Review : The Julian wilson Quintet at the Basement

Introducing the Julian Wilson Quintet… The lights went up and then there were five. Guest performer Carl Dewhurst was featured the quartet, last Friday at The Basement in Circular Quay for the Hothouse Jazz Series. The quintet was composed of Julian Wilson (reeds), Barney McAll (piano), Jonathan Zwartz (bass) and Hamish Stuart (drums). Hamish Stuart filling in for the legendary Al Browne who was on the recording but sadly passed away this year.

And it has pushed hard! The players have proved their soloists qualities very quickly, from the first song, establishing the general mood of the evening. Their individual solos throughout the night proved their outstanding talent, with a particular mention needed for the work of Carl Dewhurst shredding it on the guitar.

The quintet then continued the first set with slower songs, such as ballads borrowed from Duke Ellington and other standards of the time alongside the groups own original compositions. Played in the style and atmosphere of the 50’s, 60’s, we begin to immediately appreciate the tenor saxophonist’s qualities in these ballads, in accordance with its reputation… Julian Wilson has won numerous awards in the recent years, and receives regular mentions across all platforms for Australian Jazz news, not to mention receiving frequent airplay across multiple shows here at Eastside.

In the second set, the quintet showed its ability to innovate and present a more modern interpretation of Jazz with digital sequences that stunned a Basement audience who seemed more familiar with a more traditional jazz soundscape.

I must concede that it was the first Jazz performance I went to. I went to many concerts and I have seen trombonist friends having fun playing Jazz but never in such a purist form!

What struck me the most was the particular atmosphere : even with the packed out crowd of adoring fans flocking to see their favorite artist playing live at The Basement, it was really quiet, respectful of the artist’s performance, (aside from a few patrons nodding off between set, probably because of the dinner/drinks…) – at the end of each solo, to show their enthusiasm about the performance the crowds would throw their hands together and cheer vigorously.

It seemed to me that Jazz music was definitely an “intellectual music”; people concentrating very intently on each note throughout each performance: “Music for the head and not for the body”. I appreciated this listening experience nevertheless, and will remember this first time experience discovering this particular atmosphere very fondly.

As a conclusion, what I will retain from this concert are the breathtaking musical performances from each artist during their solos. I fell as if I have had the chance to understand what it means to see not just any Jazz concert but to see a unique Australian Jazz moment in time unfold before my very own eyes.