Adam Page
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ADAM PAGE SOLO REVIEWS


Adam Page Solo
The Advertiser
BEN HYDE

March, 2009

HAVING won rave reviews at the Edinburgh and New Zealand Fringe festivals in 2008, Page has returned to his local Adelaide Fringe this year and is relishing the opportunity to entertain his home crowd.

Page is a musical genius, drawing on countless instruments, many of which are extremely unconventional, to create his unique musical numbers.

Anyone that can make an egg shaker solo sound good is clearly oozing musical talent. Page “getting funky with fruit” is also a musical and comical highlight.

His creativity and ability to improvise is second to none. He makes everything from a crowd member’s name to a plane flying overhead musical.

What’s best about Page’s performance is that he appears to be having a load of fun as well, not just the audience.

Wheatsheaf Hotel, Mar 14, 19-21



Adam Page Solo ?
Saturday 10 January, 2009
Chapel Lane Studios ???

Adelaide based Adam Page is not your average musician. Most players can only concentrate on one instrument - and one style, for that matter - at a time, but Page is able to spontaneously build an entire song by playing a multitude of instruments (and I do use that word loosely), by consecutively plucking, blowing or tinkling a few notes out of each and cleverly looping them back over each other. If you didn't witness the man at his craft and merely heard the result, you'd think there was an entire orchestra at play. ??To back this claim up, the intent of tonight's performance was to capture it all on film and release it on DVD for all to see, and like most who've seen his show before you won't believe your eyes and ears. This guy is amazing and being local he truly is a hidden treasure, as well as absolutely friggin' hilarious to top it off. Page can be best described as a new age Victor Borge, but with too much time and far too many resources on his hands. After using such common fare as bass, electric guitar, keyboards, saxophones and clarinets, synthesizers and various other bits of percussion et al, Page then moves on to extend his canon to include such oddities as beat-boxing, a Jew's harp, mbira (African thumb piano), a power drill and a carrot... I'm not even going to attempt to explain that last one except to say that his imagination is much like his musical abilities - boundless and very unorthodox - and it would be a fair call to say that no two shows could ever be alike. ??The cozy upper floor confines of Chapel Lane Studios provided the perfect setting for Page's mayhem-filled, yet beautifully composed (thanks to his ever calm and well-measured approach) and ever-evolving antics. These began with a dancing monkey and somehow turned into Page looking like the best man at a wedding before morphing into a sumo wrestler and eventually settling on just jeans and a well-worn Metallica t-shirt. Inviting audience participation and constantly hamming it up in front of the many cameras stationed around the stage, Page was truly in his element and if you don't believe me, just wait until you see the disc. In the meantime, go see him live if you get the chance because this is one performer that's guaranteed to put a smile on your face every time. ??
Steve Jones. dB Magazine
28/01/09



July 2nd, 2009
Adam Page Solo “Diva” DVD review
Rip it up magazine

By now you should have already seen this show. Adam Page Solo is a regular highlight at several local festivals and frequently appears at various local venues. The Diva DVD takes in a performance recorded and filmed at Chapel Lane Studios at the start of the year and features hand-crafted vegetable instruments, samples, random genre requests and audience participation. There’s a striptease, inflatable sumo suit and hot pink miniature electric guitar, yet the whole thing remains family friendly. While it’s worth it’s weight in comedy gold, moments of seriousness like Antarctica spotlight an incredibly talented musician with a rare gift for creating hypnotic and heartbreakingly delicate music. Check out the extras for further proof, as well as an amusing portrait of the artist as a young man. For the full experience get along to a live show, and then pick yourself up a Diva DVD to enjoy at home.
DVD: Extras:

Troy Foster




Wellington Fringe Reviews, 2009

Texture.co.nz
February 23, 2009

I got a little sneak preview of what might be in store for me at Adam Page Solo at the Chit Chat Lounge - the Fringe Festival's twisted answer to Letterman.

Adam Page turned up to chat with hosts Derek Flores and Vinyl Burns, and then graced the stage with a little sample of his one-man-band musical stylings. Basically he uses loop pedals to create layered compositions with multiple instruments - in this case bass, a tiny electric guitar, beatboxing, saxophone and the jazz flute - but really, there's no "basically" about it. Suffice to say that I left The Fringe Bar grinning ear-to-ear, in great anticipation of seeing his show a few days later.

I wasn't disappointed. As well as being a demonstration of a phenomenal musical talent, Adam Page Solo is side-splittingly funny. You're taken on a genre-spanning musical journey - one where you suspect neither performer or audience knows what will happen next. Indeed, a good portion of the show is clearly improvised; throughout his set you constantly feel as if Page is deciding on the fly which instrument (there are 15 of them) he'll play next. And one major set piece features him asking the audience for musical genre suggestions, then mashing them all together. On my night, this resulted in a genius combination of "nursery rhyme", "Bollywood", and "techno!"

As per the poster, Page also busts out a vegetable. Normally I understand he uses a carrot - for New Zealand audiences he's selected something different. A local favourite if you will.

I'll sum it up like this - if you love music, you must go and see this show. You might even find that your new favourite band is made up of just one guy: Adam Page.


Capital Times
25 February 2009
Reviewed by Garth Wilshere

ADELAIDE-based multi-instrument, multi -talented musician Adam Page is an excellent performer.
He’s talented and self-deprecating. His zany show mixes exceptional musical qualities with quirky high-energy comedy.
An accomplished wind player on saxophone, clarinet and flute – not to mention vegetables, guitars, percussion, improvised didgeredoo (a vacuum cleaner pipe from backstage) – Page is a totally charming performer.
He records sound loops as he goes, improvising on those and then mixing the loops with his live multi instruments and audience participation. It is an exhilarating combination.
And then there is his dialogue, and his suddenly inflatable “sumo-suit”. The show is fun, and suitable for all ages.
But it is his consummate musicianship that truly shines. His warm personality indicates that his music comes from the heart, which enriches his playing.
He made a remarkable sound with a kumara – with and without the mouthpiece – and brought three audience members (singing à la The Supremes) onstage to sing in a finale, including Capital Times current tuneful editor Aaron Watson! The show should be a sell-out hit. Don’t miss it.

The Dominion Post
Reviewed by Simon Sweetman, 25 Feb 2009

Adelaide-based musician Adam Page builds his compositions live on stage in front of the audience, switching instruments and using loops pedals to sample and capture a live sound, bringing various melodic wafts in and out of the frame as he continues to weave in new sounds.

It might start with a bass line, or a saxophone motif and from there Page will layer in some funky wah-wah guitar, keyboard and melodica, clarinet or flute and almost always he uses his own vocal beat-boxing to lay down the percussive base.

His show is an improvised collection of musical ideas, held together by his easy charm and very real talent; playing up to 15 instruments and using his vocals to build up his own one-man choir.

The audience becomes part of the show at times, with laughter and applause ending up in some of the sampled passages - and there are costume changes too; Page even provides his own mood music for undressing.

In and around comic ideas such as building a collage of genres (Bollywood, nursery rhyme and techno were used in the same piece on the opening night) or mimicking 1950s-styled R'n'B, Page is capable of showcasing a genuine ear for a hypnotic melody. Often the saxophone will lead the way for the serious tunes and, memorably, an African thumb piano provides both a groove and melody simultaneously.

Page's other gimmick - beyond the layering of real instruments - is to play a vegetable. The staple of his act, in terms of culinary instruments, has often been the carrot, but for his New Zealand show he has adapted the Kumara; using a cordless drill on stage to create air-holes before affixing a saxophone mouthpiece to blow notes that sound somewhere between a toy clarinet and a person chortling air out from a balloon. He hooked it up to his wah-wah pedal to bend notes and shift the pitch in what he dubbed as the "Kuma-wah".

It's a fun show from a talented and engaging performer with just enough of an off-beat edge to provide the something-for-everyone x-factor.


Theatreview.co.nz
Reviewed by John Smythe, 27 Feb 2009

Playing out his show in the Turbine set - comfy household furniture surrounded by a hand-drawn rural landscape with electrical gadgets and political graffiti to the fore (of you haven't seen it, go!) - gives Adam Page Solo a homely feel while indicating it's more than just cosy.

A South Australian with a clear love of things Kiwi, he has all the relaxed charm of a casual stand-up comedian with the expletives deleted (although I'm told his language was more colourful the other night in the BATS Pit Bar, when he sang the back label of a Tuatara beer bottle, but we had kids from a Christian College in last night ...) except his 'story-telling' and most of his wit is expressed through music.

Beginning and ending on a marvellous old tarnished sax - sublime! - he also plays with keys, an electric bass, a child's pink electric guitar, a flute, a clarinet, an African Thumb Piano (Mbira), a kazoo, a wide range of percussion instruments, a beer bottle at different levels of fullness, plus his voice including, if I'm not mistaken, a touch of Tuvan throat singing. We get to contribute from our seats and his penultimate number involves the voices of audience volunteers.

His schtick is to speedily sample phrases using any of the above and build a full 'orchestral' backing for whatever he then chooses to lead with. Plus he knows the value of silence. And stillness. Way more than a noise merchant, Page is clearly a very accomplished musician, composer and entertainer.

He gives the illusion everything is random and happening for the first time, like being too hot and having to strip. But once the Sumo suit is revealed beneath (no wonder he's hot!) and inflated - a truly bizarre bit of visual comedy - we realise his madness is reasonably methodical.

In the third section the Sumo suit gives way to a 'Van Halen 1991' t-shirt, not that he's stuck on hard rock: He'll give almost anything a go, I think, although his hearing does appear somewhat selective when asking the audience to pitch genre requests.

Oh, the kumara. He uses a cordless drill and a knife to turn a Beauregard (orange) kumara into a wind instrument, played first with a reed then without. What a dag. And friendly, amiable and talented with it. He can come the raw kumara with me any time.

Kapiti Chronicle
Samantha Marsh
"Adam's quick witted and unpredictable act is acclaimed to be one of the best shows in the Fringe this year and with the audience whooping and clapping for more, no more proof is needed."


Edinburgh Fringe 2008 reviews

one4review.com



Australian Adam Page is a musical wizard. In front of your very eyes he builds up layers of rhythm and melody to produce a complete piece of music.

He opened with a funky number. Starting with a basic drum beat using his voice, followed in turn by bass guitar and keyboards; he played a driving saxophone melody. He has all kinds of sophisticated gadgetry at his feet to enable him to produce an amazing full sound as if it were coming out of a recording studio.

By way of contrast, he can play different musical styles. He played one lovely lyrical piece which opened with an African thumb piano and ended with the flute. Musical improvisation also figures in his act. Asking for three musical styles he came up with a convincing number

He displays a wicked musical sense of humour, with a vacuum cleaner tube, an electric drill and a carrot all figuring effectively. Even the humble triangle is employed for just one note. Despite the technical artistry and clowning around, he is a very talented solo saxophonist

Adam Page provides a feel good hour of entertainment that would please just about every musical taste.


Three Weeks

Adam Page Solo is exactly what you get in this one-man-does-all musical extravaganza. Fifteen musical instruments, one carrot, and some mighty fine recording equipment help Adam Page create a self made musical symphony in any genre of the audience's choosing. This man has some serious musical talent which was interspersed with down to earth Aussie comedy. On occasions the gimmicks, such as the inflatable sumo costume, were a little perplexing, but Adam Page's malleable talent made up for this. Guaranteed good fun for all the family, and even if showmanship was a little lacking, when you can make a musical instrument out of a carrot, live on stage, using just a drill, you have to be pretty special.



Fest Magazine


(N.B. the reviewer thinks my last name is 'Solo'!!)

Neil Pooran has his horizons broadened by the multi-talented Australian.

Scented candles fill the air with a musky aroma. Renowned Australian musician Adam Page Solo walks to the stage wearing an immaculate suit with his beloved saxophone in hand, and is warmly greeted by an intimate audience. The sax touches his lips, and by weaving his melodies together with a looping pedal he creates a sublime, soothing instrumental tune. Everything about the opening of this show screams of a sophisticated, exclusive experimental jazz gig.

Except that after no more than ten minutes he’s shed his suit and is showing the crowd his novelty purple underwear after churning out an improvised rock song on a tiny, bright pink electric guitar. Let no man accuse Adam Page Solo of taking himself too seriously.

It’s eccentricities like this that allow him to really win over the audience, but Solo is about much more than on-stage gimmickry. His set covers a vast range of genres and uses over 15 instruments in conjunction with his looping pedal to make some truly outstanding improvised music. One minute we’re listening to the beautiful, intricate singsong of an mbira (an African thumb piano that has to be heard to be believed), the next we’re hearing an oddly catchy fusion of Bach, polka and reggae after he started asking the audience to suggest genres.

Solo’s prodigious talent holds all this together. An affinity for all kinds of music is helpful if you plan to attend this gig but it should succeed in broadening the horizons of just about anyone fortunate enough to hear it.


2007 MELBOURNE FRINGE REVIEW

Laura Maitland | Monday Oct 8th, 2007
“Buzzcuts”

‘Adam Page Solo’ could not be more aptly coined. With a cast and crew of keyboard, clarinet, melodica, bass, flute, sax, and whoopee cushion (to name a few), this musician is otherwise very much on his own. Using looping pedals, Page weaves rhythms, melodies and live samples from audience and impulse alike into a tightly strung ‘musical collage’.
??Oscillating seamlessly between the soothing sound scape of a beauty salon, and the accordion-strewn sidewalks of Paris, this musician leaves little to the imagination. Instead, he harnesses it.
??One of the improvisations I was privy to included a blissfully composed Christmas carol backed by a formidable beatbox, which morphed all too smoothly into Aussie hip-hop - with the help of a battered Spanish phrase book, of course. But I get the impression that this, for Adam Page, is not a particularly unusual transition. Honourable mentions must go to some inspired cameos by Page’s soprano sax and mbira (African thumb piano).??
Winner of the 2007 Adelaide Fringe Award for "Best Music by an Emerging Artist," one cannot help but think this musician deserving. Indeed, there are few instruments over which this man does not seem to have jurisdiction. And technical prowess aside, there is a sense of modesty and gratitude to Page that renders him incredibly watchable.
?As with all improvised performance though, there is a very human tendency to rely on familiar patterns and sounds. Judging from the support he received at Brunswick Street’s Bar Open, Page has his groupies. But there were moments when they inadvertently compromised his efforts by pre-empting some of these ‘improvisations.’ In the grand scheme of things though, this seems forgivable. I for one would certainly not be game enough to challenge him to a musical duel. ??
For committed musos, Page will undoubtedly satisfy, but for the punter new to music impro, prepare to be violently impressed; albeit in the subdued, lazy style of a Fitzroy Saturday night.


2007 ADELAIDE FRINGE REVIEWS

ADAM PAGE SOLO
Queens Arms Hotel, Tue Mar 13

RIP IT UP

Adam Page lives on the edge and sometimes jumps over it. An extraordinary improviser, Adam uses any item at hand, such as occharina, bass clarinet and table lamp to create grooves and loops of immense musicality and entertainment. Obviously loving what he does, Adam’s enthusiasm and sense of fun is completely infectious. It’s not just that he’s an incredible musician (and he is), it’s his ability to live in the moment and incorporate whatever is thrown at him, literally without missing a beat. Adam, with audience assistance, selects the instruments and style on the spot, ensuring no show will ever be the same. How does one improvise a collage of salsa, bluegrass and hip hop with a hat, pen, a paper plane and asthma inhaler?
Find out yourself by booking tickets to experience this brilliantly talented, unique and interactive performer!
-Jenna Bonavita


THE SUNDAY MAIL (18th March 2007)

ADAM Page is the original music man, a composer who's into spontaneity. He has an array of instruments, a way to record and harmonise them, and he takes requests - both for which instrument bald-headed Page uses and what musical style they should be played in. So a salsa, bluegrass and hip-hop number using sax and digeridoo was no problem.
Any object becomes an instrument in his hands and, using an asthmer puffer, a cap, biro and water bottle to make music, Page made Mike Oldfield seem over-produced.
The only slight downside is the time it takes to record each new instrument on a backing track for Page's next instant gospel number or rap routine.
You can't wait to hear what happens next, but you have to. Fortunately, it's always on a clean page and his amusing patter keeps you entertained.
Here is one musical concert that is never the same on any night. If you want different, this show hits the note.
- Matt Byrne



THE ADVERTISER (15th March 2007)

After a slightly confusing introduction that was probably hilarious for the people in the audience with a decent knowledge of theories of music, Adam Page put theory into practice and made beautiful music.
Improvising on a series of instruments scattered around the stage, Page looped and layered his playing to turn his one man band into a world music big band, an Aussie hip hop group and a gospel vocal group.
He even made music out of a pen, an asthma puffer, a hat and a bottle of water.
Though the show would be better sticking to an hour time limit, Page engages the crowd and uses audience participation without it becoming intimidating.
And the more imaginative the audience, the more impressive Page’s spontaneous musical creations become.
- Danielle O'Donohue



“talkfringe.com” (fringe website)

Wow, this was a great introduction to alternative methods of percussion harmonics. A very clever man. A very skilled musical craftsman. I wanted to see it again to see how different he could be, he can. It captured the imagination.
- anon.


OTHER REVIEWS

PAGE TURNS ON A WELL ROUNDED PERFORMANCE.
Jason Wallace – The Border Watch (October 4th, 2007)

Mount Gambier’s Adam Page filled the Barn Palais’ engine room with only a few days notice this week during a whirlwind visit to his home town that showed why his reputation is growing on the international jazz stage.
Everyone enthralled by his intimate solo gig on Tuesday night was left with no doubt why he was dubbed best emerging artist at this year’s Adelaide Fringe festival.
His show is entirely his own with a diverse array of instruments and his relatively simple electronic looping pedal used to amazing effect as the foundation of his show.
The audience was spell bound by his intricate work as he recorded simple percussion or beat-box lines into the device, then playing them back in a loop, adding further layers of sound on other instruments to compose funky pieces live on stage.
While his multi-instrumental talents saw him effortlessly deliver works with depth and vibrancy, it was his quirky musical humour and panache that saw the show stretch beyond a one-man tune show to a well-rounded professional performance.
His manic blend of music styles, blue grass, heavy metal and reggae at the audience’s request for one tune – showed his knack for cliché based parody and respect for the craft he so clearly loves.
Although there were hints of megalomania as he built music from only his own output, Page’s looped phrases took on a life of their own and it appeared Page was backed by a full band when he launched into strong solos on saxophone, clarinet and melodica.
While saxophone is clearly Mr. Page’s forte, his show stretched his musical talents to more unique instruments, such as thumb piano, jaw harp and nose flute, adding another element of novelty and exploration to the show.
With the Edinburgh Fringe in his sights later this year, along with performances with his various bands, it is clear Page is cementing his place in the music world with his mastery over his art form leading to a unique and innovating show bound to inspire and influence.


May 10th 2007 by Dagman
Published in www.inthemix.com.au


Knowing precious little about the work of Adam Page, I found myself in the intimate underbelly of Delacatessen Gallery off Waymouth Street and ready for anything. Flanked by a cluster of twenty or so attentive heads (that’s nearly a full house incidentally), a five dollar door fee afforded me a privileged perspective on a unique and wonderful performance.
The stage was set with a single microphone, some top-shelf delay effects and a wild miscellany of acoustic and electric instruments. Rising to the mic, Adam set a light and friendly mood in the room with audience members sharing their names, and later on, even the intricacies of their evening meals.
After decoding Adam’s quirky setup, I realised that I had seen him once before at last year’s Earpoke sideshows during the Australasian Computer Music Conference. My memory of him that night at the Jade Monkey had distilled down to his love for generating live loops, and intuitively creating articulate, polyrhythmic grooves one layer at a time. On that occasion his set was cut short and compromised, giving him little opportunity to shine. Tonight at Delacatessen the night was his, and he showed in an impressive hour-long display his musicianship, sense of humour, charm, and natural knack for improvising loops.
Adam’s first two tracks easily transcended anything I’d heard the previous year at Earpoke. Building grooves as idly as doodling on a notepad, Adam’s early foundation elements were frequently beatboxed drum sounds, and some simple but effective electric basslines. Familiar became the sound of his foot clicking the controls on his looping deck, and blindingly evident was his worn in performance work-flow. As the audience looked on mesmerised, Adam laid down layer upon layer of auxiliary percussion, and even some melodica before blowing us all away with his virtuosity on the Tenor Saxophone and Flute. If Maceo Parker and Prince had a lovechild, it would sound something like this.
Adam’s work, without exception, shows a deft feeling for polyrhythms and an intuitive sense of groove. The process is fascinating to watch and in moments where I began to trance out to his long-form compositions, I found myself watching the precise work of graphic artist Sam Songailo, who was spending the night, painting on the walls an ever-growing work evoking images of crop circles, city planning documents, printed circuitry and North American Indian designs. As the show pushed on, I found myself quick to give Adam my trust. Like a seasoned chess player, Adam seems to think a few moves ahead, and moments where I queried the part he was playing quickly passed as I realised their importance to the ‘whole’. His best work on this night sounded a little WOMADelaide, a little bit French house and with all his percussion and deceptively simple dynamics, something perhaps like Nickodemus or Quantic at play. One track entitled Bell began with an African thumb-piano called an mbira, before steering away into a groove that sounded like a cross between New Order and *Way Out West*… and behind it all a rhythm part beat-boxed and part drummed out with his fist. Rare it is to find a musician with a balanced approach to rhythm and harmony, and in an early track he managed to make a 3 / 4 beat groove like I haven’t heard since the JB’s (James Brown’s instrumental band).
Accompanying his more ‘serious’ compositions were some hilarious crowd participation excercises, again revolving around the loop recorder. Audience members were asked what they had for dinner, and Adam sung or rapped each meal into an absurd loop that had the room in stitches. Mealtime lyrics included ‘fake meat’ and ‘bush biscuits’… as if that ain’t a recipe for hilarity right there! Other comic moments included a ‘musical collage’ in which Adam took three styles of music from the audience (in this case acid jazz, speed metal and conga line) and worked them into a single three part loop.
For the show’s climactic finish, Adam gave the mic to the audience once again, coaxing us to clap together, and then sing a series of notes that Adam then proceeded to sample and phrase into a surprising groove. Throughout the show his harmonious moments felt like Sun Ra or Roy Ayers, or on the other comic extreme, something from a Monty Python movie. After his loop delay pedal suffered an impromptu ‘brain fart’ and dumped the closing epic tune, Adam saved the show with an improvised verbal jam Never trust technology, consolidating his reputation for inspired spontaneity. Good news for Adelaide is that Adam will contine his Wednesday night residency at Delacatessen Gallery, Anster Street after a brief (one week) hiatus- catch him now before he blows up at next year’s Fringe.







- Many publications from around the world


"Adam Page Solo @ Gallery de la Catessen inthemix.com review"

Knowing precious little about the work of Adam Page, I found myself in the intimate underbelly of Delacatessen Gallery off Waymouth Street and ready for anything. Flanked by a cluster of twenty or so attentive heads (that’s nearly a full house incidentally), a five dollar door fee afforded me a privileged perspective on a unique and wonderful performance.
The stage was set with a single microphone, some top-shelf delay effects and a wild miscellany of acoustic and electric instruments. Rising to the mic, Adam set a light and friendly mood in the room with audience members sharing their names, and later on, even the intricacies of their evening meals.
After decoding Adam’s quirky setup, I realised that I had seen him once before at last year’s Earpoke sideshows during the Australasian Computer Music Conference. My memory of him that night at the Jade Monkey had distilled down to his love for generating live loops, and intuitively creating articulate, polyrhythmic grooves one layer at a time. On that occasion his set was cut short and compromised, giving him little opportunity to shine. Tonight at Delacatessen the night was his, and he showed in an impressive hour-long display his musicianship, sense of humour, charm, and natural knack for improvising loops.
Adam’s first two tracks easily transcended anything I’d heard the previous year at Earpoke. Building grooves as idly as doodling on a notepad, Adam’s early foundation elements were frequently beatboxed drum sounds, and some simple but effective electric basslines. Familiar became the sound of his foot clicking the controls on his looping deck, and blindingly evident was his worn in performance work-flow. As the audience looked on mesmerised, Adam laid down layer upon layer of auxiliary percussion, and even some melodica before blowing us all away with his virtuosity on the Tenor Saxophone and Flute. If Maceo Parker and Prince had a lovechild, it would sound something like this.
Adam’s work, without exception, shows a deft feeling for polyrhythms and an intuitive sense of groove. The process is fascinating to watch and in moments where I began to trance out to his long-form compositions, I found myself watching the precise work of graphic artist Sam Songailo, who was spending the night, painting on the walls an ever-growing work evoking images of crop circles, city planning documents, printed circuitry and North American Indian designs. As the show pushed on, I found myself quick to give Adam my trust. Like a seasoned chess player, Adam seems to think a few moves ahead, and moments where I queried the part he was playing quickly passed as I realised their importance to the ‘whole’. His best work on this night sounded a little WOMADelaide, a little bit French house and with all his percussion and deceptively simple dynamics, something perhaps like Nickodemus or Quantic at play. One track entitled Bell began with an African thumb-piano called an mbira, before steering away into a groove that sounded like a cross between New Order and *Way Out West*… and behind it all a rhythm part beat-boxed and part drummed out with his fist. Rare it is to find a musician with a balanced approach to rhythm and harmony, and in an early track he managed to make a 3 / 4 beat groove like I haven’t heard since the JB’s (James Brown’s instrumental band).
Accompanying his more ‘serious’ compositions were some hilarious crowd participation excercises, again revolving around the loop recorder. Audience members were asked what they had for dinner, and Adam sung or rapped each meal into an absurd loop that had the room in stitches. Mealtime lyrics included ‘fake meat’ and ‘bush biscuits’… as if that ain’t a recipe for hilarity right there! Other comic moments included a ‘musical collage’ in which Adam took three styles of music from the audience (in this case acid jazz, speed metal and conga line) and worked them into a single three part loop.
For the show’s climactic finish, Adam gave the mic to the audience once again, coaxing us to clap together, and then sing a series of notes that Adam then proceeded to sample and phrase into a surprising groove. Throughout the show his harmonious moments felt like Sun Ra or Roy Ayers, or on the other comic extreme, something from a Monty Python movie. After his loop delay pedal suffered an impromptu ‘brain fart’ and dumped the closing epic tune, Adam saved the show with an improvised verbal jam Never trust technology, consolidating his reputation for inspired spontaneity. Good news for Adelaide is that Adam will contine his Wednesday night residency at Delacatessen Gallery, Anster Street after a brief (one week) hiatus- catch him now before he blows up at next year’s Fringe.

May 10th 2007 by Dagman for www.inthemix.com.au
- inthemix.com


"Adam Page Solo FRINGE Season, Queens Arms, March 13"

ADAM Page is the original music man, a composer who's into spontaneity.

He has an array of instruments, a way to record and harmonise them, and he takes requests - both for which instrument bald-headed Page uses and what musical style they should be played in. So a salsa, bluegrass and hip-hop number using sax and digeridoo was no problem.

Any object becomes an instrument in his hands and, using an asthmer puffer, a cap, biro and water bottle to make music, Page made Mike Oldfield seem over-produced.

The only slight downside is the time it takes to record each new instrument on a backing track for Page's next instant gospel number or rap routine.

You can't wait to hear what happens next, but you have to. Fortunately, it's always on a clean page and his amusing patter keeps you entertained.

Here is one musical concert that is never the same on any night. If you want different, this show hits the note.

- Matt Byrne - The Sunday Mail


"Adam Page Solo FRINGE Season, Queens Arms, March 13 (Second Review)"

After a slightly confusing introduction that was probably hilarious for the people in the audience with a decent knowledge of theories of music, Adam Page put theory into practice and made beautiful music.

Improvising on a series of instruments scattered around the stage, Page looped and layered his playing to turn his one man band into a world music big band, an Aussie hip hop group and a gospel vocal group.
He even made music out of a pen, an asthma puffer, a hat and a bottle of water.

Though the show would be better sticking to an hour time limit, Page engages the crowd and uses audience participation without it becoming intimidating.
And the more imaginative the audience, the more impressive Page’s spontaneous musical creations become.

- Danielle O'Donohue
- The Advertiser


"Adam Page Solo FRINGE Season, Queens Arms, March 13 (Third Review)"

ADAM PAGE SOLO
Queens Arms Hotel, Tue Mar 13

Adam Page lives on the edge and sometimes jumps over it. An extraordinary improviser, Adam uses any item at hand, such as occharina, bass clarinet and table lamp to create grooves and loops of immense musicality and entertainment. Obviously loving what he does, Adam’s enthusiasm and sense of fun is completely infectious. It’s not just that he’s an incredible musician (and he is), it’s his ability to live in the moment and incorporate whatever is thrown at him, literally without missing a beat.

Adam, with audience assistance, selects the instruments and style on the spot, ensuring no show will ever be the same. How does one improvise a collage of salsa, bluegrass and hip hop with a hat, pen, a paper plane and asthma inhaler?
Find out yourself by booking tickets to experience this brilliantly talented, unique and interactive performer!

Jenna Bonavita
- Rip It Up Magazine


"Adam Page Solo Mt. Gambier Review"

PAGE TURNS ON A WELL ROUNDED PERFORMANCE.

Mount Gambier’s Adam Page filled the Barn Palais’ engine room with only a few days notice this week during a whirlwind visit to his home town that showed why his reputation is growing on the international jazz stage.
Everyone enthralled by his intimate solo gig on Tuesday night was left with no doubt why he was dubbed best emerging artist at this year’s Adelaide Fringe festival.
His show is entirely his own with a diverse array of instruments and his relatively simple electronic looping pedal used to amazing effect as the foundation of his show.
The audience was spell bound by his intricate work as he recorded simple percussion or beat-box lines into the device, then playing them back in a loop, adding further layers of sound on other instruments to compose funky pieces live on stage.
While his multi-instrumental talents saw him effortlessly deliver works with depth and vibrancy, it was his quirky musical humour and panache that saw the show stretch beyond a one-man tune show to a well-rounded professional performance.
His manic blend of music styles, blue grass, heavy metal and reggae at the audience’s request for one tune – showed his knack for cliché based parody and respect for the craft he so clearly loves.
Although there were hints of megalomania as he built music from only his own output, Page’s looped phrases took on a life of their own and it appeared Page was backed by a full band when he launched into strong solos on saxophone, clarinet and melodica.
While saxophone is clearly Mr. Page’s forte, his show stretched his musical talents to more unique instruments, such as thumb piano, jaw harp and nose flute, adding another element of novelty and exploration to the show.
With the Edinburgh Fringe in his sights later this year, along with performances with his various bands, it is clear Page is cementing his place in the music world with his mastery over his art form leading to a unique and innovating show bound to inspire and influence.
Jason Wallace – The Border Watch (October 4th, 2007)

- The Border Watch


"Adam Page Solo Melbourne Fringe Review"

Adam Page Solo
Laura Maitland | Monday Oct 8th, 2007
“Buzzcuts” Review of Adam Page Solo @ The Melbourne Fringe 06/10/07

‘Adam Page Solo’ could not be more aptly coined. With a cast and crew of keyboard, clarinet, melodica, bass, flute, sax, and whoopee cushion (to name a few), this musician is otherwise very much on his own. Using looping pedals, Page weaves rhythms, melodies and live samples from audience and impulse alike into a tightly strung ‘musical collage’.
Oscillating seamlessly between the soothing sound scape of a beauty salon, and the accordion-strewn sidewalks of Paris, this musician leaves little to the imagination. Instead, he harnesses it.
One of the improvisations I was privy to included a blissfully composed Christmas carol backed by a formidable beatbox, which morphed all too smoothly into Aussie hip-hop - with the help of a battered Spanish phrase book, of course. But I get the impression that this, for Adam Page, is not a particularly unusual transition. Honourable mentions must go to some inspired cameos by Page’s soprano sax and mbira (African thumb piano).
Winner of the 2007 Adelaide Fringe Award for "Best Music by an Emerging Artist," one cannot help but think this musician deserving. Indeed, there are few instruments over which this man does not seem to have jurisdiction. And technical prowess aside, there is a sense of modesty and gratitude to Page that renders him incredibly watchable.
As with all improvised performance though, there is a very human tendency to rely on familiar patterns and sounds. Judging from the support he received at Brunswick Street’s Bar Open, Page has his groupies. But there were moments when they inadvertently compromised his efforts by pre-empting some of these ‘improvisations.’ In the grand scheme of things though, this seems forgivable. I for one would certainly not be game enough to challenge him to a musical duel.
For committed musos, Page will undoubtedly satisfy, but for the punter new to music impro, prepare to be violently impressed; albeit in the subdued, lazy style of a Fitzroy Saturday night.
- Buzzcuts


"Adam Page Solo Edinburgh Fringe"

****4 stars****

Australian Adam Page is a musical wizard. In front of your very eyes he builds up layers of rhythm and melody to produce a complete piece of music.

He opened with a funky number. Starting with a basic drum beat using his voice, followed in turn by bass guitar and keyboards; he played a driving saxophone melody. He has all kinds of sophisticated gadgetry at his feet to enable him to produce an amazing full sound as if it were coming out of a recording studio.

By way of contrast, he can play different musical styles. He played one lovely lyrical piece which opened with an African thumb piano and ended with the flute. Musical improvisation also figures in his act. Asking for three musical styles he came up with a convincing number

He displays a wicked musical sense of humour, with a vacuum cleaner tube, an electric drill and a carrot all figuring effectively. Even the humble triangle is employed for just one note. Despite the technical artistry and clowning around, he is a very talented solo saxophonist

Adam Page provides a feel good hour of entertainment that would please just about every musical taste.

****
- one4review.com


"Adam Page Solo Edinburgh Fringe 2008"

Adam Page Solo is exactly what you get in this one-man-does-all musical extravaganza. Fifteen musical instruments, one carrot, and some mighty fine recording equipment help Adam Page create a self made musical symphony in any genre of the audience's choosing. This man has some serious musical talent which was interspersed with down to earth Aussie comedy. On occasions the gimmicks, such as the inflatable sumo costume, were a little perplexing, but Adam Page's malleable talent made up for this. Guaranteed good fun for all the family, and even if showmanship was a little lacking, when you can make a musical instrument out of a carrot, live on stage, using just a drill, you have to be pretty special. - Three Weeks


"Adam Page Solo Edinburgh Fringe 2008"

**** 4 STARS ****
(N.B. the reviewer thinks my last name is 'Solo'!!)

Neil Pooran has his horizons broadened by the multi-talented Australian

Scented candles fill the air with a musky aroma. Renowned Australian musician Adam Page Solo walks to the stage wearing an immaculate suit with his beloved saxophone in hand, and is warmly greeted by an intimate audience. The sax touches his lips, and by weaving his melodies together with a looping pedal he creates a sublime, soothing instrumental tune. Everything about the opening of this show screams of a sophisticated, exclusive experimental jazz gig.

Except that after no more than ten minutes he’s shed his suit and is showing the crowd his novelty purple underwear after churning out an improvised rock song on a tiny, bright pink electric guitar. Let no man accuse Adam Page Solo of taking himself too seriously.

It’s eccentricities like this that allow him to really win over the audience, but Solo is about much more than on-stage gimmickry. His set covers a vast range of genres and uses over 15 instruments in conjunction with his looping pedal to make some truly outstanding improvised music. One minute we’re listening to the beautiful, intricate singsong of an mbira (an African thumb piano that has to be heard to be believed), the next we’re hearing an oddly catchy fusion of Bach, polka and reggae after he started asking the audience to suggest genres.

Solo’s prodigious talent holds all this together. An affinity for all kinds of music is helpful if you plan to attend this gig but it should succeed in broadening the horizons of just about anyone fortunate enough to hear it.
- Fest Magazine


Discography

DISCOGRAPHY

As a leader:

SEEDY CD (2011)
DIVA DVD (2009)
Adam Page Solo (...no relation to Han) 2007
Live @ the Gov (funkomatic3000) 2000
funkomatic3000(f3000) 2001

As a sideman:

1.1 Immermann (2009)
The Raucoustra LIVE (2008)
Ordinary Girl (Redhead) 2008
Think (Kubrick) 2007
SOUL MASTER (Dwight Adams) 2007
Too hot ta trot (Dwight Adams) 2006
Kubrick (Kubrick) 2005
Suite (Suite) 2003
Cosmic Washing Machine (Spacejunk) 2002
LIDO (LIDO) 2002
In the Nude (Pornland) 2000
ASD (ASD) 1999

Photos

Bio

Hailing from Adelaide, Sth. Australia, critically acclaimed Multi-Instrumentalist Adam Page has been performing his multi-instrumental looping show nationally and internationally since 2006.

Page is at the forefront of a new and unique style of performing, recording live instruments into loop pedals and spontaneously composing intricate grooves in many different styles.
Primarily a Saxophone player, the instruments Page loops are as diverse as Bass, Keys,Percussion, Vocals, Tuvan Throat Singing, Beat Boxing, Guitar, Banjo, Flute,Clarinet, Kalimba (African Thumb Piano), Didgeridoo and Nose Flute in styles ranging from Funk, Tango and Punjabi to Classical, Jazz and Afrobeat.

Since winning the prestigious “BEST MUSIC BY AN EMERGING ARTIST” award at the 2007 Adelaide Fringe Festival, Page has been going strong producing his first solo CD “ADAM PAGE SOLO – no relation to han”, touring Australia 10 times, performing a 24 night season at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, winning “BEST MUSIC” and“BEST SOLO SHOW” at the 2009 NEW ZEALAND Fringe festival, collaborating with multi award winning New Zealand percussion group STRIKE, performing with The Transatlantics at the 2009 Adelaide BIG DAY OUT, producing a full length concert DVD – “DIVA DVD” and touring Australia with “Webb Page”, Adam Page and Mal Webb (composer/performer“Lano and Woodley”). Recently Page played in New Zealand with The Adelaide Sax Pack, featuring the vocalist Lisa Tomlins (Fat Freddy's Drop, Shapeshifter) and featured with the same group playing with Katie Noonan and The Captains at the Gov in Adelaide. Also with The Adelaide Sax Pack, he performed the Australian premiere of the Saxophone quartet (with Trombone) piece 'Transformation' written by Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina.

2010 was a great collaborative year for Page, premiering a piece specially written for himself and Melbourne Jazz icon Ronnie Ferella by NZ composer John Psathas (Composer of the Athens Olympics opening/closing ceremony music, andcomposer/arranger for Evelyn Glennie, Michael Brecker and Serj Tankian (Systemof a Down)), rearranging and performing music with Katie Noonan, touring and recording with NZ drummer/producer Riki Gooch (Fat Freddy’s Drop, Crowded House, Trinity Roots, Hollie Smith and Eru Dangerspiel), performing with pianist and singer Gerard Masters (Missy Higgins, Lisa Mitchell and Wes Carr), performing with world renowned sitarist Dr. Chandrakant Sardeshmukh, touring and performing with other Australian looping pedal musicians Mal Webb and Mr. Percival and recording and performing with German hip hop icon Nico Suave.

In2011, Adam has performed 3 sold out seasons during the Adelaide Fringe with his solo show, The Adelaide Sax Pack and The Wheatsheaf Ukulele Collective, WINNING BEST MUSIC for his solo show. He also wrote, with NZ composer John Psathas, a 40 minute suite for solo sax and looping pedals in Wellington called THE HARVEST SUITE. This piece was premiered in Wellington on the 13th of Feb. Adam also performed a workshop and a standing ovation feature solo set at WOMADelaide.

Adam's most recent recording SEEDY CD is now available from here!!... http://listn.to/AdamPage

Past festival appearances

BigDay Out (Adelaide – with The Transatlantics) - 2009
EdinburghFringe Festival - 2008
AdelaideFringe Festival 2007 - (WINNER Best Music), 2008, (NOMINATION Best Music),2009, 2010 (NOMINATION Best Music).
NewZealand Fringe Festival (WINNER Best Music and Best Solo Show) – 2009
MelbourneFringe Festival – 2007
WOMADELAIDE– 2011 - Artist and workshop leader. Guest with Rhombus (NZ)
AdelaideFringe 2011 - WINNING BEST MUSIC



“I saw Adam perform in Edinburgh 2008, having heard the word on da street that he was freaking ace. And he truly was.
It is a rare treat to see amusician with such a masterful grasp of his craft performing with sucheffortless charisma, humour, and inventiveness. I was blown away.
Adam MUST keep getting back to big international festivals, I reckon. There's no one doing it quite likehim”.
- Tim Minchin.