The year 1971 was significant to say the least. The development of the first microprocessor heralded the birth of the digital age; Bangladesh was born while anti-Vietnam war protests raged, Idi Amin seized power in Uganda and Charles Manson and his “family” were convicted of the Tate-LaBianca murders.

Meanwhile John Lennon released the Imagine album, The Doors frontman Jim Morrison died and Dmitri Shostakovich composed his final symphony in what has been tagged the year that changed music forever.

It was this landmark period that inspired Sydney Symphony Orchestra percussionist, composer and singer Timothy Constable to create a “whimsical musical joyride” with six of his colleagues for the second of the 2026 Cocktail Hour series, hosted the Sydney Opera House’s intimate Utzon Room.

Tim Constable. Photo © Georgia Jane Griffiths

As Constable says in his program note: “We begin at the Osaka 1970 expo, where radical futurists plot optimistic landscapes for future earth. We’ll deviate to make a folky stop at the homes of Joni (Mitchell) and Nick (Drake) before things get trippy, interspersing symphonic environmentalism with Miles (Davis), The Who and – representing all the artists that would farewell the world at this time – Dmitri Shostakovich.”

The evening is built around French composer André Jolivet’s Heptade duet for trumpet and percussion, written in 1971 – an engaging and technically challenging set of seven short eclectic sections with frequent changes of mood. The ebullient Constable, with a drum kit and an impressive array of percussion instruments, is joined by Principal Trumpet David Elton for a tightly nuanced performance of a piece – the first of several for the evening – which few in the audience would have heard before.

Constable’s chosen lineup of musicians and instruments reflects the wide range of material – Sophie Cole on violin; harpist Louisic Dulbecco; twin double bassists Dylan Holly and Jaan Pallandi, and fellow percussionist Rebecca Lagos who spends part of the set playing records, tapes, loops and samples as well as switching between various percussion instruments.

Holly shows his multi-instrumental skills with some gorgeous lap dulcimer for Joni Mitchell’s All I Want from her iconic Blue album, while Pallandi displays his keyboard skills on a Rhodes electric piano for Miles Davis’s jazz-fusion classic It’s About Time with Elton’s funky trumpet and some dazzling bebop runs from Constable on vibraphone.

Dulbecco’s percussive harp is heard alongside an electronic ‘tape’ part featuring ring modulator for a non-Western sound world.

At this time, Peter Sculthorpe was also fascinated by Japanese influences, and Flowers from his Night Pieces set showcases the harp in a more meditative mood.

Constable stuns his audience when he sits down at the Rhodes and channels Nick Drake’s wistful voice in the folk ballade One of These Things First from the tragically short-lived troubadour’s Bryter Layter album.

Another highlight is a bass duet with harp overlay giving way to the warm tones of Cole’s violin for Mitchell’s Both Sides Now. Joined by Elton’s bright trumpet, it brings the hour to a delightful close.

Cocktail Hour with Timothy Constable is performed again on 14 March.