UNESCO International Jazz Day 2023

Meet the bands that are featured in the UNESCO International Jazz Day concert at the Dunstan Playhouse on 30 April.

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ER@SER DESCRIPTION

Which jazz artists inspire you?

Over the years we've taken a lot of influence from artists like POMRAD, Louis Cole, KNOWER, Robert Glasper, in addition to electronic dance music and house music. 

What got you into jazz?

We were all introduced to jazz fairly early on from music teachers and family, which I think naturally sparked a hunger to learn and listen more. 

Pre-show ritual?

I wouldn't say we have a ritual per se, but often times before a set we'll go grab dinner together and talk through the set, or make a setlist, as well as a healthy dose of inside jokes and laughs. 

Favourite memory from performing?

We've had some incredible and plenty of hilarious experiences along the way, but we'd have to say that travelling to Perth and Brisbane to play with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Queensland Symphony Orchestra was pretty darn special. The team at Release Creative put a lot of trust in us putting us at the core of an orchestra. While it was a totally different dynamic and environment to anything we'd done together, we thrived and had such a great time. 

What does International Jazz Day mean to you?

We feel that International Jazz Day is a really great opportunity for us - and all artists creating and taking influence from "jazz" - to share our artform with people who may not normally listen to our music, or may have preconceived opinions or expectations on what "jazz" is. We hope to prove people wrong, give them a new perspective, and show them that "jazz" really can look and sound like anything. We also hope that audiences will take International Jazz Day as an opportunity to go and listen to music that perhaps they may not normally listen to, experience something new and diversify their listening experiences. 

Where do you aspire to perform?

We'd love to take the band to Europe or Japan to do some shows! It would be great to play at some venues overseas that don't normally host electronic dance music, to challenge the expectation that dance music belongs in clubs. At the same time we'd love to play the club scene too! We think Japan would be a great first stop.  

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The New Standard - Presented by Women in Jazz Adelaide

What got you into jazz? 

Vashti: Playing in Hal Hall's big band at university as an elective when I was studying architecture! I realised I'd much rather be studying jazz.

Jasmine: My dad! I was always brought to gigs as a child and jazz was just all around me.

Danica: Throughout my childhood, my parents would play music of the jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and I loved singing along to those. They also introduced me to a lot of the classic Hollywood movie musicals; Hello Dolly, My Fair Lady, Singing in the Rain. I later realised most of the songs from these musicals are in fact jazz standards. I only started performing jazz in my last 2 years of high school. I think my teachers saw something in me and encouraged me to sing with their little jazz band and the rest, as they say, is history.  

Charlotte N: In 2013, I went to Generations in Jazz, and drove past cabins of students who were excited to play music the next day. I didn't have any friends who loved jazz or even music at my school (which was R-12), and I realised that I wanted more than anything, to have friends who I could get excited about music with. I moved to a musical school where everyday felt a bit magical - and to be honest, being friends with musicians still does! In addition to the friendships, I won a series of awards at Generations in Jazz when I was in Year 12, and this year I'm returning as a performer and mentor.

Which jazz artist or band inspires you? 

Danica: The First Lady of Song Ella Fitzgerald is definitely my favourite jazz singer and my greatest inspiration, but I also love Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter. Of the more modern jazz vocalists, I'm currently inspired by Veronica Swift, Samara Joy and Caity Gyorgy to name a few.  

Charlotte N: Huntertones. Their trumpeter, John Lampley, is a legendary legend. 

What does International Jazz Day mean to you? 

Danica: Jazz was originally created by African-Americans who found freedom, a method of self-expression and escapism via their music. Now, we all have the privilege of performing jazz music and finding our own methods of self-expression and freedom through it. I'm very grateful to perform this music and keep these melodies and words alive. So jazz in all of its many iterations today is definitely something worth celebrating! As jazz is also my favourite genre of music this particular day means a lot to me.

Pre-show ritual? 

Charlotte N: I pump my arms in the air and chant 'Right notes! Right notes! Right notes!'. The movement gets me happy and energised. It's also ironic, to remind me and my section that right notes have very little importance compared to the vibe.

Favourite memory from performing?

Charlotte N: I played in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra last year, and my lead trumpet (from Sydney) made the trumpet sound better than I thought possible. He didn't just play the high notes with a huge sound...he played lower notes with the same commitment. I realised that I needed to stop seeing the only important parts of pieces as Ds, Es, and Fs above the stave if I ever wanted to sound like him. I also started working on actual technique for the first time in my life instead of squeezing out high notes as 'practice'. It was scary to hear trumpet played that well, but since then my own playing has improved dramatically. 

Where do you dream of performing? 

Charlotte N: Generations in Jazz in a big band made up of the best musicians from across Australia...but that's actually happening.