Tina Harrod @ The Sound Lounge March 2016

Reviewed by John Brewer

The Sydney Improvised Music Association (SIMA) presented the Tina Harrod Quartet at the Sound Lounge on Saturday, providing a night of raw emotions and heartfelt music from Tina and her three supporting musicians.

The quartet played a series of songs from her albums and other favourites. She started with Holding On from her current album The Revolution Is Eternal, then drove us into a searing version of Dylan’s Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues, her own Old Man Jones, Alexis Jordan’s Happiness and then a rocking Chain Gang, before a delightful rendition of George Harrison’s Here Comes the Sun as a tribute to the late George Martin, and finishing the first set with an aggressive version of Steely Dan’s Show Biz Kids.

In the second set, we heard Midnight Over Harlem, followed by a version of Traffic’s The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, The Man with the Paper Cup, River Man from her famous Work Songs CD, a sweeter rendition of the Bee Gee’s To Love Somebody (for the dancers as she said), and finishing with a blistering session with Bob Dylan’s I Shall Be Released and Stevie Wonder’s Big Brother.

Throughout, Tina’s vocals reveled in the soulful, bluesy nature of her choice of songs, inspiring sadness, hole-in-the-shoe kinds of toughness that life can sometimes serve up to us.  In most songs, piano breaks by Matt McMahon (who has played in the quartet very often, but this night was a late substitute for Gavin Ahearn) with subtle, often understated elegance carried us through in the same mood that Tina set. Jonathan Zwartz constantly worked hard on the bass to link the piano and drums, while Nic Cicere showed his great skills on the drum kit, always in mood sync with Tina.

My favourite of the night was Tina’s rendition of I Shall Be Released.  Matt McMahon really shone in his solo on the Traffic number, with the drums really right into the mood as well, especially in a powerful solo on Big Brother. Jonathan Zwartz stood out with a sublime bass solo on I Shall Be Released. But picking individual elements is unfair because the whole session was a standout. Tina was in great form on the night, and Matt, Jonathan and Nic showed their ample skills as well as their long experience together and with Tina.

Sensational live music. Can’t wait to hear the quartet again. Thank you SIMA.