From playing shows all over the world to winning awards such as the National Jazz Award and the Mo Award, jazz singer Michelle Nicolle has seen a lot.
The Melbourne performer will add the Brisbane International Jazz Festival to her resume when she heads north next month.
How are you feeling about performing at the Brisbane International Jazz Festival? It must be great to have another event like this on the jazz calendar in Australia? Yes, any opportunity to play to a new audience is a great thing. I feel that there is a real appetite for the return of live music in smaller venues. As far as I’m concerned that is the best way to experience our music, most of my favourite jazz records are live recordings. We have played at the Brisbane Jazz Club before and really love the sound and the vibe of that room, so I’m sure it will be a great experience.
Not only have you done work as a performer but you have also worked as an arranger and band leader; do you prefer one over the other? I don’t really make much of a distinction between those roles. Arranging and organising a band are all part of the performance process. It’s part of my practice regime to prepare songs in a way that allows me to find and discover new musical directions during performance, for myself and my band. Occasionally I am asked to perform for other artists’ projects and that’s a real joy. As much as I enjoy running my own group it does come with a lot of extra duties. To be able to be a sideman and just take care of the music is a lot of fun.
Where do you see yourself in five years time? Apart from married to Johnny Depp, you mean? Same routine as now, playing gigs, making records and having fun with it all. Hopefully that will include reaching a bigger audience, travelling to new lands and meeting other great musicians. But if I end up just playing my gigs in Melbourne and working with my band, it’s still a pretty good deal.
Written by Darcy Love
Michelle Nicolle plays the Brisbane Jazz Club as part of the Brisbane International Jazz Festival June 7. She plays regularly at The Brunswick Green, Melbourne.
