December at Bird’s Basement features a great lineup of international and Australian artists – and sees the introduction of a new format, with headline artists performing Sunday Brunch shows rather than on Sunday night.
The Rolling Stones Project
28 November – 1 December (and Sunday Brunch on 2 December)
Saxophonist Tim Ries has worked with jazz greats like Maynard Ferguson and Maria Schneider, plus pop icons from Paul Simon to Stevie Wonder. But it is his association with The Rolling Stones that has come to define him with rock and jazz fans alike.
Tim recalls getting a phone call ‘out of the blue’ from Mick Jagger in 2003, inviting him to try out with “The World’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band”. During his first rehearsal, Tim recalls, ‘At some point as we were playing, Keith Richards came over to me and said, ‘Can’t you at least make one mistake like the rest of us?!’ And I knew then that I had the gig.’ Tim has been a fixture for every Stones’ tour since then.
He has used that experience to develop a jazz perspective on the Stones’ vast catalogue of hits, first with his ‘Rolling Stones Project’ CD in 2005, and then ’Stones World’ in 2008. Those albums featured guests from the famous band (Jagger, Richards, Watts, Wood), and other luminaries, from John Scofield to Norah Jones.
It may be ‘only rock and roll, with a jazz twist’, but we like it! Book early, as tickets are sure to sell quickly.
The Dizzy Gillespie Afro Cuban Experience
December 5-8 (and Sunday Brunch December 9)
Alongside the great saxophonist Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker, Dizzy Gillespie pioneered the exciting modern jazz style known as ‘bebop’. The ever-creative trumpeter also had a passion for latin rhythms, in particular the African-derived music of Cuba.
He pioneered the fusion of modern jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms (‘Cubop’) in the late 1940s, and it remained a key feature of his music throughout his illustrious career.
It is that sound that is celebrated by the all-star band, the Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience.
This band is one of several Dizzy Gillespie legacy bands that bassist John Lee has led, at the request of Dizzy’s widow, Lorraine, since Dizzy passed away in 1994.
Recent back surgery forced John to miss this tour, with one of New York’s premier Latin jazz bassists, Santi Di Briano, depping for him.
Joining him are veteran trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, who has the chops and the experience to evoke memories of Dizzy at his exciting best ; Dizzy’s long-time drummer, Tommy Campbell ; and three rising stars in Sharel Cassity (saxophone), Abelita Mateus (piano, vocals) and percussionist Roger Squitero.
Expect this band to celebrate Dizzy’s legacy with high-calibre musicianship, and an attitude that music this good ought to be as much fun for the audience as it is for the musicians.
Nicola Son – A French Update of the Bossa Nova
December 12-15 (and Sunday Brunch December 16)
Antonio Carlos Jobim enchanted the world when he introduced the soothing, seductive sounds of ‘bossa nova’, the Brazilian take on jazz that swept to popularity in the mid ‘60s.
Among the millions beguiled by the bossa nova was a young Parisian of Armenian descent, Nicola Son. Nicola was a teenager when he heard ‘Jazz Samba’, Stan Getz’s landmark meeting with Joao Gilberto. Gilberto’s mesmeric and intimate sound literally changed Nicola’s life: he wanted to sing and play guitar like that.
Nicola flew to Rio de Janeiro to immerse himself in Brazil’s music and culture. In 2010, in Lapa, the cradle of samba, he recorded his first album, “Parioca”, and the following year recorded his second, “Nord Destin”, in Rio. His third album, ‘Sampathique’, was released to wide acclaim in 2016.
Now settled in Sao Paulo, Nicola is an established star in both Brazil and France, and enjoyed a successful tour of the USA last year.
This year sees the release of an EP, 4 Squared. It features Brazilian / Portugese songs written by Nicola and his friend, journalist Igor Ribiero. Each song was recorded in a different city (Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Belo Horizonte).
Don’t miss this chance to catch an international star of the contemporary bossa nova sound, in Melbourne. Nicola Son will lead a 4-piece band, featuring some of Brazil’s finest musicians.
Grand Wazoo – Bring In 2019 With Melbourne’s Kings of Soul
December 31
New Year’s Eve, Austen The Grand Wazoo, Bird’s Basement. It’s the recipe for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve party.
Formed by trumpeter John Montesante in 1981, The Grand Wazoo is now a Melbourne institution: a big, bold, brassy 13-piece band that brings to life the classic soul hits of the ‘60s (and beyond) every time they take to the stage.
Think Tamla Motown, Atlantic, Chess. Think Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, The Temptations, Al Green, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson.
Bird’s December billboard
The Rolling Stones Project 28 Nov – 2 Dec The Dizzy Gillespie Afro Cuban Experience 05 – 09 Dec Nicola Son 12 - 16 Dec The Andy Sugg Group 19 Dec The Tony Rich Project 20 Dec Barney McCall 21 Dec Soul Sacrifice – The Music of Santana 22 Dec Joe Camilleri & The Black Sorrows 28 Dec Renee Geyer 29 Dec Sunday Brunch with The Badloves 30 Dec NYE celebration with Auten Tayshus and Grand Wazoo 31 Dec