Melbourne International Jazz Festival 2021 Programme

With the live music industry forced to pivot for the majority of the past 18 months, Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF) have taken it even further by doing what jazz musicians do best – improvise.

The MIJF 2021 line-up will feature an astounding 3 world premiere commissions, 13 album launches, 20 Australian premieres, the launch of a new Jazz Hub in Melbourne's CBD, and over 120 performances across 30 venues from 15-24 October.

"After a testing period for live music, Australia's jazz community continues to thrive," Artistic Director Michael Tortoni says. "Central to this resilience is the genre's inherent collaborative quality – a refreshing antithesis to the isolation we have endured over the past 18 months.

"As George Gershwin once said: 'Life is a lot like jazz. It's best when you improvise.' So as we hurtle towards our 24th festival, collaboration – coming together – remains at the heart of our programme.

"Our series of premieres, commissions and festival exclusives heralds new partnerships, unearths fresh talent, reimagines performance spaces, and facilitates cross-cultural and cross-artform exchange, while our community programme of free and low-cost events invites everyone to come together, in whichever way we can, to participate."

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The Opening Night Gala will witness an international collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center's Christopher Crenshaw, Melbourne's own Vanessa Perica and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) joining forces with a stellar list of vocalists including Katie Noonan, Vince Jones, Harry James Angus, Kylie Auldist and Thando for an evening of exquisite jazz standards.

The Toff in Town will become a home away from home, with the Jazz Hub offering live music every late into the night every evening across the entire festival. Expect late-night jams, album launches, DJs and dream collabs that can only exist within a festival context.

Multi award-winning pianist, composer and arranger Paul Grabowsky AO will be showcased as part of the Artist in Residence programme, with the living legend to collaborate with a diverse group of contemporary artists including Paul Kelly and Ngaiire.

Alongside a stack of live music, MIJF will also feature a host of panels, masterclasses and workshops.

The festival will also feature the inaugural Big Sunday, which will close the 2021 programme at Sidney Myer Music Bowl with a mammoth line-up featuring Kiwi lords of funk-soul Fat Freddy's Drop headlining, who'll be joined by home-grown soul pioneers The Bamboos, Emma Donovan and Paul Grabowsky for a new project that will take audiences to church, and The Cat Empire's trumpet-playing vocalist Harry James Angus collaborating with drummer Freyja Hooper in a new duo.



Tickets on sale. More information.

Melbourne International Jazz Festival returns 15-24 October.

Melbourne International Jazz Festival 2021 Programme

MSO Gala

2021 Opening Night Gala

Big Sunday

Big Sunday featuring Fat Freddy's Drop, The Bamboos, Paul Grabowsky & Emma Donovan, and Harry James Angus

Artist in Residence

Paul Kelly & Paul Grabowsky
Paul Grabowsky & Ngaiire
In Conversation with Paul Grabowsky
Torrio!

Take Note

Ellie Lamb Between Worlds

First Nations Artist in Residence

Amos Roach

Melbourne Museum

A Night at the Museum
Hand to Earth

MIJF Congress presents

30/70 + Tamil Rogeon's Son of Nyx
Aura
Amos Roach
Ross McHenry Trio
Paul Grabowsky & Ngaiire

Panels, masterclasses and workshops

In Conversation with Paul Grabowsky
Beyond Words (Presented in partnership with Multicultural Arts Victoria)
Chart A Course: Navigating the Industry (Presented in partnership with APRA AMCOS)
We're Still Here: Global Careers During COVID
Panic at the Distro
Your Brain on Jazz (Presented in partnership with the Clinical and Music Neuroscience Lab (University of Melbourne))
MASTERCLASS: Arranging for Large Ensemble with Christopher Crenshaw (Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra)
Perspectives on Jazz Piano
As the Now Plunges into the Past - A salute to the great Allan Browne OAM
Beyond the Jazz Club

The Jazz Hub

Late Night Jams with the Rookies
Barney McAll 3 is One
The Experience: Hugh Masekala and Oliver Mtukudzi Tribute
B+K: Kate K-S & Brett Williams / Start Again
Natalie Slade
The Vampires
Tangents: Timeslips & Chimeras
Joe Chindamo Trio
Melbourne Amplified Strings: Four Pieces of a Quartet
Mat Jodrell Sextet: Grateful
Myele Manzanza Quintet
Thando: The Jill Scott Project
Luke Howard Trio: The Sanctuary
Nock/Wilson/Zwartz/Stuart: This World
Ross McHenry Trio
Paul Grabowsky & Ngaiire
Horns of Leroy & Friends

Across Melbourne and surrounding suburbs

Disruption! The Voice of Drums
Vanessa Perica Orchestra: Love is a Temporary Madness
Sound Underground
Quested & Cox presents: The Music of Radiohead
The Shaolin Afronauts

Chapel Off Chapel

Neon Lit Kludge
Alma Zygier
The Merry Frolics of Méliès: The films of Georges Méliès with original scores by Phillip Johnston
Universal Rhythm The David Jones Collective

Club Sessions

Chris McNulty
I Hold the Lion's Paw
Lost in Place
Scott Tinkler & Simon Barker
Magnusson-Beck-DiSario Trio
Hilary Geddes Quartet
Wilma Reading
Spirograph Studies: Lowlights
Angela Davis Quartet:The Maximilian Project
Soul Trane: The Music of John Coltrane
Torrio!: MOTUS ANIMI
Frances Madden: Beautiful World
Johannes Luebbers Dectet: Other Worlds & Divide and Conquer
John Scurry's Reverse Swing: Early Risers
Sam Anning Septet: Oaatchapai

Darebin City Council

Jazz-A-Bye-Baby - Cookin' On 3 Burners
The Bowie Project: Strange Changes
MzRizk presents HALO Vocal Ensemble

Jazz Northside

Ausecuma Beats & Cool Out Sun
Bluey
Koi Kingdom
The Skellingtons

Jazz Westside Maribyrnong

Sway
Catfish

Jazz Westside Yarravile

Kidstruments Live! by Playable Streets
Jamie Aditya & The Mezzrollers
Gordon Koang

Monash University

Monash University Jazz Futures: Brett Williams & Kate Kelsey-Sugg
The Monash Art Ensemble