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Blue Drag to perform at Tyers

The second show in the Café Concert Series for 2005 is the superb jazz group ‘Blue Drag’ who will perform at the Tyers Hall on Sunday 1 May at 7.30pm.

By Latrobe City Council - 5th April 2005 - Back to News

Latrobe City’s Performing Arts and Venues Co-ordinator, Kathleen Roberts, said that ‘Blue Drag’ followed the footsteps of jazz genius Django Reinhardt's Hot Club tradition.

"This superb combination of musicianship, synchronicity and taste results in a sublime performance. Nigel Maclean on violin, Martin Elepans on guitar, John Scury on rhythm guitar, Rob Mahony on double bass and Julie O’Hara with her silky smooth vocals. They perform swinging jazz that's easy to enjoy," Ms Roberts said.

According to Ms Roberts, the roots of the group can be traced back to the summer of 1998 when a five-piece acoustic jazz ensemble sat for two days in a mud brick house in the hills of Castlemaine, Victoria, laying down tracks for an album.

"With solar power as their energy source and a skilled engineer to capture the desired authentic sound, they recorded ten tracks. Several months later producer and violinist, Nigel MacLean, heard vocalist Julie O’Hara singing in a bar in Melbourne and was struck by her exquisite tone and phrasing. He approached her about recording more tracks for the album and the rest is history," Ms Roberts added.

"Over half a century has passed since Django Reinhardt and his music was at the height of its popularity. Now ‘Blue Drag’ has successfully recreated the smoky jazz club haze of Paris and New York with a sophisticated edge that brings the past to the now.

"Thanks to some funding assistance from Arts Victoria, ‘Blue Drag’ will be adhering to the authentic way of presenting their music and that is to tour around from town to town, bringing swinging jazz live to the audience," Ms Roberts concluded.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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