The annual festival is set to go down from Friday May 31 to Sunday June 9, with more than 500 artists performing in 25 venues across the city in what aims to be one of the biggest celebrations of jazz in the city to date.
Joining previously announced jazz luminary Herbie Hancock will be a swathe of high profile international talent, including piano virtuoso Billy Childs, Linda May Han Oh, Ambrose Akinmusire, Ghost Note and Ms. Lisa Fischer, who will be performing with Grand Baton as part of the International Masters Showcase. There’ll also be a whole bunch of premium local artists performing at this year’s showcase, including the likes of jazz guitar stalwart Stephen Magnusson, Vince Jones, The CB3 and Amin Payne’s future-funk ensemble OJ Kush.
Elsewhere, the festival is set to highlight the genius of George Gershwin with a massive Gershwin Reimagined event, featuring Laura Mvula, Jose James, Troy Miller and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, while The Cat Empire’s Ross James Irwin will be hosting a session celebrating 60 years of Miles Davis’ modal masterpiece Kind Of Blue.
Check out the full program below, and start planning your itinerary for one of Australia’s premier jazz celebrations.
Melbourne International Jazz Festival 2019
31 May – 9 June 2019
Modern Masters
Herbie Hancock (USA)
Billy Childs – Rebirth (USA)
Ms. Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton (USA)
Vince Jones – A Personal Selection (AUS)
Linda May Han Oh – Aventurine (AUS / USA)
Explorations in Jazz
Ambrose Akinmusire – Origami Harvest (USA)
Ghost-Note (USA)
Lonnie Holley (USA)
Alma Zygier (AUS)
60 Years Of Kind Of Blue: Reflections On A Miles Davis Masterpiece by Ross James Irwin (AUS)
YID! (AUS)
HopeStreet Recordings 2009 – 2019: 10 year anniversary showcase (AUS)
Monash University Jazz Futures featuring Ambrose Akinmusire (AUS / USA)
Elio Villafranca (Cuba / USA)
Marginal Consort (Japan)
Special events
Gershwin Reimagined – Laura Mvula, Jose James, Troy Miller and the MSO (USA / UK / AUS)
Tomorrow is My Turn: Claire Cross (AUS)
Noctural + MIJF (AUS)
Club Sessions – The Jazzlab
Vijay Iyer Trio (USA)
Vijay Iyer & Monash Art Ensemble (USA / AUS)
Songs from My Father (USA)
Bill Frisell Trio (USA))
Rafiq Bhatia (USA)
Miles Okazaki – Work (USA)
Tamil Rogeon – MOMUS (AUS)
Rifzz2000 (AUS)
Josh Kelly – Displacement (PBS Young Elder of Jazz) (AUS)
Michael Pignéguy – From Classic to Contemporary (AUS / MAL / SIN / USA)
Florian Hoefner Group (CAN / USA / AUS)
Jef Neve & Teus Nobel (BEL / NED)
Jamie Oehlers (AUS)
Angela Davis Trio (AUS)
Late Night Jams (Various)
Club Sessions – Lido Jazz Room
Stephen Magnusson (AUS)
Harriet Allcroft Quintet (AUS)
Daniel Mougerman Quartet (AUS)
Alexander Nettlebeck Quartet (AUS)
James Sherlock Quartet (AUS)
Peter Baylor’s Ultrafox (AUS)
BOPSTRETCH (AUS)
Julie O’Hara Quartet (AUS)
Club Sessions – Southside Jazz Room
Tony Gould Quartet Southside (AUS)
Jackie Bornstein Quartet (AUS)
Sam Keevers Trio (AUS)
Emma Gilmartin Quartet (AUS)
Bob Sedergreen and Friends (AUS)
Fem Belling (AUS)
John Scurry’s Reverse Swing (AUS)
Paul Williamson Hammond Combo (AUS)
Jazz Out West
The CB3 (AUS)
Kalyani & Isha (AUS)
Tatafu (AUS)
The Concerteenies (AUS)
OJ Kush (AUS)
Ajak Kwai (AUS)
Lil’ Somethin Quartet (AUS)
WVR BVBY (AUS)
Jazz On Film
Betty Davis: They Say I’m Different
Bill Evans: Time Remembered
Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes
Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of our Lives
Dingo
Elevator to the Gallows
Miles Ahead
Miles Davis: Birth of Cool
Close Encounters
Ambrose Akinmusire (USA)
Miles Okazaki (USA)
Ghost-Note (USA)
Linda May Han Oh (AUS / USA)
Rafiq Bhatia (USA)
Family event
Justine Clarke’s Big Jazz Adventure (AUS)
Free events
Juilliard Free Lunchtime Jazz (AUS)
Southern Cross Lane Lunchtime Jazz (AUS)
Sound Walks (AUS)
Education partner: Monash University
Artist workshop: Vijay Iyer (USA)
Artist workshop: Ambrose Akinmusire (USA)
Conference and workshops
Australasian Jazz and Improvisation Research Network Conference (AJIRN)
APRA career development workshops
For more details and tickets, head to Melbourne International Jazz Festival’s website.
