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.
Xani is a virtuoso musician who sees no boundaries in music. At times during the concert, she tapped a rhythm on her violin; other times, used her fingers along the strings to find the exact effect she wanted.
Melbourne jazz fans rejoice – on 28 April, in line with the Jazz Day celebrations, the city will become home to the all-new, all-sparkling Jazz Roots Festival.
It was sheer joy watching her and the entire ensemble throughout the night clearly having so much fun on stage.
“The idea of ‘first chapters’ – short little narrative gestures that leave you hanging for more – ties in nicely with my recent resolution to write shorter pieces. With this in mind I was able to create ten short unrelated pieces corresponding to each of what I call the ‘narrative chapters’.”
