Stonnington Jazz Festival : Adrian Jackson
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Stonnington Jazz Festival : Adrian Jackson

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Jackson is tasked with selecting the acts for the program. He says his aim is “…simply to put on an interesting and balanced program. I guess what we try to do is put on something that will appeal to hard core jazz listeners who know what they like and know what they can expect from particular performers, and at the same time put on something in the program that might draw some new people in to experience what jazz is all about.”

Jazz is a genre that has evolved over the years. It’s difficult to say where to draw a line in the sand as to what is or isn’t considered jazz music. “It’s kind of hard to too dogmatic about it because throughout its history jazz has always been an evolving art form which draws in various influences,” says Jackson. “Just looking at this year’s program for example we’ve got one band which is Andrew Robson’s Thomas Tallis Quartet which are playing arrangements of 17th Century hymns by English composer Thomas Tallis. Some people may say, ‘well that’s not jazz,’ but the way that they do it, it certainly is. Likewise Tina Harrod, she comes out of a soul RnB background and that certainly comes out in her music, but again the way she presents her music, the musicians she works with – jazz is also a very strong component of the sound. I guess it’s a matter of being flexible in the way you define what is jazz and what isn’t. But people are always going to have different opinions about that.”

Jackson has also selected a mix of established and up-and-coming acts. “On the one hand, we have got some performers who have a reputation as significant artists on the Australian jazz scene who we know will bring an audience – that’s people like Vince Jones, Allan Browne, Bob Sedergreen and Paul Grabosky. By having them we have a foundation where we know we’re going to sell a certain amount of tickets and maybe can take a few chances with some of the other shows and introduce acts who perhaps don’t enjoy quite the same profile but have something to offer musically.”

Despite the success of jazz singers in popular music, there are still some people who consider it elevator music. To those people Jackson says, “Well just give it a try and you might be surprised. It depends what people are used to listening to. If people are more comfortable with having a singer deliver a song, maybe try the concert with Sarah McKenzie who’s a very talented young singer who’s just released her first album, or maybe the concert where we’ve got Tina Harrod and Jade Macrae featured, who are two very talented singers. Alternatively if you’re into instrumental music, with a bit of energy and excitement consider Ian Chaplin or Stu Hunter Ensemble. For something different, try the Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra, which is a 17-piece big band. There really is a very wide array of sounds being presented, so to coin the cliché I’m sure there’s something for everyone.”

Every year the festival converts some new listeners. “I think that’s been the case,” says Jackson. “Whether that’s because the advertising publicity might catch their eye, or they might have friends who know a particular performer and might say, ‘This looks great, come along,” they try to convert their friends which is always a good thing and we do a bit of research every year. We find that the core audience is what I call the committed jazz listeners, but we also get quite a few people coming along who don’t always go out to hear live jazz and find that it’s a really positive experience.”

If you’re quite partial to the sax, just want to hear a soul and RnB babe get her jazz on, or are keen to hear the wall of sound a 17-piece band makes, Stonnington Jazz Festival is the place to be. Don your pork pie hat and get on over there.