Bernie McGann

Bernie McGann is Australia's homegrown alto saxophone iconoclast. His sound is a mix of Lee Konitz and Ornette Coleman. This sound derives not from some willful cribbing from these masters, but because McGann has such big ears that he absorbs what he hears in the external world as well as what he hears inside his own head. Given the ardor of his playing, he minds the music in his heart as well. Bundeena presents him in the sparest of settings, an alto saxophone, bass, and drums trio featuring two of his long-standing cohorts, drummer John Pochee and bassist Lloyd Swanton. Blowing on a set of Australian originals which cover the gamut from peppy bebop, blues, and ballads, one would expect his originality to come through full force, but rather he seems almost restrained, mellow. In other contexts, with a fuller, more diverse cast, his quirkiness is set in greater relief. Here he sounds like an original, very capable improviser, not that different from many others. Still, on the ballad "The Last Postman" (a reference to McGann's former occupation), he plays with a catch in the sound that signals his studious avoidance of the commonplace. Here more than elsewhere on this session McGann's personality shines brightly. ~ David Dupont, Rovi