Listen & tracks
1 of 14 tracks have a preview · 12 works · 74:43
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1 Tea for two Vincent Youmans 11:15
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2 La fiesta Chick Corea 9:37
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3 New Orleans Hoagy Carmichael 5:02
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4 Easter parade Irving Berlin 6:25
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5 St. Louis blues W.C. Handy 8:03
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6 The ballad of the sad young men Fran Landesman 3:00
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7 Alice in Wonderland Bob Hilliard 2:02
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8 Blues for Mary-Lou Bob Sedergreen 5:03
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9 Heathland Tony Gould 7:11
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10 Wonderful Copenhagen Frank Loesser 2:38
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11 Mercy, mercy, mercy Joe Zawinul 4:12
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12 Side by side Harry Woods 10:15
Sedergreen the fearless blues player and Gould the classically schooled improviser sit back to back on Steinway and Bösendorfer. The programme mixes familiar songs with their own pieces, chosen after many suggestions and little more rehearsal than a key check.
Concerts at Melba Hall in 1993 and Blackburn High School in 1994 catch the pair trading solos and surprises, from Tea for Two and La Fiesta to Heathland, Blues for Mary-Lou and a long closing Side by Side.
In the artist’s words
Some old, some new, all lovely pieces to play and chosen by mutual agreement – after a couple of hundred suggestions from each of us.
Tony Gould and Bob Sedergreen have earned individual high reputations in Australia and overseas. In many ways their successful performances together defy musical logic in that they really are like chalk and cheese when it comes to pianism and in the different musical paths they have chosen.
Sedergreen the fearless is one of the greatest performers of the blues this country has produced. He is blessed too, with a wonderful style of musical humour. Gould the cautious, caused by his years of classical training – of which incidentally he is probably eternally grateful to a great teacher, Max Cooke.
It works because both have ‘big’ ears, have mutual respect for each other and above all have an undying love for the art of improvisation and musical spontaneity.
Besides, the immense fun of making music with a friend is one of the great joys of life – everyone should do it.
By the way, in case you’re interested, Tony is on the left – Steinway – and Bob is on the right – Bösendorfer – during the Melba Hall concert. (But Bob pushed me off the Steinway to play a solo on New Orleans).
Reviews
Gould … excelled with his delicacy of touch, and his brilliant improvisations. Sedergreen’s playing never failed to capture the ear with its vigor, variety and skill.
the two pianists managed to keep each other guessing … at every turn, one would catch the other off guard with a surprising twist or a tongue-in-cheek suggestion, either subtle or outlandish
Gould and Sedergreen intended to enjoy themselves, and did so hugely. What was more remarkable was that they managed to communicate this enjoyment to the audience.
Artists
Tony Gould
piano
Pianist and composer Tony Gould is one of Australia’s most respected musicians. His career has spanned jazz and other improvisatory forms as well as traditional and contemporary classical, and for decades he has stood at the forefront of music education in Australia.
Bob Sedergreen
piano
Pianist Bob Sedergreen is one of the greatest blues performers this country has produced, and he is blessed with a wonderful style of musical humour.
Irving Berlin
composer
Irving Berlin wrote the songs that lodge in the ear and stay there: White Christmas, Easter Parade, Blue Skies, Puttin' on the Ritz. Simple, direct, and built for the heart, they still travel wherever melody is welcome.
Hoagy Carmichael
composer
Hoagy Carmichael wrote the melodies behind Stardust, Georgia on My Mind, The Nearness of You and Heart and Soul, songs that moved from hot jazz of the 1920s into the permanent repertoire of popular and jazz singers.
Chick Corea
composer
Crystal Silence, La Fiesta and the Children's Songs travel far beyond the piano stool. Chick Corea's pieces carry luminous melody, Latin heat and a playful clarity that invite bass, marimba and twin grands to make them their own.
Sammy Fain
composer
Sammy Fain (1902–1989) was an American composer of popular song for Broadway and Hollywood, whose lasting standards belong to the Great American Songbook.
W.C. Handy
composer
W.C. Handy is the composer of St Louis Blues.
Bob Hilliard
composer
Bob Hilliard's lyrics gave popular song some of its most intimate night-time confessions and dreamiest storybook turns, from the hushed longing of In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning to the wonder of Alice in Wonderland.
Frank Loesser
composer
Frank Loesser wrote the music and lyrics that still light up stages and standards books: sharp, singable Broadway scores and film songs whose wit and warmth keep turning up in jazz rooms and recital programmes alike.
Vincent Youmans
composer
Vincent Youmans wrote lean Broadway songs built from short repeated phrases and subtle harmonic turns. Tea for Two, I Want to Be Happy and More Than You Know became lasting standards, still favoured by jazz players.
Joe Zawinul
composer
Fran Landesman
composer
Fran Landesman (1927–2011) was an American lyricist and poet. Her songs, among them Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most and The Ballad of the Sad Young Men, became lasting jazz standards.
Tommy Wolf
composer
Tommy Wolf (1925–1979) was an American composer and pianist. His songs, among them Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most and The Ballad of the Sad Young Men, became jazz standards.
Harry Woods
composer
Digital booklet
Digital booklet Notes, texts and credits — read online or download the PDF Download the PDFPerformers
- Tony Gould · piano · all except tracks 3 and 8
- Bob Sedergreen · piano · all except tracks 6 and 9
Technical credits
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Recording Engineer
Martin Wright
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Editing Engineer
Vaughan McAlley
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Mixing Engineer
Martin Wright
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Mastering Engineer
Martin Wright
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Venue
Blackburn High School (tracks 1, 4, 6 and 10)
Melba Hall (all except tracks 1, 4, 6 and 10)
Details
- List price
- $25.00 AUD
- Total playing time
- 74 minutes 43 seconds
- Release date
- 1995
- Categories
- Australian, Jazz, Keyboard
- Genre
- Jazz & Improvised
- Musical work copyright
- © 1995 Move Records
- Sound recording copyright
- ℗ 1995 Move Records
- Catalogue
- MD 3155
- EAN
- 9314574315523
More to explore
The Other Side of Tony Gould
Tony Gould is best known as a jazz pianist and improviser. This recording turns to his classical side: original concert works written over two decades, with Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring in a four-hand piano version.
Crossing Paths
Ensemble Liaison and the Tony Gould Trio take turns across the programme: each piece is heard first in a scored reading, then in an improvised jazz response that opens the same melodic and harmonic material to fresh colour.
Where have you been all these years?
Claire Patti (vocal and harp), Louise Godwin (cello) and Tony Gould (piano) join in a warm tribute to musical friendship, bringing fresh interpretive colour to traditional songs they love.
Move 50
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Jazz Music Series, Vol. 4: Take That
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