Events

Friday 29th March 2019
"Andrew Baxter Band"

One of the Gold Coast's premier Blues Bands makes a welcome return to Condong! The Andrew Baxter Band will take you on a journey, 'A Brief History of the Blues', from the Mississippi Delta to the pre-war styles of Swing & Jump Blues through to the Chicago & today's contemporary Blues. So gather your friends and make a night of it. Guaranteed to make you feel good. Andrew’s 6 piece band includes Brisbane sensation Mark Gibbons on harmonica and Martha Baartz on sax.
Andrew Baxter - guitar and vocals
Mark Gibbons - harmonica and vocals
Rebecca Bruce - vocals
Martha Baartz - saxophone
Chris Hartley - piano and Hammond organ
David Fergusson - bass
Cvitan Barac - drums

Friday 26th April 2019
"Todd Hardy Quintet"

Calling on compositions from Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Count Basie, this band plays great tunes that swing!
Now based on the Tweed Coast, Todd is an exciting Trumpet player who is comfortable in a variety of musical settings, but is clearly rooted in the tradition of Jazz. He draws inspiration from Trumpet greats Louis Armstrong, Lee Morgan and Chet Baker and is able to fuse the classic swing of the 1930's to the post-bop grooves of the 1960's.
Before his recent move to northern NSW, Todd performed in a variety of venues throughout Sydney with his Jazz trio, quintet and 13 piece Swing Orchestra as well as regular performances with Anita Spring, Monica Trapaga, Judy Bailey, Rhonda Burchmore, the Dan Barnett Big Band, the Unity Hall Jazz band and George Washingmachine.

Friday 31st May 2019
"Trombone Kellie And The Muddy Roaders"

Trombone Kellie and the Muddy Roaders is one of the hardest working bands on the Northern Rivers.
Averaging around 60 shows a year from the Sunshine Coast to the Byron Hinterlands. They have a well deserved reputation of being truly entertaining and fully engaging. Captivating audiences with their unique, blend of New Orleans and jazz swing styles to blues, rockabilly, gospel, soul and more.
Showcasing inspirational vocals, with the dueling horns of Trombone Kellie & Derek Siddon on trumpet, supported by a seasoned rhythm section featuring Scrubby Pete on guitar, John Hellman on bass & Toby Baron on drums .
With an element of surprise, the T K and Muddy's experience is always loads of fun.

Friday 28th June 2019
"Robyn Brown Quartet"

Hailing from the Sunshine Coast, Robyn is among the most respected jazz singers in Queensland today. She has delighted audiences and impressed critics with her warmth, grace and natural ability to ‘feel’ and interpret the music.
Inspired by the early jazz and blues greats and with a love of the passion in gospel and blues music, she has been in demand performing her heartfelt renditions of jazz and blues standards across Australia.
From a sultry ballad, to a jumping swing, a latin groove to a romping scat solo, every note is delivered with passion and grace and draws the audience in to the story. Recently releasing her second CD, she has been busy touring and performing at jazz clubs and festivals around the country.
“A gifted vocalist of sultriness and style who plays off the band sharing a common joy of improvisation, Brown suffuses the blues with elegance and jazz with attitude.”

Friday 26th July 2019
"Mojo Webb Band"

Utterly fresh and unique but steeped in the tradition of real, authentic blues, Mojo’s music is truly world-class.
With charisma and a naturally captivating stage presence, Mojo breathes new life into roots-based sounds. Equally at home with a band or in solo performance, in the specialized fields of true blues or on a pop festival stage, Mojo transcends all age and fashion barriers.

Friday 30th August 2019
"Galapagos Duck"

Their name sounds as if it belongs on an exotic menu, but ‘The Duck’, as they’re affectionately known to their ardent fans, are one of the foremost ensembles of contemporary jazz musicianship anywhere in the world, and they’ll be live at Condong on the last Friday in August. Almost fifty years after they began life as an ‘off-piste’ house band in a ski resort on the slopes of Mount Kosciusko, and after a sixteen year stint that made Sydney’s ‘Basement’ a byword in Australian jazz, the Ducks added to their suitcase labels in airports around the globe as they took to the stage in the USA, Switzerland, Singapore, and India, to name but a few of the nations they’ve graced with their output.
They are seasoned radio and television performers (‘Hey Hey It’s Saturday’ and the ‘Bi-Centennial Spectacular’ among their credits), but have still found time over the years to record over a dozen albums in a variety of recording studios while – unusually for jazz musos – laying down the sound for ballet and other forms of dance. Several well-known Australian films also feature their original soundtracks, and it’s probably only a matter of time before you can order ‘Duck’ for your iPhone ring tones.
It’s impossible to categorise their music other than by using words such as ‘brilliant’, ‘accomplished’, ‘mesmerising’ and ‘spellbinding’, but whether you like Brubeck, The Beatles, Dixie or Trad, don’t miss this rare opportunity to be present when jazz royalty conduct a master-class on how it’s done.

Past Events

Friday 22nd February 2019

Devotees of ‘down home’ authentic New Orleans jazz were treated to two and a half hours of it in our February gig, when ‘The Magnificence’ reminded their audience of why the genre has never lost its attraction. From the haunting and mournful simplicity of ‘Saint James Infirmary Blues’ to the foot-tapping Dixieland standard ‘Bill Bailey’, this talented Northern Rivers five piece led by trumpeter and vocalist Cameron Smith gave it their all, while pausing occasionally to reveal their quirky side. Not only did they recreate the Foster and Allen classic ‘Maggie’ in their own style, not only did they make ‘There’s a hole in my bucket’ sound as if it had just been written, but they threw in, for good measure, their self-penned alternative medicine offering of ‘Grandma’s Herbal Cure-all’. Perhaps the herb to which they were referring had something to do with the fact that the CD they had on sale was recorded in Nimbin. A great night, guys, and come back soon!

Friday 25th January 2019

The Club year blasted into life with our January gig. Despite the other distractions of the Australia Day long weekend, members and visitors gave an enthusiastic and loud welcome to Rick Best’s ‘Sweet Thunder’ big band as they demonstrated why this particular music genre has survived the years. With gems culled from Fats Waller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, the Gershwins and Cole Porter, Rick’s twelve piece gave a master class in how regular weekly rehearsal can make a band as tight as the lid on an unopened jam jar, while in no way diminishing the freshness of its music and the obvious joy of those playing it.
A hard act to follow, but the February gig promises another night to remember, with the Louisiana flavoured mayhem of ‘The Magnificence’.

Friday 30th November 2018

The last gig of the year drew one of the largest crowds the Club has seen for some time, for the welcome return of old favourites The Caxton Street Jazz Band. There have been a few changes in the line-up since their last visit, but the hard core were still there, and still proving why they’re rated as one of the finest jazz ensembles on either side of the State border. Bernice Haydock on keyboards and vocals, Tom Nicholson in charge of trombone, banjo, vocals and old joke resurrection, John Braben on trumpet and Paul Williams on clarinet and tenor sax. The ‘old guard’ Caxton Street, supplemented in the back line by Dave McCallum on percussion of various forms, and virtuoso double bassist Andrew Shaw demonstrating that the younger generation are more than capable of flying the jazz flag. A great night, and a fitting end to 2018.

Friday 26th October 2018

If anyone had any doubts about the future of music in the Tweed Valley, the opening acts of the October gig would have eliminated them when the winners of the Junior Jazz Section of the 2018 Northern Rivers Festival of Performing Arts took to the stage. Thanks to the talent and dedication of the music teaching staff of Mount St Patrick’s College in Murwillumbah, all the prize winners were from that school, carrying off the perpetual trophies in the “Under 20s band”, “Under 16s band” and “soloist” categories.

As if that weren’t enough, they were followed by The Peter Uppman Allstars for two and a half hours of sizzling trad jazz, stunning standards and downright bare-faced boogie-woogie. The formula for musical perfection? Take six accomplished musos, allow them to play together for long enough to make their tight timing almost telepathic, then let them loose in Condong on a Friday night. Many thanks to Peter Uppman (leader, vocals, trumpet and humour), Mike Hawthorne on vocals, trombone and support humour, Jo Bloomfield on dancing keyboard, Russell Bayne on gutsy guitar, and Galapagos Duck refugees John Conley on bass and Rodney Ford on drums. A great night – please come back soon.

Friday 28th September 2018

The big band sound returned to Condong for the September 2018 gig, with the Humpday Horns giving it their all. A total of sixteen musicians took to the stage, a mixture of seasoned professionals who regularly perform in bands of their own and talented youngsters, at least two of whom are hopeful of entering the Queensland Conservatorium at the start of a musical career.
After a solid opening hour from resident band The Early Birds, the Humpday Horns lined up in three rows; a front line of seven reeds players, five horns behind them and a traditional bass, drums and guitar backline. For the next two hours the members and visitors wallowed in the nostalgia of the music of the forties and fifties; all that was missing was the glitter ball hanging from the ceiling. A thoroughly enjoyable evening, and a reminder that some music genres will never lose their appeal.

Friday 31st August 2018

The August gig lit a blowtorch under the last night of winter as two seasoned acts took to the stage. Club stalwarts The Early Birds laid on an impeccable hour of jazz standards before yielding the stage to the hottest blues outfit along the eastern seaboard, The Mojo Webb Band. Mojo himself on guitar, with JB Lewis on bass and Coojee Tims on drums, have been playing together for so long that they share the same musical DNA, and it’s coloured deep blue, from the authentic pain of Muddy Waters to the irrepressible bounce of Lionel Hampton. An undoubted highlight of the evening came when the club’s own Vice-President, ‘Scrubby Pete’ Hurcombe, was invited on-stage, and appeared to grow extra fingers on his right hand as he blasted out one riff after another while Mojo seemed destined to blow extra holes in his harmonica.
The sounds were still ringing in our ears as we walked out to the car park. Always a good sign, and they’ll be back next year.

Friday 27th July 2018

The Big Apple came back to Condong at the July gig, with the much anticipated return of Dan Bolton and his quartet. Ably supported by reeds player Alex Price, bassist Blake Lonie and Lachlan Hawkins on drums, Dan weaved his way happily through his memories of his years in exile in New York’s Upper Westside. During his time living above a ‘deli’ Dan wrote a haunting collection of songs that reflect life in the city that never sleeps. As he wryly advised the audience, ‘All the songs I write are original’.
There was more humour evident when he began the sales pitch for the CDs he’d brought along, and announced that ‘Part of the sale proceeds go to an animal charity for sick horses – but I don’t realise they’re sick when I put money on them’.
With a slick vocal style that hung somewhere between Michael Buble and George Washingmachine, Dan played for two hours to an enthralled audience that’s already looking forward to his return.

While you’re here, take a look at the young lad fronting the Earlybirds this month with a clarinet almost as long as he is. He announced his name as ‘Pashy’, and blew his very first notes with a band on stage at a jazz club. He obviously has a great musical career ahead of him, but he might be best advised to change his name first.

Friday 29th June 2018

It was definitely a case of ‘Something Completely Different’ for the June gig, when the BlueSkillet Rovers came down from the hills with an acoustic-inspired energy that made ‘The Soggy Bottom Boys’ look like a church choir. Featuring guitar, duelling banjos, trombone, double bass and trumpet, and relying heavily on a tried and tested twelve bar blues format, the band never stopped for one hilarious moment as they provoked two and a half hours of member foot-tapping laced with a humour that wouldn’t please your maiden aunt.

A special shout out for band leader Miss Jodie, armed not only with a stand-up drum kit that featured a bird whistle, but with both a head mike and a kazoo on a wire frame. Her seemingly inexhaustible vocals drove the rest of the band on in a night of musical mayhem that will remain long in the memories of the substantial and appreciative audience.

Also a new look Earlybirds for June, with an additional member of the lineup who brought her washboard but thankfully left her washing at home, and a guest appearance by 'Los Duos Condongista', armed with trumpets and hats that fell out of a Christmas Cracker made in Brazil. The hats, that is.

Friday 25th May 2018

The May gig was energetic proof of life after school music classes, as sixteen eager young musicians from as far afield as Longreach and Lismore came together in their regular grouping of ‘The Whopping Big Band’ to delight members in a full programme of big band favourites, jazz standards and even television theme tunes.

Led by talented and dedicated music teachers, these engaging young performers, ranging in age from ten to twenty-something, have kept the dream alive by meeting and rehearsing one evening a week, then demonstrating their combined abilities in a full programme of horn, reed and percussion virtuosity that left the audience in no doubt that the music genre will live on in younger hands even though the rest of us grow older and greyer.

Friday 27th April 2018

It was a full house, with ‘standing room only’ in places, for the April gig, and the long-awaited return of perennial club favourite George Washingmachine and his talented band of wandering troubadours. Despite being one of Australia’s enduring jazz ambassadors, touring the world and recently returned from Latin America, George always expresses his fondness for the TVJC and its warmly appreciative audience. With the multi-instrumental Clare O’Meara on accordion and fiddle, son Arthur on guitar, and Stan Valacos playing a slimline upright bass that looked more like a coat stand, George served up his usual consummate fare of gypsy jazz fiddle, unique vocal styling and dry humour for an evening’s entertainment that none who experienced it will forget until it’s time to welcome George back again.

Friday 23rd March 2018

Great ‘vibes’ all round at the March gig, with ‘Bags of Groove’ reminding us of the mellow flavour that the vibraphone brings to modern jazz. Led by versatile pianist Glen Shepherd, it proved to be a family affair, with Glenn’s daughter Catharina Kemp blending her stunning talents on various reed instruments with husband Dave Kemp’s updated vibraphone classics from the likes of Milt (Bags) Jackson and the Modern Jazz Quartet. In the backline, the seamless support of Val Jones on bass and Richie Seymour on drums completed a wonderful evening’s reminder of why jazz will never die.

Updated 23rd February 2019
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