Monday, June 1, 2009
Adam Simmons on clarinet
It was the second night of Adam Simmons’s first solo Australian tour and my train was late — 15 minutes late. At the Old Drouin Butter Factory two nights earlier, Simmons had launched his month-long tour, fielding questions from the audience as he took them on a tour of instruments selected from a grab-bag so extensive it would have been impossible for him to take the show overseas. I arrived in time to hear him play the clarinet, which in grade 3 he recalled was referred to as a licorice stick. During the evening I had a few questions in my mind, but was not bold enough to ask, despite the relaxed mood of the gig. I reckon the Drouin crowd had the right idea.
At fortyfivedownstairs, the evening was a tour rather than a concert, with some toys and “special effects” thrown in. Simmons improvised in his choice, picking instruments as they suited his feeling on the night and showing us what each could do. To do this well, he had not only to display facility with an array of instruments, but the ability to engage and entertain the audience. What stood out to me, apart from the musicianship, was that Adam Simmons is simply a really appealing and genuinely nice guy, and that comes across in his performance. He is entertaining because it is clear that he is having fun, and we are taken along on the ride, without having to share the stage with a huge ego.
Simmons on contra alto clarinet
A yo-yo demonstration — the first of many — preceded Picnic With a Whale, a song from the new, solo album Adam Simmons, played on the contra alto clarinet. It plumbed the depths as well as the heights at the same time. I would like to know how he achieved that.
Alto flute
The alto flute came next, followed by a 2.55 length Japanese flute, known as shakahuchi, which translates as “1.8 foot” (there are a variety of lengths).
Shakuhachi
Adam Simmons said the instrument was able to produce changes in tone colour or timbre and these were inherent in music notation for the instrument. He said different qualities of sound could be produced at the same pitch and that his playing of the shakuhachi for almost seven years had affected the way he played other instruments.
Fujara
Next he took up Europe’s answer to the shakuhachi — the Slovakian fujara, typically played by shepherds to their sheep. By contrast to the Japanese instrument, the associated tradition of which he had made an effort to learn from teachers and a grand master, the fujara was apparently not an instrument that could be taught. “I can’t teach it, you just play it,” was a comment made to Adam when he travelled to obtain the fujara. He played a lullaby he used to sing to his son and Alak ala.
Simmons in song
Travel with his son, Noah, had inspired this tour, Adam said. They had taken a trip to see Aunty Pam at a pub south of Mt Isa and had enjoyed singing folk songs from places along the way. At fortyfivedownstairs we were offered the choice of a song about a bushranger or “a happy singalong one”. The vote was overwhelmingly for Ben Hall, which Adam sang unaccompanied. That song seemed to encapsulate the spirit of this solo tour and the gigs, which are planned for towns as diverse as Wye River Beach, Deans Marsh, Ballarat, Corindhap, Wangaratta, Canberra, Wollongong, Katoomba and Byron Bay. The fact that the audience could enjoy the simple pleasure of a folk song sung by a fellow known not for his voice but for his ability to enjoy and communicate the joy in music seemed to sum up the idea of the tour: Adam Simmons, with instruments, will travel — no entourage, no crew, no fancy stuff. Just Adam bringing us the music.
Oboe
A short oboe piece that had a Middle Eastern feel preceded the next yo-yo trick, around the world. (Not the best photograph ever taken, but well timed).
Around the world by yo-yo
It was followed by “a distraction with lots of noise” and more yo-yo trickery.
Time for some sax
Then, with the gig threatening to run over time, Adam handed out toys and bubble-makers before disappearing into the crowd for a rendition of The Ryebuck Shearer.
Fun with bubbles
That was a lot of fun, but the next bit was unusual and intriguing.
Spinning a top yarn
Adam brought out a table with a series of singing tops and activated them in turn to build a soundscape. It was a boy and his toys indeed.
Contra bass clarinet
To close the evening we were treated to one of his father’s pieces, Hubbard’s Cupboard, which Adam played as his first tenor sax solo at age 12 or 13, on the contra bass clarinet.
Adam Simmons’s solo tour runs until Sunday, June 28, at Monkey in North Fitzroy. His limited release tour CD, with three different cover designs, can be obtained online at Adam’s website.
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