Presented by: Lebowski’s, La Mama Musica, Half Bent, Make It Up Club, Jazzhead
& Sydney’s Jazzgroove

The Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival was formed in 2005 to celebrate Melbourne’s burgeoning creative jazz scene. Building on the unprecedented success of the 2005 and 2006 festivals, we are once again ready to party with eleven days and nights of original music featuring Melbourne’s most celebrated improvisers plus an expanded interstate program.

The 3rd annual Jazz Fringe Festival kicks off at Federation Square with a series of concerts including free outdoor events and the 2nd annual MJFF Commission Concert (Sunday 29th April @ BMW Edge, 2pm), which this year premieres a new work by celebrated pianist Colin Hopkins, composed for his trio with the Silo String Quartet. The Federation Square program is then followed by performances at venues including Bar Open, Bennetts Lane, 303, The Artery, La Mama Theatre, Northcote Uniting Church, and the Czech Club. These are all venues committed to nurturing Melbourne’s creative jazz scene. Come and hear some of the musicians that give Melbourne the right to claim to be the music capital of the southern hemisphere, including: Scott Tinkler Trio, Elana Stone (Syd), Erik Griswold (USA/Bris), Tristram Williams’ Diode, Julien Wilson, Shannon Barnett, Frock, Adrian Sherriff, Gianni Marinucci Trio, Vanessa Tomlinson (Bris), Julien Wilson, Peter Knight’s 5+2 Brass Ensemble, Gian Slater Band, Gideon Brazil’s The Natives, Twelve Tone Diamonds, Ren Walters and many more…

On Sunday 6th of May the Melbourne Jazz Fringe winds up with the best party in town BIG ARSE SUNDAY… an afternoon and evening of wonderful strangeness, deep groove, dissonance, melody, cacophony and the beauty of song. From 3pm at Café 303 (Northcote) and then from 8pm ‘til late next door at the Northcote Social Club. Listeners will kick back to artists including, 20 Century Dog (Syd), Bennetts Lane Big Band, Cameron Undy (Syd), Gian Slater Band, Monopod, Erik Griswold Duo (Bris/USA), Simon Barker Solo (Syd), Michelle Nicolle, Vada, New Blood, The Situationists and Scott Tinkler Trio. Tickets available from Northcote Social Club. Tickets are limited, book now!

The 2007 Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival is possible with the support of the
following sponsors:

Key Partners
Victoria University, Melbourne Brass & Woodwind, Big Trousers

Supporting Sponsors
Federation Square, APRA, NMIT, Atlantis Sound

For more info, Email: info@melbournejazzfringe.com
Phone: Gideon Brazil – 0411 355 309 or Sophie Brous: 0402 052 529

PRESS RELEASE
Colin Hopkins is awarded
Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival
Commission

The 2007 Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival presented by:
Lebowski’s, La Mama Musica, Half Bent,
Make It Up Club & Jazzhead

On Sunday 29th April from 2.00 to 5.00 PM at BMW Edge in Federation Square, the Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival presents its second annual Commission Concert. Building on the outstanding success of the inaugural 2006 event, which was awarded to Jex Saarelaht, the 2007 Commission Concert promises to be an unmissable event for anyone interested in Melbourne’s burgeoning jazz and creative music scene. It presents a new work, Yasaka Sho myo, by acclaimed pianist and composer, Colin Hopkins who was awarded the commission from a long list of excellent proposals from around Australia.

While Colin Hopkins is well known as a pianist through superb releases such as Paper Hat’s Nine Conversations (Rufus 2006), it is not common knowledge among music lovers that he also excels in the field of architecture, in which his skills have been recognised with several major awards (John Charles Lloyd Exhibition, Nell Norris Scholarship, and Stephenson Turner Prize). Yasaka Sho myo (pronounced sho em yo) brings together the dual strands of Colin’s creative life and is inspired by a recent extended trip to Japan. It is structured on the universal architectural elements and organisational principles expressed in the Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto, and will be presented as a four-part suite for piano, acoustic bass, percussion and string quartet.

The Melbourne Jazz Fringe Commission Concert will also feature the superb Sydney vocalist Elana Stone who was the winner of the 2005 National Jazz Award. Elana will be appearing with saxophonist Julien Wilson and guitarist Stephen Magnusson. In addition the concert program will feature a performance by Diode, which is comprised of trumpet virtuoso Tristram Williams and Michael Fowler (laptop, keyboards and assorted electronics).

The 2007 Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival thanks the following key sponsors:
Federation Square, APRA, Victoria University,
Melbourne Brass and Woodwind, Big Trousers Design

For all media enquires: phone Peter 0409 797 852
or email peter@melbournejazzfringe.com

Visit www.melbournejazzfringe.com email info@melbournejazzfringe.com