MJC NEWS

I had been thinking about the Queensland jazz scene (and jazz education generally) when I learned of the sad passing of Lynette Irwin, after a long and courageous medical battle. All together, she has left an incalculable legacy with the Brisbane jazz scene, as well as the broader Australian jazz scene. 

By Martin Jackson The positive news is that Melbourne is following Sydney’s lead in gradually opening up venues to a limited number of patrons. However, with a very cautious limit of 10 patrons, the only jazz venue capable of opening up at this stage is The Jazzlab,...

Melbourne Jazz Co-op had proudly adopted the Code of Conduct launched by WeHaveVoice. The WeHaveVoice Collective comprehensive Code of Conduct is designed to foster safe(r) workplaces in the Performing Arts, with an unequivocal stance against gender discrimination and...

Announcing that MJC was not successful in the last round of funding. Discussion of arts funding more generally

The MJC is commencing its 38th. year of Annual Programs, which has been staged throughout every year since January 1983. However, as you can see, while there are some familiar artists in the program, we are continuing to introduce new artists too.

The Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival commences this Sunday night, and has managed to offer plenty of worthwhile music, with some ‘new’ younger groups, as well as two Sydney acts.

When I was teaching classroom Music at Kew High School, one of the benefits in recent years was the opportunity to sit in with the Stage Band rehearsal (after school), under the direction of woodwind teacher Martin Corcoran. Not only was Martin an inspiring leader...

While the Wangaratta Festival is in recession this year, two interstate festival events which were timed to coincide with it – the Perth International Jazz Festival and the Sydney Women’s International Jazz Festival – are both offering strong programs, with several international and interstate artists.

Having been a Judge for much of the Awards’ history, I have always been a strong believer in their overall importance. So when their viability for this year was questioned because of staff issues, I volunteered to step in (as MJC representative) to co-produce the Awards on a purely voluntary basis. As such, one innovation that I was able to introduce was the induction of three honorary Hall of Fame awards (all posthumous) to three important figures in Australian jazz: pianist/composer Bryce Rohde; promoter/producer Horst Liepolt; and, keyboardist /composer Allan Zavod (For those not familiar with their contributions, a little research will provide you with some impressive achievements).