In another good performance opportunity for our students, the JWA Sydney Youth Jazz Orchestra (SYJO) played at the famous Lazybones jazz club in Marrickville, Sydney. SYJO played as one of the support acts for Jason Isaac’s Tuesday Night Jazz Orchestra. This SYJO performance at Lazybones was SYJO’s debut at this iconic venue.
The SYJO @Lazybones Set
The set opened with a burning, high-tempo rendition of Orange Sherbet that segued into Granada Smoothie via a Josh Chee drum solo. Next was a SYJO-first performance of Bashful Albert by Sammy Nestico. In fact the set featured five Nestico arrangements, the others being Orange Sherbet, Oh So Nice, Satin Doll, and Odyssey.
Other tunes were Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (Jay Stocker vocal feature arr. Ed Wilson), Indiana, and Super Chief – the latter opening with an all-in collective improvisation by the whole band. Wild.
This was a fun gig to a full house in a classic Sydney jazz venue. Thanks to Jason Isaac and Lazybones for the opportunity. Some of our combos will be playing a support set there in September.
About SYJO
Jazz Workshop Australia is proud to support the Sydney Youth Jazz Orchestra. It is a community big band for school-aged students. It is open to anyone, provided there is a vacancy. The criteria for membership is commitment to weekly rehearsals and about half a dozen performances each year, plus ability to play at least reasonably well. Decent sight-reading is important for this group.
Many members of SYJO are also students at JWA, either in combos or taking private lessons. It isn’t uncommon for musicians first to join SYJO and then get involved in the JWA program. Most of the soloists tend to be part of the JWA combos program where they hone their jazz-playing and improvising skills.
SYJO is run by a volunteer committee. Members pay a modest fee to be part of the group. They come from many different schools around Sydney, particularly the north shore where the band is based. Rehearsals are held at the JWA studio in St Leonards. JWA sponsors SYJO mainly through donation of rehearsal space and music, plus subsidising conductor’s expenses. The conductor is Dr Saul Richardson.
