Chat with the Mosaic Cat
2021 Chats with the Mosaic Cat
I’m very excited to be in partnership with Sam About Town (Sam Tipler) on a new initiative called “Chat with the Mosaic Cat”. We are seeking to give creatives a relaxing and fun opportunity to raise their profile and share their current work. The posted interviews will have additional background information and links in support on both web sites and shared on social media platforms.
Would love you keep updated by subscribing here.
David White
Sound Engineer and editor and Oscar winner for Mad Max Fury Road 2015
The chat with David White is here.
Additional information can be found on these links:
Oscar interviews here
Wikipedia here
News article here
Sandie White
The chat with Sandie White is here
AN EARLY SNAPSHOT:
Started her professional career in 1955 at the Australia Hotel, in Sydney under the name Sandra Louise.
November 55 saw her in London hired by Harry Roy at the Gargoyle Club with whom she worked for over a year. January 57 gave her first TV appearance and was hired by Ray Ellington to perform with his 4tet. 6 months later she left to freelance and worked with such jazz luminaries as Ike Isaacs, Dill Jones and Basil Kirchin. Dutch comedian, Max Tailleur booked her for 6 weeks at his “Cabaret de Doofpot” in Amsterdam in 57 and in 58 she worked for one year for the American forces in Germany, and was invited by such Jazz Giants as Lionel Hampton, Zoot Sims and Oscar Pettiford to perform with their bands in Wiesbaden, Paris and Stuttgart respectively.
1959 saw her return to Australia, where she landed a job with Jimmy Henney’s Orchestra at Princes Restaurant Sydney, emulating her Mother, Bee Hussey-Cooper who sang there with Craig Crawford’s band during World War 2. Two dates on Brian Henderson’s Bandstand culminated in being picked up by Channel 7 where she worked constantly on all their shows for 3 years, culminating in her own TV show “Cue for Music” with Tommy Tycho & his Orchestra. She also worked in Melbourne & Adelaide appearing on IMT with Graham Kennedy and The Light Show on ADS7 . She was a constant performer at Sammy Lee’s Latin Quarter. From there she was booked for Cabaret performances in Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Salisbury. Then travelled to London where she learnt another occupation for 4 years but continued to sing – turning more and more to jazz.
In 1966 she went to live in Mallorca, Spain, and worked in Cabaret both at Tito’s and Tago Mago night clubs plus many jazz gigs at the Jonquet Mills Clubs in Palma with the Bob Weeden Trio. She worked the Castelliana Hilton in Madrid before embarking on a tour through Europe with Los Lecuona Cuban Boys as their “English” singer.
Returning to Australia in 1972 she spent 8 years out of the industry.
THE LATER SNAPSHOT:
In August 79 she started singing again when Jack Allen invited her to join his band at the Paddington Inn gradually working her way back into the jazz scene. After her marriage in 1980 she changed her name to Sandie White. She met up again with Dill Jones in 1980 and they put down some tracks which got plenty of air play and has worked constantly ever since with Sydney’s top Jazz Musicians.
1983 took her to the Sacramento jazz Festival with Noel Crow and the same year she met and teamed up with New York born Pianist, Vince Genova which proved to be a musical Tour de Force and resulting in the LP Angel Eyes. It was also the year she started a 16 year relationship with Terrace Vale Winery taking her band to the Hunter Valley for their end of harvest luncheon. There was also a 4 year residency at Quincy’s in Cremorne and The Top Of the Treasury @ The Intercontinental Hotel during the 80’s
She was part of Mark Murphy’s first Australian Jazz Singers Summit at Kinsella’s and appeared with him on ABC TV as a guest on Don Burrow’s Supper Club presents…. and in 1986 she shared the inaugural Jazz vocalist of the year award – an honour she treasures. 1987 saw her opening “Upstairs” at Ronnie Scotts in London with the Harry South Trio and she was support to Ronnie at Kinsellas in 1989.
She has appeared in many festivals such as Manly, Werana, Brisbane, Taree, Rockhampton, Eltham, Noosa and Magnetic Island and has appeared in major venues in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne such as Dizzy’s jazz club, The Jazz Lab, Top of the Treasury, Don Burrows Supper Club, Foundry 616, Brisbane Jazz Club, Venue 505, The Jazz Lab and The Basement (Gold Coast) appearing constantly in many cafes and restaurants that support live music. 2014 saw her appearing twice at the Auckland Jazz and Blues Club to rave reviews and there is a standing invitation to return anytime.
She is fortunate to work constantly with such luminaries as Judy Bailey, Simon Tedeschi, Mark Isaacs, Craig Scott, Kevin Hunt, George Golla, Dan Barnett, Eric Ajaye, Ray Alldridge, Steve Russell, Brendan Clarke, Col Loughnan, Glenn Henrich, Dave Smith, Esmond Selwyn (UK), Todd Hunter (USA) and many others.
Several more discs have finally been recorded – “Be Diggin’ Me Clear Now”, “Taking Risks”, “A Bluer Shade of White”, “Wild October Gladness”. and her latest release is “So Many Songs – So Little Time”.
Coming up
Joanne Hartstone – webpage here
Micky Barlow – webpage here
2021
Adelaide Festival Fringe
REVIEW: WILD WEST ADVENTURE PARTY 
Youtube promo here
PREVIEW dated Sunday 7th February
Review by Brigitte Baden-Rennie
Yesterday afternoon this Cat time travelled back to 1883 and the lawless Wild West in Texas and she didn’t even get out of her comfy chair. Via Zoom I journeyed with my fellow travellers across vast plains heading to Mexico for a new start but circumstances were soon against us and we had many decisions to make. I’ll stop right here so not to give away the adventure that lies before you on this rootin’, tootin’ gunslinging, skirt twirling adventure created and guided by Shelby Bond a.k.a. Pleasant Curtis from his studio in L.A.
I’ve never experienced anything like this before either in reality or on-line and I’ve been around for a bit so that’s saying something. I absolutely loved it! Yes, it warrants an exclamation mark. Mr Bond is a charming, generous host with really solid acting and technical skills, drawing together this group of disparate journey men and women – all on a computer screen. That’s saying something as I have on many occasions found live streaming performances lacking in atmosphere with a feeling of disassociation from the artist. I particularly enjoyed seeing all the adults begin to loosen up and play. Yes, play is not just for children. Re-engaging your imagination is cathartic. The youngest of our travel companions were 6 & 8 accompanied by a fun loving dad somewhere in California apparently and the oldest (apart from yours truly) were 40/50-ish.
We all need some good, wholesome, thigh slapping, gingham wearing fun at the moment and Shelby’s Wild West Adventure Party offers it to you as you write your own adventure story with every throw of the dice.
Gather your friends, go to the Wild West and take yourself on an imaginative, cleverly crafted and COVID safe adventure because dang it, excuse the language, let yourself go and enjoy yourselves. Y’all sure deserve it.
FOR TICKETS GO TO:
Further information on SHELBY BOND go here
2020
Adelaide Fringe
FRANKENSTEIN: HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER
RCC “The Attic”, Adelaide University
Reviewed by Brigitte Baden-Rennie for Sam About Town
Battersea Arts Centre won an off West End award when Frankenstein: How to Make a Monster first premiered 2018. Seeing this Australian premier on Tuesday night made it apparently clear why. An audience comprising a wide scope of ages did not just view this production, they were immersed in it. Beginning and ending the evening with a showcase of beatboxing from BACs workshops at Carclew, which will run throughout the festival, to participating in producing quintessential beatbox vocal percussions, led by the company’s artistic director, Conrad Murray. For beatbox virgins out there, at its basic form it’s reproducing the sound of kick drums, snares and high hats. Sounds simple? It’s not. This reviewer is a singer and has tried almost every technique to produce sounds from the classical through to the belt and I’ve never heard anything like this. Granted, these young performers are at the top of their field but the results are out of this world.
The inspired hook to this production is Mary Wollstonecraft’s Frankenstein published in 1880. A novel whose protagonist challenges the role of god by producing a sapien being because it was possible but with unknown and unthought of consequences.
From this premise BAC explored the question of what is it to be human.
Its 6 core performers, whose monikers are Aminita, Glitch, WIZ-RD, Native, ABH and Grove, dance, sing, rap and beatbox and never leave the stage. High quality vocals driven and supported by a mix of time signatures on a stage lit simply and yet effectively by Sherry Ceonen.
Victor Frankensteins construction of the monster, it’s lungs, heart and brain is individually explored. A clever segue into the consequences of modern technology is particular poignant. Just like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, modern technology has helped create monsters. One’s existence being validated by shares and likes “protected by anonymity” and succinctly questioned in lyrics such as “when does confidence become arrogance?”.
This is a slick, high calibre and organically crafted production with a big, big heart. In every festival season one hopes to find a show that is out of the ordinary, that excites and surprises. Hallelujah we have one here in spades.
Heads up on the location: from North Terrace walk down the right hand side of the Art Gallery and keep going straight. Google maps will not take you there. Easiest from Victoria Drive. Level 6 above the Uni Bar – where some of you, like myself, wasted a good portion of ones academic life!
WINEFULNESS
PERFORMER & WRITER: Tash York
Tash York loves to entertain. No doubt. From the moment she entered until she left the The Parlour tent her enthusiasm exuded forth and touched the audience. Tash also loves to drink wine and the show is all about this aspect of her life with a brief foray into relaying her reunion with her birth father and her happiness in finding love. If you do not like drinking wine, being tea total or just a conservative sipper, this show is probably not for you. The predominately young (25 to 30-ish) audience however on this particular Thursday evening were on the whole, wine imbibers. They related to her escapades and reacted enthusiastically. Tash loves cats. I’m on her team there but whether or not Tash loves yoga is neither here nor there though all of above factors come to play and form the basis of her show. Highlights include the “Yoga with a Hangover” song (my title) and an improvised rap based on information from an audience member. Live music is always a treat and ably performed by guitarist Arthur ??????.
Exuberant.
