National Press Club

NPC is advertising blues and jazz. Lots of names for blues, but none for jazz. However, it does promote jazz from 6pm every Friday, no cover charge. NPC is hardly a hot jazz club, but there are nibblies on Friday evenings, drinks are obviously available, and there are several pool tables. See their website for who's playing. Given very poor web design, you will have to download a pdf doc, which even changes file name every month. http://www.npc.org.au/entertainment.htm

Jazz at Kamberra Winery

Kamberra Winery is a nice place to be on a warm day. Free entry for jazz on the last Sunday each month. Brendan sings standards. Last Sunday (perhaps every month?) he was supported by Charlie Meadows on guitar, plus acoustic bass and drums. Bottled wine and snacks available.

Canberra Jazz Festival

Here's a new one on me. Hippo is advertising it's a sponsor - "hippo...major sponsor of the Canberra Jazz Festival...Nov2-Nov5 05 canberrajazzfestival.com". That's a Wed-Sat event (strange not to include Sunday). There's a website, but it just says "Canberra Jazz Festival 05 / Coming soon". Keep an eye on http://canberrajazzfestival.com/

Winter Concert Series at Lanyon

I saw Eric Ajaye's new trio at Tharwa the other day. Lanyon is conducting a Winter Concert Series, with a range of different musical styles. Last Sunday was "Straight up", with Eric Ajaye, lecturer in jazz studies at the ANU Canberra School of Music, drummer Chris Thwaite and pianist Michael Azzopardi. A great and intimate concert held for a very few people (despite this, it was standing room only!) in a converted stable. It was billed as "exciting modern jazz originals". Tunes were mainly written by Eric Ajaye, and the playing was stimulating. Look out for this band. They are collecting a mailing list to advertise their performances: contact Eric at the Jazz School.

For info on the Lanyon Concert Series, see http://www.museumsandgalleries.act.gov.au/lanyon/

You can also see Chris Thwaites at Trinity Bar (Dickson) on Tuesday nights from 9pm, and I've caught Michael Azzopardi at Das Kapital (Narrabundah) and Hippo's, and of course, Eric Ajaye at the Kurrajong Hotel on Fridays after work, from 5.30pm.

More venues lost

Tilleys announced it's pulling otu of regular live music. Tilley's is famed, and offered a pleasant, dark, sophisticated environment which attracted some very big international names. The mix of music was eclectic - blues, jazz, folk, etc. But some of the names were fabulous. Thanks to Tilleys, but such a loss.

As I understand it, Canberra Southern Cross Club recently cancelled an upcoming Jazz Club event (a mini festival) and it seems they may be pulling out of their 25-year support for jazz. CSCC was a good (if fairly sterile) environment for lots of good jazz when I first came to Canberra. They've been relegated to tame series of festivals with obvious names and traditional interests recently. Not all bad, but not at the challenging end of the jazz spectrum. I don't feel this as a particular loss, but apparently it's indicative of the closing live music venues around Australia.

Canberra Jazz Club

I've never had much to do with the Canberra Jazz Club. I met the stalwart (Margaret Moriarty as I remember) when I first came to Canberra in 1985. They ran a series of Valentines Day Jazz Festivals in the 90s. They seem to have organised a few small, one-day jazz festivals at the Southern Cross Club in recent years. But they are represented in the phone book, so they are public and contactable. See in the Canberra White pages under "Canberra Jazz Club".

ANU concert series

Keep an eye on the ANU School of Music website for concerts. They are mostly from the classical school, but often enough from the Jazz School. There's a lot happening at the School, mostly for $15 adult entry. Nice to see these people in small, intimate surroundings, although I can miss the noise and commotion of a club venue when I attend concerts like these.

Tonight I challenged myself with Fritz Hauser, a German drummer, playing with Gary France and ANU's DRUMatix. Drums as soundscape, without the rhythm. I thought of Ellington's "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing", but the performance really demanded more seriousness that that.

See the ANU School of Music website http://www.anu.edu.au/music or contact the Concert Manager to get on the mailing list for program of performances.

ValleyFM radio jazz

I just met Ron Robinson of ValleyFM last night at Hippo's. Ron presents a session at 10pm-12midnight (or later) Thurs nights on ValleyFM (FM89.5 the the Tuggeranong Valley here in Canberra. More info from http://www.valleyfm.com The session is called Blue Trane (how could you fault a name like that?)

Jazzabout VII

Jazzabout is now in its 7th year, apparently. You'd fool me, as I'd never heard of it before. This is just an indication of how hard it is to know what's on in Canberra, even when you keep an eye out. Anyway, Jazzabout is a festival for aspiring (read young) jazz players. It's being held at the Southern Cross Club. 7.30pm Thurs and Fri (28-29 July), and 10am workshops, 2pm and 7.30pm performances Saturday (30 July). $10/5 per session, or festival passes $25 including workshops. Apparently the organiser is Michael Caesar from Narrabundah College. For more info, see "Jazzabout beat again" in Canberra Times, 27 July 2005, Times2, p. 16.

Canberra Jazz Club

I haven't had much to do with the CJC. They used to be involved with a large local jazz festival over the the weekend of St Valentine's Day, but that disappeared a few years back. They ran a 1-day mini-festival at the Southern Cross Club last year, and I understand there's another this year. My impression is that their interests are mainly in the trad/mainstream arena, but I could be proven wrong. See their website for contacts http://www.actco.org.au/canberrajazzclub/

Thanks to the Jazz School

The Jazz School at the Canberra School of Music is the heart of modern jazz in Canberra. It's the reason there's such a vibrant local modern jazz scene. And the teachers are respected elders on the local circuit. For more info, see the Jazz School's website http://www.anu.edu.au/music/study/jazz.php

Annie & the Armadillos

Annie's band is mainly R&B but they play a number of standards, and I've seen her sing with a swing bid band outfit, so I reckon she deserves an entry here. A&A plays every Monday at King O'Malley's in Civic from 8.30pm. They're a lot of fun, entry is free, and drinks are well priced.

ArtSound radio jazz

ArtSound is Canberra's music and arts community radio station, and it's excellent. ArtSound runs 24/7, and you'll find a good deal of jazz spread over these hours. I often catch Music Works with Chris Deacon and his mates (Sat 2-4pm) and excellent jazz overnight during the overnight music mix of After Hours. But there are several other jazz programs, and great blues, too. Check out the progam guide at http://www.artsoundfm.asn.au/. You'll find ArtSound at FM 92.7.

Blues is our first cousin

Well, it's not strictly jazz, but it's a reasonably close relative, so it deserves at least one post. There's a good deal of decent blues around Canberra, mainly centred on the Canberra Blues Society and associated musos. For info on what's on, visit these sites and perhaps join the mailings lists they offer. http://www.canberrarootsmusic.com/ and http://www.canberrabluessociety.com/

Kurrajong Hotel Fridays 5.30

The Hotel Kurrajong has a long standing jazz trio gig on Friday nights from 5.30. I haven't gone recently, but I assume it's still ongoing. A very slick trio made up of teachers from the CSM Jazz School: Eric Ajaye (bass), Mike Price (guit) and Col Hoorweg (drums), with occasional changes in performers as people are unavailable. Mainly standards, excellently performed. Mingle with the well-dressed local workers from the Liberal Party and PM&C, or find yourself a jazz-loving student to talk to. Free entry.