No Rest for Ross McHenry

The noted Adelaide bassist, composer, producer and jazz extraordinaire is gearing up for a very busy winter as he goes on tour with the Ross McHenry Trio in June before launching a new solo record in July. In the Ross McHenry Trio, McHenry is joined by New Zealand drummer Myele Manzanza and pianist Matthew Sheens, originally hailing from Adelaide but now based in New York. A mixture of luck and natural inclination brought the three musicians together last year when Manzanza was in town for WOMADelaide and Sheens was back to visit his parents. They were able to get together once WOMAD finished and collaborate on new material. “It’s funny the way it’s turned out,” McHenry says. “We went straight into the studio after WOMAD and started experimenting. Like all good musical things, sometimes the best stuff just comes naturally.” Yet, the trio’s ability to put together a full album of songs was set back by McHenry’s recording of his own solo record, a follow up to 2013’s Distant Oceans under the title Child of Somebody. So the group put their work on the back burner while McHenry went to New York to focus on what he describes as a continuation of the themes of his prior album. “If you listen to them back to back, you do see the connection, the progression of it all,” McHenry says of Child of Somebody. The new record is set for a July release, but not before McHenry takes the trio on tour, starting with a Friday, June 3 gig at the Jade Monkey. Having worked with large ensembles such as The Transatlantics and Shaolin Afronauts, making music with smaller teams allows McHenry even more freedom than he had before. “A large ensemble is always malleable and responsive, but still somewhat set,” he says. “In a trio we’re much more nimble. We’re able to be freer than in a large band. The bass is so much more nimble in that context.” McHenry expects audiences will notice a distinction between his past work and the trio with the new songs being “musically and sonically very different” to what has come before. Of course, there’s no point retreading already explored ground for this enterprising musician. “The music I’ve written for this group provides a rhythmic, melodic and harmonic framework, but also an emotional framework.” McHenry is looking forward to kicking off the trio’s national tour this June. With his strong background in jazz, Afrobeat and electronic sounds, McHenry’s performances are never the same. He prizes experimentation and the freedom for an ensemble to move together amid the “mystique” of a live show. “Melodically and harmonically the framework is set, but it’s what we do within the emotional space that sets a live show apart. That’s what makes it so exciting to watch – it’s always unique. The audience and musicians are only in that space together once.” Having now fully funded the trio’s album it will be set for release once McHenry’s busy winter has come to an end. Ross McHenry Trio The Jade Monkey Friday, June 3 rossmchenry.com