2016 Melbourne Jazz Festival program announced

 

Electrifying the city this winter with an extraordinary program of international and Australianjazz artists, the 2016 Melbourne International Jazz Festival will celebrate jazz as a constantly-evolving art form, ranging from golden-age icons to genre-bending innovators. 

 

Bringing together artists from Australia, Ethiopia, Israel, Italy, Poland and the USA, this year’s Festival program features unmissable headliners, intimate club gigs, late-night jams, close encounters, workshops, family events and free concerts.

 

Michael Tortoni, Melbourne International Jazz Festival Artistic Director, explains that there have been a number conversations and interactions when shaping this festival, “Jazz is such an eclectic and evolving artform and I want to present a ‘unique moment in time’ – like a live improvisation that is influenced by what is being played around you in real time. This Festival profiles the relevancy of this artform – it captures the current moment in jazz’s ongoing evolution.”

 

“The Festival embraces the ongoing connections between different generations – it sees emerging legends interacting with some of the greatest musicians. For example, Wayne Shorter recently wrote a showcase for the young gifted bassist and vocalist, Esperanza Spalding, called ‘Gaia’ which they performed together with the Los Angeles Philharmonic,” explained Tortoni.

 

This year’s Festival will bookend with these two modern masters – the Festival will open withjazz wunderkind Esperanza Spalding making her Australian debut with her groundbreaking new project: Emily’s D+Evolution and will close with the fearless, challenging and groundbreaking Wayne Shorter Quartet featuring three of the world’s finest jazz musicians: Danilo Perez, John Patitucci and Brian Blade.

 

Offering an amazing range of performances to delight those with a deep love of jazz, as well as entice those who are new and curious about this ever-evolving artform, the Festival brings together Australian and international musicians and also fosters collaborations between artists and showcases the creation of new works.

 

This year the Festival presents many illustrious artists who have been defining and redefiningjazz for generations – these include Wayne Shorter, Gary Bartz, Eddie Palmieri, Mulatu Astatke and Tomasz Stańko. 

 

In addition to Esperanza Spalding other artists who represents the current and future directions of jazz and are featured in the year’s program include Robert Glasper, Marcus Strickland, Keyon Harrold, Snarky Puppy and Hiromi.

 

The Festival is also proud to showcase many outstanding Australian artists this year, with new works by Kristin Berardi, Stu Hunter, Barney McAll, Peter Knight’s Way Out West and Joe O’Connor.

 

The club sessions will continue throughout the Festival with Bennetts Lane Jazz Club programming a tribute to Allan Browne, the Shai Maestro Trio and late night jams with the Hue Blanes Trio.       

 

Free events throughout the Festival include personalised Sound Portraits, Transitive Cycles – a new commission by Barney McAll at the Federation Bells in Birrarung Marr and the Close Encounters program with some of the world’s leading jazz artists in a series of intimate conversations, inspiring workshops and live demonstrations.

 

Other events in the Festival feature the Jazz Out West program that includes the popular Jazz-a-Bye Baby with Mister Ott and also free concerts at Federation Square on the opening weekend, the Julliard Free Lunchtime Jazz at on Bourke Street and in a new collaboration with the Queen Victoria Market, Los Cabrones will play at the Winter Night Markets.

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The 2016 Melbourne International Jazz Festival will electrify the city this winter with an extraordinary program of international jazz greats. The Festival celebrates jazz as a constantly-evolving art form, ranging from golden-age icons to genre-bending innovators. Immerse yourself in the stunning program of unmissable headliners, intimate club gigs, late-night jams, close encounters, workshops, family events and free concerts.

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For the past half decade Michael Tortoni has been Artistic Director of the MelbourneInternational Jazz Festival, delivering rich programs in diverse, entertaining and educating livejazz performances. As the founder of Lonely Planet’s “world’s best jazz club” – Bennetts LaneJazz Club – he has transposed his knowledge, network and experience from making the award-winning club to producing one of the most highly respected and sought after jazzperformance festivals in the world. From humble rock-star beginnings with his teenage band Taste (signed with Warner) and graduating from classical music at the Victorian College of Arts to becoming a stalwart of the Australian jazz scene, Michael’s dedicated patronage to the development of jazz as an art form in Melbourne has benefited musicians and audiences from all over the world. Local talent has never been so large, accomplished or respected as it is today, and a direct line between Michael’s work and the growing global interest in Australianjazz can be easily drawn, just as easily as it is that Melbourne can now be called one of the world’s great jazz destinations.

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10 Days of festival

74 Events

335 Artists

75 International artists 

260 Australian artists

11 Modern Masters events

9 Explorations of Jazz events

8 Club Sessions – Bennetts Lane Jazz Club

8 Club Sessions – Dizzy’s Jazz Club

13 Club Sessions – Uptown Jazz Café 

7 Close Encounter conversations

22 Free events

5 Jazz Out West events

Gary Bartz Quartet (USA / Australia)

Esperanza Spalding presents: Emily’s D+Evolution (USA)

Robert Glasper Trio (USA)

Mulatu Astatke and Black Jesus Experience (Ethiopia / Australia)

Tomasz Stańko Band  (Poland / Finland)

Hiromi: The Trio Project featuring Anthony Jackson and Simon Phillips (Japan / USA)

Van Morrison’s Masterpieces featuring Vince Jones and the Astral Orchestra (Australia)

Children of the Light Trio (USA)

Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Septet (USA)

José James: The Music of Billie Holiday (USA)

Wayne Shorter Quartet featuring Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci and Brian Blade (USA)

 

Confrontations World premiere of the 2016 PBS Young Elder of Jazz Commission (Australia)

Lionel Loueke and The Vampires ( USA / Australia)

Monash University Jazz Futures featuring Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Septet (Australia / USA)

Snarky Puppy (USA)

Stu Hunter: the migration (Australia)

Kristin Berardi Band (Australia)

Monash Art Ensemble featuring Tomasz Stańko (Poland / Australia)

Peter Knight’s Way Out West (Australia)

Marcus Strickland’s Twi-Life (USA)

 

Voyage to Sardinia (Italy / Australia)

Songs of Friends (Australia)

Robert Glasper Trio (USA)

A Tribute to Allan Browne (Australia)

Shai Maestro Trio (Israel / Peru)

Keyon Harrold featuring Twi-Life (USA)

Angus / Anning / Hoenig (Australia / USA)

Late Night Jams with the Hue Blanes Trio (Australia)

 

Adam Dunning with the Roger Clark Quartet 

Jamie Oehlers / Paul Grabowsky Quartet

 

An Evening with Paolo Angeli 

 

30/70 Collective 

Jazz-a-Bye Baby featuring Mister Ott 

Soundwalk 

Paolo Angeli 

Wallace 

 

Los Cabrones at the Winter Night Markets

Riverside Jazz Club 

 

Shai Maestro (Isreal)

Ari Hoenig (USA)

Kristin Berardi (Australia)

John Patitucci (USA)

Jazz Panel What’s in a festival?

Marcus Strickland and Keyon Harrold (USA)

Mulatu Astatke (Ethopia)

 

Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Septet (USA)

Tomasz Stańko Band (Poland / Finland)