For their 2015 Summer Sessions  Melbourne International Jazz Festival are playing host to a series of intimate gigs including Belgian piano virtuoso Jef Neve, a celebration of John Coltrane’s seminal album A Love Supreme and a showcase of some of this country’s finest jazz pianists in the Yamaha Piano Series. This series celebrates world class pianists, their compositions, their bands and their contribution to the art form. The first set of the evening explores the intimate creative relationship between the pianist and their instrument through solo performance. The second set features their band and explores the development of their musical ideas through ensemble performance.

An Evening with Jef Neve (Belgium) Marrying intimate lyricism with daring ingenuity, Belgian pianist Jef Neve makes music that is lush, playful, expressive and elegant. From critical acclaim as a soloist and bandleader to collaborations with the likes of Jose James, Neve has established himself as one of the most important voices in contemporary jazz piano. Drawing freely on influences from classical romanticism to popular music, he is equally at home composing film scores to playing major jazz festivals around the world. This intimate concert will see him explore the limitless possibilities of the piano with a solo set performing works from his debut solo album One, before a collaboration with Phil Rex (bass) and Danny Fischer (drums), two of Australia’s most distinctive and inventive jazz musicians.

The full program

“Pianist Tal Cohen possesses an awareness and exceptional sense of musicianship that belies any expectations of what is possible to play in a moment. He embodies a true purity of spirit that is the very definition of improvised music.” – Greg Osby

Paul Grabowsky, one of Australia’s most distinguished artists, is a pianist, composer, arranger, conductor, educator, artistic director and musical innovator. The scope of his works, the depth of his ideas and the range of his influence has helped sculpt generations of Australian musicians and provide countless opportunities for their development. His portfolio of conquests and awards have identified him as a giant in the landscape of Australian music and his immense contribution to the scene has shaped the psyche of Australian jazz and set it high in the worlds appreciation of it.

A musical and spiritual journey in four parts, John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme is one of the most important and influential records ever made. 50 years after its release we celebrate the legacy of this seminal album over two nights at Bennetts Lane Jazz Club. Famously recorded in one session and only performed in its entirety once in Coltrane’s lifetime, with Sydney based tenor saxophonist Dale Barlow, New York-based pianist Barney McAll and Melbourne’s own bassist Phil Rex and drummer Danny Fisher, as they pay tribute to this masterwork. Joining them on the decks will be DJs MzRizk (Saturday), Mike Gurrieri (Sunday) spinning records showcasing Coltrane’s back catalogue, and his ongoing influence in the jazz world and beyond.

Hue Blanes can play the billy-oh out of the piano in a way that most can’t and somehow manages simultaneously to sing like the rarest of birds. He brings a contemporary nostalgia to music making that makes his empathic and iconic compositions reminiscent of both the good old days and the not so good old days” – Martin Martini

Melbourne International Jazz Festival Summer Sessions 2015 Thursday, 15 January 2015 Yamaha Piano Series: Tal Cohen Thursday, 22 January 2015 Yamaha Piano Series: Paul Grabowsky Friday, 23 January 2015 An evening with Jef Neve Saturday, 24 January 2015 A Love Supreme: A Celebration of John Coltrane Sunday, 25 January 2015 at 8pm A Love Supreme: A Celebration of John Coltrane Thursday, 29 January 2015 Yamaha Piano Series: Hue Blanes

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