Friday 31st May 2024 - Trombone Kellie Gang
The straight talking, hip swinging, raw and raunchy jazz and blues of the Trombone Kellie Gang could get the tiredest feet moving. Fronted by the infamous Trombone Kellie, whose gutsy vocal delivery and roots blues trombone playing feature alongside some ripping slide guitar by Scrubby Pete. The engine room is simply brilliant with Toby Baron on drums and Justin Pfeiffer on double bass. They will be joined by the much in demand Vonn Dengate on saxophone.
They have the perfect recipe for raucous Street Blues, jazz swing, gospel, soul and a bit of rock and roll. Made for the people and delivered with relish. Old School authentic, featuring exciting and fresh takes on Delta Swing and Country Blues styles. Trombone Kellie: Is a delightful and exciting entertainer, with a totally captivating and enthralling stage presence. Kellie has an absolutely amazing capacity, switching from singing to blowing her trombone and back again without a break. She has arguably one of the most powerful female voices in the region today. |
Friday 28th June 2024 - The Clarence Jazzmen
The Clarence Jazzmen are an institution of good time jazz on the north coast. Originally called The Graftonians, they have decades of playing great music with gigs up and down the coast and Tablelands.
Sadly, Warren ‘Clarence’ Byrnes who has been the long term drummer, vocalist and band leader of this great trad and mainstream jazz outfit, passed away recently. When he was a lad he met Louis Armstrong who was playing locally. Louis was invited back to Warren’s family house for dinner. The 10 year old played with Satchmo in the family lounge room. However, the show will go on and Warren will be replaced by Nicholas Churkin on the drum stool. Nick is a seasoned performer from the Sydney blues circuit leading bands as lead singer as well as drummer. Pietro Fine on clarinet and piano leads the band with Dave Harry Stephenson on trumpet, trombone and vocals. Lucas Zorzo is on guitar and Bob Dooley is on bass and vocals. Their repertoire draws from the songbooks that Australian jazz bands were once expected to cover. The repertoire includes popular show songs and jazz classics from Buddy Bolden's Blues of the 1920s to Mercy, Mercy, Mercy from the 60s. This will be a great celebration of Warren Byrnes legacy. |
Friday 26th July 2024 - The Mojo Webb Band
Returning for their "umpteenth" visit, we welcome back perennial Club favourites the Mojo Webb Band, who always guarantee a packed house full of foot tappers, arm wavers and seemingly inexhaustible dancers.
Mojo’s authentic blues sounds travel all the way back to the Delta, with overlays of Chicago elements that come later. But the presentation is always fresh and vibrant, and you can’t fail to feel Mojo’s love for the genre that he invests with his own personality and style. With a rhythmic, talented and multi-instrumental backline, and sit-ins from established blues performers, Mojo never fails to deliver the goods, and leave the crowd yelling for more. So, by popular request he’s back – and we can’t wait for resident compere and blues exponent ‘Scrubby’ Hurcombe to sign him in. |
Past Events
Friday 26th April 2024
Well, we were promised the best, and the Club didn’t disappoint. Four talented musicians at the top of the their game, let loose to do what comes naturally, and the results were inspirational, as ‘The Root Note’ took jazz to the outer limits of the genre with consummate ease. Much of it had a bluesy influence that blended well with its jazz heritage, while giving a nod in the direction of those standards that ensured the ongoing popularity of the music we’d all come to hear, among which were ‘Georgia on my mind’, ‘Route 66’, ‘Bye bye blackbird’, and ‘My baby just cares for me’. And just to underline their versatility, guitarist Dave Longo and drummer Aaron West changed instruments for a brief while, just because they can, and the quality of their joint output never wavered for a bar. Add Will Sargison’s wrist-rattling boogie-woogie solo, and sax virtuoso Adam Thomas’s expedition to both ends of the music scale, and it was value for money and more. It’s always a good sign when all the audience members who gather for the start of a gig are still there at the end of it, and this was one of those nights. We don’t know where Scrubby keeps finding them, but please don’t stop looking! |
Friday 22nd March 2024
Another great night, with music of a quality you’d probably have to pay hundreds of dollars a ticket for in a commercial venue. Carolyn Packer and her ‘Stompin Rhythm Aces’ more than lived up to expectations, delivering two hours of impeccable ‘down home’ jazz, blues, and boogie-woogie. The two main musical influences came from Carolyn herself, with her penchant for anything New Orleans flavoured, and virtuoso guitarist Cameron Jones, who put his regular visits to the birthplace of Django Reinhardt to good use with his Manouche style. From New Orleans came ‘St Louis Blues’, while ‘I Love Paris’ paid tribute to the home town of the legendary ‘Quintette du Hot Club de France’. There were plenty of favourites in their programme as well, including ‘It’s a Sin to tell a Lie’ and ‘Come on down to my House’, not to mention a unique rhumba version of ‘Won’t you come home Bill Bailey’. They inevitably received yells for an encore, as the many dancers on the floor defied exhaustion, and Carolyn not only thanked the audience for the ambience that is par for the course at our gigs, but promised to return. Since it took us so long to get her to Condong this time, let’s hope that she’s able to honour that undertaking soon. |
Friday 23rd February 2024
A hot and humid night outside, but the welcome air conditioning of the Condong Bowlo and the cool jazz of the Ingrid James Quartet were perfect antidotes. A talented four piece featured the smooth vocals of Ingrid James, whose wide range of styles and pitches ensured a varied delivery of Swing, Latin, Blues and good old fashioned ‘scat’ singing, with popular numbers such as ‘Close Your Eyes’, ‘Midnight Sun’, ‘East of the Sun, West of the Moon,’ and ‘My Funny Valentine’ mixed in with more adventurous offerings that allowed her backing musos full range. Particularly memorable was the guitar work of Czech import Libor Smoldas, who amazed seasoned guitarists among the audience with chords that even they had never seen before, and had them moving to the front for a free guitar lesson. All in all, another memorable presentation from a club that never fails to deliver, and although the audience numbers were slightly reduced this month, the applause wasn’t. |
Friday 19th January 2024
What a start to 2024! On an evening when the humidity outside could almost have been photographed, it was great to be inside the air-conditioning of the Condong Bowlo, listening to Club favourites ‘Sweet Thunder’ giving their all in their special show ‘One Hundred Years of Big Bands’. They dropped all the right names – Ellington, Basie, Quincy Jones and Jerry Mulligan – and they hit us with one ‘classic’ after another. After grabbing everyone’s attention with their lively opening rendition of ‘In The Mood’ they progressed through ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing . . .(reader to complete the title) and ‘April in Paris’ until their show-stopping, very brave, and first performance of their arrangement of Brubek’s ‘Blue Rondo a la Turk’. That one even foxed the dancers who until then had been very active on the floor to the side, proving yet again that Brubek is for listening to, and not for strict tempo ballroom activities. They inevitably had to politely decline shouts for ‘more’ from the crowd that had barely diminished in number even after the raffles had been drawn – always a good sign of audience appreciation. The Club Committee assure us that they’ll be back soon, so watch this space for further details. |
Friday 24th November 2023
A superb gig to bring a fitting close to a year of top-flight music. ‘The Jazz Kings’ left us in no doubt why they are currently rated among the top outfits on the North Coast. Each of them – Nicole Parker-Brown on vocals, Peter Uppman on vocals and trumpet (sometimes almost at the same time), Gordon Matheson on guitar, Col Atkinson on bass and yet more vocals, and Jose McLaughlin on keyboards – is an accomplished performer in their own right, and in combination they are a musical powerhouse to be reckoned with. It was an evening of eclectic mix, from popular jazz standards, through blues arrangements that will be appearing on their latest album, to occasional dips into the classical realms, and a few nostalgic ‘pop’ reminiscences. Among the favourites were their own arrangements of evergreens such as ‘Night and Day,’ ‘All Of Me’, ‘Misty’, ‘Georgia On My Mind’ and ‘Making Whoopee’. Jose even gave a nod towards his earlier career as keyboard player and musical director of ‘Gerry and the Pacemakers’ with his updated arrangements of ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’ and ‘Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying’. All in all, a great end to 2023, and the Club Committee took time at the end to wish all members and visitors a happy and safe Xmas and a prosperous New Year. If it promises music of the same quality as this past year, then we’ll have no complaints. |
Friday 27th October 2023
Outside, the weather was as rough as it gets, but inside the music was a smooth as ever, and those who braved the wind and rain were treated to two hours of jazz with a bluesy flavour, jazz with a New Orleans kick, and jazzy interpretations of some old favourites. Five accomplished musos who rightly call themselves ‘The Magnificence’, and who have clearly been playing together for so long that they never missed a cue or a beat, delivered a varied bill of fare that kept feet tapping and dancers dancing, humming familiar melodies as they took ‘time out’ from the dance floor. Some good old stomping New Orleans standards, of which ‘Bourbon Street Parade’ was perhaps the stand-out, mixed with selections from their latest blues inspired CD, and interspersed with novel ‘takes’ on slower ballads such as ‘Maggie’, ‘Careless Love’ and ‘Tennessee Waltz’. Their inevitable tribute to Satchmo came at the very end, as they closed the night with ‘What a Wonderful World’. The gods must have been listening in, because as we headed for the car park with happy thoughts it had stopped raining. |
Friday 29th September 2023
Another great evening’s live music, as the four talented members of ‘TaylorMade Blues’ filled the room with two hours of ‘no prisoners’ Blues. Twelve bar in its many manifestations, with a repertoire so varied as to incorporate offerings from Ray Charles (‘The Outskirts of Town’), T-Bone Walker (‘The T-Bone Shuffle’), Booker T (‘Green Onions’) and Mark Knopfler (‘I Think I Love you Too Much’). The floor was almost permanently filled with dancers, and the audience size was little smaller by the end of the evening than it had been at the start. Full marks to Lee Taylor for his sizzling guitar licks, Moemai ES losia (“‘Sos’ to you”) for full-bodied keyboard and backing vocals support, Terry Eaves for a pounding bass that never let up all evening, and Martijn Warren for the percussive talent that held it all together. |
Friday 25th August 2023
Another great night of music from a superb band, and like all the previous gigs since we returned to the Condong Bowlo, we could have been in any top venue anywhere in the world, listening to the finest music available, but at a modest price that hardly reflected the quality of what was on offer. This time it was the turn of ‘Peaches and the Alphasonics’ to demonstrate what a full sound can come from four dedicated musos at the top of their game, only three of them armed with instruments. A slap bass being played the way it was designed for, a skilled drummer egging on the bassist, and one of the finest blues guitarists this side of the pond, it was topped by a vocalist whose voice combined the lure of Peggy Lee, the authenticity of Aretha Franklin, and the power to strip paint. Congratulations to our committee for yet another memorable night, recreating the sound that lured blues into rock and roll without losing its raw origins. Where do you find these bands? |
Friday 28th July 2023
What a gig! A capacity crowd, wooed by four of the finest Aussie jazz musos – all of them from the Northern Rivers! – who between them held the audience in their hands as they reminded us of why it’s so important to keep venues like ours open. Led by internationally acclaimed Nicki Parrot on upright bass and vocals, ably and gleefully assisted by Club favourite Martha Baartz on sax and flute, with Steve Russell making a welcome return on keyboards, and the never flagging Dave Sanders on drums, it was truly a tribute to the talent that has been nurtured over the years by local venues and inspired teachers passing on their legacy. It was an eclectic mix, with standards such as ‘There’s a kind of hush’ and ‘We’ve only just begun’ mixed in with up-tempo versions of favourites such as ‘I can see clearly now’ and ‘The girl from Ipanema’. They took the opportunity to pay tribute to the late Tony Bennett with a soulful rendition of ‘The very thought of you,’ before recalling the song-writing skills of Willie Nelson and the haunting vocals of Patsy Clyne with their own version of ‘Crazy’ They sure know how to work an audience, most of whom joined in behind Nikki at her invitation when she offered up some of the better known numbers in their extensive repertoire. An audience that left them in no doubt about how much they were appreciated as they applauded ecstatically, and remained to the very end. |
Friday 30th June 2023
You could almost see the glitter ball hanging from the ceiling, and catch the passing wafts of Sandalwood perfume and Brilliantine, as we hunkered down against the cold night air outside for an evening of nostalgia, courtesy of the Gold Coast Big Band who finally made it to the Club after previous provisional bookings were disrupted by COVID and floods. There’s nothing like sixteen accomplished and dedicated musos on stage, playing in tune, in time, and in the Condong Bowlo! Their selection was eclectic, ranging from Miles Davis to the Beach Boys, but the hard core came from the likes of Sinatra, Porter and Basie, with classics such as ‘I’ve got you under my skin’, ‘A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square’, ‘Call me irresponsible’ and ‘How high the moon’ taking most of us back to our splendour days. As ever, our grateful thanks to those behind the scenes who organised and staged such a rewarding and enjoyable night out among friends. |
Friday 26th May 2023
A packed house for our May gig saw the welcome return of one of our favourite bands, The Trombone Kellie Gang, for two hours of jazz, blues, rockabilly, rock and gospel that proved yet again why this band are rapidly becoming the most popular outfit between Lismore and Noosa. A tight back line of Toby Baron on drums and startlingly good occasional vocals, and Justin Pfeiffer on old-time upright bass, laid down the rhythmic bed that was all that was needed by the man with ten fingers on each hand, and a ‘slide’ up his sleeve, Peter ‘Scrubby’ Hurcombe, on several guitars, although not at the same time – even Scrubby can’t manage that. The upfront star of the lineup, as ever, was Kellie Barnett, whose ability to switch from rasping trombone to belting vocals that are a challenge to the sinuses never ceases to amaze, and was all the more remarkable for the fact that she was recovering from a chest infection earlier in the week! And finally, the cherry on the cake, the ever-talented and much loved Martha Baartz on sax, providing an effortless counterpoint to Kellie’s trombone, and the riffs being laid down by her other partners in harmony. A great night that led to the inevitable encore, and shouts of ‘more’ from the audience that had barely lost a single member by the time it all had to end – the true measure of a quality performance. |
© 2017 Tweed Valley Jazz And Blues Club Inc
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