This Old Cello Box: Specialist In All Styles ~ Adelaide Fringe 2024 Review

[MUSIC/Folk ~ United Kingdom] Gallery 1 at Hahndorf Academy, Sun 3 Mar, 2024. Would you like some Oasis with your Bach, sir? Not an unreasonable question to be asked when attending a William Jack performance! William has studied cello at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and then in Vienna. But he listened to and played a lot of rock and blues music growing up, his first instrument being guitar, and he also studied jazz guitar. With so many influences to draw from, it is perhaps not surprising that his tastes and music selections cover a lot of bases. This Adelaide born and bred musician now based in London is performing in the Adelaide Fringe to celebrate his first solo album This Old Cello Box, recorded in Adelaide during a previous visit in 2021. It is no surprise then that that his first piece is from his album, a track he has called u-bahn blues, quite possibly the only song written about the underground rail system in Vienna in existence. The rhythms in this song are the first indication of a rock music sensibility. William then establishes his classical credentials with a performance of Bach’s Cello Suite No 1 in G Major, followed by a lovely rendition of The Beatles’ Here There And Everywhere, reminding us of the outstanding melodies Paul McCartney is sometimes capable of. A preview from his next album, This Old Cello Box 2, also apparently recorded in Adelaide during this current visit, is his most recently written track Tell Tchaikovsky The News. Classical cellist pays homage to rocker Chuck Berry, not forgetting to include some Tchaikovsky quotes! Yes there is Oasis. Yes it is Wonderwall. There is also an outstanding version of Bob Dylan’s Make You Feel My Love, but it is his own song Morialta, about one of his favourite spots in Adelaide, which is a real highlight today. Echoing sounds from nature and from indigenous culture, this piece demands our attention. In a move that might well make his classical teachers shudder, William turns his guitar horizontally and starts playing it like a guitar. Apparently first done when he was listening heavily to bluegrass music, some more new songs indicate that this will be a feature of the new album. How does an artist with such eclectic tastes end his performance, and the album? With an Irish jig of course. Samantha’s Jig has us all dancing in our seats. William Jack’s star is rising and the eyes of the world will soon be upon him. Nice to think that he is still fiercely fond of Adelaide and is likely to return for visits when time permits. 4.5 stars Adrian Miller #ClotheslineMag #ADLfringe