In 2009 Judy Bailey gave a long, insightful interview to Belinda Webster (of Tall Poppies records) for the second issue of ‘Extempore’ — the jazz journal which was this website’s predecessor — sharing her story, her discovery of the piano, of jazz, of improvisation; she also talks about her approach to teaching, her effort to bring jazz and classical music together, and she stresses the importance of ‘alert listening’.
IN 1979 Judy Bailey gave an interview to Pop/Jazz legend Janice Slater, one of the leading figures of the Australian music scene of the ’60s and ’70s. It is a snapshot of its time (including the tai-chi references), but it is also a testament to Judy Bailey’s lifelong commitment to her craft and the art form she chose as a means of expression.
“Festivals are great opportunities to create different kind of experiences,” Chelsea Wilson explains. “A lot of jazz venues in town do not have the stages or infrastructure to be able to do something like that, so were very fortunate to have Chapel Off Chapel as a festival hub this year; it has lots of space for the bands to explore.”
“…Sydney’s a small town and I was just wanting to make something nice.”
These quite young musicians are students of this music. They love it. They do take it seriously, but authenticity is attained by appearing not to take it seriously.
