Let trumpets sound, let drums beat, let clarinets cascade their joyful notes—the 10-day Noosa Jazz Festival is now on and what a launch it had last Friday and Saturday at The J.
Noosa Chorale and the country’s top musos, The Australian Jazz Ensemble, presented their “I Got Rhythm” show to packed houses—even the mezzanine was sold out! — and their enthusiastic audiences made clear that jazz is, to quote Satchmo, “what folks dig the most.”
For 31 years now the festival has been attracting leading national and international jazz musicians to Noosa and ten years ago it first teamed up with the Chorale.
And this year the line up for the Ensemble was Janet Brewer (piano), Brett Iggulden (trumpet and sax), Paul Williams (clarinet and sax), Steve Grant (trumpet), Calvert Duffy (drums and washboard), John Reeves (piano and accordion), John Conley (double bass) and Dave Burrows (guitar).
The Chorale performed classics like New York New York, Blue Skies and It Don’t Mean a Thing and the Ensemble worked with the singers as though they had practised for years rather than just one night!
It was, however, the soloists and small groups from the choristers that were the stand-out.
I have been reviewing choir concerts for some years now and this was the first time I had heard so many of the Chorale’s hidden talent given their chance to shine.
And shine they did. Soprano Lia Marelie played the piano and sang George Gershwin’s Summertime, blending beautifully with the Ensemble. Jonathan Anstock (aka Leonard Cohen) did bossa nova with The Girl from Ipanema, Soprano Belinda Griffiths sang the Duke Ellington Don’t get Around Much Any More and soprano Jenny Jackson brought a dazzling touch of the 1940’s with the Johnny Mercer hit “Personality.”
Another sparkler was the choreographed performance by Debra Schneider, Fran Wilson and Debbie Boyles of the 1940’s Andrews Sisters wartime song, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boys of Company B.
They also combined with Susi Fox, Cal Webb and Pamela Turnbull with Olena Kruta accompanying on piano, to make up the ensemble called Ariabella, and sing Nat King Cole’s Orange-Coloured Sky plus the 1954 Vaughn Monroe hit, Mr Sandman.
Kim Kirkman took time out from his conducting and emcee duties to sing Baby It’s Cold Outside with soprano Paige Allen and in a brief chat after the Saturday show an elated Kim said, “I wasn’t surprised we had such talent. I just gave them the opportunity and they took it. It was a great show today. The Jazz Ensemble was so supportive.”
