‘Improvisations’ The Newsletter of Gold Coast Jazz & Blues Club

September 2017Editor; Roy McKeen

The Annual General Meeting of our jazz club will be held at 5.30pm prior to this gig. Cocktails at 5pm.

A brief history of the bluesBlues is a genre originated by African -Americans in the deep south of the United States around the end of the 19th century.

The blues form, found in jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll is characterised by the call-and-response pattern, of which the twelve-bar blues is the most common.

Blues sub-genres include country blues, Chicago blues and West Coast blues. World War II marked the transition from acoustic to electric blues and the progressive opening of blues music to a wider audience, especially white listeners. Perhaps the most visible example of the blues style of music in the late 20th century came in 1980, when Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi

released the film T h e B l u e s Brothers. The film drew many of the b i g g e s t l i v i n g influencers of the

rhythm and blues genre together, such as Ray Charles, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin and John Lee Hooker. The band formed for the film also began a successful tour under the Blues Brothers marquee.

Simon Humble-Crofts Treasurer

An urgent message from jazz club presidentJohn Purnell

Members,

Our A.G.M is approaching and we would like you to attend.

It is on the eve of our next gig (Andrew Baxter Blues band) on 29/9/17 The Arts Centre Gold Coast Green Room (beside the bar) at 5.30pm..

T h e c o m m i t t e e w i l l b e p r o v i d i n g a complimentary drink to all members attending.We need your input into some challenges facing your club in the future. We are also keen to invite some new members to join our club’s committee.

Five compelling reasons to join your committee1) You can contribute to the future success of your club.2) You can represent members’ views as we deal with new challenges.3) You can contribute your expertise in a diverse range of committee roles.4) You will receive free entry and a meal to all our gigs.5) Most of all, you will have fun!!!!!

The club is currently in a good position but with declining membership, increased costs of bands, increased costs at The Arts Centre Gold Coast , we would love to hear from you as to your suggestions for your club.

See you at 5.30pm on 29/9/17 at The Arts Centre Gold Coast for our A.G.M.

John Purnell President

The Blues Brothers

Galapagos Duck is one of Australia’s best known jazz bands.They’ve been around

since 1969 and are still going strong.

Members $25 - Visitors $30Bar/Bistro open 6.pm

Show time 7.30pm

Hetty Kate returns to the Gold Coast after “a hectic year” performing in Paris, Touraine in central France, London, Bristol,

Seattle, New York.

Accompanied by James Sherlock (Melbourne) on guitar we welcome Hetty back to our jazz club.

Friday 10 November

After a career lasting more t han s i x t y y e a r s B O B B A R N A R D h a s retired.

Bob Barnard retires

Recognized internationally as one of the finest cornet/trumpet players in the world, Bob was a founder member of the Graeme Bell All Stars which brought the trad jazz revival to Australia. In 1974 he formed his own band and toured Europe, the United States of America and Australia.

Bob’s extensive recording career over many years includes some of the world’s greatest jazz stars. He played on the Channel Nine Midday Show

When he was just 20 Bob (third from left with cornet in his hands) was on the tarmac at Sydney Airport to meet Louis Armstrong at the start of an Australian tour. He candidly admits that that was one of the most exciting moments in his life!

Bob has played our club many, many times over the past 32 years of our history. He celebrated his 80th birthday on stage at our club and drew a large audience. I spoke to him a few days ago and wished him well in his retirement

Roy McKeen Editor

Janet Seidel1955 - 2017

The Australian cabaret singer and pianist Janet Seidel died on 8th August after succumbing to ovarian cancer. She was 62.

Seidel, who released 18 albums across two decades, enjoyed substantial success overseas as well as in Australia.

Her trademark was a girlish voice and her ability to blend the ingenue with the sophisticate.

While jazzy interpretations of the Great American Songbook were central to her repertoire, she also offered up French chanson, bossa nova and tribute albums to the likes of Blossom Dearie, Doris Day and Peggy Lee, all delivered with a soft-focus sound that massaged the ears rather than assaulting them.

Although she was more of a cabaret artist than a jazz singer she was drawn to jazz by the excellent musicians with whom she played such as her brother David Seidel on bass, guitarist Chuck Morgan and the late multi-instrumentalist Tom Baker

Janet performed a number of times at our jazz club and always drew a big crowd.

She toured many times to Britain, the USA and Europe. In 2006 The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (UK) described her as ‘Australia’s first lady of jazz.’

The Jazz Action Society Gold Coast Inc. trading as Gold Coast Jazz & Blues Club was founded in 1985. The club meets monthly (except December) on advertised dates in the Paradise Showroom at The Arts Centre Gold Coast, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise. The club presents a wide variety of music and entertainment in the jazz and blues genre provided by bands and singers from all over Australia and the occasional overseas artists.

If you are a visitor to our club we invite you to become a member and take advantage of discounted admission prices and at the bar and bistro. You will receive the club’s newsletter monthly either electronically or hard copy. Members are admitted at members rates at affiliated jazz clubs worldwide. Membership application forms can be found at the desk in the foyer or you can join on- line. Our club is a member of Gold Coast Theatre Alliance Inc..

Notice of Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the Jazz Action Society Gold Coast Incorporated trading as Gold Coast Jazz & Blues Club will be held in the Paradise Showroom atThe Arts Centre Gold Coast at 5.30p.m. on Friday 29th September 2017.

Business on the agenda will include reading the minutes of the previous AGM, the president’s report , the presentation ofa s t a t ement of i n c ome a n dexpenditure, the appointment of anauditor, the election of committee members, receipt of notices of motion for discussion and any other matter of general business.

Members are encouraged to attend and show their support for the c o m m i t t e e m e m b e r s who volunteer their time and talents in the administration of the club. Cocktails at 5.00pm.

Members Draw

Welcome to these new members: John Clemence and Claire Boaden, Colleen

Victor, Tony & Coral Gregory. We hope you will enjoy the music and

the benefits of membership!

Mike Bedward was the winner of the

Members Draw at the Swing Spectacular gig

on 18 August.

Don’t forget to zap your membership card at the front desk to be in the draw

for a crisp $50 note!

‘Swing Spectacular’ Andy Firth and the Nova Swing Jazz Band

18 August 2017

Andy Firth has had an illustrious career, having played in March 2008 in Carnegie Hall with the renowned Buddy de Franco. He also took part in the musical script of the movie ‘Australia’ when Nicole Kidman danced to Andrew’s dulcet clarinet tones.

The show started with ‘Limehouse Blues’, a great standard traditional jazz number we often associate with icons like Satchmo followed by Cole Porter’s ’Begin The Beguine.’

The late, great Kenny Ball thought highly of Andy’s clarinet skills and these were evident in ‘Midnight In Moscow.’ We were then introduced to the vocalist for the evening, the delightful Julie Wilson who opened with a lovely version of the romantic ballad, ‘’I Will Wait For You.’

A change of pace came next with the smooth Antonio Carlos Jobim tune ‘’The Girl From Ipanema’ and ‘’What A Little Moonlight Can Do’featuring great piano and clarinet segments. Julie Wilson did this as a tribute to the late Janet Seidel.

‘Petite Fleur’ by Sidney Bechet came next and the arrangement was true to Bechet’s rendition which is beautiful as it is. This was followed by the rousing ‘’South Rampart Street Parade’ and this just brought the house down! The variety continued with a haunting version of ‘The Londonderry Air’ ‘followed by ‘The Woodchopper ’s Ball’ where the band acknowledged the Brian May arrangement for trombone.

Artie Shaw’s big band number, the wonderful ‘Moonglow’ finished this excellent segment before we moved into a comprehensive Glenn Miller bracket - a smorgasbord of Miller!

Part 2 of the show opened with the ‘Star Wars’ theme which some of the astute members of the audience identified. An unusual choice which Andy Firth said he particularly liked.

Andrew actually wrote the next composition which featured a baritone clarinet section for Warren Shaw and t i t led i t amusingly ‘Clarinetology’ – despite the joking about the title it was a great composition.

‘After You’ve Gone’ came next and this time the trumpets left the stage, leaving just clarinet, bass, piano and drums. This allowed Andy Firth’s complete virtuosity to shine as the intricate improvisation and original arrangement delighted the audience.

By this time we were coming towards the end of the night and a lovely arrangement of ‘II’’ Never Fall In Love Again‘ and ‘Pennies From Heaven’‘was followed by ‘Moondance’ where drummer Rodney Ford stunned us with a brilliant vocal version of the Van Morrison classic.

The evening wound up with a great Dixieland version of ‘Girl Of My Dreams’ which brought us to the finale for the evening, that fabulous clarinet and drum solo piece – so fitting for the evening with Andrew Firth doing the Benny Goodman clarinet and Rodney Ford, the drummer, just blitzing that memorable drum solo made so famous by Gene Krupa on the Goodman version of ‘Golden Wedding’. For me this was the highlight of the evening!!

Attendance: 270

Concert review by Desley Free

SWING SPECTACULAR: The Andy Firth Nova Swing Band featuring vocalist Julie Wilson drew a large crowd at the Paradise Showroom on 18th August and delivered what some

said was one of the best gigs ever resulting in a rare standing ovation.