(Maria Schneider)
A jazz experience be savoured and remembered. (Review by
Keith Millar)
Over the years, The
Standard Bank Jazz Festival in Grahamstown has featured many leading jazz
musicians from South Africa and abroad. This year was no different with the
headline act being multi-award winning composer/arranger/conductor/band leader
and performer, from New York, the one and only Maria Schneider.
Schneider is a major force in the industry. Not only is she
the most prominent woman bandleader in jazz today, but her powerful, profound
and captivating music has had a serious influence on the direction of modern
jazz.
For this, her first appearance in South Africa, she
performed with a 19 piece jazz orchestra that combined musicians from South
Africa and Norway. This collaboration was supported by East Norway Jazz Centre
and Concerts SA.
The two concerts took place at the DSG Hall and Grahamstown
festival goers turned out in their hundreds to support this popular artist as
both events were sold out.
Schneider’s music is beautifully textured and richly
descriptive with marvellous light and shade. She conducts with joy and rhythm
and extracts every nuance in the music from the players. The orchestra
obviously enjoy playing with her - and together - and there was a very palpable
synergy between the musicians. Some very skilful musicianship was displayed and
the occasion turned into a jazz experience be savoured and remembered.
The surprisingly youthful Schneider has an easy charm and
relates very well with the audience.
The highlight for me was the performance Cerulean Skies. Schneider is a very keen
bird watcher and in this item she describes the migration of a flock of birds.
The song has very powerful imagery, including bird calls played by members of
the orchestra.
Her concert was world class and the organisers deserve great
credit for arranging for artists of this calibre to perform at the festival. I,
for one, can’t wait to see who they come up with next year. Maybe even a return
visit of Maria Schneider? Well, here’s hoping! – Keith Millar
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