of modern trad in all its anachronistic glory.

From the get-go their latest release, Bell End Blues, abounds with an infectious enthusiasm for their chosen idiom. Propelled by the irresistible swing of the The Hounds’ rhythm section, the title track is a raucous, toe-tapping affair which introduces the groups mix of individual and collective improvisation with tighter, orchestrated passages reminiscent of a mini big band. The emphasis however is undoubtedly on the soloists, whose individual voices and varying approaches to the challenge of improvising in a trad setting are the definite highlight of this album.

Trombonist Tilman Robinson rejects the Trummy Young approach to his instrument in favour of a smoother, more soulful sound, basing his solos more on carful note choices and canny rhythmic sense than an ear-splitting level of volume. On trumpet Ricki Malet seems perfectly at home in the world of trad, employing his massive, warm, fat sound in all registers to devastating effect (his wha-muted growl on Some of These Days and killer breaks on the Mace Francis original Itonius are two memorable examples).

Similarly, Ben Collins appears at ease snaking through the changes on clarinet in Mace’s alarmingly titles Captain Benny’s Magical Jazz Wand, or employing an old school alto tone for his solo on Mingus’ Jelly Roll Soul (superbly arranged by bassist Wayne Slater). The young Callum G’Froerer meanwhile, exudes a quiet power on the cornet he supplements with an impressively agile mind, as evidenced by his formidable, bop heavy solo on the fast paced and tightly executed Slater original Viennese Line Dance.

Importantly, none of the soloists in any way attempt to exclude every trace of modernity from their playing in favour of tired clichés, but instead place more of an emphasis on the appropriate ‘feel’ for their music. This is also true of the rhythm section which, although gains some serious ‘trad cred’ from the twang of Mace’s banjo and Greg Brenton’s hard swinging and versatile drumming, also features the unapologetically electric bass of Wayne Slater who, in my mind at least, succeeds in making it sound as though the instrument could have been invented at the turn of the 20th century by adopting a smoother tone and more ‘upright’ style.

Also of note is that the music on the album is almost entirely original, with only three of the eleven tracks not composed by either Mace or Wayne: a testament to the groups’ emphasis on feel and approach rather than hollow mimicry in the pursuit of an unattainable authenticity.

While this may not always by full-proof (Mace’s Dingle Dangle seems to me a little too discordant and angular, and doesn’t quite fit – though it does yield and impressive drum solo and the first of two trumpet/cornet duels), The Hounds have nevertheless succeeded in producing an album capable of charming even the most sceptical listener: Bell End Blues draws on the oldest of jazz styles to create new and memorable music in a way that gives The Hounds an authenticity all of their own.
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TOUR REVIEWS

Mace Francis Orchestra
by Lloyd Bradford (Brad) Syke - Australian Stage Online

The Mace Francis Orchestra was the latest, in a long line of presentations by SIMA, the Sydney Improvised Music Association; a national treasure, not just a local one. The setting was The Sound Lounge, Downstairs, at The Seymour Centre, one of the country's more conducive and congenial spaces for such things. Acoustically, it's right on and the mix, last night, was as good as I can ever remember hearing. Thankfully, it was recorded! I say thankfully, 'cause, in my book, too many great performances disappear into the ether and, at best, the echoes of legend.

Mace Francis and his not-that-big band are a bunch of boy wonders! Mace, who composes and energetically conducts, was still at school a little over a decade ago, so that gives you some idea of the precociously youthful talent we're talking about.

Their musicianship is flawless, with some impossibly seasoned, mature playing, from men, in some cases, barely out of short pants. Self-assured, powerhouse drummer, Greg Brenton, is very much at the heart of things, with some warm, unobtrusive underpinning from the bassist, whose name, (alongside a few others, regrettably), escapes me; hey, it's a BIG band!

Tim Jago is a studious, clean, fluid and, actually, quite sublime guitarist, who has the rare gift of being able to meld technical brilliance with a knowing feel.

Alistair McEvoy brings to mind the greatest of lyrical alto players: (I kid you not) think Byrd, Coltrane, or Lester Young.

Seated adjacent, Dan Thorne exhibited a brighter tone and was his every bit McEvoy's match in the solo stakes. A couple of his compositions were also showcased; beautiful tunes, of innovative construction, which point to a shining future as both writer and instrumentalist.

Tilman Robinson plays a mean bass 'bone and Callum G'Froerer makes prolific and mellifluous contributions on trumpet and, especially, flugel.

Mark Sprogowski gives good baritone, too.

And let's not forget Ben Collins' soprano, a kind of caramel swirl, taking one and all, sweetly, along with it.

But what of the set? Well-stocked with originals, from several talented writers, in the group, it hardly needed, say, Thad Jones' Just Blues, but I was glad they incorporated it, especially for the limbering-up it allowed axeman genius, Jago.

Mace's charting of saxman Dan's What About Jed gave nothing away to jazz orchestra maestros of bygone days: innovative, dynamic; exploiting the power and versatility of the collective to the max. The art of big band, surely, is to achieve just that, while allowing the space for individuality to shine through; MFO succeeds prodigiously, in both.

Mace is also ace when it comes to revitalising classics, like The Preacher, which you might remember from Jimmy Smith's, or Horace Silver & The Jazz Messengers, repertoire. And let's not forget the leader's contributions: for example, the gentle, harmonious Melodian Melody puts him, for mine, in the fine art major league of composer/arranger/conductors, whose foremost local exponents would have to include or, perhaps, be dominated by, the likes of Grabowsky.

Enchanting, unforgettable, moving music!

There's a jazz son, rising, in the west.

Let's hope the MFO isn't completely obscured by the thick, prevailing, overhyped commercial fog.
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Blissful Textures
by Eric Pozza - Canberra Jazz

I’m a sucker for the textures and richness of a large ensemble, and so it was bliss when the Mace Francis Orchestra played last night at the Folkus Room. It’s a group of 13 players with Mace himself out the front conducting. They are from Perth and are currently touring the Eastern states. The frequent performances show in the sharpness and intonation of the ensemble. And the mateship shows in the good natured banter, particularly impressive given the time spent travelling in a bus up and down the Eastern seaboard.

The orchestra presented two lengthy sets of mostly original charts. The originals were written by Mace, tenor player Dan Thorne, and bass trombonist Tilman Robinson (hope I haven’t missed anyone). The first and second sets started with swing tunes, mostly penned or arranged by Bill Holman in the 50s. Holman seems to be a major influence on the band, and presumably Mace. These were hard, swinging numbers in the big band tradition. They showcased some capable solos and warmed up each set for the more complex, considered works to follow. First impressions were of a steady swing, and some satisfying drum fills, sharp comping by the horns and capable soloing.

As the sets continued, we got into richer, more complex territory. Colourful and moving harmonies, consonant or otherwise. Shifting tonal textures and layered horn lines echoing amongst the various parts of the band. Large dynamic shifts with sudden hits or gradual de/crescendos. The whole resonantly greater than the sum of the parts. Tight, well intoned; more modern, more composed; orchestral. The solos became part of the texture, rather than individualist expressions. They were capable and often very well played; more a conversation between the backing horns and soloist. I sat back at times in wonder. Wonder lust. Some tunes displayed fairly simple underpinnings, perhaps descending scalar lines or edgy dissonance or baroque turbulence. I heard chamber music and Sketches of Spain. Then it all finished with an unplanned encore of Moanin’ and Mingus’ blast furnace emotions. Overwhelming.

What’s more to say? The players were consistently good, but I noticed especially guitarist Tim Jago (a finalist in the recent National Jazz Awards), Callum G’Froerer (winner of a Stan Getz/Clifford Brown scholarship), baritone saxist Mark Sprogowski who blew a storm on Moanin’, and drummer Greg Brenton who just seemed to fit the tunes so neatly. But the whole band played wonderfully, so perhaps I shouldn't highlight names within such a collaborative activity. Mace was selling CDs, but also thumb drives containing pics, links and two live concert recordings in mp3. Not something I‘d seen before, but small and neat, quick to burn and popular.

The Folkus Room did a great job, too. Host Bill introduced the band; he was obviously out of his native folk world and learning the jazz mores. Soundman Kevin ran a quality PA, and his mixing and processing suited the style: not washed out; not loud. I like a PA when you forget it’s there. That’s how it should be, at least for jazz. And I heard band members commenting on $4 pints, so the reasonable prices went down well too. Finally, thanks to a good sized audience that braved a strangely unpleasant Canberra winter night.

In summary, an excellent and inspiring night of improvised and composed music at a high quality level. Catch them if you can.
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Mace Francis Orchestra
by Simon Milman - CULTURAZI

Another chilly Canberra evening, but this did not deter punters from rolling up to the Folkus room in Mawson for some big band jazz from Western Australia. Crowds have been growing steadily at the Folkus, and they present quite a large variety of different music in a cosy environment. If you haven’t been there yet check out the program at www.thefolkus.org.au

The Mace Francis Orchestra are a 13 piece big band and they performed mostly original music by conductor Mace, saxophonist Dan Thorne and trombonist Tilman Robinson.

There were many textures, moods and sonorities explored with the soloists weaving in and out of the ensemble. Beautiful chords were often followed by more acerbic sounds and big band swing often gave way to more adventurous rhythms and accents.

Solos were predominantly handled by guitarist Tim Jago, trumpeter Callum G’Froerer, and saxes Ben Collins and Dan Thorne. Mark Sprogowski provided the only baritone salvo of the evening on an encore of Mingus’ Moanin’. I don’t believe I’ve heard a better bari sound. It was fat and low but not flabby – it was like a laser beam! The trombophonists got a bit lost when they were soloing – they were attacked from behind by the very capable trumpet section and then shadowed in front by the saxes. The rhythm section provided a solid foundation of carbohydrates and Mace himself conducted the proceedings in a humorous, laconic manner.

Apart from their original material, the band also played some more traditional big band music from the 50s penned by Bill Holman. And they performed a long overdue autopsy on gospel/jazz standard The Preacher, which had your interlocutor in stitches. A highly enjoyable evening of homegrown big band jazz which shows we have talent in spades here in Australia.

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CD REVIEWS

Introducing the Mace Francis Orchestra
by Bill Donaldson
copyrighted 2007 Cadence Magazine
www.cadencebuilding.com

[Introducing the Mace Francis Orchestra] is the most interesting of the three CDs reviewed in this space. …Australian Mace Francis takes chances with his orchestra. Apparently inspired by Gil Evans and Bob Brookmeyer, as were others of this generation’s big band arrangers like Maria Schneider, Francis’ compositional elements include the unrushed development of a motive, prismatically arrayed colors, a drummer’s forceful undercurrent, long layers of tones from the horns as they impressionistically paint a scene, the emphasis upon dynamics to infuse a piece with excitement, and the cohesion of a band’s sound that seems larger than the number of instruments involved. The number of instrumentalists playing Francis’ compositions is twelve, and one can infer from the liner notes that the musicians are of a relatively young age. Oddly enough, the musicians’ ability to create a stirring group sound throughout the recording is greater than the work of the soloists, whose improvisations indicate some directional uncertainty and reliance on devices such as smeared repetitions of notes.

Probably the overlooked soloist of the Mace Francis Orchestra is drummer Greg Brenton because he is always charging the band with energetically contrasting rhythms. The horns’ extended tones oppose and complement his percussive drive throughout.

The first track, “Lemon Water,” sets up dynamic tension as the horn lines build ominously over single chord while Brenton, as ever, pushes the band with roiling turbulence. Seamlessly, Francis’ band moves into more subdued shadings shaped, as if in a canon, over a repeated descending phrase akin to the first four notes of “We Three Kings.” Eventually, the quiet rippling accelerates into a waterfall of irresistible sweep and force.

“Melodian Melody” remains straightforward and understated in chorale form as the horns stay within the tenor range with tight voicings, the trumpets in mid register as they blend with trombones and tenor saxophones for gradual harmonic progression.

At the end of the recording, Francis proves that his band can swing smartly on “The Preacher Is Broken”…but only after an introduction of kaleidoscopically unpredictable changes dramatically reharmonizing the changes of Horace Silver’s “The Preacher.”

Though Ed Partyka unnecessarily politicizes the liner notes by equating the “retro graveyard” of American big bands with increases in American military spending, thereby moving “the creative centre” to Europe, Mace Francis (composing, arranging and conducting in a continent “in the process of creating its own cultural voice,” Partyka says) deserves recognition as a big band leader with his own vision and his own sound.
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Introducing the Mace Francis Orchestra
Mike - CDBaby

The Mace Francis Orchestra is an amazing album, great players, great original tunes... Mace Francis has his own style of writing and I'd recommend this CD to anyone interested in jazz. "The Preacher is Broken" is worth the price of the album alone, and the rest are worth listening to as well.
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Introducing the Mace Francis Orchestra
by Jack Bowers - www.allaboutjazz.com

Composer/arranger Mace Francis formed his orchestra three years ago as an outlet for creative music in Western Australia, and this album, in which the twelve-piece ensemble is “introduced,” is actually its second. The first, Chinese Whispers, was recorded four months earlier (in August, 2005) as a part of the Jazz Concert Window Series at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Edith Cowan University, Perth.

All of the tunes on Introducing were written by Francis, and they lay bare an explicit fondness for the music of Bob Brookmeyer, Maria Schneider, Gil Evans, Jim McNeely and perhaps Thad Jones, while at the same time giving voice to Francis’ own forward-looking concepts. Even as they are thoroughly contemporary, his themes are melodically pleasing and rhythmically strong, with a good deal of their underlying power emanating from the orchestra’s hard-working drummer, Greg Brenton.

Francis is at his creative best on “The Preacher Is Broken,” cleverly turning Horace Silver’s jazz classic inside out by revising harmony and tempo as the orchestra sings his praises, Brenton inflames the congregation, and trumpeter Ricki Malet and tenor Alistair McEvoy deliver their own provocative sermons. Flexible trombonist Catherine Noblet is featured on the tasteful and refreshing “Lemon Water,” smooth trumpeter Callum G’Froerer on the placid “Melodian Melody,“ supple guitarist Johanne Druitt on the chorale-like “Lido Lowdown” and pensive “Why A?” G’Froerer and Noblet share solo honors on the flag-waving “Say That Again,” the only number repeated from the orchestra’s earlier album.

Francis has definite goals in mind, and has assembled a first-class ensemble to help him reach them. Based on this introduction, one can’t disprove the assumption that you’ll be as pleased to meet the Mace Francis Orchestra as I was.
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Introducing the Mace Francis Orchestra
earbuzz.com review

The 6-track CD, "Introducing the Mace Francis Orchestra", begins with drama and jazz-band sensibility with "Lemon Water" - a slippery panther-ish augmented excercise of extensions and melody. Horn line burst populate much of the tune with widely varying dynamics. Drummer, Greg Brenton, amazes with weaving volumes embracing solid meter and artistic touch.

Track 2, "Lido Lowdown", is an experiment in layered chord progress. The tune gradually increases tempo with trumpet's opening up the path to an up-tempo jazz groove and melody.

Track 3, "Melodian Melody" is a dark and night-club beautiful composition that begins with a horn section bare movement and moves into a smokey world of musical subtlety. Beautiful.

"Say that Again" starts with a bang - and quickly moves into action jazz The final track, "The Preacher is Broken" features Alistair McEvoy on tenor sax with a solo section that defines passion.

Mace Francis certainly has a career ahead of him in T.V. and film if he decides scoring is part of his interests. If he were instead to choose composition purely for the musical contribution, we'd all be blessed for the additional new music in the genre. Great talent.
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MFO LIVE
Jack Bowers – www.allaboutjazz.com

Having already released two studio albums, the Mace Francis Orchestra from faraway Perth, Australia, goes live this time with a sturdy concert session taped in November, 2006 at Bennetts Lane Jazz Club in Melbourne during a tour of the country‘s eastern provinces. Even though less than three years old, the MFO shows considerable promise, as Francis has drawn to his side a number of West Australia’s most accomplished musicians.

While the ensemble isn’t especially well-served by the erratic sound quality on this club date, the charts are by and large admirable and the musicianship often breaks through the over-all haze to make the session worth hearing. Francis wrote four of the nine tunes and saxophonist Dan Thorne two, reinforcing originals by Thad Jones (“Just Blues”), Ed Partyka (“A Long Winter”) and Charles Mingus (“Moanin‘”). There’s one encore from the orchestra’s second album, 2006’s Introducing the Mace Francis Orchestra, the leader’s clever salute to Horace Silver’s “The Preacher,” which he calls “The Preacher Is Broken.”

Guitarist Johanne Druitt is showcased on the first of Thorne’s compositions, “What About Jed?,” baritone Mark Sprogowski on the second, “That Darn Dream.” Trombonists are also in the forefront, with Tilman Robinson featured on “Winter,” Catherine Noblet on Francis’s “Lemon Water” and “Mache Mambo.” The leader’s other composition, “Where’s His Sepcin?,” closely resembles Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes.” Alto saxophonist Thorne is another respectable soloist, as are trumpeter Ricki Malet, tenor Alistair McEvoy, soprano Ben Collins and drummer Greg Brenton.

Brenton is a standout in more ways than one, as the balance leans heavily toward him throughout the session. As in many concerts, brass and reeds are also loud and clear, and it is the soloists who wane by comparison. Francis himself describes the aftermath as “a raw recording that really grabs the energy and intensity of the band in full flight.” Raw it is, and spirited too. If you admire the latter trait and can turn a deaf ear to the former, you may derive considerable pleasure from MFO LIVE.
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Chinese Whispers
by Jack Bowers - www.allaboutjazz.com

In August 2005, barely a year after it was formed, the Mace Francis Orchestra appeared as part of the Jazz Windows Concert Series at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. Chinese Whispers, the orchestra’s first album, was recorded (in part) during that performance.

The orchestra was created, Francis writes, “to experiment with composition in the style of the great modern big bands led by Bob Brookmeyer, Thad Jones, Bill Holman and Maria Schneider,” and the concept behind the song “Chinese Whispers” certainly bears that out. The idea was adapted from a writing game played by authors in which one would write exactly 200 words and pass the text on to the next, who would write another 200 words and so on until the story was completed.

For “Chinese Whispers” (originally called “8x10”), Francis enlisted eight composers to write ten bars of music apiece. The music was then passed on to the next composer, and “each composer would see only the previous ten bars—never the whole piece. Why? To make it interesting.” Each composer was also restricted to seven notes, “so that the final composition had some sort of clarity and unity... A tempo was also chosen which remained constant throughout.”

As a kicker, Francis writes, “once the collaborative piece was completed, each composer was given a copy of the entire score and asked to compose a new piece of music inspired by the collaboration, with no restrictions on notes or tempo.” Six of these compositions comprise the remainder of the album.
If the idea for “Chinese Whispers” seems chaotic, the result is not only comprehensible but fairly interesting, at least as an exercise in musical problem-solving. On the other hand, there’s no improvisation, and the “work in progress” is sometimes tentative and ponderous, as one might expect. The “undivided” compositions are naturally tighter and more unified, starting with Francis’ lively “Say That Again” and including others by Amanda Jones, Brett Marbury, Jasmine Nelson, Michael Barnes and the MFO’s pianist, Johannes Luebbers.

The overall impression is that of a cutting edge orchestra finding its sea legs, pursuing exemplary goals but not always reaching them. Still, there are moments of promise, and Francis is continuing the quest, having recorded the second volume of Chinese Whispers and started work on a third. The MFO has also released a more animated and accessible second album, oddly titled Introducing the Mace Francis Orchestra, with all of the compositions and arrangements by Francis. The young composer and his orchestra are clearly filling a need for thought-provoking contemporary jazz in western Australia, and I wish them prosperity and good health.
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CONCERT REVIEWS

JazzWA newsletter - August 2005 - Alan Corbet

A concert of entirely original works, performed by the 14-piece MFO - Mace Francis Orchestra (perhaps known to many of you through their performance stints at the Brisbane Hotel), the evening was split up into a first set of “greatest hits” (as Mace put it), and the premiere performance of the collaborative body of work “Chinese Whispers” by eight composers.

Award-winning composer Mace came up with the concept for Chinese Whispers whilst attending a recent arts festival, where the idea of a novel written by various writers was presented, with each writer writing 200 words before passing it on to the next writer. Mace thought about adapting this idea to music, and then developed it for a premiere performance at Jazz Windows, involving eight other composers including, among others, WAAPA graduate and Bob Wyllie Scholarship Winner, Michael Barnes, now based in Bergen, Norway through email. The opening piece was composed by all eight composers, with each writing a 10-bar section before passing it on to the next. The composers were then invited to take an element (or elements) from the main piece to then create their own new piece.

The result was an inspiring performance with a sense of flow to the main theme that belied the compositional process. The ensuing 7 pieces showcased the extremely diverse creative approaches of each of the composers to this challenging compositional task and made for a varied, absorbing, exciting and very entertaining evening.

It was very refreshing and also particularly gratifying to see young players in the MFO that I recall from the 2002 Essentially Ellington Down Under High School Band Competition & Festival, now clearly making their mark. Time flies when you are having fun…