Friday, March 22, 2013

Live traditional, danceable Jazz in Sydney....!! Club Ashfield is the venue and with its long residency, The Bridge City Jazz Band is the band....a nominal 4 piece we have three special guests each Friday taking the band up to a 7 piece swinging trad.jazz band...this coming Friday however is the one day of the year when the Club is closed...Good Friday and the Easter weekend....so NO JAZZ...but all normal on the following weeks Friday, 5th April...

Club Ashfield is always closed on Good Friday due to the celebration of Easter and that means there is no Jazz for Friday 29th March 2013.....Sorry patrons....
The band will be back, with the Club open on the following Friday, 5th April....I'll review the guests for that evening following Good Friday....
But you could be interested to hear of the Bridge City Jazz Band combining again with the Black Mountain Jazz Band from Canberra to play a special concert in the Spiegeltent in the garden beside Old Parliament House last Sunday 17th March...Sydney vocalist Carol Ralph sang with the band to a capacity house in the tent....aptly named the Idolize Tent...
What is a Spiegeltent I hear you ask....
The mirror tent....
In the late 1800s,early 1900s in Europe these tents evolved to provide a mobile hall for entertainment in towns that had no facilities..acts such as singers, orchestras, bands, acrobats to name a few utilised them as they traveled across Europe in the summer.
This still happens today and in the European winter they travel to Australia, New Zealand and the West Coast of the USA etc....
Currently there are four Spiegeltents touring Australia...in previous years there have been up to nine.
The tents are elaborately painted with scenes on the outside and inside and have ornate mirror panels around the inside....
Lets look at a few photographs I had taken during the gig...
The Black Mountain and Bridge City Jazz Band was led by trumpeter Tony Thomas, with pianist Ron Cook, both from Canberra, drummer Ian Hill from the lower south coast of NSW...all former Black Mountain members and from the Bridge City JB in Sydney, Colin Beal on reeds, John Bates on trombone, Colin Davies on double bass and myself Dennis Quinlan on banjo....
Carol Ralph, well known through out Australia as a traditional jazz singer joined us for the gig...



Friday, March 15, 2013

Live traditional, danceable Jazz in Sydney....!! Club Ashfield is the venue and with its long residency, The Bridge City Jazz Band is the band....a nominal 4 piece we have three special guests each Friday taking the band up to a 7 piece swinging trad.jazz band...this coming Friday we've Bill Dudley on cornet, Gary Walford on the Club's grand piano, Paul Furniss on reeds and Graham Hilgendorf on drums.....

Bill Dudley is always popular leading the Bridge City Jazz Band at Club Ashfield and he's back this coming Friday the 22nd leading the band on cornet...Gary Walford is on piano, Graham Hilgendorf on drums and with our clarinet player Colin Beal recovering from knee surgery we're pleased to have Paul Furniss on reeds.....all the usual suspects make up the rest of the band...John Bates on trombone and vocals, Colin Davies on double bass and myself, Dennis Quinlan on banjo....
Gary Walford....
Bill Dudley...
 Paul Furniss.....
Graham Hilgendorf....
John Bates....
Colin Davies....
Dennis Quinlan....
The Bridge City Jazz Band special guests at Club Ashfield and future other gigs...
And where to find Club Ashfield...gig starts at 7.30pm Fridays through to 10.30pm, in the first floor bistro/function area...admission FREE.






Friday, March 8, 2013

Live traditional, danceable Jazz in Sydney....!! Club Ashfield is the venue and with its long residency, The Bridge City Jazz Band is the band....a nominal 4 piece we have three special guests each Friday taking the band up to a 7 piece swinging trad.jazz band...this coming Friday Mike Hallam leads the band on trumpet with Franks watts on the Club's grand piano and Craig Lee on drums....

Nice to have multi instrumentalist Mike Hallam lead the Bridge City Jazz Band at Club Ashfield, 5 Charlotte Street, Ashfield, this coming Friday 15th March.....
 Mike will be on trumpet and have his trombone and a harmonica with him......
 Down from the Central Coast again, always welcome on piano is Frank Watts and Mike's stepson Craig Lee on drums make up the three special guest with the Bridge City Jazz Band regulars, John Bates on trombone/vocals, Colin Beal on alto sax and clarinet, Colin Davies on double bass and myself, Dennis Quinlan on banjo.
 Frank Watts on piano....
Craig Lee on drums....
Dennis Quinlan on banjo...
Colin Beal...reeds
John Bates, trombone
Colin Davies, double bass...
Where is Club Ashfield?
5 Charlotte Street, Ashfield, beside the Ashfield Railway station on the northern side....gig on the first floor of the Club in the bistro/function area starting 7.30pm through to 10.30pm....
Admission Free....



Future Club Ashfield Bridge City Jazz Band guests and elsewhere gigs....

Friday, March 1, 2013

Jazz in Sydney..Live Traditional Jazz- Paul Furniss returns to lead the Bridge Ciy Jazz Band this coming Friday 8th March at Club Ashfield....with him as special guests are Monique Lysiak on piano and Viv Carter on drums.....

Paul Furniss is a favourite musician for me....in fact I start my almost monthly radio program on a Friday 11am to 1pm for the Sydney Jazz Club on Radio 2RDJ FM88.1 with "South Rampart Street Parade" featured by his San Francisco Jazz Band....
Good one DQ...why not come along and hear this great number played by the master in person....
Monique Lysiak on the Club's grand piano and Viv Carter , featured on that track I mentioned, is on drums....
John Bates our trombone player also is in Paul's band, Colin Beal a long time friend and house mate with Paul is on reeds, Colin Davies on double bass and myself, Dennis Quinlan on banjo...
Phew...it will be a super swinging night for sure....
John Bates...trombone and vocals with Colin Davies on double bass...
Colin Davies on double bass....
The Bridge City Jazz band regulars...Colin Beal on clarinet, Colin Davies on double bass, John Bates on vocals and trombone and Dennis Quinlan on banjo.....
Monique Lysiak on piano....

Paul Furniss leads the band on soprano saxophone and other reeds....

Good old Viv...Viv Carter on drums....
Forthcoming other guests at Club Ashfield and future Bridge City JB gigs....
And finally....
Where is Club Ashfield....?