JIM FAGAN
Noosa will jump like New Orleans’ Bourbon Street on a hot Saturday night if local jazz muso Richard Stevens’ big idea comes off.
Richard is president of the not-for-profit Noosa Jazz Club which is staging The Noosa Jazz Party on September 4-7. “We want cafes and restaurants from Sunshine Beach to Tewantin to open their doors to the sound of trad jazz, blues, Chicago-style and even Gypsy music.
“Already 35 musicians – what I would call the ‘Jazz Royalty’ of Australia and overseas – have signalled they will be here. Singer Tricia Evy, who was such a hit last year, is coming from Paris to perform with Dan Barnett. Bob Barnard AM (trumpet) and multi-instrumentalist Brett Iggulden who also has the Medal of Australia for his services to jazz will head up the Australians.
“They can make up groups three, four, even a big band of seven. There are two definite starters already, the Yacht Club and the River Deck Restaurant. There were ‘House Full’ signs every time our bands played at those places last year. If venue owners want to combine for bands to play outside on the footpath, then we will try to arrange for permits from the council.
“We started the Jazz Party in 1992 and music in the streets, in restaurants and clubs was very much a part of the collective nature of what we presented in the village. Our local MP, Glen Elmes, has told me he remembers the first ones as being ‘fabulous and iconic’ and we just want to bring it back to where it was years ago.”
Two other features of this year’s Jazz Party, which is sponsored by Noosa Today, will be the four nights at the Bicentennial Hall at Sunshine Beach with a total of 24 sets of pure jazz – all with different styles – and the Street Parade at Sunshine Beach on the Friday morning, starting at 10am.
“We will march past the shops, into the park and play on the rotunda there and then, hopefully, into the surf club,” Richard said.
If you want to hear more about hiring some jazzmen, call Richard at Noosa Jazz Club on 5447 2229 or see www.noosajazzparty.com
