The Justin Stephenson Ensemble

The Justin Stephenson Ensemble

If you are going to take on the songs of one of the best Showmen ever, you had better be good. And you’d best be dressed for the occasion too.

And if you are trying to recreate the big-band party atmosphere of a Stevie Wonder performance at Madison Square Gardens, then you are also going to need to have a very good set of musicians behind you.    

Well.  Tick. Tick. Tick.  Tonight, we got it all!!

We had Justin Stephenson at the mic, in his grooviest outfit and cornrow-braided hair… switching between the keys of the Club’s Yamaha Grand and his Yamaha Motif M06.

And we had Nathaniel Andrew on guitar…Max Stowers on bass…James Sandon on drums…Danny Guerrero on congas/percussion…Dyon Tahana on alto sax…Ash Hutton on tenor sax…and Ben Oldham on trumpet…

…an amazing, powerful and entertaining combination that had the BJC pumpin’ to Stevie Wonder’s best, all night!!

Now, you will certainly know that Stevie has written and recorded a mountain of great music. However, you may not know that, so far, he has released 23 studio albums, three soundtrack albums, four live albums, 11 compilations, one box set, and 91 singles.

And yet, somehow tonight, out of all of that, Justin and his band were able to pick out two of Stevie’s best albums…and treat us to every song from both.

First, they gave us Hotter Than July, (which is quite appropriate, because in Brisbane, February is indeed, much hotter than July).

Every track was featured and all were thunderously applauded, particularly, of course, the biggest numbers from that album; ‘Master Blaster (Jammin’), ‘Lately and ‘Happy Birthday’.

And then they gave us Innervisions, again featuring every track, and again bringing the house down with classics such as ‘Living for the City’,’Higher Ground’ and ‘All In Love Is Fair’.

And it is oh, so obvious that Justin genuinely loves, respects, feels and lives Stevie’s social conscience and the way it is all laid out in his songs. Indeed, right across the night, Justin provided beautifully connected, moving commentary on the story and context for each song. Thank you.

And when it was all over, the eight of them took it out with a very unusual and memorable flourish.

Even though the ‘last’ song didn’t finish until well past Showtime, the audience was absolutely not about to let them go without an encore. And when Michael, the night’s Duty Manager, decided it was probably wiser, and perhaps safer, ☺️ to have the encore, the joint was absolutely jumpin’ and alive with dancers and wavers.

Most of the full house crowd, up on their feet for that encore, ‘Isn’t She Lovely?’

What a night!!

Alan Smith                                                              

Brisbane Jazz Club

Funky Miracle

Funky Miracle

Oooh!!   Hear that?   Feel that? 

The rumblin’ in the floor….?   The rattlin’ in the roof….?    The risin’ of the river ….?

Well….that is Dr. Bob Harley’s big, slappin’ bass!!   

And it’s no coincidence that our river is rising tonight…..’cos there is a Funky Miracle happening here at the Brisbane Jazz Club!!

Playin’ that funky music and weaving their magic alongside Dr. Bob….that’s Steve Francis at the drum kit. Harvey Blues and his wailing wah-wah guitar. Wil Sargison at the Hammond and Yamaha keys. Neil Wickham and Mal Wood in the Horn Section. And those oh, so glorious, powerful and passionate vocals from Stacey Hoy and Ashleigh Denning.

Yep. This huge, multi-layered funkopated sound meant that for this one big night, we were gonna be Brisbane’s Home of Live Funk!!

And they gave us a giant funkburger with the lot!! They were all there….absolute Funk classics….from the likes of Sly and The Family Stone, Graham Central Station, Average White Band, The Meters, Bill Withers, Isley Brothers and Professor Longhair….alongside touches of Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, and even, surprisingly, Joni Mitchell!!

Thank you, all eight of you, for giving us a thumping great night of get-up-and-dance. We loved it.

And thanks for putting the place back together again, when you left!!

 

Alan Smith
Brisbane Jazz Club

Vicki Salisbury Trio and Friends Thursday January 9th, 2025

Vicki Salisbury Trio and Friends Thursday January 9th, 2025

Welcome to 2025….and our first Thursday night gig of the year!!

And what better place to get the New Year ball rolling, than riverside at the Brisbane’s Home of Live Jazz….with The Vicki Salisbury Trio and Friends.

Let me introduce you. They are:

Vicki Salisbury                                                    Lead vocals.

Dr. David Salisbury                                            Saxophone, flute, vocals.

Larry Thompson                                                 Keyboards, pedal bass, vocals.

Greg Stroud                                                         Guitar.

Callum Pascoe                                                     Drums.

Husband and wife duo, Vicki and David are originally from the USA; New York/Arizona and Los Angeles, respectively. They were performing together regularly, long before they arrived and initially settled in Melbourne in 1993.

12 years after that arrival, they met national/international keyboard maestro, Larry Thompson, in Townsville. These three musical soulmates have been performing together ever since: each bringing a unique set of skills….

Vicki’s vibrant and joyful stage presence is inspired by her mother’s career as a performer in musical theatre, big bands and smaller ensembles…and the love that gave her for The Great American Songbook.

Dr. Dave’s saxophone and flute float through every piece, tight and sweet; a vital ingredient of the trio’s sound.

And while Larry at the keys, glides effortlessly through most styles of music, his Big Love is Modern Jazz. He loves nothing more than taking a well-known Rock song and expertly re-crafting it as Jazz.

Larry also happens to be attached to a manic left foot, which is in constant movement across the switches of his pedal bass, delivering that crisp and driving bass line.

And each of them composes their own original tunes, drawing upon influences from their personal journeys through a range of musical styles, including Pop, Rock, Latin and Jazz.

So, Yes!!, as was evident tonight; the success of this trio is absolute proof of the old adage, that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts!!

But wait. There’s more!!

This evening also featured two special guests…

Greg Stroud’s chilled, smooth guitar playing style is known and loved, far and wide, bringing a touch of class to performances with solo artists, duos, combos and big bands in Melbourne, Sydney/Newcastle, Brisbane and North Queensland.

And that’s Callum Pascoe at the kit. A Brisbane local, Callum is drummer in a number of ensembles, including the Queensland Youth Orchestra Big Band, with whom he plays locally and nationally, giving him the invaluable experience of performing alongside greats such as James Morrison, Darren Percival, Andy Firth, and others.

What a night you all gave us!! Five individually great musicians in perfect sync, across two inspired sets of beautifully paced and arranged vocals, instrumentals, home-grown numbers, and a sprinkle of classics.

Thank you, Vicki, David, Larry, Greg and Callum. Please come back soon!!

Alan Smith                                                              

Brisbane Jazz Club