There were a lot of those “oh my gawd” moments when I caught Oehlers/Mackey/Magnusson/Zwartz at the Loft. It was a party for the local jazz community and everyone was there; standing room only in our oddly located and intimate venue. These are some of the cream of the Australian jazz dairy, and friends to boot. This was to be standards: easy and relaxed but also serious and with energy and life to spare. This is the instrumentalists’ life, ears and heart and exertion. It was interesting to see two top tenorists together; interesting to have heard two top Australian guitarists and two vastly different approaches to jazz on two consecutive nights. Wonderful.The band was Jamie Oehlers (tenor) and John Mackey (tenor), Steve Magnusson (guitar), Jonathan Zwartz (bass), Mark Sutton (drums) and Andy Butler (piano). There were two sets, just seven tunes, all standards, perhaps two hours of playing: All the things you are, My one and only love, Body & soul, Footprints, and a few others I recognised but couldn’t name. There were rabid, extended solos and taut accompaniment. There were contrasts in style and friendly challenges. These guys are playing for friends, but there’s a friendly rivalry like a footy team together in the muck. Suffice to say there were many Oh my gawd moments, and the response is little other than a chuckle at the seemingly impossible playing. Fabulously involved scalar movements and patterns from Jamie; blistering lines of quizzical uncertain pitch from Steve; outrageously dirty blues with atonal flourishes from John; firm tone, perfected intonation, melodic fluency, easily extended range and a unique line in single fingered scales from Jonathon; great energy, punchy kick and blushing cymbals from Mark; almost classical, overlapping scalar lines from Andy.
It was just a blow but it was a window on the highest skills around. What a way to party.
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