It cost promoter Clarence Chang HK$2,600 to have the Fringe Club's grand piano moved about 10 metres from the bar into the theatre for the Dag Arnesen Trio's performance last Monday, but it was clearly worth it.
The Danish pianist responded enthusiastically to a worthy instrument, and a nearly full house made its appreciation of some very fine jazz playing clearly heard between the numbers.
Chang doesn't usually expect to do more than break even on the concerts he stages, and with or without the piano mover's bill, this one looked like a probable loss maker, so it was gratifying to see the turnout.
As it turned out Chang reckoned he had just about enough left over from the box office to buy dinner for the musicians. It was proof that jazz performances by lesser-known names can at least fill modest venues, even if it remains a problem filling larger ones, and it would be good to see the Fringe Theatre used more often for performances of this sort.
Arnesen, bassist Terje Gewelt and drummer Pal Thowsen had clearly assessed the acoustics of the room perfectly. The instruments were amplified only softly and for much of the evening Thowsen eschewed drum sticks, playing with his hands or brushes.
Subtle, expressive, and with an unmistakably bluesy swing finely balanced with the Nordic melancholia of the mostly traditional melodies, this was piano trio interplay of a high order.
The players had a great time and would love to return. It would be nice to see them at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, or at a proper Hong Kong jazz festival, something Chang would like to stage.
