The message, loud and clear, from the publicity, the launch and from artistic director Albert Dadon is that Melbourne Jazz is a tourism exercise.
According to Dadon, who spoke with Jazz Australia a few days after the launch of the festival “Melbourne Jazz is here to promote Melbourne as a jazz destination.”
And when he talks about jazz destination, he’s thinking of musicians as well as the jazz listening public. He’s hoping that Melbourne Jazz will be a kind of ambassador for Melbourne, sending a message out to the wider jazz world about a city that the world’s finest jazz musicians will want to visit and play in.
Crown Melbourne Jazz is now the name of the jazz event that was in 2005 called Umbria Jazz and in 2004 the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. Despite original plans for the relationship between Melbourne’s annual jazz festival and Umbria Jazz to continue for at least two years, Umbria Jazz took the decision last year to discontinue the relationship, citing insufficient budget as the primary stumbling block. At the time, Pagnotta said, “The truth is that, because of the budget which seemed to be the same as last year’s, I did not feel happy about going ahead.”
Dadon acknowledges the difficult situation with a shrug, saying there was “give and take” and saying that he would do it again, given the opportunity and that he and Carlo Pagnotta remain good friends.
Moving on to 2007, Dadon has taken jazz at its widest definition in preparing this year’s program, including blues, R&B, Latin, funk and gospel under the welcoming jazz umbrella. He’s also adopted a model that he has seen work well for various European festivals and Newport: jazz for brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and late into the night.
He’s proud to be able to offer a large number of free concerts at Federation Square and the Riverside Freestage at Crown between 12 noon and 6:00pm each day. Taking up only one small panel in the program, these free concerts actually constitute nearly 50 percent of the total number of jazz performances at the festival.
Performing free will be some names that may be familiar to some: the Moovin’ and Groovin’ Orchestra, Pablo Discobar, and Oderquis Revé & Afro Timba featuring Kenny Lopéz. In addition, the public will have the chance to hear students from the Melbourne University Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) and Monash University. Alex Partout from VCA and Rob Burke from Monash have been given artistic director roles to create their own ‘mini’ festivals in their time slots on the two stages. Each day will see different ensembles from the two
institutions.
The relationship with Crown, which also has naming rights for the festival, means that Crown venues feature prominently in the program. Dadon was given his choice and he’s picked a range of different venues that go with different types of jazz and different times of day.
In Dadon’s opinion the choice of Australian artists represents “the best we have in jazz”. It’s a courageous assertion, particularly when an inspection of the program reveals what seems like an emphasis on Melbourne artists. Dadon, however, is quick to clarify. The lineup includes many of the winners at last year’s Australian Jazz Awards—also known as the Bells—and it appears that this is the yardstick that he’s using. (Dadon is chairman of the Australian Jazz Awards.)
Elana Stone, the singer who won the National Jazz Award in 2005 features on the program, but 2006 winner, pianist Jackson Harrison, does not. (The National Jazz Awards are Australia’s longest running annual national prize for jazz musicians and are held in conjunction with the TAC Wangaratta Festival of Jazz.)
Queried about the choice of international artists, Dadon says they represent some of his “greatest influences”. A musician himself – he played guitar in acid jazz band Al Bare – Dadon is clearly very pleased at his choice of visitors to this year’s festival. He says he wanted to bring the best possible quality to Melbourne.
Behind Melbourne Jazz is a clear vision to make jazz more accessible. In dealing with individuals, businesses and corporations Dadon sees a real need to demystify what jazz means. Too many people, he says, see this type of music as “too hard”. He hopes the program for this festival will provide jazz for general consumption in an affordable, user-friendly format.
And this profile-raising exercise will end up being as much about jazz as about Melbourne, asserts Dadon. Wide, accessible programs to this model will go a long way towards “making jazz bigger” in Melbourne and beyond. He sees beyond the festival to the roll-on benefits. “What we are doing here,” he says “may be better for many musicians than giving them a gig.”
Photo: Kate Ceberano, one of the Australian artists on the Festival program.
*******
Melbourne Jazz is happening in Melbourne from 3-13 May 2007.
For a full program, visit the Festival’s website.
********
Miriam Zolin is a writer who likes listening to jazz. She is based in
Melbourne. Visit her on the web at www.miriamzolin.com
