Clare Hansson
Azimuth
1990 (re-released in 2003)
- Lapis Lazuli
- Breathe Through Ivory
- Turkish Fat Lady
- Azoic Landscape
- That Faint Face
- Beat At Large
- White Water Rag
- Acid On Ballon Skin
- Three Crosses And A Dessert
- Mammoth Walk
- Azimuth
- Undo Voodoo
Clare Hansson - Piano, Composer
Philip Hansson - Double Bass
Bob Watson - Drums, (Percussion Bernado Alvarez)
Sue Wighton - Voice
Jim Mackenzie - Flute, Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
CLARE HANSSON is known as Queensland’s First Lady of Jazz. Though her passion for jazz piano and her dedication to composing, she had made a significant contribution to jazz in Australia. Clare has completed her doctorate on the life and work of Marian McPartland; pianist, composer, educator, writer and broadcaster.
AZIMUTH is a twelve-part suite composed by Clare Hansson and inspired by the painting ‘Revelation’ by Dr. Irene Amos. It was first performed in a world premiere in 1990 at the Queensland Art Gallery. The mammoth canvas motivated Clare Hansson to express through music the rhythmic energy, the melodic curves, the meditative spaces and the evocative harmonies within the stained glass window of ‘Revelation.’
Composed for a five-piece ensemble, the AZIMUTH suite interweaves colours and sounds in moods ranging from lyrical to the blues, from dignified grandeur to swirling whimsy, from echoes of the mists of time to the sophisticated improvisations of five contemporary jazz musicians. AZIMUTH is a timeless symphony expressed though the innovative resonances of piano, double bass, percussion, reeds and voice.
A collaboration between two women who have made a distinctive imprint in their art forms has led Sydney poet Bet Briggs to create a collection of poems based on the musical works. The AZIMUTH suite takes the listener on a journey that is exciting and celebratory, and is a landmark in Australian jazz composition. The re-release of Clare Hansson’s composition is long overdue.
