Hannah James's High Five

Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2018-02-24.

Hannah is a bassist and composer currently working in and around Sydney Australia. She grew up in Hoskinstown, a small rural town outside of Canberra. She began her musical training in classical piano, taking up the double bass as part of her schools year 7 beginner band program.

After high school Hannah was awarded a scholarship to study jazz performance at the ANU School of Music completing her honours there under the tutelage of the bassist Eric Ajaye.

In 2011 she was the recipient of the Jann Rutherford Memorial Award for up and coming female jazz musicians. She then formed the Hannah James Group and recorded her debut album at ABC studios. In the same year the group was invited to perform at the Brisbane Powerhouse, Bennett’s Lane, SIMA Sound Lounge, Kinetic Jazz Festival and on ABC Radio National and ABC Dig Jazz.

In 2012, the Hannah James Trio was formed with Ed Rodrigues on drums and Casey Golden on piano. The trio has since been fortunate enough to be invited to the 2012 Wangaratta Jazz Festival, Sydney Women’s International Jazz Festival, the 2013 Jazzgroove Summer Festival and the Canberra Capital Jazz Project, as well as undertaking performances at Venue 505, Bluebeat and Jazz at the Gallery.

As well as leading and writing for her own group, Hannah also regularly works as a sideman for a number of projects in and around Sydney.

Hannah’s High 5 are in no particular order!

1. ILLMILIEKKI QUARTET - Finnish Embassy Canberra, August 2011

Illmiliekki are a beautiful group from Finland. This was the third time I had seen them play. I saw their gig in Sydney a few days before this one, however for me this stood out for a number of reasons. It was held in the Finnish embassy to a much more intimate audience than the Sydney show. The musicians all played completely acoustically and the sound was magic. There has always been something particularly special and unique in feeling and hearing purely acoustic instruments up close without the interference of amplification. They have such a unique and distinctly euro flavour to their sound that I have always really loved. Each instrumentalist had the most beautiful tone, the blend and balance was incredibly and you knew you were listening to a real band.

2. ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT/JOSE JAMES- The Oxford Arts Factory, June 2012

Possibly the antithesis of the gig described above was the Robert Glasper Experiment with an opening set from the José James Band. This was the first time I had seen either of these bands live and I hadn’t heard of José before getting tickets to this gig. The sets by both groups were definitely something I will always remember! Firstly, I got to see two of the heaviest bassists in one amazing night - Ben Williams with Jose and Derek Hodge with Glasper and they seriously did not disappoint! The most lasting impression from the José James set was the ‘tight flexibility’ of the band. It was like listening to a DJ spin/cut/mix between tracks at will, except executed by a live band. They continually referenced so many different genres and tunes within the one song. If someone hinted at something musically, everyone was on it and inside it within a split second. Loved it!

Probably the best word to describe Robert Glaspers’ set is intense. There was a command and presence from every player on that stage that was awe inspiring. It was also some of THE TOUGHEST bass playing I have ever heard!

After the gig, it was curious to hear the very mixed responses people gave to the experience but this is definitely something I would love to see again!

3. ALISTER SPENCE TRIO - Venue 505, Feb and August - 2012

The Alister Spence trio is hands down one of my favourite Australian groups. I try to go and see them whenever I can. Listening to this trio, I am always thoroughly hypnotised. The ‘analytical’ ears switch off, too caught up in the beautiful swirling textures and sounds. I always feel like I’m being let through this amazing ‘sound-scape’ with changes in colour, texture and mood always occurring at the perfect moment and never breaking the spell. The ability to hold an audience or listener for whole sets like that is incredible. This is a band that always reminds me of the big difference between being a true artist vs a musical trades person and never ceases to inspire.

4. WILL VINSON TRIO - The Bar Next Door, Sept 2012

This is a gig that was really made super memorable by the circumstances surrounding it, as much as the amazing music! The band was Will Vinson on Sax, Orlando LeFlemming on Bass and Jonathan Blake on Drums. This was my first time in NY and one of the first chances to see some of the incredible players I had been listening to for the past few years. All three musicians are some of my favourites and just seeing them all together was exciting in itsself. To top it off, the venue was tiny and it was a very quiet night so I could really listen and watch with little distraction. It was great to see these guys on one of their ‘working’ gigs, see them as real people who were really really good at what they did instead of these very distant musical idols. This might sound funny, but I loved the fact it sounded just like their records, all these familiar sounds that I knew through the recordings, only even better in real life! The chance to have a chat in the breaks and at the end was just an added bonus!

5. AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE with the LINDA OH TRIO, March 2009

Ever since I first heard of Ambrose when he toured with Linda Oh in March 2009, he has been one my all time favourite musicians. I was still at uni when these guys came out and they ran a workshop at the Canberra School of Music. I was blown away by everything about the guy. Firstly he had an incredible command of his instrument, a true virtuoso. The control, poise and focus he brought to every note he played, was a lesson in itself. Secondly, you really felt he said something every time he played. There were no throw away notes. Music and art emanated from every aspect of his person. When he spoke about music there was that same serious focused attitude, no b.s., just a dude dedicated to an artistic craft in a very palpable way. I greatly admire Linda Oh, she is another amazing bassist and this was also the first time I had heard of her. I really enjoyed both the trio gig in Canberra and at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival. It was a unique sounding trio with just the drums, bass and trumpet. The melody and harmony has to be conveyed through two single melodic lines which can be a tough ask but when done wel,l is one of my favourite approaches to composition. This trio certainly didn’t disappoint and I have a soft spot for any group that allows the bassist to feature heavily!