All-star music line-up delivers a triumph and a treat

By Jessie Cunniffe

March 3, 2022 — 2.59pm

Mara! Big Band – ‘Zashto?’
Riverside Theatre
★★★★

In an artform where less is very often more, the expansion of the Mara! quintet into a 12-strong big band proved to be a case of quality in great quantity.

Joining Mara and Llew Kiek’s award-winning group on stage at the Riverside Theatre was a swathe of Australian jazz elite, most of whom have been colleagues in past musical endeavours. The catalyst for the expansion is a new musical suite, Zashto? (“why?” in Bulgarian), commissioned by Mara Kiek for the band in 2020.

Meandering from Gaelic to Bulgarian to Farsi, Zashto? features compositions from Mara! members past and present. Steely concentration was palpable at the opening; a giant engine turning over for the first time. But as Sandy Evans wrestled a gritty, otherworldly tenor saxophone solo into existence, the whole thing roared to life.

With Nekoronovanite Printsove (“Uncrowned Princess”) the true magnitude of the band’s collective sound hit home, a thrilling juggernaut of pulsating polyrhythms, splintering harmonies, and above it all Mara’s commanding vocal. Andrew Robson’s alto saxophone took centre stage in What A Life, playfully duelling with Paul Cutlan’s clarinet (not without a little good-natured showboating). James Greening had the unenviable task of following the woodwind pyrotechnics, but his soulful pocket trumpet solo held its own with dazzling tonal subtleties and an inspired use of space.

After interval, the band set about capitalising on the glut of musical talent on stage, reimagining some of the Mara! band’s back catalogue on a new scale. The swagger and sway of Zhetva Pt 1 (Harvest) stood ten feet taller than the original, with Cutlan, Evans and Robson effortlessly tossing the melody to each other over the gyrating beat. Crowd favourites Sandansko Horo and Zaliubix Mamo Tri Momi showcased Jess Ciampa’s astonishing versatility in the percussion section and Lloyd Swanton’s hypnotic, ever-evolving bass lines. At the core sat a smiling Llew Kiek, by turns conducting and driving the band with relentless rhythmic invention.

What started with some trepidation ended in dancing in seats and aisles. A triumph and a treat.

The Mara! Big Band plays Wollongong Town Hall on March 18, Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre on March 19 and Canberra Street Theatre on March 20.

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