REVIEW / RAVE Melbourne International Jazz Festival, June 3 to June 12, 2016 One of the most interesting conversations I’ve had during this jazz festival — and I’ve had a few, before and after attending 15 concerts — was about the jazz hero. The person I spoke to was a musician who said he wanted to move away from that approach or model in bands … Continue reading OF JAZZ HEROES AND HIGHLIGHTS
PREVIEW Melbourne International Jazz Festival, June 3 – 12, 2016 SOME of the main drawcards at this year’s festival are well-known knowns — Wayne Shorter, Esperanza Spalding, Gary Bartz — but it’s a big program with plenty of other artists to be excited about. Stats don’t put flesh on the bones, but over 10 days the festival will stage 74 events involving 335 artists (75 international and 260 Australian), … Continue reading LONG LOOK AT A SHORTER FESTIVAL
INTERVIEW Drawcard: Kurt Elling KURT Elling is a hard taskmaster — hard on himself and on his audiences. The Grammy award-winning vocalist has made a rigorous study of the great jazz singers and strives for total engagement with music through improvisation and spontaneity. He has mastered scatting, singing and writing vocalese lyrics for jazz standards and current repertoire. He can sing a beautiful ballad and … Continue reading PERFECT PRESENT — KURT ELLING ON BEING IN THE MOMENT
