James Greening's High 5

Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2018-02-24.

One of Australia’s leading jazz trombonists, James Greening has been widely praised for his work with such leading ensembles as Ten Part Invention, Wanderlust, The catholics, The Umbrellas and the Australian Art Orchestra. With THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JAMES, he steps forward as a bandleader and composer, presenting music with all the qualities of wit, creativity and exuberance that have long been associated with his work as a soloist.

Born in Newcastle, James’ early experiences included the Newcastle Police Boys Band, with which he toured Europe and Australia. While studying jazz at the NSW Conservatorium, he began working with both modern and traditional jazz bands around Sydney.

Through the 1980s, James developed his distinctive sound and style while working with a broad range of jazz ensembles, Latin and R&B bands, orchestras and television show bands. In addition to the groups mentioned above, he has also worked with Bernie McGann (recording the classic CD McGann with the McGann Trio for Rufus), Tim Hopkins, Mike Nock, Chris Cody, Steve Hunter, Monica Trapaga, Vince Jones, Judy Bailey and James Morrison. Over the past twenty years James has also played with Jackie Orszaczky in a number of groundbreaking bands such as Jump Back Jack, Industrial Accident, The Godmothers, The Orszaczky Budget Orchestra and Hungarian Rapsadists.

A member of the Australian Art Orchestra for over ten years, recent projects have been Sandy Evan’s Testimony – a tribute to Charlie Parker performed at both Sydney and Melbourne Festivals and Ruby’s Story and Kura Tunga – a collaboration with Indigenous performers Ruby Hunter and Archie Roach. Also with the Australian Art Orchestra, James performed in India and featured on the Aria nominated recording with the Sruthi Laya Ensemble titled Into the Fire.

International artists James has performed with are US saxophonist Billy Harper, US Bassist Mark Helias at Wangaratta, Japanese trumpeter Teramasa Hino and at the Sydney Festival 2002, James featured as a guest soloist with the Maria Schneider big band and the Charles Mingus Tribute big band.

He formed THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JAMES in 1992. In 1998 a review in the Sydney Morning Herald described James Greening’s group, THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JAMES, as probably the best unrecorded band in the country. After featuring on numerous other artists’ recordings over the years it wasn’t until 1999 that James released an album in his own right of original compositions, No Job Too Small, on Rufus in 1999. A second CD, Way Back, was released in 2002 on Heads Up. Distributed by Vitamin Records it was nominated for an Aria in 2003. The third CD Lingua Franca on Lamplight Records was released in 2009 to rave reviews.

Joining James (playing pocket trumpet with this band, as well as his more familiar trombone) in THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JAMES are Andrew Robson (alto sax), Steve Elphick (bass) and Toby Hall (drums), all leading players on the Sydney scene. The fact that the personnel has not changed since 1992 means that either the band is incredibly lucrative, or the music is as rewarding to play as it is to hear.

In 2002 the band appeared at the Berlin JazzFest in a double bill with the Sandy Evans Trio. They were the first Australian groups to appear at this prestigious festival in nearly 40 years of its existence. They also played at long standing jazz clubs in Dresden, Cologne, Munich and Amsterdam.

In 2004 the group joined the Musica Viva in Schools program, after all the members having had over ten years of experience in the program with the Umbrellas and Mara! Aiming to demystify jazz music, the quartet introduces the basic concepts and building blocks of music through deconstructing their original compositions and involving their young audience in composing a piece of improvised music at each concert.

Reviews of James’ playing tells the story of a world of interaction, intimacy, humour and an ultimately rewarding experience for the players and audience alike:

His trombone playing has always carried a buoyancy in the phrasing and shaping of the notes, above and beyond the ripe tones and wit of many of the lines. His compositions further the cause.

• John Shand, ‘Sydney Morning Herald’

Greening blends crooning lines into the ensemble, and sometimes yawns and slides mightily across it or rockets from its feather-light bed with overtones crackling, in a galvanising, rich bray.

• John Clare, ‘Sydney Morning Herald’

A deeply embedded musicality and love of making music is reconfirmed in John Shand’s review of Wayback:

Most music is a lie, born from the pursuit of money or fashion, the worship of technique or the emulation of idols. Avoiding spreading these deceptions requires an almost heroic effort. James Greening’s band makes music about truth, beauty, sadness, love, wonder and happiness. The members may have chosen music as a career option, but they play for the love of it, and that can be heard in every note, every nuance of interaction. That interaction is not some by-product of jazz, but the music’s essence: art which could only have been created in that moment with those people.

• John Shand, ‘Sydney Morning Herald’

“When I was asked to put together my High 5 list a great gigs I felt a strange dull dread and nausea come over me. This is because of the endless string of beautiful life changing concerts I have had the opportunity to experience both as a player and an audience member, and my tendency to remember these concerts in a slightly abstract form, as I rely on my friends and my collective memory. Fortunately I learnt that it was only concerts I had experienced not as a player, which cut down my choices quite a bit. It probably doesn’t need mentioning that this is an impossible task, so I will simply do my best to share some memories of my life changing experiences. Also I do apologies in advance for the misspellings and possibly slightly dodgy facts regarding times, specific players and places where these experiences took place, but not the spirit of the experience that I will try and convey.”

1. DON CHERRY – New York City probably 1994.

After completing a tour of Canada with The catholics, which was both immensely enjoyable and confronting, at an outdoor concert in front of thousands of people I had frozen just before going on stage, thinking what the hell am I doing here, I have nothing to say on the horn. Fortunately Sandy Evans was there to encourage me and basically told me to just get on stage and start playing, which strangely enough worked.

At the end of the tour my wife and I continued on to the Jazz Mecca, New York City and stayed in the famous Chelsea Hotel and ventured out to experience what we could. We went to a number of great small gigs in the meat packing part of town that were wonderful. Then we saw that Don Cherry was playing at the Village Vanguard. We paid our money and went in to this small room with not very many people in the audience. After a bit, the band came on stage, sorry but I can’t remember the names of the drummer or the Tuba player right now, but there was Carlos Ward whom I had seen play at the Melbourne Jazz festival some time earlier and Don. It was soon obvious that Don was quite weak, and struggled to get a sound on the open trumpet. I was jet lagged and fell into a paranoia that my wife was “thinking what the hell did you bring me here for, he can’t even play”. Fortunately again, I remembered Sandy’s encouragement to me when I was vulnerable, and could see this wonderfully inspiring love and care that the band, particularly Carlos, were demonstrating in supporting Don. From that point on the concert was absolutely intimately engaging and inspiring, with Don playing beautifully conceived phrases on the melodica, piano and the Harmon muted trumpet. This was a truly inspiring experience for me as I had been introduced to Don’s music by Miro Bukovsky many years earlier, and now I was seeing live why I loved Don’s music so much. I have added a little quote from Don I lifted from the Jazz house .org web site, as it is better to hear it from him. “It’s important to me to be a part of world music, to meet and make music with the musical masters,” he explained more than once, no doubt. “I feel free to play whatever I want to play, whether it’s different styles of music, or classical, folk or devotional music’s, or music that has aspects of all those three things - which I believe can co-exist - along with educational components.

“I also want to be free to improvise forms - not only to improvise on the changes but to be creative enough to improvise new forms while spontaneously composing. But if you want to do that, it’s important to play with other musicians who can do that, too.”

A few days later we were walking along one of the main drags in Manhattan and we noticed this guy walking towards us spinning his sun glasses around in his hand, he proceeded to bow slightly towards us and then head straight across the road effortlessly through the traffic. I learnt that Don had died not long after we had returned to Sydney. I cherish this lesson that I had learnt from Don and the musicians that loved and cherished him and his generosity of spirit.

2. MICHAEL BRECKER, JOEY CALDERAZZO, JAMES GENUS & JEFF TAIN WATTS – Rome approximately 2001

Once again I found myself traveling Europe with my teacher and friend Miroslav Bukovsky and the other wonderful musicians in Wanderlust. We had been having a great time playing some great gigs in Italy in various diverse places such as a grotto. The guys knew that Michael Brecker and his band were in town and playing at an outdoor venue, so we decided to go together. I was in two minds about going to this concert, as I had the flu and [sorry this bit could upset some people and make me look like a real .. ! ] I must confess that up to this point I had not valued Michael’s playing, as I had been hearing a lot of what I interpreted as clones of Michael rattling off perfect lick after perfect lick and I blamed him for the endless choruses that I had endured. I also had struggled with the cleanliness that I had heard on the recordings that had listened to. So here I am with the guys and the band came on stage, laughing and joking together. They launched into their set, and I couldn’t believe my ears and eyes. Michael was playing with such joy and abandon. He was so free that he made a really obvious mistake, for want of a better word. To my absolute delight he cracked up, turning to Joey Calderazzo with a laugh and grin that melted my heart and made me feel like a complete fool, for holding on to this ignorant and shallow judgment of a master musician, based on my insecurities and prejudices. These guys continued playing with total abandon and mastery for a number of hours that felt like magical moments, despite my flu and the enormous storm that had descended upon us. Through the pelting rain I sat there with the other guys in the band being warmed by this great display of trust and courage demonstrated by these master musicians and friends.

3. BRAD MEHLDAU TRIO—Melbourne Jazz Festival 2009

I was going through an interesting time, having a real battle with my experiences with piano players as I was going through my discovery of space and delicacy through vulnerability and gentleness. Why can I hear you laughing so loudly? Anyway, I was struggling with the power and orchestral might that the piano offered to the musicians seated at these monsters of voicing’s, so when one of the guys mentioned Brad Meldau was playing with his trio I was determined to get to the concert as I had heard him on the radio and he had reminded me of Bill Evans and his delicate approach to music.

Once again my whole vision of music was turned on its head. Not only did Brad draw such beauty out of the piano, but the delicacy with intensity displayed by Jorge Rossi on drums and bassist Matt Penman, in their dance together with Brad, was a vision of what was possible. Ever since that concert I delight in playing with all my friends that have taken on the great challenge of interacting with such a powerful voice, the piano, and their guidance through the landscapes, they create for us to travel.

4. HERBIE HANCOCK - Sydney Town Hall 90s/ State Theatre 2009

I have been listening to Herbie play my entire career. There is no way for me to adequately speak about his mastery. I have seen him play a couple of times first at the Sydney town hall solo piano. When I arrived I discovered that my allocated seat was replaced by the mixing desk. To my great delight I was given a replacement seat up on the raised ring directly level with Herbie, so I could hear him acoustically and see him as if he was in my lounge room. This was a simply beautifully intimate experience.

My next encounter was just this year, when I had the opportunity to escort Herbie and some of his band members and crew to a group meeting of the Buddhism that we practice. Herbie had no idea that I played music, so I had a wonderful opportunity to relate to him as a human being with no feelings of inadequacy on my part.

At the concert, I experienced a wonderful lesson. As the guys started playing, I fell into despair as I was trying to understand what they were doing, analyzing and calculating like crazy to no avail. Fortunately, I quickly was able to divorce myself from being a musician, and imagining myself playing with them. I was able to just listen and watch and enjoy the beauty and effortless dialogue going on. During Herbie’s stay in Sydney I was fortunate to witness him encouraging people from every walk of life; this is the beauty that I witnessed; that he displays in every interaction he takes part in.

5. ALLAN BROWNE - Mackay Tropic of Jazz Festival 2007

Strangely this was the first time I had the opportunity to hear Allan and his wonderful band (Eugene Ball trumpet, Stephen Grant alto saxophone, Howard Cairns Double Bass, and Andy Baylor Guitar ), after hearing about him and being aware of his remarkable contribution to the creative music scene for decades. Allan’s and my band were asked to perform and do workshops with the students at the Mackay conservatorium. The first time I heard him live, was at the conservatorium in an informal greeting concert for the students and faculty. I think my band played first and we had a ball doing what we do together, then Allan’s guys played. I have heard and played with both Eugene and Stephen before, and they never cease to amaze me with their beauty and effortless musicality. Howard’s gentlemanly style comes through in everything he expresses on and off stage and Andy’s total control of playing in that bag was so wonderful to experience live. What absolutely took my breath away was Allan’s playing. It was an epiphany for me to hear and watch Allan. He played with such delicacy, so quietly that he drew you in like a snake charmer. Just when you thought that the intimacy was at its deepest, he managed to play even more quietly, drawing the most exquisite sounds from the cymbals in particular. This guy is the master of ‘less is more’, he personified the essence of ‘the beauty is in what you don’t play’. I continue to use his lesson for me on that day to give me confidence to encourage myself, and particularly young players starting their journey, to concentrate on the space between the sounds. As a close friend and teacher, John Hoffman, recently put it, “he has the courage to play pretty”.