Another message the festival conveyed was that while in recent years, the jazz world has lost some of the giants of jazz such as Pharoah Sanders, Wayne Shorter, Ellis Marsalis and most recently Quincy Jones, jazz is being revitalised by players such Blanchard and harpist Brandee Younger, singers such as the innovative Jazzmeia Horn and Nicole Zuraitis, and drummers like Antonio Sanchez, who following his well-timed accompaniment to the film Birdman, showcased a dynamite solo.
The classically trained Brandee Younger impressed with her technical dexterity across the harp but also with her jazz feel and strong rhythmic sense.
“The flute isn’t the most common instrument in improvised music, so as much as I have always had a strong love and interest in jazz and improvisation, it took me a while to figure out how I could fit in. You are always drawn to what you love, so one way or the other — if you stick at it and follow your instincts, it will find you!”
“What I hope to bring out in jazz music as a songwriter, is still that element of storytelling and form — a good song with a hook, or a good song with a memorable melody, as opposed to a composed piece with lyrics.”
“Morgana was a positive force in my life and gave me a lot of purpose”
MIJF presents These Digital Times, an online music festival series featuring local and international artists
“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.
“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.”
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.
