Wilson is a Melbourne-based singer, songwriter and broadcaster, and anyone who’s heard her presenting Jazz Got Soul on PBS will know she has a broad knowledge of jazz genres. This shines through in her festival selections, including a concert series featuring some Australian jazz luminaries, a club series that’ll allow you to get your boogie on, plus some exclusive events and one-off collaborations.
Stonnington Jazz 2016 opens with the premier event, Australian Songbook. Aimed at celebrating Australian songwriting, the lineup features Wilma Reading, Gian Slater, Mama Alto, Josh Kyle, Clancye Milne, and Wilson herself in what’ll be her only festival appearance. Backed by the James Mustafa String Orchestra, the vocalists will all perform a song of their own plus an interpretation of another Australian favourite.
Another one-off collaboration is The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Pieces of Gil Scott-Heron. Scott-Heron was an influential American poet, writer and musician, often referred to as the father of hip hop. “It’s an event that I’m really excited about,” says Wilson. “It’s bringing together hip hop, soul and jazz artists all in the one lineup to pay respect to Gil Scott-Heron.”
The event will see Vince Jones, N’fa Jones, Ryan Ritchie (The Raah Project), Hue Blanes, Hailey Cramer and Walter Saluni interpreting selected Scott-Heron tracks, backed by a band featuring members of The Putbacks, ATM15 and The Meltdown. The Meltdown will get under the spotlight earlier in the festival for the Soul Session at at Revolver Upstairs. Joining them are northern soul adherents Fulton Street and DJ Lyndelle Wilkinson.
Revolver Upstairs is a new venue for the festival and while it isn’t known for jazz, that was part of its appeal. “I wanted to have a mix of shows where there are still concerts where you can listen to Chris McNulty or Bob Sedergreen and sit down in a beautiful theatre,” Wilson says, “but if you just want to have a boogie and still chat to your mates without getting kicked out, you can.”
Other gigs at Revolver guaranteed to get you dancing include the Worldwide Jazz Party featuring the high-energy Latin grooves of Clave Mania and the Senegambian Jazz Band with their fusion of world music, afrobeat and funk.
“The Senegambian Jazz Band are one of the most exciting bands in Melbourne at the moment, I reckon,” Wilson says. “Amadou [Suso, the band’s lead vocalist] plays a kora that’s 760-years-old that’s been passed down from generation to generation. But he’s doing something completely different. They’re really fun.”
Also at Revolver Upstairs is Lance Ferguson Presents: Black Feeling. This exclusive event will see The Bamboos leader performing a selection of tracks from his three album series Black Feeling for the very first time. Expect jazz funk, soul jazz and Latin gems.
If high energy swing, rhythm and blues is your thing, then head along to The Shuffle Club’s Dance Party (with vocals from Yvette Johansson) at the Armadale Uniting Church Hall. There’ll be dancing in the streets when Windsor’s Green St is closed off for the afternoon to host a New Orleans Street Party, with food trucks and live bands including Horns of Leroy, Henry Manetta and The Trip, The Sugarfoot Ramblers and more. It’s all ages and it’s free.
It was important for Wilson to not only present a diverse range of styles at this year’s festival, but also to make it inclusive and accessible. “Going out can be really expensive,” she says. “So I wanted a variety of events to suit different budgets.”
Anyone can join the festival’s free music workshops, jazz jam, and jazz poetry slam, or learn more about Australian jazz at Backbeat: Stories of Australian Jazz. This exclusive exhibition is presented in collaboration with the Australian Jazz Museum and curated by Wilson, featuring video footage, gig posters, recordings and other enlightening items.
But that’s definitely not all that’s on offer at Stonnington Jazz 2016 – the programme boasts amazing talent like Renee Geyer, Wilma Reading, Monique diMattina, Fem Belling, Tamara Murphy, Nichaud Fitzgibbon, Nino Ferro, Kimba Griffith, Anton Delecca, Remco Keijzer and more. There’s also two jazz high teas set in the grandeur of the Malvern Town Hall. Hetty Kate and Vanessa Fernandez will perform, with an indulgent high tea prepared by macaron legend Adriano Zumbo.
For something totally unique, cult film buffs can check out Mad Jazz at The Astor – a special screening of the original 1979 Mad Max film featuring a live scoring from The Shaolin Afronauts. “That’s going to be wild,” says Wilson. “It’s never been done before. And George Miller gave us the tick of approval to do it, which is amazing. They were like, ‘Yeah, sounds cool, go for it.’ ”
BY KAYE BLUM
