For two decades, the Melbourne International Jazz Festival has showcased the world’s best jazz, right here in Melbourne. MIJF is now Australia’s pre-eminent jazz festival, recognized internationally for the creativity and depth of its programming. PBS 106.7 FM are proud to present 7 selected events from the 2017 MIJF festival, from Modern masters, Explorations in Jazz and the Club Sessions. And PBS’ own annual jazz commission show featuring the winner of the Younger Elder of Jazz. See full details below.
PBS Presented shows:
1. Modern Masters
Bill Frisell – When you Wish Upon A Star
Friday June 2, 7.30pm
Melbourne Recital Centre
Opening act: Spirograph Studies
Legendary guitarist Bill Frisell returns to Melbourne for the Opening Night of the 2017 Festival. Hailed as “the most innovative and influential jazz guitarist of the past 25 years” (Wall Street Journal), Frisell’s 35-year career has seen collaborations with the likes of Elvis Costello, Bono and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Bold and inventive, Frisell has turned his hand to avant-garde, noise, folk music and more, yet always remaining true to his roots in jazz.
http://melbournejazz.com/program/bill-frisell
2. Modern Masters
Bill Frisell Trio
Sunday June 4 - 2 shows, 6.30pm + 9pm
The Jazzlab
One of the world’s most celebrated jazz guitarists, “Bill Frisell plays the guitar the way Miles Davis played the trumpet” (The New Yorker). His distinctive style masterfully blends the inventiveness of jazz, the warmth of folk and country, the abstraction of the Avant garde and the raw emotion of blues and rock. Don’t miss this rare club performance by a giant of contemporary jazz.
http://melbournejazz.com/program/bill-frisell-trio
3. Modern Masters
Carla Bley Trio
Thursday June 8, 7.30pm
Melbourne recital Centre
Opening act: Paul Williamson Quintet
Jazz luminary Carla Bley and her long-standing trio make their Australian debut in a performance that is destined to be a Festival highlight.
After years of composing for other artists, Bley’s recording of her 1971 jazz-rock opera Escalator Over the Hill announced a unique and powerful voice. Since then, she has produced a remarkable body of work across almost 30 albums, in small groups and big bands, most notably with Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra. In 2015 she was recognised with the NEA Jazz Master award – the highest honour an American jazz artist can receive.
Her chamber trio with Steve Swallow (Gary Burton, John Scofield) and Andy Sheppard (Gil Evans, Randy Brecker) displays the sophisticated interaction and inspiring intimacy that comes from 20 years of collaboration. Don’t miss their compelling mix of bright melodic lines, delicate nuance and boundless artistry.
http://melbournejazz.com/program/carla-bley-trio
4. Modern Masters
Kenny Barron Trio
Saturday June 3, 7.30pm
Melbourne Recital Centre
Opening act: Lisa Young Quartet
Kenny Barron is unrivalled in his ability to mesmerise audiences with his elegant playing, sensitive melodies and dynamic rhythms.
Spotted by Dizzy Gillespie when still in his teens, Barron has illuminated the jazz world for over five decades, working with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz and Roy Haynes.
http://melbournejazz.com/program/kenny-barron-trio
5. Explorations in Jazz
The Necks
June 5, 6, 7, 8 All shows 2 sets, 8.30pm
The Jazzlab
Hailed by the New York Times as “one of the greatest bands in the world,” legendary improvising trio The Necks perform an exclusive four-night residency at Melbourne’s brand-new Jazz Lab.
From unlikely beginnings as a band experimenting privately with no intention of ever performing in public, The Necks have gone on to achieve extraordinary worldwide acclaim for their unique music making. Now in their fourth decade of collaboration, the almost-telepathic rapport between the trio is one of the most compelling in live music.
http://melbournejazz.com/program/the-necks
6. Modern Masters
Jobim’s Masterpieces – From Ipanema To The World
Saturday June 10
Melbourne Recital Centre
featuring Vince Jones and the Orquestra do Brasil
Music Director Doug de Vries
After the stunning sold-out success of Van Morrison’s Masterpieces at the 2016 MIJF, Australia’s leading jazz vocalist, Vince Jones, returns with an unmissable tribute to iconic Brazilian composer, pianist and songwriter, Antônio “Tom” Carlos Jobim.
A founder of the bossa-nova style, Jobim’s 1965 mega-hit The Girl from Ipanema fuelled the craze for Brazilian-inspired music that swept the world. The genius behind some of the world’s biggest jazz and pop hits of all time, Jobim has been an enduring influence on subsequent generations, and was much admired for his collaborations with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Stan Getz and João Gilberto.
http://melbournejazz.com/program/jobims-masterpieces
7. Club Sessions
Jim Black Quartet
Monday June 5 – 2 shows, 6.30pm + 9pm
The Toff In Town
Four enthralling improvisers go head to head in a transcontinental meeting of minds, hearts, and souls. New York drummer Jim Black leads an all-star quartet drawn from Melbourne’s finest improvising community. Featuring original songs, improvisations and compositions by all four artists, this superb collaboration is a must-see for all those who love experiencing jazz in its most vital and creative state.
http://melbournejazz.com/program/jim-black-quartet
Plus The Young Elder of Jazz special PBS event
with Hue Blanes – Things that have been said
The Jazzlab
Saturday June 10, 6.30pm
World premiere of the 2017 PBS Young Elder of Jazz Commission.
Hue Blanes premieres his evocative and deeply personal new work, based on phrases from some of history’s most famous (and infamous) speeches. From Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” to Hitler’s “Germany 1939”, these quotes have been reinterpreted as a series instrumental compositions, each with its own unique mood, colour and texture.
The PBS Young Elder of Jazz Commission is generously supported by Mark Newman
http://melbournejazz.com/program/things-that-have-been-said
