“If we want to talk about merit and the tokenistic aspect, the thing is thatby giving people the chance to play, byplaying with new people, being challenged and building confidence, then the quality of our players across the community is going to improve too.”
Leading a well-oiled machine of an ensemble, featuring Ricki Malet on trumpet, Harry Mitchell on the keys, Zac Grafton on bass and Ben Vanderwal on drums, Jamie Oehlers presents yet another collection of memorable tunes, delivered with passion, urgency and vigour.
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“I’m trying to sing and put something good out into the world. I believe that when people do good,it becomes contagious like ripples in an ocean, and those ripples turn into waves. We just can’t get distracted to all the ugliness going on.”
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New York-based, Cuban pianist/composer Elio Villafranca is coming to Melbourne for the first time this June. Performing his Grammy-nominated suite Cinque with a dynamic 10-piece Afro-Cuban Orchestra, Villafranca will appear in the-round at the Night Cat on Saturday 8th June (9.00pm) in collaboration with Adrian Medina’s new immersive music/cinematic fusion.
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“When you meet artists from different countries, they’re almost always keen to chat, play and experiment. I think the musical training and experiences that many jazz musicians have allows them to interact with musicians from lots of different cultural and musical backgrounds and get something fun happening.”
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“The mindset for me is to serve and support and honor the song and the musicians I play with. But mostly to follow the purpose of the song. To be fully present in every word and every breath.”
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Few pianists can combine lyricism with a sense of groove the way that Alexander Nettelbeck does – which partly explains the seemingly effortless way that he can shift from ‘straight’ jazz to classical to reggae to R’n’B to every genre and sub-genre, really
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“Nancy Wilson’s tone, phrasing and interplay with the band on that record had a huge impact on me as a musician. After going deep into those tunes, I think that it’s allowed me to approach my own music in a different way, particularly how I tell my stories through song.”
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When I heard that Billy Childs is coming to Australia, the first thing I did was listen to his latest, Grammy-winning album, Rebirth, hailed as a return to his jazz (hard-bop) roots. So the next thing was to check these roots. I went to my record collection and unearthed The Yokohama Concert, his 1978 debut …
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“I like to sing songs that have elements of politics, social condition, environmental issues, generally songs that reflect the human condition.”
