National Jazz Awards Finalists – Q&A with Joe O’Connor

I’m most looking forward to seeing the other pianists play in the competition. They are all exceptional players and are extremely varied in their approaches, which should make for interesting listening.

NJA Finalist Q&A – Liz Tobias

‘I absolutely LOVE Carmen McCrae. She shows us that singing jazz doesn’t always have to be ‘pretty’. Jazz can be raw and gutsy sometimes too.’

NJA Finalist Q&A – Briana Cowlishaw

‘Maybe you could say my ‘moment’ or calling came with my discovery of composition! Writing music is now what drives me the most as a musician.’

NJA Finalist Q&A – Katie Wighton

I don’t think it was ever a conscious choice. I just sort of knew that’s what I loved to do. I think I love jazz specifically because it can be such an interactive musical medium. The coolest things can happen totally by accident and with the right combination of musicians it is heaps of fun!

NJA Finalist Q&A – Kristin Berardi

‘…it was a bribe from my music teacher that got me singing jazz, as he said I could only sing with the Jazz Combo if I played sax in it too…’

NJA Finalist Q&A – Chantal Mitvalsky

“I also think that the best inspiration comes from experimentation and the element of surprise, which is why I like arranging songs on the spot with a band.”

NJA Finalist Q&A – Jude Perl

‘…what I really loved about the musicals was the songs. I fell in love with all the Gershwin, Berlin, Porter, tunes from those movies and stumbled across an Ella Fitzgerald CD somehow, recognised all the songs from the musicals, and after hearing Ella sing them, I just fell in love with the songs even more…’

NJA Finalist Q&A – Joshua Kyle

Joshua Kyle answers our Q&A as part of our regular feature with finalists in the National Jazz Awards at Wangaratta Jazz Festival

NJA Finalist Q&A – Cyrille Aimée

French singer Cyrille Aimée answers our Q&A as part of our regular feature with finalists in the National Jazz Awards at Wangaratta Jazz Festival

Media release: National Jazz Awards – entries open

Entries are now open for Australia’s most prestigious jazz instrumental competition – the National Jazz Awards, to be judged by Mike Nock, Vince Jones and Michelle Nicolle (1998 winner)