this is what i wrote last year, and i can't think of anything better...

Susan Gai changed the way i understand jazz singing.  She's a pillar of the Sydney jazz scene, and her generosity of spirit glows through every song she selects.

Susan will sing with Carl Dewhurst on guitar - an incredibly versatile player of jazz, funk, glitch, grindcore, theatre and anything improvised.  Another great supporter of the jazz community, Carl has played everywhere and with everybody.

And Bernie McGann on saxophone.  A legend of Australian jazz, one of our most awarded, most recognised, most original musicians.  He'll be bringing home fifty years pushing the boundaries of the alto sax.

Three icons of Sydney jazz, distilling decades of experience into their totally distinctive jazz standards and original songs.

Have a look at a video and some photos from their last show here.

And if you still aren't sure... here's an invitation from Susan Gai herself!

Peter grew up listening to early swing recordings, and by the time he was ten he fell in love with Bunny Berigan's trumpet.  He grew up to become a piano player, and there are few musicians today who can move so seamlessly from interpretations of the works of Bix Beiderbecke and Duke Ellington to Be-Bop and beyond.

John Blenkhorn returns to colbourne ave to do a final trio show  before jetting off to Ascona switzerland to play at the jazz festival there with an all australian band featuring emma pask and bob henderson.

John is one of Sydneys finest guitarist and has performed and recorded with the likes of George Washingmachine and US trumpet giant and Harry Connick Jnr band member,  Leroy Jones.
Tonight John will perform with Barney Wakeford (piano) and Tom Wade (bass), playing original arrangements of repetoire by Wes Montgomery, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Kenny Burrell.

A very exciting one-off performance which we have been hoping to confirm for months:

A Magical Mystery Group with Mike Nock and two unnamed guests ( both recently recorded duo CDs with Mike )

( Clues from Mike )....... Think the legendary Jazz Co-op - Think Monk Pies - Jazz Studies course 1973-76 .......

http://mikenock.com/

“Steven Barry, a young New Zealander, has brought his dazzling skills as a pianist and composer to Sydney. He shrugged aside cliche, deployed scintillating articulation, and gave his colleagues such ingenious raw material as the Bartok-inspired Clusters. Boneham's solos were a lesson in how vigour may be harnessed to sensitivity, while Firth layered rhythmic puzzles into the grooves without rendering them academic, and soloed with panache...” John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald

Steve Barry crossed the ditch in early 2009 and has quickly become one of Sydney’s most sought-after pianists, having worked with many prominent Australasian and international artists including John Hollenbeck (USA), Theo Bleckmann (USA), George Coleman Jr. (USA), Arun Luthra (USA), Tricia Evy (FRA) and the Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra.

Joined by the heavyweight rhythm section of Alex Boneham on bass and the incredibly sympathetic Cam Reid on drums, the Steve Barry Trio focuses on lyrical melodies, deep grooves and group interaction, and demonstrates a unique collective rapport.

Steve Barry (piano) Alex Boneham (bass) Cameron Reid (drums)

Right on!

Everybody loves Matt, and the synergy he has developed with Jono Brown and Simon Barker over a decady is astounding.  They will play pieces from their 13 year history and some brand new ones too.
Of their cd "Ellipsis" John Shand said in the Sydney Morning Herald:
"McMahon's playing is ravishing ... The recording quality is excellent and the music is as good as any current piano-trio jazz"

A feast for the eyes and ears: a stunning musical experience from the Sunwrae Trio on vibraphone, double bass & harp. Featuring original music by Rae Howell, Sunwrae perform two new works from a recent Music Residency in Brazil. Another great Melbourne musician...

Barney Wakeford plays the piano.  With Pete Kolhoff on bass (he's been all around town with James Valentine lately), and Mike Quigley on Drums.

John Harkins is Sydney's favourite Chicago blues man (or ours at least), playing a tribute to Hank Jones - the jazz legend who died last month at the age of 91.  In his 20s Hank worked with Hot Lips Page, and he played through the whole history of bop, bebop, and popular jazz working with Colman Hawkins, Ella Fitzgerald, Mailyn Munroe, Benny Goodman...  But it's not a tribute to any of them.