Review: "BLACK TIE" at the School Of Arts Cafe, August 1997. Reviewed by Tony Magee

Mo Awards winners Black Tie are a cabaret group consisting of Valerie, Yuri, Susan and Con Mavridis - two brothers and their wives.

Black Tie present an evening of music that encompasses a huge variety of genres and styles, one unifying aspect being that it is all extremely polished, very well performed and a fabulous night's entertainment.

Valerie is a first class pianist and accompanies the others together with Susan on Cello. Yuri and Con are both bass-baritones although Con has much more of a serious operatic voice, whilst Yuri's is lighter and better suited to music theatre.

Some highlights from the evening were a beautiful rendition of John Denver's Perhaps Love by Yuri and Con, a wonderful Russian Medley which included Dark Eyes and (what became in the West) Those Were the Days and two pieces from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess - I Got Plenty o' Nuttin' sung by Yuri and It Ain't Necessarily So sung by Con. One odd moment in the show is Con's rendition of Modern Major General from Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. Not an overly convincing version , particularly when I Am the Pirate King is sitting begging to be sung, mostly because it would have been so much more suitable.

One aspect of the group which I find particularly outstanding is how the vocal accompanists are also featured as solo artists to an equal degree. Highlights within this arena included Manuel de Falla's Ritual Fire Dance and what for me was the highlight of the whole evening, an abridged version of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 (ie: all three movements joined together). Now you have to remember that both these pieces are scored for piano and orchestra, and in the case of the Rachmaninoff, the piano is the solo instrument. The arrangements by Valerie that she and Susan played were quite remarkable in the fullness of sound they recreated and the number of musical lines that were retained and brought out - testament to both the excellent arrangements and the high quality of playing.

I would like to see a small amount of tightening up between numbers in the show - nothing wrong with friendly chat, but I feel that too much did cause the show as a whole to drag slightly and in fact give the impression of the evening being a touch too long.

Originally published in Muse Magazine (Canberra), September 1997

What's on: Live Jazz in Canberra - September and October 1997, with Tony Magee

During September and October in Canberra, it's quality rather than quantity with regard to live jazz, with the Albert Hall presenting the two major events.

On Thursday 11th September at 8pm catch the Don Burrows Quartet. One of the world's great musicians, Don's career spans over 53 years, having turned professional at the age of fourteen. The quartet features Don on clarinet, flutes, saxophones and percussion, Kevin Hunt on piano and keyboards, David Pudney on string bass and Gordon Rytmeister on Drums (almost the perfect surname). 

The other major Albert Hall presentation is the 2nd concert in the Jazz Proms series. This one will again feature the Canberra School of Music Big Band, directed by Don Johnson and Tim Long, The Canberra School of Music Vocal Jazz Ensemble, directed by Gery Scott and newcomers The Canberra Jazz Orchestra directed by Geoff Gray and Spectrum Show Band directed by Glenn Rogers. The concert starts at 5pm on Sunday 21st September. Bookings for both these concerts at Ticketek on 6248 7666.

The National Press Club put on a trio for their Seafood Nights which are the last Friday of every month. Forthcoming artists include lounge trio, Trisket featuring Andrew Hackwill on alto sax, Greg Stott on guitar and Scott Dodd on double bass. The music of Trisket includes popular swing and latin hits, soothing ballads and classic sax hits (eg: Take Five). Bookings at the Press Club on 6273 3644.

Rydges Canberra City continues Saturday night jazz in the Burley Griffin Restaurant with The Ross Clarke Trio, Stuart Warner Trio, both of whom feature piano (Ross and Stuart), sax and bass and also the Andrew Piper Trio featuring Andrew on Flugelhorn with piano and double bass. Bookings on 6247 6244.

Jazz in the Hyatt tea-lounge continues every Friday evening from 6pm - 9pm with a happy hour format of discount drinks and free snacks, featuring some of Canberra's top singers including Ra Khahn, Karen Strahan, Rebekkah Liang and Debbie Downs.

Thursday live jazz at The Canberra Yacht Club continues with Gery Scott and Friends from 6pm - 8pm. Gery encourages guests to ask for requests via the appropriate forms placed on each table and there isn't too much that she can't sing, given a performing career spanning over 55 years!

To be included in this column, send your press release to Tony Magee, PO Box 24, Torrens ACT 2607, or fax to 6290 0020, by 15th of the month before publication.

Originally published in Muse Magazine (Canberra), September 1997.