A night of musical perfection
Presented by Adelaide Guitar Festival and Ukaria
Reviewed 14 September 2024
The Adelaide Guitar Festival has a knack for introducing extraordinary and niche musicians to a general audience. In one gig they have delivered three such artists: Antoine Boyer, Yeore Kim, and The Josh Meader Trio.
Boyer is a guitarist working predominantly in the gypsy jazz tradition, with elements of classical and flamenco. Yeore Kim is a harmonica player, mostly working with Boyer, her musical partner and husband. The Josh Meader Trio hail from Sydney and are a contemporary jazz trio. Put these acts together, and you have the recipe for a night of musical perfection.
The show opened with Boyer doing a couple of solo numbers: The Beatles’ haunting And I Love Her, followed by one of his own complex and rich compositions. He was then joined on stage by Kim who proceeded to blow the joint away with her harmonica work. Their set began with an exquisite arrangement of the old standard Sous Le Ciel de Paris, moving on through various works, mostly original compositions, including an as yet unnamed piece, but which struck me with the title Madeline at the Zoo!
Boyer’s musicianship is unquestionable, delivering playing which is technically precise, yet seamless and passionate. Kim is a harmonica player who has an innate sense of the music, and can bring both attack and subtlety to the work, sometimes reminiscent of the great Larry Adler, but always in her own style.
Post-interval, The Josh Meader Trio took over the stage. Consisting of Meader on guitar, Alex Hirlian on drums and Matt Thomson on keys, this trio is taking jazz and making it their own. Firmly rooted in the traditions, it embraces contemporary jazz forms, and takes them wherever it feels like. In the way of a fine wine, different tastes form on the palate: heavy rock, Bach, Allman Brothers, Hot Club of France, Sky.
A packed and powerful set of mostly originals included only one standard, and what an interesting choice: Garner’s much-covered Misty. The man himself would have loved it. Hirlian’s drumming was deliciously counter-intuitive, and included some great brush work. Thomson used a seemingly small key set-up to make a wealth of great sound, and Meader himself is a joy to watch, and of course, to listen to.
Final number for the night brought Boyer and Kim out to join the trio in a stonking rendition of Chick Corea’s Spain. This resulted in an eruption from the audience and a standing ovation.
Contemporary music is rich and diverse, in part because of the embrace of so-called “cross-overs”. It is also due to artists such as these: young, passionate, ridiculously talented, and hungry for the music.
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten
Photo credit: Claudio Raschella
Venue: Dunstan Playhouse
Season: ended
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