[2014023] Jazzflip – Zephyr Quartet vs 1.1 Immermann
Zephyr Quartet, 1.1 Immermann @ The Wheatsheaf Hotel
8:00pm, Mon 17 Feb 2014
It’s no secret that I’ve become a Zephyr Quartet fanboy, desperately trying to see them at every available opportunity (though, shyly, not going out of my way to converse with them… we don’t need another incident like the one at the Festival Christmas show a few years back, do we?). But events conspired against me earlier this year: I didn’t know about their 2014 launch party until after I’d committed to other stuff, and didn’t realise they were slated to perform as part of Unsound (though I may have inadvertently heard them in a soundcheck during an ArtWalk). So: feeling slightly guilty (what kind of fanboy am I?) I inked in this COMA show early, despite it playing havoc with any other shows on the day.
The COMA Jazzflip series, I learned, involved two bands interpreting & playing each other’s work; on this evening, Zephyr was trading blows with local ensemble 1.1 Immermann. The two groups also selected one of their own composition that both groups played – a bloody brilliant idea that paid off handsomely.
But I’m getting ahead of myself a little.
I arrived at the Wheaty just as the doors opened, and the queue to get in was quite daunting – more so after I snaffled myself a beer. But I’m flying solo at this gig, so I manage to find a spare spot at a table right in front of the stage (in exchange, I was told jokingly, for a drink later on – a deal I made good on). My three table-mates were there as die-hard COMA fans, not necessarily as fans of either ensemble… a curious approach, I thought, but the resultant conversation was invigorating.
Zephyr were first up, and performed a healthy chunk of Immermann’s music. It was all (understandably) unfamiliar to me, but I was immediately intrigued: odd rhythms and skip-beats, with lush melodies permeating the tunes… were these in the original songs, or were they Zephyr’s interpretation of them? The set was broken up by the inclusion of Air – and it’s impossible for me to describe how much I love that piece. It’s a magnificently taut and delicate composition that gets me sitting on the edge of my seat, anxiously trying to hear every faint note.
A beer break, a rearrangement of instruments onstage, and on came 1.1 Immermann – and the drum / bass / double guitar / key driven sound owes a lot to other art-rock groups… and I mean that in the best possible way, because these guys were great. Their rendition of Air went in a much noisier – though equally tense – direction, and their version of Ewens Ponds was nothing less than belligerently fantastic. The 1.1 Immermann song performed by both bands was the driving, almost jazzy Sensible Haircut Dan; their guitar-driven version contrasted nicely with Zephyr’s tight arrangement (Belinda’s violin-ised version of the guitar solo was brilliant!).
And then… the expected melding of the two ensembles. Oh god – it was wonderful. Tears-in-my-eyes types of wonderful.
I left this gig absolutely blown away. Not only were Zephyr their usual wonderful selves, but my exposure to 1.1 Immermann was (somewhat unexpectedly) revelatory: here, in my backyard, was a group that plays all the tight, quirkily odd-rhythmic stuff that I love. I bought their CD Extra Knusprig on my way out (as well as a Zephyr disc I seemed to lack), and mentally added them to the “must see” list… as well as more Zephyr. More Zephyr, more Immermann, more Jazzflip, more COMA. These are all things I should commit to.
(23) Jazzflip – Zephyr Quartet vs 1.1 Immermann: Mind BLOWN. Subtlety and power and FUCKING AMAZING. Quote me on that. #ff2014 #ADLfringe
— Pete Muller (@festivalfreakAU) February 17, 2014