Concert Review: Fraser Ross & Jazmine Mary MoveSpace, 22 July 2021

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Fraser Ross gives us a travelling troubadours show of Olde Country Folke packed with wit and sly humour. Whilst Jazmine Mary taps into witchy and haunting spectral Folk songs. Both deliver a compelling show to a packed audience at a small boutique art shop on Auckland’s Dominion Road.

Fraser Ross

Fraser RossFraser comes from Christchurch and has musical ties to the seemingly large number of musicians who reside there. An overflow of seismic energy translating to sound and music. He is very much a classic Folk artist. A tall guy with an immediate presence of a stand-up comedian.

He sings with a powerful and instantly familiar style of British Folk. There is a soft Scottish or Celtic accent there. That is the opening song One of Those Years. Of course, he’s picking an acoustic guitar and he adds some tasty blues licks to this one.

He has spent a lot of time travelling through Scotland and Dundee in particular. Folk music is strong and vibrant there, judging from the artists who pass through New Zealand regularly. Up until the dark cloud of 2020 descended. Competition would be of a high calibre there to stand out and be noticed.

Fraser relates a story of how he got hauled off from an open mic night here in New Zealand. As he says, it’s extremely rare for that to happen. From that cathartic experience, he has done a bit of a Robert Johnson and transformed into a commanding Folkie performer.

Sweet Kisses. Inspired by a true love. Beautifully sung old-style Folk song which is built a little around the classic Wild Mountain Thyme. Floating and timeless, builds slowly to peaks of passionate singing. To the highest mountains I will go.

Would impress any lassie, so of course it didn’t last at all.

Fraser RossThe next to follow is Jubilation. Very funny banter about his time wandering and playing in France. They would also be a tough audience and not be slow in bagging a Brit. Talks about building a toilet at a Yoga retreat. Then he sings a very odd and funny song about bread and avocadoes and wrapping it in a great Folk melody. There is a bit of Spike Milligan classic Goon Show in the delivery.

I Believe. Beats orientated Street Poet Folk. The sly humour of the early Dylan plying his trade in Greenwich Village. Simon Cowell linked to chicken nuggets. Profits and taxes. Or is that prophets?

One of the most interesting things he mentions is playing music in dementia wards in Glasgow. This would be like playing to primary school children. Who have an innocent view of life and would immediately respond to good music without prior prejudice of fashion. You would get totally honest responses.

BBC is written around that. A fast clip rhythmic Folk tune and a Talking Blues of the Dylan style again. But also going back to Harmonica Frank Floyd and Uncle Dave Macon. Well, he sings a lot faster than Subterranean Homesick Blues.

He put passion into all the songs he does tonight.

Pulled back for an encore. Lo and behold it’s Wild Mountain Thyme. Wonderful and with a wee Scoort’s ark-cent.

Jazmine Mary

Jazmine opened the show tonight. A Folk artist of a different calibre. Haunting and intense songs. She comes from Gippsland in Victoria, Australia. And that is a magical part of the country which has a prehistoric presence that is unique.

She doesn’t really invite you in. More she casts a spell to trap you like a Medusa. Unsettling music but fascinating. She is with Peter Ruddell, keyboard player with Wax Chattels. So, we could be going for extreme horror tonight. But Ruddell is in support and supplying textures and some harmony to her original songs. Most from her current album The Licking of a Tangerine.

Skeleton begins the set. Slow and spooky Americana. Twin Peaks Pop music. Beautiful melody and full of a lurking dread. Sings with a controlled and steady voice without affectation. Then suddenly rises in intensity and power.

Songs about bodily dislocation, spirit beings, timelessness. Echoes her early environment.

Dancer is Arty Folk. Just the right amount of soft keyboard texture. Intense and scary but in a quiet, spectral fashion. A more intense witchiness than Stevie Nicks.

Fool. She has a certain Laurie Anderson quality about her oddness and ability to unsettle.

Remembering. Rolls out slow like a fog. There is some Jazz phrasing in her special way of singing, which she slows down here to a reverie.

It all gets Gothic, creepy and wonderful on the seagull song. Hound dog/Flower power/ To hate the seagull is to hate what you create.

I would hate to taint her as a critic’s artist. But she is an artist to watch for fellow obsessives.

A special night of top-drawer Folk from two artists who will inspire cult following and deserve a growing audience.

Rev Orange Peel    

Click any icon to view a full-size gallery of each artist. Photos by Odessa Neilands.

Fraser Ross
Jazmine Mary
Rev Orange Peel
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