There is silence in the concert hall before The Necks’ pianist Chris Abrahams plays a scattering of notes on its grand piano. There is a crystalline quality to the notes he choses and his gentle offering feels like a sprinkling of stardust.

So begins the mesmerising spell cast by The Necks as Abrahams rephrases his selection while the other two musicians slowly tune in with their responses.

The Necks play “in the moment’’, each improvising spontaneously to the other’s idea without the use of signals typically used to communicate changes in most bands. The trio is currently on an extensive Australia/New Zealand tour before heading overseas again. No mean feat for a band formed 37 years ago with a totally different approach to playing.

Tony Buck, Lloyd Swanton and Chris Abrahams. Photo © Nabeeh Samaan

Listening to a musical idea or motif teased out and developed spontaneously by these musicians is like watching a movie in slow motion. As Abrahams adds other notes, or changes the sequences, and shapes phases, drummer Tony Buck very quietly sketches a circle with a drumstick on a hi-hat to add a soundscape. Bassist Lloyd Swanton uses...