Belgian jazz pianist Jef Neve: it's impossible not to feel awe each time he executes those extraordinarily fleet ripples or plunging, dramatic chord progressions that either build to rhapsodic climaxes or subside to a barely audible whisper. Photo: Jesse Willems
Jessica Nicholas
This time last year, the magnificent Sun Ra Arkestra landed at the Forum Theatre and played to a wildly enthusiastic audience for the Melbourne International Jazz Festival's inaugural Summer Sessions.
For the 2015sessions, festival organisers eschewed a large-scale concert for six intimate shows at Bennetts Lane. On Friday night, Belgian pianist Jef Neve demonstrated his versatility in two different settings, performing solo and in trio mode with two Melbourne musicians.
This is Neve's fifth visit to Australia, and fans who have seen him on previous occasions would be familiar with his intricate, classically informed playing style. Still, it's impossible not to feel awe each time he executes those extraordinarily fleet ripples or plunging, dramatic chord progressions that either build to rhapsodic climaxes or subside to a barely audible whisper.
Yet it's precisely because Neve's technique is so prodigious that the most affecting moments in his solo set come when he sets technique aside, focusing instead on the tender melodic beauty of Joni Mitchell's A Case of You or his own Never Give Up.
Neve's gifts as a composer/arranger were again on display in the second set – as was his ability to form an instant connection with musicians he'd never worked with before. Bassist Philip Rex and drummer Danny Fischer turned out to be far more than accompanists, nailing the idiosyncrasies of Neve's arrangements while creatively embellishing the gentle insouciance of Sofia, the straight-up swing of I Mean You and ecstatic energy of Endless D.C.
Solo piano albums are precious and a landmark for the artist. And this one, One byJef Neve is no exception, with seven impassioned own compositions and fresh interpretations of well known material such as Lush Life.
Jef Neve took master classes with Brad Mehldau, and there is something of Brad Mehldau’s emotional intensity to this beautiful album, just as there is in Jef’s live performance as I noted in my gigs of 2014, where the joy of performance and communication was very moving and direct. Jef creates walls of dense shimmering sound that do not overwhelm, as in his exciting interpretation of Lush Life. There are compositions which move for their lovely melodies such as Solitude and Could It Be True. And as for Joni Mitchell’s A Case of You - it is quite heartbreakingly beautiful, sensitive and delicate.
It is no surprise to learn that Jef has written for several films – there is a cinematic feel to the unfolding of each composition. Solitude,originally written for performance with 2 dancers, tells the story of a father-son relationship, of the son yearning to break away, and finally caring for his Dad. The pianos (3 different ones across 2 continents, with most tracks recorded on a Yamaha CFX Concert Grand at Abbey Road Studios) all sound amazing. Jef Neve deserves to be heard more frequently in the UK, but as he embarks on a world tour in January 2015, the UK is probably off the map for a while. I am glad I saw him when I did and I will enjoy this album for a very long time.
