The Jazz Factory
Classic Jazz from
Noosa, Queensland, Australia.

Tuesday November 20, 2012

The boys "ham it up" with Legend Graeme Bell! The "mob" at the old Maroochydore Pub. Sadly now a "boutique" venue. Greg When you want genuine music--music that will come right home to you like a bad quarter, suffuse your system like strychnine whisky, go right through you like Brandreth's pills, remify your whole constitution like the measles, and break out on your hide like the pin-feather pimples on a picked goose, when you want all this, just smash your piano, and invoke the glory-beaming banjo! Mark Twain - "Enthusiastic Eloquence," San Francisco Dramatic Chronicle, 6/23/1865

The Jazz Factory is based on the Sunshine Coast Noosa Australia. Phone Richard on 54475179 or 0418195123 The Jazz Factory Based in Noosa Heads Queensland, the band is in demand for festivals, corporate work and private functions, having performed at the QPAC, Jimbour House Dalby, Southbank Piazza, Bellingen Jazz Festival, The Marina Mirage Jazz Festival, Bribie Island Jazz Weekend, Brisbane Jazz Club Carnival, Magnetic Island Jazz Festival, Alice Springs, Noosa Jazz Festival, Norfolk Island Jazz Festival, Dubbo Jazz Festival and The Gold Coast Jazz Festival. From the Gold Coast to Townsville, the boys are likely to pop up anywhere, as far afield as Sydney, The Hunter Valley, Lismore or the Pioneer Festival and Agricultural Show at Nanango. The "Factory" broke historic ground being the first Queensland based traditional band  to tour South, visiting Merimbula and Melbourne. The band  appearing at Caulfield RSL, The Victorian Jazz Club and Kyneton "Jazz By The Riverside". In May and June 2008, the band toured Europe playing at the Dresden Dixieland Jazz Festival, Berlin, Apeldoorn, Holland and Sothern England. The Band uses a wide range of material with over 600 songs in its repertoire. Whether conducting a sing along whilst strolling through one of Noosa's best restaurants in Hastings St., playing their now famous weekly Jazz Cruise every Tuesday on the Noosa River or giving a concert for thousands at festivals, the Jazz Factory gives every performance their best. They have played on planes, boats, mountaintop weddings, hardware stores and on the back of a truck! Like a good red wine this band travels well! The Jazz Factory draws its inspiration from an earlier era of love songs, rip roaring jazz and great fun times. If you like Louis Armstrong, Irving Berlin and Duke Ellington, you will love this band! Two of the band members sing so you won't go short of some great vocals. One of the great delights of this band is the clean sound and harmonic balance achieved by the musician's compatibility, no doubt partially as a result of the many gigs played together. If your venue has a “noise problem” the band plays acoustically (no electricity at all) however they are at home with a PA set up and have performed at large outdoor concerts. The basic band line-up is a quartet …. Ian Denovan: Trumpet, cornet, vocal Paul Williams Trombone Clarinet and tenor sax Greg Garrett: Banjo, vocal Richard Stevens: Sousaphone and leader. We often include additional players for events with a larger budget. Recording Samples "1919 March" "Oh Miss Hanna" " Struttin With Some BBQ" "CUBA" "Get Out And Get Under The Moon" Odd Spot THE SEATED DUCK To be a solo pianist it helps to be a schmuck, For no sagacious fellow wants to be a sitting duck. A seated duck would be perhaps a better turn of phrase, for someone in the spotlight under everybody’s gaze. And that includes the barman and the waiters who agree, Your hours are too short (they think your paid some splendid fee) Tonight the gigs in Kensington, the piano is painted white; You know that’s camouflage - it means the damn thing got blight. You stroke the keys, two notes are dead and both the pedals squeak The treble is way out of tune the action’s up the creek But now it’s time to set about that keyboard’s broken grin Which complements your phoney smile already wearing thin. You sit and from this moment on, you’re everybody’s, but. The bores, the drunks, the know-alls, and of course the local nut. You kick off with some ballads, bossas, evergreens and blues, Forget your soul - you’re only here to help them sell the booze You amble through some standards ”Soon” and ”Have you met miss Jones?” A punter lurches up and asks for something by the Stones. You roll the blues, play ”Lover Man” & ”Here’s that rainy day” ”The BEATLES!” someone bellows, so you trot out ”Yesterday” You’ve memorised a thousand songs? Ye Gods that’s not good enough! You don’t know Elton’s latest hit? you must be pretty duff! Requests come up for “Small Hotel”, for “Stardust” and “Blue Moon” But when you improvise they say: “He doesn’t know the tune!” You’re bugged by boogie woogie buffs and singers who can’t sing And ragtime freaks who somehow always ask you to play the Sting But really all you need to know are “Misty” and “Take Five”, “As time goes by” and “Summertime” in order to survive) Some nights the punters love you and your playing seems inspired: They hang onto yore every note; it’s nice to be admired On other nights you’d swear you’ve got two fingers and eight thumbs It’s time like this you’ll wish you had support from bass and drums A fan comes up and bend your ears (he’s into self-expression) You sigh and mumble platitudes with well rehearsed discretion “Is jazz a craft or art?” he asks, “a thing of brain or heart?” He means well, tell him “jazz is craft, but getting work is art!” Last night you were in Newcastle, next week you’re off to Rome While bills and small buff envelopes accumulate at home So why not quit, and take a job from nine to five instead? Or does it sound a bit too much like working