THESCENE 3 LINE-UP KEEPS BEAT BANDS Jazz vocalist Emma Pask, a Thrash contestant on last year’s The FESTIVAL Voice Australia, will perform as will Fem Belling and her band. SIX-times-Grammy Award- Belling will also contribute bash winning drummer Jeff Watts to the African jazz sounds of got the nickname “Tain” Royal Swazi Spa, led by her DRUMMER Jared Roberts relishes from the legendary jazz pian- father Howard Belling. returning to his home town ist Kenny Kirkland when they Vocalist Hetty Kate (who of Albury to kick up a musical were on tour in Florida and is appearing at The Jazz storm with his mates. drove past a Chieftain fuel sta- Basement tomorrow night) will Roberts and bandmates from tion. perform songs from her hit CD Melbourne thrash metal band The only musician to appear Dim All The Lights and Julie Desecrator — Paulie Tipping, on every Grammy Award-win- O’Hara will lead Ultrafox, the Riley Strong and Scottie Anning ning jazz record by US jazz gypsy swing-inspired combo. — will hit Albury’s Albion Hotel greats (and brothers), trum- In addition to Blues Hall of tonight in Uprise Promotions’ peter Wynton and saxophonist Famer Joe Louis Walker and latest Tremor gig, supported by Branford Marsalis, Watts will be Harper, the blues program AtmostFear, The Inducer and one of the international stars will include a strong lineup of Eviscerator. at the four-day Wangaratta Australian blues acts including Since releasing their limited- Festival of Jazz and Blues, Sydney’s Bondi Cigars, Blue edition vinyl release Down to which kicks off on October 31. Eyes Cry, Fiona Boyes, Nick Hell last year, the band has Italian jazz trumpeter and Charles and Doc Span. unveiled a video clip of Balancing flugelhorn player Enrico Rava, Guitar aces Ray Beadle and on a Blade and toured heavily in US blues guitarist and singer Darren Jack and their bands support of the release. Joe Louis Walker, one of the will also team up as All The “We’ve completed two hottest blues guitarists in the Kings Men to celebrate the tours as well as a bunch business, and several expatri- music of US blues greats B.B. of other shows including ate Australians, including King, Freddie King, Earl King Heavy Magazine’s Brewtality, saxophonists Lisa Parrott and and Albert King. Melbourne’s Murderfest and Troy Roberts, blues harmonica The National Jazz Awards Alice Springs’ Blacken the Globe and didgeridoo player Harper will feature guitarists this year Festival,” says Roberts, of ex- and his band and pianist Sarah and an increased prize pool. Border band Netherealm. McKenzie, will also perform at The top 10 finalists will “We’ve covered around 20 Wangaratta. compete at the festival, with cities and around 40 shows since Leading New Zealand jazz the finals starting at 5pm on September.” saxophonist Roger Manins, ● US jazz drummer Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts is one of an impressive line-up of international November 2 and broadcast Following last year’s Hellbent who won the National Jazz live-to-air to a national radio for Murder tour with Perth Awards (Saxophone) at the stars to play at the 25th Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues this spring. audience on ABC Classic FM. death/thrash outfit Malignant Wangaratta festival in 2002, Steve Grant, who played at the Paul Grabowsky and Steve The 25th festival will feature Monster, Desecrator joined will return to perform with first festival in 1990, will return Grant will both present solo THE LOWDOWN 300 musicians, 80 concerts on Denver thrash metal band Hip-Flask, his funky jazz fusion the main program, 30 on the Havok, Adelaide metallers for the 25th festival. piano concerts in Wangaratta’s ■ When: October 31 to Novem- blues band. The Australian Art Orchestra Holy Trinity Cathedral; guitar- free stage in the main street as Se Bon Ki Ra, Melbourne’s Australian jazz artists Paul ber 3 well as artist talks and master- Dreadnaught and one of will perform Struttin’ With ists James Muller and Stephen ■ Where: Various Wangaratta Grabowsky, Mike Nock, Tony Some Barbecue, an inven- Magnusson will make a rare classes, all within walking dis- Australia’s most popular Gould, Bob Sedergreen, Allan venues tance in the city and at nearby metal bands of the moment, tive re-imagining of the collaboration in a quartet for- ■ Bookings and information: Browne, Niko Schauble and legacy of Louis Armstrong; mat. wineries. Melbourne thrash grind out- Visitwangarattajazz.com fit King Parrott, who will play Wodonga’s Carrier Arms next Wednesday. The boys from Desecrator also plan to record a new single and a follow-up video clip before heading back out on the Kate dims the lights road. hood, travelled often to New York and made her performing debut in 2007. THE JAZZ LOWDOWN Equally at home in a concert hall fronting ■ When: 7pm tonight a symphony orchestra or serenading patrons ■ Where: Albion Hotel, Albury “LIKE Peggy Lee on a Vespa”. of intimate jazz clubs in the wee hours, Kate ■ Tickets: Go to desecrator.net That’s how Mark Myers, of US music website is often compared to the singers of the 1940s JazzWorks.com, described British-Australian and ’50s, with her sweet sound and clear tone jazz chanteuse Hetty Kate. lending itself perfectly to the music she loves The charismatic and technically gifted vocal- to sing, her influences including US jazz stars ist will return to the Border tomorrow night Peggy Lee, June Christy and Ella Fitzgerald. to launch her new album, Dim All the Lights, Dim All The Lights is music made famous by in the latest of Jazz Albury-Wodonga’s 2014 Lee, Christy and Julie London. music concerts. Born in Britain, Kate began classical piano and violin lessons as a youngster and her love THE LOWDOWN for music grew when her parents took to West ■ When: 8pm tomorrow — bar open from 7.30pm End musicals and played their Doris Day and (meals available at nearby La Maison Cafe) Frank Sinatra records to her. ■ Where: The Jazz Basement, Gateway Village, After arriving in Australia, she took classical Wodonga singing lessons, rekindled her love of the Great ■ Tickets: $25, $20 concession — phone 0438 ● Desecrator ● Hetty Kate will launch her sixth album tomorrow. American Songbook melodies of her child- 623 462 Radio veteran changes pace AMERICAN immigrant turned Border community radio or local radio, but it will there might have been the odd phone broadcaster Frank Davidson has ended a not be full-time. call, but I consider myself more an three-decade-long full-time radio career, “It’s time to slow down and smell the Australian than a Yank. I’ve spent more announcing his departure last Friday, US roses, so to speak.” time here than in the United States and RADIO Independence Day. Davidson plans to focus on the I’ve got the passport to prove it.” In recent years the Oregon native Wangaratta Jazz Festival through his has been the boss of North East position on the event’s board. RADIO 2AY is seeking feedback on NEWS Broadcasters, the company that operates Asked for career highlights, Davidson whether it should extend its relay of Wangaratta’s Edge FM and 3NE as well cited the overseeing of the opening of Melbourne broadcaster Tom Elliott’s talk- with as Deniliquin’s 2QN and Classic Rock. new studios for 2AY in Hume Street, back show by an extra hour. Davidson had previously worked at Albury, and co-ordinating different sta- The program airs from 3pm on its Anthony Bunn 2AY in on-air and managerial roles tions while at North East Broadcasters. home station 3AW, but is heard on the as well as at community radio on the “In the 1980s being the first foreign Border from 4pm. Border. on-air accent, so to speak, was always Feedback is being taken through 2AY’s “It was time for a change,” Davidson good,” he said. Facebook page and is generally in favour said when asked why he was leaving Davidson said advice to tone down his of maintaining the existing music format. full-time radio after 34 years. accent, through softening his vowels, Noteworthy are some calls for Border- “I’ve enjoyed everything, it’s not over proved worthwhile. based talkback with one suggesting yet; I still want to stay in radio in one “There wasn’t any negative feedback, newsreader Paul McSwiney should form or another, whether that’s with there’s been none since then although anchor a slot in the early afternoon.

● Frank Davidson outside the 2AY It’s time to slow down and smell the roses, so to speak. studios that were built under his management. Picture: TARA GOONAN Thursday, July 10, 2014 Page 23