Bernie McGann Quartet – CD launch

Launch of Live at Side-On (Rufus).

Bernie McGann’s unique alto saxophone voice, now as well recognised in Europe and the US as here in Australia, launched SIMA’s residency at the Sound Lounge in 2005.

He makes a welcome return with the powerful trumpet playing of Warwick Alder adding to the relentless dynamism Lloyd Swanton and John Pochée always bring to McGann’s long established trio.

Pianist Paul Grabowsky, who performed a set of beautiful duets with McGann at the recent Jazz Now Festival, says McGann is one of the truly great saxophonists of all time. “[He] is “one of the most important artists Australia has produced in the 20th Century. I think he stands alongside Patrick White and Fred Williams as one of the people who most beautifully express the Australian condition in their work.”

And critic John Clare has called McGann’s trio one of the glories of Australian music. Fortunately the transformation into a quartet has not diminished the band’s power or subtlety.

Warwick Alder’s trumpet has added a further palette of colours. In so many ways the pairing of McGann and Alder is one of natural affinities. Both musicians base their approach in bop, both have transcended its limitations and both have developed personal styles with an individual sense of time. Some fans will recall Alder’s brilliant playing as a guest with those be-bop destroyers, The Engine Room at The Side-On Cafe, in the 90s at the Strawberry Hills Hotel and more recently with The Space Cadets. With McGann beside him, Alder reaches even deeper and consistently plays with a brilliance and focus that is breath taking.