Resonate Magazine | Australian Music Centre

Image: Sandy Evans  
© Shane Rozario

Sandy Evans is undoubtedly one of Australia's most inventive saxophonists. Internationally acclaimed as a performer and a composer, her decades-long career has made an undeniable dent on the Australian jazz and improvised music scenes, having played pivotal roles in ensembles like Clarion Fracture Zone, Ten Part Invention, Mara!, and the Australian Art Orchestra.

The Sandy Evans Trio formed in 2003 with Brett Hirst on double bass and Toby Hall on drums - a collaboration that has now spanned over 21 years, including performances at jazz festivals around Australia and overseas, and multiple studio recordings, often in collaboration with other feature artists. Ahead of their upcoming album release The Running Tide, we spoke with Sandy to learn more about the new music and the nature of the trio's improvisatory collaboration.

Congratulations on the upcoming release of The Running Tide. Can you tell us a little about the album title?

The title of the album is from one of the tracks. I have lived on the Northern Beaches of Sydney on Gaimariegal (Kameygal) Country for most of my life. Nature and the beautiful coastline where I am privileged to live are very important to me creatively. This country nourishes every aspect of my life and creativity. In the piece The Running Tide, the ebb and flow of the water generated by different tides, currents, waves and swells, serves as a metaphor for the way we play together. The wonderful rhythm section of Brett Hirst and Toby Hall generate energy and momentum, all the while responding to the ebb and flow of ideas we spontaneously contribute. The track is a freebop medium-up tempo swing with a lot of scope for melodic, harmonic and rhythmic invention.

The album cover is a photo by a Northern Beaches photographer, Jason James. It's called Rush Hour and is taken at dawn at Queenscliff Beach (the northern end of Manly beach). The colours and energy of the photo perfectly suit the Running Tide title for me.

Each track is described as "a canvas for improvised dialogue". Were all the pieces purely improvised in the recording studio? What does that collaboration look like among the trio?

Only two of the pieces are completely improvised. I composed the pre-conceived elements of the other twelve tracks. The aesthetics, form and mood of each piece is quite different. Each composition has some predetermined parameters that guides our creative journey in the moment. Some follow jazz conventions such as a melody and chord structure that is the form for improvisation; others are through-composed with spaces for each player to respond to emotional, musical or gestural cues; some are modal compositions; sometimes there is a melody that we respond to in a free-improvised way. Many of the pieces explore rhythmic ideas that have evolved through my engagement with jazz, Indian music and Balkan music.

The collaborative process in the trio happens both during the development of the compositions in rehearsal, and also in live performance. I am fortunate that Brett and Toby know my musical personality well and are able to understand and interpret my ideas. We explore and experiment at rehearsals. In that process we find ways to interpret the pre-composed material that best suits my creative vision for each canvas and our individual and collective voices. Then we have a strong and clear platform to engage in spontaneous dialogue when we perform live. That's a wonderful and exciting experience with this ensemble.

The two free improvised tracks (one solo saxophone and one trio piece) are dedications to the great Cecil Taylor who passed away not long before we recorded this album. The only prompts for these improvisations were to honour his memory any way we wished.

You've been performing as the Sandy Evans Trio with Brett [Hirst, double bass] and Toby [Hall, drums] for over 21 years, with four studio albums under this project. How does this album mark a development in your journey as an ensemble?

This is our first full length recording with the trio with this personnel. (We did release an EP together in 2009.) Having played together so much, we had developed a beautiful rapport and a diverse repertoire. The first track on the album is called 'Florescence' meaning "a state or period of flourishing" and "the time and process of budding and unfolding of blossoms." This album documents the blossoming of our collective experience as a trio. We had played some of the pieces for many years; others were new for this album, including this track.

Some of the works on the album tell a particular story or pay tribute to musical influences or historical events. What is one that you personally connected with the most?

In terms of stories, the most significant one for me is 'Invasion Day at the Beach'. It's a protest song in an ironic style. It juxtaposes the tragedy that underpins January 26th with the hysterical indulgence that takes place on "so called" Australia Day. The hysterical indulgence is represented by the "punk rock thrash disco yobbo feel" that I asked Brett and Toby to play. I am deeply aware that the Gaimariegal land where I am privileged to live is stolen land.

The recording for this album took place in 2019! What happened in the last five years to promise a long wait for the release?

Covid-19! My mother passed away and my life was turned upside down during this period. I am also my husband's carer - (the wonderful musician Tony Gorman who has MS) so it was a tough time for us to navigate. The track 'Help Me, Heal Me' was written pre-Covid but took on greater significance during this period as so many people struggled with health and life challenges. Through music, community and friendship I find joy and healing. So, I also spend a great deal of my life feeling good, hence the track 'Feeling Good'.

It's an admirable feat for an ensemble to stick together for so long. For the Trio, what has been the secret to a long-lasting and enriching collaboration?

Thank you! Friendship, humour, passion, perseverance and the extraordinary (largely voluntary) support, goodwill and dedication of the jazz and improvised music community. This recording would not have been possible without the support of the (then) Australia Council as the funds to compose some of the pieces came from a Creative Fellowship that I'm very grateful for.

The Running Tide is out on Friday 27 September 2024.
Find on Bandcamp.
Find on streaming services.