Music
Jazz BANG is a jazz music festival thinly veiled as a jazz dance event. Or is it? Music comes first at Jazz BANG, and our evening parties put the musicians front and centre. Tickets to all parties are available at the door.
Unity Hall Jazz Band
8.00pm, Friday 4th May, Ruby's Dance Hall, 14 Cadogan St, Marrickville (MAP), $30 at the door or included with Everything Pass.
The Unity Hall Jazz Band have been holding down Australia's longest jazz residency in Balmain for 30 odd years. They play good, hot jazz.
Our live music manager Andrew Dickeson has been bragging that we've scored the Unity Hall rhythm section, and a stack of meaty brass.
Who's in the band?
- Geoff Bull (trumpet)
- tbc (trombone)
- Andrew Dickeson (drums)
- Gary Walford (piano)
- Stan Valacos (bass)
This band will be playing music designed to make you dance. Expect all the tempos, all the swing, and all the jazz.
Andrew Dickeson's Jazz Family Band
8.30pm, Saturday 5th May, Ashfield Polish Club Ballroom, 73 Norton St, Ashfield (MAP) $40 at the door or included with Everything Pass.
Andrew Dickeson's Jazz Family Band returns to Sydney, trailing a wake of rave reviews and ecstatic testimonials. This group wowed us at the Little Big Weekend last year, and this year they nail the whole thing down and push it out to see.
Who's in the band?
- Andrew Dickeson (drums)
- Peter Locke (piano)
- Ashley Turner (bass)
- Brad Child (saxophone/clarinet/vocals)
- Glenn Hendrich (vibes/saxophone)
- Chuck Morgan (guitar)
Jazzniks will notice the addition of Chuck Morgan on guitar for the rhythm section. He's been told to 'pretend like you're Freddy Green', so he'll be chunking away at that four solid beats to the bar all night. This is what makes for excellent lindy hop and balboa.
Glenn Hendrich has been bringing the vibes to the Blue Rhythm Band around Sydney over the past year, and there's nothing quite like those good vibrations to fill out a proper swinging band. We approve.
You'll know the rest of these scoundrels, but make sure you take time to admire band leader Andrew Dickeson on the drums: he's not pushing the band, he's filling in.
Andrew Dickeson's Blue Rhythm Band
8.00pm, Sunday 6th May, Ruby's Dance Hall, 14 Cadogan St, Marrickville (MAP), $35 at the door or included with Everything Pass.
Andrew Dickeson's Blue Rhythm Band is a band for dancers.
They do what Basie did.
They play 4 solid beats to the bar and no cheating.
The band is a unit built from the rhythm section out: Andrew Dickeson on drums; Peter Locke, a pianist with a definite touch; Ashley Turner a bass player who understands he's at the heart of it all. Oh, and Brad Child, saxophonist and Clarinetist, who just assumes he can bring the stomp as well as the melody. And we agree.
DJs
There isn't much room for DJs in the Jazz BANG program. So we only take the best.
Abigail Browning
Abigail is joining her partner Adam Speen on this trip to Sydney, and we have GRABBED her to DJ. She'll be DJing the band breaks for Andrew Dickeson's Blue Rhythm Band on Sunday night.
Music managers
Sam Carroll
Sam is a deeply passionate jazz fan who's been collecting jazz music recordings since the 1990s. It was jazz that brought her to lindy hop, and lindy hop that brought her to DJing in 2005. Since then, Sam has become one of the most sought-after DJs in Australia, DJing regularly overseas and throughout Australia.
She's also been running dance events and managing bands since 2001. She takes great pride in presenting bands who not only know what they're doing at a dance gig, but love what they're doing.
Andrew Dickeson
Andrew Dickeson is one of the best known and best respected jazz drummers in Australia and Asia. He teaches jazz history at the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney, and he leads and plays in various bands throughout our region. Most recently he's become a band leader specialising in straight ahead swinging bands for dancers. He will take unreasonable requests and build you the best band you've ever booked.
Sam and Andrew
Are jazz buddies. They share music, argue about which Basie recordings are best (Andrew: Savory, Sam: Atomic band at the Crescendo), and live in the same neighbourhood. They also share a great passion for jazz, and for running a very tight ship. Good, solid work gives a band the solid foundation they need to do inspired creative work.
Sam and Andrew have been collaborating on live band projects for dancers since the Little Big Weekend in 2014. They are good friends, even though Sam can't believe Andrew doesn't dance, and Andrew can't believe Sam still hasn't listened to the Savory recordings.