Long way to the top for jazz musos
Fittingly on the WA Day long weekend, local talent will lead the way at the Perth International Jazz Festival from tomorrow.
Percussionist Daniel Susnjar, who won two major honours at the national Bell Jazz Awards last month, singer Allira Wilson and guitarist Howie Morgan are among nearly 50 acts at the third annual jazz showcase.
Susnjar is one of many WA jazz artists to make their mark overseas and will be joined by other Perth-raised artists, including Troy Roberts from New York and Rachel Claudio from Paris.
He credited the jazz program at the WA Academy of Performing Arts, led by festival director Graham Wood, and the WA Youth Jazz Orchestra for nurturing talent for the world stage.
"The level is very high here," he said. "Every time I go overseas people will say, 'Wow, there are all these good players coming out of Perth, there must be something in the water'."
The three-day festival will be at venues around the city, including the Perth Cultural Centre, Brookfield Place and Forrest Place.
Many events are free. The ticketed concert on Sunday will be headlined by the Richard Bona Quintet, the Vivian Sessoms Septet and the Barney McAll Quintet, all from New York.
Morgan, who has supported Stevie Wonder, Simply Red and Peter Frampton, said the many free outdoor venues would help broaden the family appeal of jazz.
"It is a different kind of audience - an opportunity to reach out to fresh people," he said.
There also will be musicians from Poland, Germany, Brazil and Italy.
Wood said the festival had come a long way in three years and had a bright future with plans to expand to other sites.
