Emerging Jazz Festival 2016 is on

ejfA new festival begins tonight in Melbourne, providing a platform for the jazz community to celebrate, support, discuss and highlight the music of emerging jazz musicians.

(From the Media Release) ­­­

The 2016 Inaugural Emerging Jazz Festival (EJF) ​​will be highlighting both the academic and performance aspects of what it is to explore emerging work.

This program will present some of Melbourne’s leading emerging artists through the lens of engaging performances, workshops and discussion panels.

The jazz community is an ecosystem of musical, academic and industry people with the common goal of promoting and developing jazz across Australia.

The festival showcases not only emerging talent but the relationship between their music and how it both informs and is informed by education, research, performance and the sector.

The program includes workshops and masterclasses, performances and jams, panel discussions and research presentations, in a hope to bring a sense of discovery to audiences, support to musicians, and a little enlightenment to the sector.

This festival shines a light on the collaboration between students and mentors through the Emerging Artist Initiative ​celebrated on the final evening as a collaboration between Josh Kelly ​and Stephen Magnusson.

Daily workshops will give an insight into the industry and academic face of emerging work including: Emily Kelly’s​Electronic Press Kit Development,​​Ali Barker’s​Artist and Product Development​, ​Jennifer Beckett’s D​igital Media Management​, Kirsty River’s Grant Seeking and Writing ​and a Cultural Policy and the Jazz Sector Panel Discussion led by the festival’s Academic Curator Dominik Safari.

The link between academic and performance will be scoped through the Big Ideas ​night hosted by Paul Williamson​. Tim Willis​, Sam McAuliffe​, and Joseph O’Connor​will take you on a journey through their current Jazz research in discussion and performance.

Performances include James Bower’s ​Wendy, ​Matt Hoyne Trio​, James McLean’s ​Blind Spot​, Arlene Fletcher Trio, Audrey Powne Quartet, Sugarfoot Ramblers, Barney McAll’s ​Non Compliance​, ​Catanchin & Chindamo sing Simon & Garfunkel a​nd masters Tony Gould and John Hoffman ​as they lead the elected Emerging Artist Feature.

This festival marks the start of incentives to continually support and develop the emerging jazz community throughout the year.

Date:​​From Sunday 21st February ­ Sunday 28th February 2016

Venue:​Bennetts Lane Jazz Club 

For more information, contact: emergingjazzfestival@gmail.com