Ever dreamed of tinkling the ivory like Thelonious Monk or wailing on a trumpet like Miles Davis?
If so, here’s your chance to refine your improvisational skills with world-renowned jazz masters at Brisbane’s Jazz Music Institute. JMI is again offering their Summer Jazz Clinic in 2016, where students of all abilities can learn from musicians at the top of their field in workshops across four days.
Nick Quigley is the CEO of JMI. He discusses the Clinic and how it can make you a better player in less than a week.
When did you first fall in love with jazz, and what does it mean to you?
I was brought up listening to jazz, so it’s been a part of me for my whole life. There was always jazz playing at home and the first CD I bought when I was ten was Miles Davis’ 'Kind Of Blue' album. Jazz to me is like home, it just feels good to listen to and to perform.
How can attendees to the clinic expect to benefit in terms of their performance and improvisational ability?
They’ll benefit in different ways according to the level they come in at. Beginners will be introduced to fundamental jazz theory and learn basic-improvisation concepts that will open up all kinds of new doors to their performing and creative abilities. For intermediate and advanced players, they’ll be introduced to some more advanced, improvisational techniques and theory that will give them information they can use to create more sophisticated improvisations and techniques that they will continue to build on for years after.
Do players generally see an immediate improvement in their craft attending the clinic?
Definitely. We find that because there’s so much playing in a short amount of time that you see a big improvement quite quickly in attendees’ playing, especially their ability to improvise and outline chord changes.
Who will be some of the musicians running classes?
We’ll have members of our faculty that deliver the Bachelor programme here. This includes Sydney guitarist Ben Hauptmann who is currently the guitarist for Gurrumul, has toured the world with a number of different acts, was runner-up at the National Jazz Awards in 2007 and won the Freedman Fellowship in 2010. We’ll also have Brendan Clarke, a bass player from Sydney who has performed with all the big names in jazz in Australia and was a winner of the National Jazz Awards in 2001.
What sort of topics will be covered by the workshops?
We will go through jazz theory and harmony and link that to techniques for improvising. There will also be instrument masterclasses that will detail instrument-specific technique and ensemble classes which will look at performing jazz repertoire and how to apply the theory, improvisation and instrument-specific techniques to performing in an ensemble.
Can anyone sign up, or is there presumed level of musical knowledge necessary?
It’s open to all ages and abilities... From beginner students who have never played a note of jazz in their life to more intermediate players who have been playing their instrument for a few years and want to improve their musicianship to more advanced students who have studied jazz before and want to get some more information, tips and tricks, the clinics are designed to cater for all levels.
Do you have success stories from previous years?
Over the years we’ve had so many musicians come through the clinics that went on to study at a number of different unis, including JMI, and forge successful music careers. A lot of Australia’s jazz stalwarts such as Sandy Evans and Craig Scott attended our clinics in the late '70s and have gone on to become Australian jazz icons.
What is the strangest instrument you’ve encountered while running these clinics?
Last year a participant did the clinic on a 'cimbalom', which is some Eastern European stringed instrument.
Advice for anyone who’s unsure whether or not they should sign up?
I’d say if you’re feeling a bit stagnant or jaded with your musical ability and expression, then this clinic is the perfect tonic for providing that motivation you need. It’s very much a non-pressured and friendly environment to learn new techniques and open up a vast amount of possibilities as a musician in any genre, not just jazz.
The Jazz Music Institute's Summer Jazz Clinic runs from 18-22 January at 1/47 Brookes Street, Bowen Hills. Bookings essential.
