Two weekends ago I made a trip up to Mount Gambier (well, I was coming from Adelaide, so technically a trip down) for the annual Generations in Jazz Competitions/Festival. These weekends are always great fun, and you'll never be short of hearing great jazz! I lived in Mount Gambier in 2010, attending the Generations in Jazz Academy, so getting to the festival this year felt like going back home.
For anyone who hasn't been to the festival, it is held about 7kms out of Mount G at a place called "The Barn". The Barn is a luxury accomodation/steakhouse place, with lovely gardens and huge, open spaces. I actually worked out at the Barn every weekend last year, maintaining the gardens, so it was nice to go back and walk around the gardens which I spent so much time taking care of.
Anyway - The main focus of the weekend is the Big Band competitions. There are 4 division which bands can enter, and everyone competes during the Saturday, and the winning bands from each division are announced on the Sunday. This year was the first year they ran a vocal division, for jazz vocal groups. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any of these groups, but I hope to get back next year and have a listen. There are also instrumental and vocal scholarships which people compete for over the weekend, the winners of which are also announced on the Sunday.
Probably the most memorable moments for everyone over these weekends is the Saturday night concert. This year was possibly the best one yet. James Morrison was hosting as usual, so there was plenty of humour and high notes through the whole night, but the person I loved the most on stage was his brother John. I've had the privilege of meeting and working with John a few times over the years, and he is the loveliest guy in the world, and when he gets behind a drum kit, no matter what tune the band is playing, you know it's always going to feel good! The Idea Of North also performed during the concert, along with Ross Irwin's street group, and Wesley College's big band. Gordon Goodwin was the first International guest the festival has been involved with, so it was great to have a name such as his associatied with the festival. I also got the opportunity to meet him and have a chat about piano technique, to which he gave me a few pointers.
Getting to meet Gordan Goodwin, chatting with James and John Morrison and all the other big names involved with the festival is all great - and I am incredibly fortunate and humbled to be involved with people of their calibre and standing - the highlight for me was hearing this year's GIJ Academy band. Last year, I was the trumpeter in the inaugural GIJ Academy, which was absolutely brilliant, but our performance at the GIJ Festival was pretty average... but more on that another time. I'm friends with a few people in the Academy this year, so I was particularly looking forward to hearing this group. The first tune they performed was the Daly-Wilson big band arrangement of Macarthur Park, featuring my buddy Chilli on Trombone.
There are simply no words I can use to describe their performance. They were unbelievable. Right from the first note, the performance was world-class. The feel was great, the solos were energetic, and it was LOUD!! The energy they played with never ceased through the whole performance. I haven't heard a big band play with that much sustained intensity for a very, very long time.
I was so happy for the guys after the show, and so proud of them for what they did, but I don't really have any justifiable reasons why. I did absolutely nothing to contribute to the success they had, but yet I felt I was just as much a part of it as the Academy guys were. I think this says a lot about jazz musicians, but more specifically, those from Mount G, and Graeme Lyall's influence.
Graeme, the director of the GIJ Academy, has a unique way of making everyone feel special, wanted, and like they're a contributor in everything they do. He is a softly-spoken guy, but just has a vibe about him of just sheer joy at the opportunity of making and sharing music. Having spent a full year studying under him, I am definately changed for the better. I think the guys in this year's Academy understand that too. When I paid a visit to the group earlier this year, when they heard I was involved the year before, they welcomed me as one of their own (maybe because I was driving my Corvette as well...) Because these guys loved to make and share music in the same spirit that I do, which I inherited from Graeme, their success on stage felt just as real to me as it did to them, because I believe they were simply making music in that same, joyful spirit which brings everone together.
I also chatted a few times with Bill Broughton, who is a lovely guy and someone I really look up to. I was chatting a bit about where I plan to be going in the future, and what I hope to do playing-wise, and the advice he gave to me has caused me to take a step back and re-think (in a good way) where I want to be heading in my career. I'd love to get back to the States, but exactly when that will happen, I'm not sure. Only time will tell...
Much of the trip home from Mt. G to Melbourne was spent in silent comtemplation, and chewing over all I'd seen and heard over the weekend. The yearly festival is something I've looked forward to for most of my trumpeting career, and I'm sure it's going to stay that way. After being a part of the Academy as well gives me a special tie to the festival, and it's something I can always (somewhat truthfully) say that I helped shape, in even just a small way.
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