Chatswood's intimate performance venue The Lounge is doubling down on its commitment to jazz in 2025 with an expanded ten-concert series featuring some of Australia's most respected performers alongside international talent making their venue debuts.
The curated program balances returning favorites with fresh faces, creating what might be the most ambitious jazz offering in recent years for Sydney's North Shore. Most notably, the series has secured Australian jazz icon James Morrison, whose August 21 performance marks his first appearance at the venue.
The season opens on March 13 with vocalist Gregg Arthur and trumpeter Warwick Alder presenting a tribute to Chet Baker, backed by a trio of established Sydney jazz musicians. Arthur returns later in the season (October 2) with a more personal program mixing original compositions with jazz standards.
While the big names will draw attention—particularly Morrison's quartet and acclaimed vocalist Emma Pask's September 4 debut—the program's strength lies in its diversity. The Dan Barnett Big Band brings a 14-piece ensemble to the relatively modest space on May 8, while world music ensemble Marsala returns on April 3 after a successful 2024 appearance.
For jazz purists, the season includes several performances focused on the American tradition. Andrew Dickeson's June 5 tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers focuses on hard bop classics, while the December 4 finale features Mat Jodrell, Simon Tedeschi, and Cameron Undy exploring the Great American Songbook.
Jazz at The Lounge focuses on performer-audience connection. The venue's configuration eliminates the traditional barrier between musicians and listeners, creating what previous performers have described as a "living room concert" atmosphere. While the series doesn't explicitly position itself as preserving a jazz tradition, it effectively serves that purpose by maintaining the close-quarters experience that defined the genre's early development.
More info, dates and tickets here.
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