Three huge jazz nights are landing at Bunjil Place this October.
Bunjil Place is teaming up with the Melbourne International Jazz Festival to bring Saltwater, Sugar to Narre Warren this October.
The show is one of three events landing at the venue as part of a brand new partnership.
The collaboration doesn’t stop there. From 2027, it expands into a three-year commitment backing CrossCurrents: National Jazz Commission, a $40,000 annual fund supporting new jazz, improvised and contemporary music projects made in collaboration with international artists.
Each year, one project developed at Bunjil Place will premiere at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival itself.
Bunjil Place x Melbourne International Jazz Festival
- Young Monk: International Edition – Sat 17 Oct 2026, 7.30pm – 9.00pm, Studio
- The Art of MCing with Stogie T – Tue 20 Oct 2026, 6.00pm – 7.00pm, Studio
- Saltwater, Sugar – Wed 21 Oct 2026, 7.30pm – 9.00pm, Theatre
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
Saltwater, Sugar
Saltwater, Sugar is the big one.
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- Wed 21 Oct 2026
- 7.30pm – 9.00pm
- Theatre, Bunjil Place
- Tickets here
Composed by Papuan-Australian musician and Australian Art Orchestra artistic director Aaron Choulai, it’s an hour-long work for a 16-piece ensemble that traces the interconnected histories of Chinese, Papua New Guinean and Indigenous communities during Victoria’s gold rush and Queensland’s blackbirding period.
Performed in English and Tok Pisin alongside vocalist Ngaiire and hip hop artist Joelistics, Saltwater, Sugar moves between spoken dialogue, sung melodies and improvisation, set in a sound world inspired by Duke Ellington.
It’s a fictional narrative built on real history, following the friendships and resistance that formed across the very divides colonial Australia depended on. There’s a content warning attached, with the show referencing historical instances of slavery.
Young Monk: International Edition
- Sat 17 Oct 2026
- 7.30pm – 9.00pm
- Studio, Bunjil Place
- Tickets here
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Young Monk: International Edition is a Jazz at Lincoln Center project celebrating the music of jazz pioneer Thelonious Monk, and this version lands with a genuinely stacked line-up.
Leading the ensemble as musical director is Grammy-nominated pianist Joey Alexander, who’s gone from teenage prodigy to performing at Carnegie Hall, the Apollo Theater and the White House.
He’s joined by New York trumpeter Skylar Tang, alongside Melbourne musicians Toby Barrett, Lily Appelt and Ebs Daramola. Together they reimagine Monk’s influential, unconventional compositions for a new generation, blending energy and imagination with respect for one of jazz’s most important innovators.
Young Monk: International Edition is co-curated with Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York.
The Art of MCing with Stogie T at Bunjil Place
- Tue 20 Oct 2026
- 6.00pm – 7.00pm
- Studio, Bunjil Place
- Tickets here
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The Art of MCing with Stogie T is a rare chance to learn from South African hip hop royalty.
Stogie T is one of the genre’s most respected voices across the continent, and this hour-long workshop digs into flow, lyricism, stage presence and connecting with a crowd.
Drawing on years as a performer, writer and recording artist, Stogie T shares practical techniques for anyone looking to sharpen their skills, whether they’re performing live or writing in the studio.
The Art of MCing with Stogie T is aimed at musicians, MCs and hip hop enthusiasts wanting a first-hand perspective from someone who’s built a career at the top of the genre.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with City of Casey.
