Music is the best weapon

REVIEW Melbourne International Jazz Festival, 17 – 26 October 2025 The night after this year’s MIJF I went to a concert. A jazz gig. There was an international vocalist, albeit an expat, visiting from Switzerland. The other musicians had been on stage during the festival. It was a sublime experience. It showed how well the improvised music Melbourne had been blessed with over the 10 … Continue reading Music is the best weapon

Jazz finds its voice

PREVIEWMelbourne International Jazz Festival 202320-29 October 2023 Jazz pops its head up again next month, this year in the wake of a referendum on whether to enshrine an Indigenous voice to parliament in the Australian constitution. Whether jazz finding its voice can dispel the pervasive gloom that surely will follow a divisive No campaign full of negativity and fearmongering remains to be seen, but the … Continue reading Jazz finds its voice

No Mildlife crisis for women’s festival

SNAP PREVIEW Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival 2022Sunday 4 December – to Sunday 11 DecemberThe Jazzlab, Leslie St, Brunswick Kudos to Sonja Horbelt and Lynette Irwin for presenting what the founder of the MWIJF, Martin Jackson, has described as “one of the strongest programs in the festival’s 24-year history”, starting today for a week. There’s a lot of music on offer, including international talent including … Continue reading No Mildlife crisis for women’s festival