Australian Jazz artist Melody Beck teamed up with Elsen Price on an album ‘Classic Cool’.Performing organic interpretations of jazz standards, with the unusual instrumentation of voice and double bass. Arrangements for pieces are often improvised, then though performing numerous gigs, find their natural final ‘feel’. We sit down with Melody and get to know the artist a little bit more.
How did you and Elsen Price link up?
Elsen and I have known each other for quite a few years from different gigs around Sydney and groups of mutual friends, and around 2020 he approached me to start up our own duo with double bass and voice. So we got some tunes together and had our first gig at Moyas Juniper Lounge in Redfern and things took off from there. It really is a privilege to work with him.
What’s your latest release about?
Our latest release is ‘Classic Cool’, a collection of jazz classics done in familiar and new ways. We wanted to start with some classic tunes that we are very familiar with, and give that edge of live performance to them, so we recorded the whole album in one day with two to three takes for each track. This album is our first of many I am sure. It was a great process and we were blessed to work with Van Ahn Nguyen on two of the tracks, ‘Stardust’ and ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’. Working with Van Ahn was just magical and those tracks really have that special quality she brings in her gloriously beautiful and expressive playing.
What’s your favourite track off the album?
That’s difficult to answer as I feel like my favourites change depending on my mood, but I think it might be Autumn Leaves or Paper Moon. ‘Autumn Leaves’ is darker and has that wistfulness and romantic feel, whereas ‘Paper Moon’ is bouncy and playful. Elsen’s playing is masterful and his solos and musicality in all the tracks is just incredible. I know I’ll listen to the album again and my answer will change, but that’s the beauty of it, it’s surprising in its details. Chris Doherty, who recorded us at Rancom Studios with Dom Corso, took a lot of care when mastering the tracks, and you can really tell.
What was the first song you fell in love with?
I was thinking about this just the other day. There are many different ways to love and I know I must have loved many songs when I was younger, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when and what that is. I think that ‘At Last’ as sung by Etta James, and Eva Cassidy’s arrangement of ‘Songbird’ are definitely two songs I love and have special places in my heart and my life. From the album, the first song I fell head over heels in love with was ‘Stardust’.
What can we expect next from you?
There is definitely more to come from Elsen and I as a duo, and we’ve been playing around with original works plus doing pieces in different ways creating interest and bringing all we can to put ourselves into the pieces. We’ve had some lunchtime gigs at Restaurant Hubert this year, and are interested in more residencies around Sydney, around Australia, and perhaps the world. Music is alive, and we want to give as much as we can to that so keep an eye and an ear out. Honestly, we like to keep it fresh, but also familiar so you could expect anything from us. We will be performing songs from ‘Classic Cool’ at Bondi Pavillion on the 9th of October for a free lunchtime concert. Just head over to register on the Bondi Pavillion website to reserve your spot.
How did you start your music journey?
I grew up in a family of performers and creatives so I was always going into the arts in some way or another. Singing and music was always a big part of my education at home and at school. I joined any choirs I could, auditioned for as many shows as I could, played numerous instruments in many bands and ensembles and was fortunate enough to have very supportive family and friends while doing this. It truly takes a village. The good thing is, I just so happen to adore singing, performing and creating so I am lucky I get to combine these things and between teaching singing and music, I get to perform with some of Australia’s best musicians. You dream about doing these things and then the path you take can lead you to places you’ve never thought of. The whole process is an adventure where you just have to keep moving forward and appreciate all the wonderful things that come.
Listen to the album below.
