Two superb music makers
Reviewed at the Wheatsheaf Hotel on 27 February 2019
Presented by Wizard Tone Records
Reviewed 27th February 2019
Adam Page is the musician’s musician. The ubiquitous multi-instrumentalist pops up in myriad genres and combos, including orchestral, band and solo work. His Fringe shows are consistently popular, but this year, instead of his usual one-man offering, he is bringing an extra man in the guise of Tim Bennett.
Bennett and Page are both masters of the art of looping, which forms the backbone of this show of musical improvisation. Other than one composition by Bennett himself, On the Prairie, all the pieces were made up on the spot. Work was developed with Page on sax and Bennett on bass, along with a drum pad, and any random sounds they could get out of themselves, various objects, and even the audience. Pieces ranged in tone and style from reggae to hip-hop to soft classical.
It almost goes without saying that the musicianship was impeccable. Bennett takes the often “back-benched” instrument, the bass, and brings it down-stage centre, coaxing exquisitely beautiful sounds out of it. Page works his usual magic with the saxophone. Unlike previous shows, where a whole orchestra of instruments was deployed, the guys stick to these two, except in Bennett’s prairie piece, where he took up the acoustic and Page took up the clarinet.
Along with the great music, there was the expected hijinks, especially during the number Taking Things From Your Purse, where that is exactly what they did: turning objects belonging to audience members into sounds in the most unexpected ways. The final number devolved into Bennett making an actual beetroot salad on stage.
I am unable to guarantee a beet salad at the next gigs, but knowing these two, if you don’t get that, you’ll get some other form of delightful, theatrical madness.
Imbuing the entire evening was warmth and the palpable joy that these two men find in the making of music: a joy which pulls the audience along with them.
You would have to be in some sort of coma not to enjoy this show and walk out feeling just a wee bit more connected with the universe and your fellow creatures.
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten
Twitter: @TraceyKorsten
Venue: The Tin Shed at The Wheatsheaf Hotel
Season: 6th and 13th March 7 pm
Duration: 70 minutes
Tickets: $10-$20
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