Live Review: Robert Glasper Trio, Ross McHenry Trio

While incessant rain lashes outside, two diverse yet complementary jazz trios warm the ears and hearts of a capacity crowd within Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. Adelaide-based composer, bass player and record producer Ross McHenry - who also fronts Afro-jazz ensemble Shaolin Afronauts - performs a blistering opening with Matthew Sheens on piano and a no-holds-barred Myele Manzanza on drums. Manzanza appears to dominate the tempo throughout their half-hour set, at times drowning out the very subtle bass grooves of McHenry and mid-range harmonies of Sheens. As polished as they are, there is a missing cohesion in their chemistry but the audience nevertheless lavishes Ross McHenry Trio with cheers of support.

Robert Glasper mooches on stage like Yogi Bear stepping to his own beat. Casually attired, he begins by bending forward to manually wind up his piano seat, pausing halfway to give us a thumbs-up. Glasper may be a bona fide megastar at the moment - thanks to his multiple Grammy Awards and his musical work on the upcoming Oscar hopeful biopic Miles Ahead - but he's also a natural comedian with a wry, droll humour. "Can we bring down the lights so it's real sexy?" he asks the unseen technical team offstage. "I look better in the dark." 

"So, wow, Muhammad Ali passed away... Rest in peace," Glasper announces gently at the start. Completing Robert Glasper Trio are Blue Note stalwarts Vicente Archer (double bass) and Damion Reid (drums). Glasper explains how the trio's opening track Sign O' The Times is a tribute to Prince that was not allowed to be included in their album Covered (due to the late legend's iron clad control over covering his material). "Even Mariah Carey wanted to do a cover, but Prince was like, 'Hmmm, no'," Glasper says in his best falsetto. With sharp, edgy beats from Reid and distinct harmonic leading from Glasper that effortlessly stretches, folds and expands, it would have made His Royal Purpleness rethink his legal permission. 

Stella By Starlight, with its accent of gentle-yet-rapid fluid brushes on top hats and cymbals to murmuring piano keys, is an ode to meditation. Got Over, with its raspy spoken word recording by long-time friend and collaborator Harry Belafonte, is both striking and disarming in its political relevance, especially when Belafonte points out, "I'm a person of colour". Reid's generous, earthy, jazz-fusion rhythms and incredibly dexterous coordination often come close to stealing the show. 

The highlight though, belongs to Glasper's own free-jazz improvisation In Case You Forgot - a delightfully funny musical skit between Glasper and Reid that literally covers (among others) Billy Joel's Piano Man, Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time and Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me. A smooth rendition of Musiq Soulchild's So Beautiful, pared back to chords and a freestyle bridge, caps off a faultless performance. Exploratory jazz in the hands of Robert Glasper is indeed manna to our souls.