magazine - brisbane/gold coast edition

MGT OZ TOUR

Internationally acclaimed guitar masters Wolfgang Muthspiel, Slava Grigoryan and Ralph Towner - MGT - will tour all states in Australia from 7 to 21 August, promoting their debut CD 'From a Dream'. The group will give nine performances, and Qld guitar fans can catch them at Brisbane Powerhouse, on Thursday 14 August
Towner, Muthspiel and Grigoryan are acclaimed as three of the world's finest guitarists with career success backing their foray into MGT. In 2005, Australian audiences were first astounded by the debut tour of MGT and are eagerly awaiting their return tour and new CD.
Multi-award winning Towner is the hero of the group, and even with three decades of performance behind him it's obvious that he considers his music is still developing and that the learning process never ends.
He has been quoted as saying that he regards collaborations such as MGT as educational, saying in a recent interview: "It doesn't matter what level of musicianship you are at," he says. "When you're at the top level, there is a lot of discussion. With a group, you have to find a role in the music ... and of course the roles change too. You can be chameleon-like. There's a lot of three-dimensional play. You have to adjust to the other people's concept of rhythm and harmony and the way they negotiate musical space. It's not something you just get down pat straight away. It's constantly changing and that's part of the challenge."
Although much younger Muthspiel and Grigoryan like Towner both began playing instruments at early ages.
Born in Austria Wolfgang Muthspiel started playing the violin at six and began study of the guitar as a teenager. After studying classical and jazz guitar both Austria and the USA his reputation, even as a youngster, had him replace Pat Metheny in Gary Burton's Band. In following years Muthspiel played with several famous jazz greats Later a collaboration with famous Norwegian jazz singer Rebekka Bakken followed. In 2003 he won the European Jazz Prize.
Born in Khazakstan in 1976 and raised in Melbourne, Slava Grigoryan has already performed extensively throughout the world. The youngest ever finalist in the Tokyo International Guitar Competition, he has since performed in concerts and at festivals across Europe. In the United States, he made his New York debut in 1997. Grigoryan has also headlined in a "Great Guitars" tour with the legendary flamenco player Paco Peña and the equally celebrated acoustic guitar stylist Leo Kottke.
With such diversity in ages and backgrounds the outstanding success of group seems contradictory - but there's no generation gap or language barriers here - the shared common bonds of classical training, signs of early talent, plus a passion for expanding and exploring guitar music, whilst maintaining their individual approaches to composition and performance, have created a coherent and harmonious ensemble of individuals.

MGT in Brisbane at the Brisbane Powerhouse 8pm Thursday 14 August. Bookings: 3358 8600 www.brisbanepowerhouse.org

SPRING IS JAZZ AT ST BERNARDS

The setting of St Bernards Hotel, Mount Tamborine, provides the perfect ambience for Saturday afternoons of Spring jazz and Niven Walton's Jazz Train 2 featuring the Willie Qua Trio, - Galapagos Duck fans will remember Willie from the legendary band's early days) - plus a number of guest artists will support the bands.
St Bernards Hotel was established in the late 1880's and it is one of the oldest and most charming buildings on Tamborine Mountain.
The Hotel is renowned for its excellent standard of food and service and lunch is served from 12 noon till 3pm and dinner from 6pm to 8pm. Mt Tamborine Motel is adjacent so visitors who wish to imbibe one of the 10 beers on tap, or sip one of the excellent wines that are available, can stay overnight. Bookings should be made early though as accommodation on Mt Tamborine is at a premium on weekends.
For more information contact St Bernards Hotel on (07) 5545 1177 www.stbernardshotel.com

NOOSA JAZZ FESTIVAL

Jazz is the thing from Thursday 4 to Sunday 7 September in Noosa. With a breathtaking line-up of performers the four day Noosa Jazz Festival on the glorious Sunshine Coast will have chilly southerners flocking to this jazz spectacular in sunny Queensland.
Again the Noosa Jazz Festival offers a huge range of jazz fare including traditional, modern, swing, contemporary and blues as well as gypsy swing, Latin and Colombian funk.
On the more serious side there are student development workshops with international and national jazz stars.
Headlining the festival for 2008 is Jackson Jackson, Los Delincuente All Stars, Watussi, The Bamboos, The Hoodangers, The Moods, Society Syncopators, Sweet Lowdowns, Yvette Johansson, Joe Ruberto Trio, Bob Malone Trio, Becky Fox Quintet, Geoff Bull's Olympia Band, Ed Wilson Big Band, Jeff Duff Quartet, Anita Spring Quartet, Matt Baker Trio - to name just a few!
The Festival is concentrated around the Hastings Street precinct where restaurants are offering special jazz packages. There are also two outdoor sites, Lions Park with three fully enclosed stages, and Woods Park also with an enclosed stage, both parks are situated along the beautiful Noosa River where jazz fans can meander up a lazy river on daily cruises.

For program and tickets www.noosajazz.vcom.au or 1300 707 723

QLD JAZZ CLUBS

The Brisbane Jazz Club at 1 Annie Street, Kangaroo Point, Brisbane presents Jazz on Friday and Saturday. Visit the Website at www.brisbanejazzclub.com.au for full program.

The Gold Coast Jazz & Blues Club hold regular jazz functions at the Surfers Paradise Golf Club usually on the third Friday of each month from 7.30pm. Phone Mob. 0405 143 720 or visit the website at www.goldcoastjazzclub.com for more
details.

The Gold Coast City Jazz Club hold regular jazz functons on the 1st Monday of each month at the Southport Yacht Club, Macarthur Pde., Main Beach, from 7.30pm. Contact (07) 5528 8015, Website at www.gccityjazzclub.com.au or E-mail: gccjazzclub@yahoo.com.au

The Toowoomba Jazz Society presents a selection of Trad, Dixie, swing jazz, big band and jazz vocal groups on the second and last Friday of the month. Their club house is at 69 Water Street South, Toowoomba, QLD 4350. Contact
Damien Alroe Ph. (07) 4613 1500 or (07) 4638 3013 for band program.

The Noosa Heads Jazz Club, Sunshine Beach Rd. Noosa Junction, Jazz Club Info. (07) 54472229

Jazz QLD is a nonprofit association representing jazz musicians, the jazz supporting public and other parties interested in jazz music in Queensland. Contact by e-mail: info@jazzqueensland.com

The Magnetic Jazz Association, 13/106 Mandalay Ave Magnetic Island QLD, 4817 07 4778 5918 jazz@cichappell.com

Hervey Bay Jazz Club, P.O.Box 5236 Torquay Qld. 4655. Secretary Ray Soulsby Phone (07) 4125 5174 Email raysouls@optusnet.com.au Gigs: last Friday of the month at Hervey Bay Hotel.

Cairns Jazz Club PO Box 400 Cairns QLD 4870, (07) 4041 3011 www.tropicjazz.org.au

Sunshine Coast Jazz Club, PO Box 1428, Caloundra, QLD 4551, (07) 5491 6017 sunshinecoastjazzclub@bigpond.com

NOTE: Jazz Club listing is FREE but JazzScene would appreciate inclusion on Club Newsletter mailing list to keep information up to date. If details are incorrect or incomplete please inform JazzScene 0n (08) 7225 7839. E-mail donbrow@jazzscene.com.au

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