Bent Notes

2 Sep 2019

Adam’s Five Elements, Music Boxes and Creative Victoria

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Adam’s Five Elements, Music Boxes and Creative Victoria

Hear what Adam Simmons had to say when he visited the Bent Notes studio to chat about his “Wu Xing – The Five Elements” project on tour; we heard about Music Boxes, his Toy Band, Creative Victoria and a great definition of JAZZ from Ronny Ferella. (It is not what Jazz is, but what Jazz does!)

Adam spoke of the opportunity to enhance the focus on Jazz in the upcoming Creative State Victorian Strategy for developing the arts, and the need for everyone who loves Jazz to contribute to the strategy. (details on Adams website – The Usefulness Of Art)

Aliateric Assemblages were created by Adam and included punched holes in paper, patterns, and shapes for his Music Boxes in 2009. The creativity and philosophy behind that work was also behind Adam creating a work with Sheng (chinese mouth organ) player Wang Zheng-Ting, a work which was viewed as the standout performance at this years Stonnington Jazz Festival (Australian Book Review).

Wu Xing – The Five Elements – featuring Wang Zheng-Ting (Sheng) works to combine the creativity of Adam Simmons and his trio ORIGAMI (Adam Simmons, Hugh Harvey, Howard Cairns), around the Five Chinese elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The linking “transformative” elements wrote themselves according to Adam.

In the early days of New Orleans it was a mixing pot of Gospel, Marching band, and African rhythms, which set the scene for “Jazz”, and in this work from Adam he combines his western Jazz composition skills with elements of Chinese philosophy and music in a process of communication with his audience (and his musician colleagues!)

Adam and Origami, with guest Wang Sheng-Ting, perform Wu Xing – The Five Elements at The Jazzlab on Sunday September 8, 2019 at 8:30pm (presented by the MJC), as part of the Origami tour dates around the country.

Adam Simmons was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday August 25, 2019

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Thanks to our Podcaster Ilona.