One of Melbourne’s hottest jazz bands, Shirazz will be bringing their high-energy flair to Brisbane early next month.
What is it that attracts you to the high-energy jazz of the ‘20s and ‘30s rather than 'modern jazz'?
Trad jazz was born in the brothels and speakeasies of New Orleans, and as such it's always been more about entertainment than art. It gets folks laughing and dancing and generally having a good time, and it's accessible to all, even if you've never heard jazz before.
Congratulations on your third album, 'Rewined'. Did you have a particular sound in mind prior to the recording process?
We wanted something as close as possible to our live sound ... our engineer understood what we were trying to do so he set us up in one big hall where we could all hear and see each other and feed off each other. We played naturally and comfortably and energetically and very little needed to be done in post-production to tidy it up.
What’s your perspective of the jazz scene in Australia?
I think there's a vibrant audience for jazz; it might not be the 'pop' music that it was once, but there are younger fans discovering the genre every day, and jazz is becoming more accepted in mainstream venues. Sometimes we hear older fans bemoaning the lack of young people at gigs, but the problem is not that the fans don't exist, it’s just that we have to bring the music to them, and play in inner-city bars and clubs. As a rule, younger fans won't head out to suburban community halls to hear their music, and I'm fine with that.
To the average punter, the ‘j’ word is often associated with negative connotations... how do you dispel these perceptions?
A lot of people think of modern jazz when they hear the 'j' word, because in pop culture that's what jazz is. And modern jazz, to the uninitiated, can come across as an elitist art, music for musicians, and hard for newbies to appreciate. We try to let people know that trad jazz is not at all like modern jazz. It's easy to listen to and easy to appreciate.
Shirazz Tour Dates
Sat Jan 04 — Noosa Jazz ClubSun Jan 05 — Brisbane Jazz Club
Mon Jan 06 — The Rails (Byron Bay)
Wed Jan 08 — Federal Hotel (Bellingen)
Thu Jan 09 — Newcastle Jazz Club
Fri Jan 10 — Swing Patrol (Newtown)
Sat Jan 11 — Illawarra Jazz Club
Sun Jan 12 — Summer Sounds @ Canberra Botanic Gardens
Mon Jan 13 — Vine Hotel (Wangaratta)
Tue Jan 14 — Paynesville Wine Bar
Fri Jan 17 — Bendigo Botanic Gardens
Sun Jan 19 — Ballarat Botanical Gardens
