Jazz by the Bay goes global in 2017

This year’s headliners include Eclectic young Singapore band The Steve McQueens; three musicians from the legendary Buena Vista Social Club orchestra teaming up with popular Perth jazz crooner and musician Adam Hall with the Velvet Playboys; UK-based jazz singer and recording artist Karen Lane with her four-piece band, and festival favourite the vivacious Cathrine Summers.

Selene Messinis: “Each ISM tune can be a journey in many different worlds all at once”

We all composed three tunes each for the album, having the other members in mind. There are a lot of different moods because we have different compositional styles. Maddie writes a lot of quirky, frantic compositions, still heavily rhythmically driven, with lots of space for free improvisation and Isaac would write more traditional jazz tunes with beautiful melodies. I care so much about rhythm and keeping time and groove, that in my compositions theres usually a lot of business in rhythmic patterns and ideas with very simple melodies.

Paul Grabowsky: ‘Bob Dylan is a prophet’

“The fact that I’m interested in his music should come as no surprise, as he is a truly great songwriter, and most jazz musicians love great songs. The only difference between Dylan and say Jerome Kern is the musical and lyrical structure of Dylans work, which tends to narrative and abstraction, often in strophic form. But there are plenty of examples of more lyrical songs as well.” ‘Just Like a Woman’, ‘Lay, Lady Lay’, ‘Forever Young’, ‘Don’t Think Twice’, ‘It’s all over now, baby blue’…the list goes on and on.