‘Opposites Attract’ true to its name

On Sunday afternoon the famous southeaster blew a large audience into the Arts Theatre to listen to the latest offering from the Charl du Plessis Trio titled

Opposites Attract. These talented musicians are no strangers to George and they were once again given a warm welcome.

After a meditative opening by Du Plessis, he gave a nod of the head and we were off on the roller coaster of crossover jazz. And what fun it was. Du Plessis is an accomplished pianist and imaginative arranger with a quirky sense of humour. Throughout the afternoon he kept us informed as to how he went about arranging each item to suit the trio. His almost irreverent interpretation of the libretti of the operas was greeted by gales of laughter; thus La Donna è Mobile became the lady with the mobile phone!

The newest member of the trio is Peter Auret, a popular jazz drummer and sound engineer. He is a versatile and sensitive player who, with an assortment of drumsticks and amazing technique, manages to get the maximum effects from his instruments. As an accompanist he blends in seamlessly, but as a soloist he is fascinating to watch and hear. So, Gluck's Melody from his opera Orfeo and Eurydice was a gentle and soothing rendition. Not so the Duke Ellington C Jam Blues where everyone did their own thing - very effectively.

The J Lewis Django brought together Du Plessis and Werner Spies and his stick bass, which is an electronic double bass with no body. With his long fingers Spies coaxes warm melodies from the instrument but is not averse to leaping around the strings in a hectic jazz session.

Puccini's E lucevan le stelle from Tosca, Verdi's La donna è mobile from Rigoletto and Mozart's fiendishly difficult Queen of the night aria from the Magic Flute will never be the same again after the treatment they received, leaving the audience breathless.

Arvo Pärt's Für Alina has no rhythm indication and the piano and drums were able to interpret the pitched notes as they wished. Auret added yet more strange sounds from his instruments while Du Plessis wandered nimbly around the keyboard and together they produced a reflective, timeless piece of music.

Back to the opera with the Seguidilla from Bizet's Carmen, (where the Habanera quietly sneaked in) and Rossini's Largo al factotum, both given the trio's imaginative treatment. The programme ended with a rousing performance of Ellington's transcription of Tizol's Caravan, which fully deserved the enthusiastic applause. As an encore the trio gave us a lively performance of Ellington's Take the A train with its whistles, hoots and clicks coming through clearly.

This was a concert not to be missed and the Charl du Plessis Trio will always be welcome in George.

- Article by Sue Rijsdijk