A small counterweight for my last reviews Russian The Hatters, I would like to take you now for "great water", but not the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean – to Australia. It is the home of an outstanding musician whose work I will bring to you. This counterweight is not accidental on my part – I am working on a text in which I will explain to readers why my musical fascinations are so broad and why Poles realize both Western and east music.
From Antipodes
Lachy Doley he is an outstanding instrumentalist, composer and vocalist from Australia. His music is profoundly steeped in "Americanism", hence I present it as an absolute contrast to The Hatters.
Doley was born in 1978, in Adelaide – a town in the south of Australia. So he is simply a mid-generation musician who is now out into the wide waters. From an early age he was fascinated by American music – blues, jazz, soul, rock, funk, gospel. All these influences are found in his compositions. Doley does not effort to prove something and “discover the wheels again” by consciously reaching for these species, he creates his own compositions, showing that there is inactive much to play and sing in this music. But there is something that distinguishes him from the immense number of musicians that revolve in this climate – incredible virtuosory, imagination and energy that the artist emanates during performance improvisations!
Be music!
That's why I chose a performance album to bring this different character closer to the Readers. This is not just a performance album, which is simply a memorable evidence of the performance. This is show studio, recorded with a tiny audience on the occasion of the artist's 43rd birthday, and the full Studio 301 was prepared to perfectly record, produce and then release in the form of CD, vinyl and YouTube film.
Lachy Doley Group is simply a trio. Doley is simply a composer, plays keyboard instruments and sings. He is accompanied by a rhythmic section: Joel Burton on bass guitar and Jackie Barnes On drums. He's a son. Jimmy Barnes. – Australian stone star of the 1980s and 1990s, thanks to which Doley made himself known to a wider audience, touring as a keyboardist for the Burnes band. On drums he plays with the vocalist his son, and the choruses are sang by his daughter – Mahalia Barnes. Doley made friends with his full musical family, and Jackie is simply a regular drummer in his solo project.
In addition to the iron line-up, the Australian invited truly outstanding musicians to the concert. The mentioned Mahalia Barnes sings in choruses, as well as 1 solo track, an excellent brass section in the classical lineup, or trumpet, tenor saxophone, trombone, and baritone saxophone. large guitarist. Franco Raggat and Lachy’s brother, or Clayton Doley On the piano. I will not mention all names due to the fact that they are not known to the Polish audience.
All musicians make an incredibly effective, precise "playing machine". Perfectionism, but, most importantly, not sterile. In their sound there is plenty of air and space – this music lives and there is simply quite a few spontaneity in it. Each instrumentalist plays only as much as needed, leaving area for a leader who virtually hypnotizes his game.
Apart from being an absolutely superb keyboardist – in my opinion, the best in this genre ellipse – it is additionally endowed with a immense charisma! This man has so much energy and joy in playing that the viewer seems to be playing with his full self. That's the kind of people I say: he doesn't play music, he's music!
Lachy Doley is 1 of those artists who performs best live. Not that his albums (own or with another projects) are bad; they are great, but with specified artistic temperament you can't pass all the emotional charge through the studio album unless it's concert! That's why I chose Live at Studio 301to introduce you to this artist.
Setlist
The choice of pieces for the concert, especially so special, is always a hard task. This is simply a bit like a theatrical performance – it must be interesting and addictive to open up, make with the right dynamics, grading emotions, while ending must leave the viewer / listener with the lost breath. And that album is!
This is actually the album that made the most impression on me in 2022. True, the planet premiere took place at the end of 2021, but I heard the material in January. I remember precisely what it was like – I went to work this morning. I frequently walk due to the fact that then I sit all day, and the road takes me about 40 minutes, so I have time to perceive to something. I already knew what it would be, so immediately after I left the house, I started, and the first sounds virtually “damaged me”! Seriously, I expected it to be large material, but this beginning of the album just sweeps off the board! I play and respond to the music rather naturally – people on the street had good faces looking at me, due to the fact that in the first reaction I burst with loud, honest laughter – ha! I guess I was the only happy citizen, a gnarly step towards work this morning.
This strong beginning of the album is "Give it (But You Just Can’t Take It)" – Dole and Barnes' composition (yes, drummer). It is simply a funk-soul track in which there are clear influences of artists like Ray Charles Or Earth Wind Fire. The Australian is not an outstanding singer, but he sings very dynamically and perfectly accompaniment. In this music you can immediately hear the vocalist composing and playing himself – it creates a greatly played full – these plays enter precisely the point, taking over vocal parties.
The second issue is already bowing towards rhythm & blues from the Blues Brothers sign. It's a beautiful feeling – I'm happy from the beginning due to the fact that I know what's about to happen, I'm not surprised, and yet it's so fantastic! This brass section, drum and bass pulse – everything fits.
The next number is surprise – coverJimmy Hendrix "Voodoo Child", but made in trio, so no guitar! Hendrix on keyboards? Yes! Here comes a curious fact that shows how unique Doley is. It is very hard to “forge” the guitar with keyboard instruments. It is not even about the sound itself, but about the motor of playing, which in the guitar, thanks to the strings allows smooth “pull” sounds. Doley achieved this effect by reworking Hohner's electrical piano, in which the sound origin is embedded strings. The full fingerboard on 1 side was mounted on a moving bridge, akin to a guitar. In addition, he founded a lever of his own design, which he operates precisely like a guitarist by cutting the instrument into a housing. After connecting the guitar effect of the Wah kind (the alleged duck) not only the sound of the keyboard, but besides the specificity of the sound becomes moments indistinguishable from the electrical guitar. Really, you gotta hear this. Of course, the virtuosity of all 3 musicians makes it the performance of the stone standard, the monument track of Hendrix is bravado. Musicians play densely, racially, alertly and with different dynamics. Doley's solo is truly crazy, something beautiful!
I'm not going to describe all the tracks, it doesn't make sense, but I gotta mention 2 more. "Love Come Around" sung by Mahalia Barnes is simply a soul-blue temper ballad that just knocked me down. Doley's beautiful composition was winged by Mahalia's performance. The way this number was sung and played is the essence of specified music, but about it in a moment.
It besides deserves attention to close the performance – a part Johnny Nash "I Can See Clearly Now". This is pure madness in arrangement and execution. All musicians have a large time, but everyone plays theirs exactly. This is the perfect setlist!
Hammond organ shaman
Hammond's organs are 1 of my beloved instruments at all. always since I was a child, I've listened to their sound, which has something absolutely hypnotic in it. My father (professional musician) always had keyboard instruments at home and I loved even Hammond's simulations. It is simply a circumstantial instrument which must be understood and loved to draw out from it what is spelled.
Lachy Doley is not only a virtuoso that impresses with the method of playing on electrical organs and with the wealth of solutions he uses. The level of knowing of the instrument with all nuances causes it to capture the elusive. Of course, the perfect method allows him to play everything his imagination suggests. Its kind is simply a combination of the best elements from Billy Preston. and John Lord – soul dynamics, blues time with stone snout. erstwhile playing a foundation, it can be virtually entirely arranged. The solos are full of spectrum – from rhythmic fun (always in a point) through complex belts to tunes resulting from the harmony of the work, but beautifully decorated.
An excellent example is the part “Get It While You Can”, in which he guest-sings Karren Le Andrews, and Clayton Doley (Lachy’s brother) plays the piano. The musician on the organ paints a beautiful background, sneaking in subtle sounds between phrases sung by the singer. Where necessary, he leaves area for piano and choirs. This gospel number takes us to the “black south” and clearly associate with Ray Charles. The solos that both brothers played here Doley is simply a real cymes, but Lachy brings in this added value, this magic that makes him a actual shaman of Hammond's organs.
Playing backwards
On the occasion of the review of The Hatters, I mentioned what was musically different from the East. As in our pages counting “1-2-3-4” we always emphasize 1 and 3, so the full of Western music, especially 1 that grows from the blues root (and in specified kind the Australian is turned), always emphasizes 2 and 4, which makes for Poles intuitively applauding “at once” a circumstantial “back”.
Doley's full squad feels it perfectly. Jackie Barnes is simply a real treasure to a bunch like that. This guy's motor of the game makes everything “wait” for the last microsecond. erstwhile he plays shuffle (popularly called a shovel) blues, it all goes like a steamboat. There is clearly a “musical chemistry” between him and Doley. Barnes is highly vigilant and delicate to the expression of the leader. All 3 musicians forming the core of the group feel and realize the specificity of the "play backwards".
International Language
To sum up – the full performance is over an hr and a half of a real feast for lovers or, Western or more precisely, American playing, although performed by musicians from Australia. This album is simply quintessence. The full is complemented by excellent sound and production.
Why am I so fond of Yankee music? I promise to compose about this in the “Polish Thought” culture section, while I inactive gotta urge the release, which was published by the All The Stops description and, in connection with the holiday-new year period, want you all the best.
Listen to good music – no substance what part of the world, according to what another organ virtuoso Hammond mentioned earlier sang, Billy Preston: “Music is the voice of God. Music is an global language...”. Happy birthday!
Bartosz Iwicki
Lachy Doley, Studios 301 Sessions, 2021.
