Alister Spence Trio and Jon Hassell

Yesterday was a happy day. After a day-trip to Blue Mountains we headed to the Sydney Opera House to enjoy some "new music." I wouldn't call it "new age" as this term has acquired a negative rep in the recent days, so we'll just stick to "new." New, because it's made possible by the developments in technology, endless variations of filters and effects to create the mood.

The opening was performed by Alister Spence Trio and it was a lot of fun to watch the musicians make love to their instruments. Literally. They found very imaginative ways to make sounds, like using sticks to rub on strings and dangling objects over the drums. Here is a video of the melody, recorded earlier.



Then Jon Hassell came out with a very serious face. He played the entire show in one go, almost as one track, and when someone attempted to applaud he waved his hand in a command to stop, lol.