Cool Nights, Hot Jazz

[isaacs]

I'm excited to announce that I am embarking on an extra dimension to my career as a curator/artistic director of jazz festivals.

I am working with a fanstastic arts centre in Brisbane, the Brisbane Powerhouse. It used to be a power station but some years ago was converted into a multi-venue arts centre, with theatres, bars etc. See www.brisbanepowerhouse.org/.

We are starting with a mini-festival called "Cool Nights, Hot Jazz" August 5-7 which I have curated. It will open on Fri August 5 with a solo recital from Joe Chindamo in the Powerhouse Theatre. On the Saturday night the international talent will be Finlandia Jazz Trio, led by saxophonist Jukka Perko from Finland. I will be closing the Festival on Sunday Aug 7 with my trio featuring vocalist Elana Stone. Before and after each of these three Powerhouse Theatre concerts the best Brisbane bands will play free performances in the Powerhouse's Spark Bar.

The three main events I described will ticket at $27.50/$22.50 each. We will sell all 3 concerts together on a special ticket we are calling a "hot jazz trio", $67.50 for all three.

Tickets are on sale from the Brisbane Powerhouse from next Tuesday.

In 2006 I will work with the venue on curating a large-scale international jazz festival.

[Kenny]

Major congratulations, Mark!

Please let me know about media accommodation/catering/travel arrangements as soon as poss!

[isaacs]

No worries Kenny, we should be able to organise a bus up from Melbourne, a nice Brissy backpacker for kipping and some KFC vouchers.

[vickihb2]

Mark, bravo you clever chappie. What a great line up.

Brisbane is growing into such an interesting town, now it is even better.

But as we are once again on the topic of cuisine, Kenny do you stay at the Gateway cos the KFC is next door?

There is an equally awful restaurant across the road serving startling bland Chinoise with a somewhat lower cholesterol content if you stick to the stir fry beancurd.

Bring you own sambal oelek, it is one way to survive 4 days of Wangaratta food and the unique style of service at um... what is that Hollywood pizza joint called again?

We are really spoilt in Melbourne and Sydney. Tsk tsk tsk, food brats the lot of us!

[aj]

Confucius once say : never eat at Chinese restaurant in country town !

[johnk]

give us a gig Mark me old mate?

[isaacs]

JohnK said:

give us a gig Mark me old mate?

Um, to stand even a ghost of a chance, who are u JohnK?

[Kenny]

aj said:

Confucius once say : never eat at Chinese restaurant in country town !

Are you trying to tell me you've never gone Chinese in Wangaratta?

[aj]

correct.

There are plenty of places you can eat well there (Cellar 47, the Gateway, Cafe Martini, the Thai in Reid St, the Vine, Milawa Cheese Factory & others out of town, etc) but I wouldn't expect them to be at their best during the fest, when they're chockers & just flat out trying to serve everyone.

I swore off country town Chinese after one in Hamilton maybe 20+ years back. I swear, the black bean sauce was made of Oxo cubes ; the sweet&sour sauce used strawberry jam & the lemon chicken used Cottee's lemon spread.

[Kenny]

aj said:

the black bean sauce was made of Oxo cubes ; the sweet&sour sauce used strawberry jam & the lemon chicken used Cottee's lemon spread.

Mmmmmmm - yummy!

[vickihb2]

I swear, the black bean sauce was made of Oxo cubes ; the sweet&sour sauce used strawberry jam & the lemon chicken used Cottee's lemon spread.

AJ you haven't ever lived in south London have you? That's called bloody good cooking in Streatham let me tell you!

[Dog Lover]

Whats wrong with Oxo on your Stir Fried Lassie?

[aj]

Nevr lived in London Vicki ; just visited long enough once to work out that you either ate Indian, or ate crap (with chips).

[bod]

yeah london's shit.
who needs michelin stars anyway?

[aj]

they're great........if you can blow $300 on dinner.