There’ a certain fireside warmth to the music of the Christopher Hale Ensemble, a Melbourne jazz trio of acoustic bass guitar/ baritone guitar (Hale), piano (William Poskitt), and cello (William Martina). It’s an unusual combination of instruments, yet one that offers a sound like few outfits around. And despite it’s low key flavour, free from the bluster and aggression that tends to creep into some of the more contemporary jazz exponents, it’s still a compelling mix, it’s subtlety and myriad of approaches offering much more than an easy listening audio massage. The presence of New York improv trombonist Josh Roseman definitely offers an interesting edge to this well-established trio. Roseman is perhaps better known for his work with Downtown legend John Zorn, Dave Douglas or even Dave Holland. Roseman slides right into the ensemble like he’ lived there forever, offering a gentle soulful hint of brass, a presence that provides further scope to the work. Rarely has the absence of percussion been utilized so well, allowing the ensemble to ebb and flow, to build up and move around, allowing the melancholic mood to shift with the wind. With the majority of pieces composed by Hale it’s still quite difficult to say how composed these pieces are and to what extent improvisation is occurring, such is their ability to establish a mood and gently float around it. It’s gorgeously subtle and evocative music that sounds like nothing else around.
Bob Baker Fish
