'Oh So Exciting' New Works presented by WAYJO at Perth International Jazz Festival 2020
The WAYJO MinterEllison Monday, plus Tuesday & Wednesday Night Orchestras, are proud to be part of the eight annual Perth International Jazz Festival (PIJF).
Enjoy free community concerts in Hyde Park with WAYJO MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra Sun 8 Nov, 2.45pm, and WAYJO Tuesday Night Orchestra, 4.00pm.
On her temporary return from the US, the Wednesday Night Orchestra are thrilled to perform with none other than highly acclaimed international bass player, and WAYJO alumni, Linda May Han Oh - currently of Pat Metheny Quartet.
Linda performs her newly composed works for the WAYJO Wednesday Night Orchestra at The Rechabite Sun 8 Nov, 4.00pm. Linda appears thanks to WAYJO’s 2020 Guest Artist Partner, the Minderoo Foundation. Tickets for this show are available from Moshtix.
PIJF 2020 runs 6-8 November. Head to perthjazzfest.com for the full program and ticketing, and while you're there, consider saving with a 3-Show Pass for ticketed events booked in a single online transaction.
#perthjazzfest #WAYJO2020
WAYJO presents Ricki vs MNO Rhythm Live at Lyric’s Underground
Ricki Malet teams up with the Monday Night Orchestra rhythm section to perform a number of classic jazz standards arranged for the group by the group.
This will be an exciting performance with Ricki bringing his musical maturity and attempting to keep up with the youthful exuberance of the MNO rhythm section... let's make it a good clean fight lads!
Ricki Malet Vs the Monday Night Orchestra rhythm section present a range of classic jazz standards and some works from Lee Morgan, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and many more!
On my right, it's Ricki Malet on Trumpet.
On my left, WAYJO Monday Night Orchestra Rhythm Section:
Bryn Larkin - Guitar
Luke Geha - Piano
Cass Evans-Ocharern - Bass
Cam Fermoyle - Drums
Band Set 7.00pm
Open Jam Session 8.20pm
Check out the vibe in this video
RSVP & share with friends on Facebook
WAYJO presents Live @ Lyric’s Underground, a series of jazz concerts with late jam sessions held first Sunday of the month.
Starting September 2020, ‘Live @ The Underground’ sessions feature a guest act on stage 7.00pm for 1-hour, followed by opportunities for improvising musicians to jam with the band from 8.20pm.
Lyric’s Underground is your newest destination for bohemian jazz vibes in the heart of Maylands - one of Perth’s emerging cultural centres.
Tickets are just $10 at the door.
Head to wayjo.com for more about WAYJO.
A Night of Jazz Royalty: Swingin’ with The Count & The Duke - SOLD OUT
SORRY, SOLD OUT 9TH SEP!
Throughout jazz history a handful of musicians claimed their kingdom. Masters of their domain, this jazz royalty changed music forever. All hail the jazz!
King Oliver presided over New Orleans in the early 1900s. The Duke and The Count developed big band music into the sound we hear today. Benny Goodman, the King of Swing, ruled with an iron clarinet over the 1930s, while Ella Fitzgerald was crowned the Queen of Jazz with a career spanning six decades.
As humble subjects, the WAYJO MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra & Tuesday Night Orchestra pay their respects, presenting the very best from all these artists. Come along and hear why these artists are still considered Jazz Royalty.
A Night of Jazz Royalty: Swingin’ with The Count & The Duke
with the WAYJO MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra, plus Tuesday Night Orchestra
Fri 23 & Sat 24 Oct, 7.30pm
Downstairs at The Maj, His Majesty’s Theatre Perth
Limited tickets only from Perth Theatre Trust
$40.00 A Reserve
$35.00 Concession (Full time students, pensioners, Seniors Card holders, unemployed, juniors aged 16 years or under)
WAYJO presents Jazz New and Old Under the Stars
Mining fresh new Australian jazz at The Quarry
Perth’s own WA Youth Jazz Orchestra (WAYJO) return to the beautiful Quarry Amphitheatre with Jazz Under the Stars, Friday 27 November from 7.30pm.
Jazz Under the Stars showcases classic big band jazz, right through to new Australian offerings by Andrew Murray, Mace Francis, and WAYJO’s 2020 Composer in Residence Des Cannings.
In a year mired by venue closures and physical isolation from March, WAYJO re-emerged with group rehearsals in July, and continued producing new Australian jazz works through its 13th annual Composer in Residence program.
Fresh from two sell-out shows at His Majesty’s Theatre, Ricki Malet leads the WAYJO MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra, who give big band classics from the 1930s to the 60s an all new energy.
The Tuesday Night Orchestra, led by Marty Pervan, received a glowing review of their first Lyric Lane show in September. This band presents an upbeat selection of jazz, blues and Latin classics to get toes tapping.
Mace Francis introduces brave new works with the Wednesday Night Orchestra. Originally scheduled to premiere at the King St Corner Pocket Jazz Festival, which was cancelled due to the pandemic, WAYJO’s 2020 composer in Residence commission now premieres for audiences under the stars.
Whether a jazz-head or new to the genre, experience something for just about any taste at Jazz Under the Stars. Bring a picnic and enjoy a feast of jazz new and old, with three big bands on stage for one night only.
Head to wayjo.com/whats-on for WAYJO's events calendar and bookings. Don’t delay, as tickets are still limited.
CANCELLED - A Golden Era of Jazz on Film - Toshi Clinch
PLEASE NOTE: In response to COVID-19 restrictions, WAYJO sadly announce cancellation of this show.
Ticket holders for the show will receive a full refund from Perth Theatre Trust.
If you can, please consider a ticket refund or other donation to WAYJO at wayjo.com/support
Full statement: wayjo.com/covid-19-concert-cancellations
We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and hope to see you at another WAYJO performance in the near future.
The great Hollywood era of the 1950’s and 1960’s gave us some of the most memorable movie themes and soundtracks by the biggest names in music.
Melbourne composer and bassist Toshi Clinch has reimagined works by Quincy Jones, Lalo Schifrin, Henry Mancini, John Williams and more.
For a night that will take you back to a time when Netflix wasn’t a thing and chillin’ was something you would do to your martini glass before serving.
Toshi visits us from Melbourne thanks to WAYJO’s 2020 Guest Artist Partner, the Minderoo Foundation
Photograph of Toshi by Sam Meakin
WAYJO presents A Golden Era of Jazz on Film
featuring bassist Toshi Clinch and WAYJO MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra, plus WAYJO Tuesday Night Orchestra
Fri 2 October, 7.30pm & Sat 3 October, 3.00pm & 7.30pm
Downstairs at The Maj | His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth
Tickets from Perth Theatre Trust
WAYJO Holds a Royal Flush of Sellout Shows
In a time where pandemic shutdowns are causing the blues, jazz seems to reign supreme with Perth ticket buyers.
The West Australia Youth Jazz Orchestra (WAYJO) sold out not one but two shows at His Majesty’s Theatre in just 17 days. This will be the second big band show presented by the orchestra since pandemic venue restrictions were lifted in WA.
A Night of Jazz Royalty takes a stroll through the kingdom of jazz, with two big bands presenting works by the finest names in the genre. King Oliver presided over New Orleans in the early 1900s. The Duke and The Count developed big band music into the sound we hear today. Benny Goodman, the King of Swing, ruled with an iron clarinet over the 1930s, while Ella Fitzgerald was crowned the Queen of Jazz with a career spanning six decades.
WAYJO’s MinterEllison Monday Night & Tuesday Night Orchestras will pay their respects to Jazz Royalty before sold out crowds Friday 23 & Saturday 24 October.
Once a historic Perth jazz venue known as the Greenwich Club, Downstairs at The Maj has recently undergone renovations, making it a special way to experience the big band sound.
Ricki Malet, Musical Director of the WAYJO MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra, is thrilled this band have the opportunity to debut before full audiences; “It’s so great that we could salvage some performances out of the year. The band have worked really hard over lockdown and since rehearsals started back at the end of July. We’re really excited to be able to showcase them at this amazing venue.”
If you missed out on this show, WAYJO’s Tuesday and Wednesday Night Orchestras hit the stage Thursday 17 September with Isolation Emancipation: Songs of Isolation & Freedom at Lyric’s Underground in Maylands. Tickets are on sale through Oztix, and anticipated to sell out soon.
WAYJO are also hosting the Live @ The Underground Sunday Sessions at the venue, featuring a guest jazz ensemble followed by an open jazz jam. The sessions run first Sunday of the month until December.
For more on WAYJO and what’s on, head to wayjo.com/season – just don’t wait too long to book your next tickets!
CANCELLED - Come Together - Andrew Murray & Mace Francis
PLEASE NOTE: In response to COVID-19 restrictions, WAYJO sadly announce cancellation of this show.
Ticket holders for the show will receive a full refund from Perth Theatre Trust.
If you can, please consider a ticket refund or other donation to WAYJO at wayjo.com/support
Full statement: wayjo.com/covid-19-concert-cancellations
We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and hope to see you at another WAYJO performance in the near future.
* A World Premiere, commissioned by WAYJO *
What happens when two big band tragics get to write new music for the MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra?
We don’t know either, but we are excited! Our artistic director Mace Francis and alumni Andrew Murray will bring MNO new music fresh off the press!
Expect bombastic brass, swirling saxophones and a raucous rhythm section. The music is fun, joyful, and a great way to celebrate this wonderful young band as led by WAM Award winner Ricki Malet.
Andrew visits us from Melbourne thanks to WAYJO’s 2020 Guest Artist Partner, the Minderoo Foundation
Photograph of Andrew by Josh Braidner
WAYJO presents Come Together
featuring Andrew Murray, Mace Francis, and the WAYJO MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra
Fri 3 June, 7.30pm & Sat 4 June, 3.00pm & 7.30pm
Downstairs at The Maj | His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth
Tickets from Perth theatre Trust
CANCELLED - Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom
PLEASE NOTE: In response to COVID-19, WAYJO sadly announce cancellation of Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom.
Ticket holders for this show; Perth Theatre Trust will process a full refund back to the credit card making the purchase, and be in touch with those who paid by cash or other methods.
You do not need to do anything.
Please allow up to 15 business days for the refund to be processed.
If you can, please consider a ticket refund or other donation to WAYJO at https://wayjo.com/support
Full statement: https://wayjo.com/covid-19-concert-cancellations
We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and hope to see you at another WAYJO performance in the near future.
One of Perth’s lost treasures, for over 50 years the Embassy Ballroom hosted hundreds of performances by the cream of WA’s entertainers and performers, as well as sublime international guest artists.
Kicking off our Homegrown season, WAYJO will whisk you back to a bygone era of style and glamour with the most beloved big band jazz music of its time.
Special guest vocalists Victoria Newton and Anita Wardell will join all three of WAYJO’s famed orchestras to croon, swing and melt your heart.
Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom
with the WAYJO MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra, Tuesday & Wednesday Night Orchestras, plus very special guests Anita Wardell & Victoria Newton
Fri 27 Mar, 7.30pm
His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth
Tickets only from Perth Theatre Trust
WAYJO Kicks off 2020 with a Tribute to the Embassy Ballroom
PLEASE NOTE: In response to COVID-19, WAYJO sadly announce cancellation of Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom.
Ticket holders for this show; Perth Theatre Trust will process a full refund back to the credit card making the purchase, and be in touch with those who paid by cash or other methods.
You do not need to do anything.
Please allow up to 15 business days for the refund to be processed.
If you can, please consider a ticket refund or other donation to WAYJO at https://wayjo.com/support
Full statement: https://wayjo.com/covid-19-concert-cancellations
We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and hope to see you at another WAYJO performance in the near future.
One of Perth’s lost treasures, for over 50 years the Embassy Ballroom hosted hundreds of performances by the cream of WA’s entertainers and performers, as well as sublime international guest artists.
Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom, on the main stage of His Majesty’s Theatre Friday 27 March, will whisk you back to a bygone era of style and glamour with the most beloved big band jazz music of its time.
Special guest vocalists Victoria Newton and Anita Wardell join all three of WAYJO’s famed orchestras at His Majesty’s Theatre to croon, swing and melt your heart. These two vocalists, who were singing together in London during the 1990s, will entertain you with their style, vocal virtuosity and humour.
Victoria Newton states “I am so looking forward to the ‘Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom’ show because I get to work with the phenomenon that is WAYJO. The bands are so brilliant and it’s always such a joy to sing with their magnificent sound and swinging grooves behind you!”
“I can’t wait for this show” says Anita Wardell. “I’m so looking forward to making music with the amazing WAYJO orchestra and together share this wonderful art form with the audience… What an honour for me to sing with that lush and super swinging sound behind me.”
Tickets for this, and all season shows, are on sale now at Perth Theatre Trust.
For more information on WAYJO’s 2020 season, please visit wayjo.com/season
#WAYJO2020
Opened as ‘Temple Court Cabaret and Tea Rooms’ in 1928, it was located corner of William St & The Esplanade in Perth until 1982.
City of Perth’s Fred Flood Photograph Collection.
State Library of Western Australia image: slwa_b3010984_9.
WAYJO Announces 2020 Season with an All-Australian Guest Artist Program
The West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra (WAYJO) launches its 2020 season, Homegrown, celebrating the depth of talent Australia has produced in the jazz scene, with a suite of Australian guest artists in an exciting program.
After a 2019 focus on the birthplace of jazz, the USA, featuring numerous sell-out performances, WAYJO brings a stunning array of Australian artists from interstate and abroad to perform with the company’s three 18-piece jazz big bands. As part of the Homegrown season, WAYJO have also commissioned a number of new compositions, presenting the World Premiere of nearly three hours of new music.
WAYJO recognises the importance of showcasing Australian musicians and the successes of over 35 years of WAYJO alumni on the Australian and international scenes. Our vision to “build the future of Australian jazz” is the cornerstone rationale behind the 2020 program, offering outstanding opportunities for young Western Australian musicians and providing WAYJO’s growing audience with fresh perspectives and experiences.
Homegrown kicks off with a tribute to one of Perth’s legendary and much missed venues, with Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom. From 1928 to 1982, the Embassy hosted many of Perth’s swinging jazz legends as well as artists from across the ocean, and WAYJO will remind nostalgic audiences of the music of those years on the main stage at His Majesty’s Theatre. Featuring all three of WAYJO’s big bands and guest vocalists Anita Wardell & Victoria Newton this will be a concert event for young and old alike.
Jazz at The Maj returns from May to October, featuring stunning concerts in the beautifully intimate Downstairs at The Maj. The season begins in May with WAYJO welcoming vocalist Kristin Berardi (Qld) in Polka Dots and Moonbeams. Kristin wowed Perthaudiences at the 2019 Perth International Jazz Festival with her sensuous voice and joins the WAYJO Tuesday Night Orchestra.
In June, WAYJO is proud to present a true legend of Australian jazz, pianist Judy Bailey (NSW) to perform My Favourite Things. A force of nature, Judy joins the WAYJO Wednesday Night Orchestra, Perth’s premiere big band in performing new jazz composition, for two unmissable concerts.
July sees WAYJO debuting our first major commissions for 2020. WAYJO alumni Andrew Murray (Vic) joins Artistic Director Dr Mace Francis to present Come Together. For the first time, the WAYJO MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra will perform works composed specifically for this ensemble, a rare challenge for the most junior WAYJO band. However, with well-known music like The Beatles’ “Come Together” receiving a whole new jazz arrangement audiences are sure to be surprised and enchanted in this World Premiere event.
One of WAYJO’s recent success stories, Alana Macpherson, alumna and former WAYJO Assistant Music Director, joins WAYJO in September for the second major commission of the year, All or Nothing At All. Alana, 2018 WAM Award winner as Best Brass/String/Woodwind Instrumentalist, studies her Masters of Jazz Composition at the MUG University of Music and Performing Arts, Austria, and brings her saxophone and composing skills to bear with the Wednesday Night Orchestra.
Toshi Clinch (Vic) offers his unique arrangements of classic Hollywood films to WAYJO in October to close out the Jazz at The Maj season with A Golden Age of Jazz on Film. Following the success of WAYJO’s 2019 concerts, Jazz at the Movies, these reimagined works of Quincy Jones, John Williams and more will be a family favourite.
WAYJO’s guest artist program is proudly supported by the Minderoo Foundation in their second year of partnership with WAYJO.
Punctuating the Homegrown season will be the return of the King Street Corner Pocket Jazz Festival in 2020. Showcasing the depth of talent in Western Australia, over 50 performances by the state’s emerging and established jazz acts will feature across the three days of the Festival. From big band to smaller intimate ensembles and solo musicians, King Street Corner Pocket is the most accessible and fun way to see multiple acts in the same night in easy walking distance. WAYJO will also present The Debut Collection during the Festival, featuring commissioned works from the company’s Composer-in-Residence program. King Street Corner Pocket is supported by the City of Perth.
The sell-out Jazz for Juniors returns as part of WAYJO’s ongoing Act-Belong-Commit education program, which also features dedicated schools concerts Downstairs at The Maj, and South-West and Geraldton Regional Tours.
Homegrown continues WAYJO’s focus on supporting the growth of jazz in the State and furthering the representation of female artists, with five of the seven guest artists programmed outstanding women in the field.
WAYJO’s 2019 season saw continued audience growth, with the Jazz at the Maj season reaching 92% of ticketed capacity, a 10% increase in audiences at Corner Pocket, and box office targets exceeded by 12%.
WAYJO is the small company that has WA’s arts community buzzing, with an exciting 2020 on the horizon.
WAYJO 2020 Season Overview
His Majesty’s Theatre
Swinging at the Embassy Ballroom
Featuring Anita Wardell and Victoria Newton
March 27
Downstairs at The Maj
"Jazz at The Maj"
Polka Dots and Moonbeams
Featuring Kristin Berardi
May 1 & 2
My Favourite Things
Featuring Judy Bailey
June 5 & 6
Come Together (World Premiere)
Featuring Andrew Murray and Mace Francis
July 3 & 4
All or Nothing At All
Featuring Alana Macpherson
September 4 & 5
A Golden Age of Jazz on Film
Featuring Toshi Clinch
October 2 & 3
Jazz for Juniors
April 14-15, July 7-8, September 29-30
King Street Corner Pocket Jazz Festival
Various Venues around King and Hay Streets, Perth – July 30 to August 1
WAYJO 2020 Sponsors
Government Partner Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries & Lotterywest
Principal Partner North West Shelf Gas
Guest Artist Partner The Minderoo Foundation
Education and Regional Tour Partner Healthway
Naming Rights Partner Monday Night Orchestra MinterEllison
Major Partner St John of God Health Care
Offical Partner Gerard Daniels
Hotel Partner InterContinental City Centre Perth
Festival Partner City of Perth
Venue Partners His Majesty’s Theatre & West Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Supporting Partners Minuteman Press Perth, City of Perth Parking, ActivIT & RTR FM 92.1
Media Contact
Simon Keen, WAYJO General Manager
simon.keen@wayjo.com
0407 990 483