Jazz Festival returns to Southbank

The 2018 Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF) returns to Southbank in June, celebrating a multitude of styles and influences from classic to funk, soul, hip-hop and electronica.

Returning for its 21st year, the MIJF continues to demonstrate that jazz can happen anywhere for 10 days with over 100 events that feature nearly 400 Australian, international and emerging artists.

This year, jazz will hit all the right notes in 26 venues across the city ranging from world-class venues to vibrant cafe gigs and free community events including Jazz Massive – a huge participatory mass-music making event on the lawns of State Library Victoria.

And Southbank’s Arts Precinct will again be on display to the world with Melbourne Recital Centre, Hamer Hall and Arts Centre Melbourne playing host to some of the festival’s major headlining performances, talks and workshops.

Melbourne Recital Centre will host the first of the festival’s headlining acts on opening night on June 1 with An Evening with Branford Marsalis. Jazz master, renowned Grammy Award-winning saxophonist and composer, Branford Marsalis is a revered instrumentalist – immersed in jazz tradition, but completely of today.

Next up, on June 2, Gretchen Parlato “Flor” will take to the Recital Centre stage to demonstrate her subtle, yet masterful command over her sultry and sensual voice.

Hailed as the most important jazz singer since Cassandra Wilson, Gretchen Parlato is the kind of artist that comes along once in a generation. Her 20-year career has seen her work with powerhouses of the contemporary jazz world, including Wayne Shorter, Kenny Barron, Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard and living jazz treasure Herbie Hancock.

On June 3, the festival’s premiere stage at Hamer Hall will play host to the amazing Maceo Parker, who will perform a tribute to Ray Charles featuring The Meltdown.

In 1960s USA, the young saxophonist from North Carolina stood outside the Greensboro Coliseum hoping to just catch a glimpse of his musical idol Ray Charles.

Parker has gone on to become one of the most iconic saxophonists in music history, having played with everyone from James Brown, Prince, George Clinton, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ani Difranco and De La Soul.

On June 6, catch the surreal, astonishing and world-famous Sun Ra Arkestra at the Melbourne Recital Centre for one night only.

One of the great cult-icons of jazz, pianist, composer and organist Sun Ra formed the Arkestra in the mid 1950s and led it until his death in 1993. His ensemble has continued performing and its iconic live performances are mind-altering, life affirming and joyously unforgettable.

French-American singer Madeleine Peyroux (main picture) will bring the festival to an unforgettable close at Hamer Hall on June 10, in what will be her MIJF debut.

Renowned for her seductively expressive “smoke and whisky” vocals, and hailed as the legitimate successor to blues icon Billie Holiday, Peyroux delivers highly personal interpretations of jazz standards, blues and original works.

Peyroux will lend her languid, elegant and sensuous voice to her own originals and masterful interpretations of songs from artists such as Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Randy Newman and Ray Charles.

There is so much more happening in Southbank and across the whole city at a range of venues. To find out more visit melbournejazz.com