“The music of Temporary Blessings is very much influenced by Jazz and Improvisation, with a lot of the music from Italian and French soundtracks from that time being heavily influenced by American Jazz and improvised music, but also in the melding of styles, in classical and jazz, soul and funk.”
Ariel Bart is one of the rarest species in the global jazz ecosystem: the harmonica player. Her harmonica skills aside, she is an imaginative composer, bringing together an eclectic range of musical references, from middle eastern modes to western folk, to classical music to all shades of jazz.
When Leigh Barker moved from Australia to France, a decade ago, our community lost a champion of hot jazz, a dedicated ambassador of the sounds and stylings of early-to-swing-era music. (Actually, we lost two, as he was joined by his partner in life and music, Heather Stewart a spectacular jazz vocalist and violinist in her own right.)
Now the bassist, bandleader, and composer is back, with a new album, Cross Street, and a heavy schedule of performances throughout Victoria, NSW, and ACT. Just before stepping on stage at the Wangaratta Jazz and Blues Festival, he took a moment to talk about his approach to music, his admiration for his talented partner, their life in Paris — and how to close a formal letter addressed to a French person.
But make no mistake; Liv Andrea Haugue has a voice of her own, her influences — be it jazz, pop, contemporary, everything — seamlessly blended in her compositions, and perfectly displayed through her nuanced, perfectly balanced playing, and her interactions with her trio.
It’s a setting that suits her, and she makes great use of it, combining elements from the classic piano trio jazz albums of the ’50s legacy, to the modern Scandinavian/ Nordic jazz tradition — spacey, serene, classical-music-infused — and more than passing references to Keith Jarrett.
Of course, it’s wrong to call The Cloud Maker ‘Aviva Endean’s project’ — it misses so many marks. First and foremost, this is a collective project, featuring four unique female artists, each with her own trajectory. More importantly, this is quite literally a case of divine inspiration.
There’s a reason Alexander Beets has been nicknamed ‘The Hurricane’; yes, the nickname refers to his tempestuous playing and his big sound, but if you talk to him, you can understand how the sound is a natural byproduct of a big personality.
Who is Tom Ollendorff, you ask? Great question! He is simply one of the brightest shootings stars of the jazz guitar in Europe at the moment.
An adventurous guitarist, a daring performer, an inventive composer, a dedicated educator, and a champion of equity and inclusion in music and academia, Jess Green has made a name for herself, chasing that creative spark that happens when music takes a turn you didn’t see coming. Now she’s bringing that same fearless energy to her new role, as program director of the Sydney Women’s International Jazz Festival.
