Joe Chindamo’s Gershwin Songbook

This gig, presented by the Melbourne Recital Centre itself, had an irresistibly attractive title. One of Melbourne’s stellar jazz pianists, Joe Chindamo – and the great American composer George Gershwin. What could go wrong? Let me quickly say, nothing did. Less known (to this reviewer) were the other musicians – Ben Robertson, bass, and Danny Farrugia, drums, so it was a question of how well the trio would work. It’s one thing for Chindamo to make beautiful recordings with violinist, Zoe Black (his “partner in crime”, as he introduced her to the rest of the audience on this occasion), another to play as part of a jazz trio. Any such questions were swept away well before the opening ‘Fascinatin’ Rhythm’ had hit its straps. A good choice to show off the individual strengths of the players, as well their synchronicity, it set the pattern for the night. Chindamo might be the arranger of most items and have the greater reputation but as always, his performance was remarkably free of grandstanding. Members of The Joe Chindamo Trio simply enjoyed themselves hugely, which allowed the audience to settle back and do the same. Pacing was good: the second item (“dedicated to all politicians,” quipped Chindamo) was ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’. With its slower, breezier style, it showed that all three players were comfortable with whatever Gershwin came their way. And plenty did, of course. Chindamo, in his brief bio of the composer, sighed happily: “So many melodies…” – and then cheekily gave ‘‘S Wonderful’ the full bossa nova treatment. At first the piano was very gentle, with lots of what classical musicians might call ornamentation; they’d also note the ease with which Chindamo knocked over arpeggios and a series of chords in tandem with the drummer. While some of the fun was trying to identify the tunes from the opening bars, there were no notable absences from what had been advertised: ‘excerpts from Gershwin’s exhaustive catalogue of brilliant works that traverse both popular and classical genres. From his days in Tin Pan Alley and his first big hit, the piano rag ‘Rialto Ripples’, through to major orchestral scores and Broadway musicals including Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, Porgy and Bess, Lady Be Good . . .’ With such a high standard of musicianship the only thing to complain of was the cabaret setting, which was not the real deal. ‘Buy a drink and take it in with you’ does not a cabaret make, not does being put at a table with complete strangers (even if, like us, you find yourself in agreeable company). Nor does having a tantalising menu on the table, with no apparent provision for ordering from it – at least during the concert. This cost the event half a star in this review. The remaining four and a half stars are all for the performers, whose encore ‘I Got Rhythm’ nicely bookended the music with the two famous ‘rhythm’ tunes and provided a final showpiece for the superb Joe Chindamo Trio. Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5 Joe Chindamo’s Gershwin Songbook Songs by George Gerswhin Arranged by Joe Chindamo Artists: Joe Chindamo – piano Ben Robertson – bass Danny Farrugia – drums Salon, Melbourne Recital Centre July 14