I’m looking forward to playing some great jazz, talking with interesting industry people and sharing some fascinating stories.

I will be creating Podcasts of some of the material – stay tuned!

Immediately following was Charlie MacMahon’s Jazz Walkabout, for which I was a guest singer. Charlie has a song about his Didgeribone and I wrote some lyrics to sing with it. Smiles from the audience told me that “Slide The Bone” was a catchy title! (Charlie’s innuendo, not mine, although I can’t say I wasn’t smiling when I sang it).

At the Darling Harbour Jazz and Blues Festival 2010 with Mik de Vecchio

I’ve been busy writing a musical, and although I am finding the process intoxicating and exhilarating, it’s challenging. It’s a romantic comedy about love and loss (plenty of real life experience, thus).

And as there’s no rest for the wicked , I have some exciting news brewing in the world of broadcasting. Another exhilarating challenge is about to reveal itself… stay tuned.

The theatre was packed to the rafters with jazz musicians and arts community bods; a great sight on a wet Monday night. There was a Q&A after the film which was handled candidly by Franz and Barker. I did notice a small hestitation around the subject of spirituality, almost an embarrassment to say anything out loud that might seem kooky. This subject was avoided almost completely in the audience’s questions, and even in her answers Franz seemed a bit coy, choosing her words carefully. I can understand this shyness, especially in an Australian context.

Jazz doesn’t automatically suggest spirituality the way another musical genre – such as Gregorian chanting – might. Of course there’s the improvisational side of jazz, which is about freedom in ways that other genres aren’t. However for me at least, spirituality isn’t just associated with free-form, but rather as an expression coming through the structure. Some players seem to have a certain sound that touches my heart, and it wouldn’t matter if they were playing a melody as straight as it was written; they would still have that effect. For me it’s Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Bill Evans and most recently Phil Slater’s contribution on Jonathan Zwartz’s The Sea. Were/are these players spiritually in tune? Or just very relaxed? Are we guided spiritually if we are truly relaxed while we create?

In the film “Intangible Asset No. 82″ a Shaman describes the importance of the breath; co-ordinating the body’s actions with the instrument (in this case a drum), the breath and the heartbeat. Relaxation was also valued by the Shamans, a state I have often heard performers of all kinds desiring in their work. Concentration on the breath is an ancient practice used in meditation, and I have found this to be a valuable practice for myself as a centering device in performing and creating – not to mention general wellbeing. If you’re interested in exploring this further, I recommend Kenny Werner’s book/CD “Effortless Mastery”. Werner is a jazz pianist but the book is accessible to all musicians whether their instrument is on the inside or the outside.