Middleton Jazz in the Park

from Fleurieu Living Magazine Spring 2022

Sense of place

Above: Lazaro Numa will be one of the bands appearing at Middleton Jazz in the Park.

Saturday 5 November 2022

Words by Hollie Connery. If you take your music in block chords and broken time, make your way to the Middleton foreshore on the 5th of November for eight hours of non-stop jazz by eight of Australia’s best jazz ensembles.

After a long hiatus, the Middleton Jazz Festival is being reinvigorated. FIrst held in the early 2000s, an impressive collaborative effort from this tight-knit community has brought the festival back to life. And they’re coming back with a pulsing lineup sure to impress even the most avid jazz enthusiasts, and all for a humble $50.

Relax on the grass and enjoy the three-piece, all-female chordless trio The Boys Club. Winner of the 2020 National Jazz Awards for voice, She Gave Him Oleander, will enchant with their evocative music encompassing jazz, folk and traditional songs in a contemporary setting. The Max Grynchuk Big Band is an 18-piece jazz orchestra composed of some of Australia’s finest young musicians. There will be local food and beverage vendors in an open-air festival setting, so with your toes on the grass and a wine in hand, you can sip on Soul Centric’s groove, or get moving to the Afro-Cuban beats brought by Lazaro Numa & Sabor a Cuba. Not to be missed will be the Shaolin Afronauts, an Adelaide Afrobeat band who describe their music as ‘interstellar futurist afro-soul’, whatever that means! An eleven-piece soul-funk outfit, Blow, will be fronted by Adelaide trombonist Annie Isaksson filling the afternoon with smooth vocals, phat horn lines and tight rhythms.

If that isn’t enough to satiate the palate of jazz cats, then perhaps the vast array of local beer and wine will. Organisers attest ‘our objectives are to promote and deliver fantastic musicians and provide locals and visitors with a highly entertaining line-up and a selection of great food and wine.’ A family-friendly day at a family-friendly price is sure to put a beat in your step, so be sure to make your way there, double time.