Performing outdoors at a music festival creates a very different listening experience from an indoor concert hall. That was certainly the case when The Necks, one of three jazz acts appearing at WOMADelaide over the weekend, took to the stage late on Friday night.

Many listeners stretched out on mats and blankets beneath a starlit sky. Eyes closed or gazing skywards, they gave their full attention to the slow unfolding of musical ideas that defines a Necks concert. Others stood close to the stage, watching the subtle communication between the trio as the music evolved.

Once again, the group delivered a spellbinding performance, taking the audience on a musical journey made all the more evocative by the natural surroundings. In some ways the setting felt fitting: The Necks’ approach often seems like a return to music’s elemental foundations as their sound gradually gathers momentum and complexity.

The Necks – Tony Buck, Lloyd Swanton and Chris Abrahams. Photo © Camille Walsh.

The opening gestures came from pianist Chris Abrahams, whose cascade of lyrical notes set the tone. Bassist Lloyd Swanton responded with a resonant grounding...