For the second time in two weeks, audiences have farewelled a respected member of Melbourne’s jazz community.

Hot on the heels of singer Alison Wedding’s departure for New York, Monique diMattina gave her final Australian performance on Sunday before relocating to the same city. Like Wedding, diMattina visited New York earlier this year and knew it was where she needed to be. Paris Cat was brimming with proud family members and friends on Sunday for diMattina’s farewell gig, the venue perfectly suited to her intimate performance style.

For most of the evening, the singer-pianist was joined by Andy Baylor, whose subtle guitar underlined the relaxed warmth of diMattina’s songs. It’s only in recent months that diMattina has begun singing in public, so it was a pleasant surprise to hear her clear, light voice sliding easily across each melody with a sweetly seductive feel that reminded me of Norah Jones. The songs were mostly original, borrowing from early jazz and folk styles and often pinned to an unhurried, bluesy swagger.

Read the full review in The Age

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Hash Varsani is the owner of The Jazz Directory, a network of sites related to jazz, travel and everything else he loves. He also runs a selection of jazz related sites including Jazz Club Jury, a jazz club and festival review site. Check out his Google+ Profile, to see what else he's up to...probably setting up another website from one of his many passions.

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