The Spinach Song 2:12 Su Cruickshank The Diva Swings 2008  sadly Su Cruickshank passed away last week.

 Su Cruickshank started singing in London in what she called "sleazy jazz dives" and then flew from obscurity to oblivion in Newcastle.

Since 1979 Su's career had encompassed nearly every facet of the performing arts, from being a regular guest on the nation's top rated variety shows as a singer and comedian to a featured actress in films Yahoo Serious's mother, a radio presenter, guest roles in both dramatic and comedic in TV soaps plus numerous major roles in TV commercials. Su was a featured guest on The Midday Show with Ray Martin and was in constant demand to guest on TV variety shows. The Daily Telegraph bestowed on her the title "Queen of Jazz" after her masterly hosting of the "Midsummer Jazz in the Domain" concert which attracted over 60,000 enthusiastic fans.

Releases played on BAYFM 99.9 by Helen Simons on Q's Jazz n' Blues 2009

2009 ARIA NOMINEES - BEST JAZZ ALBUM

Dale Barlow, George Coleman Jr, Mark Fitzgibbon, Sam Anning

TREAT ME GENTLY

Kate Ceberano/Mark Ishman

BITTERSWEET

Katie Noonan (winner)

BLACKBIRD

Mark Isaacs Resurgence Band

TELL IT LIKE IT IS

Michelle Nicolle

THE LOVELIEST NIGHT

2009 Limelight Best Jazz Achievement Finalists

Dale Barlow, George Coleman Jr, Mark Fitzgibbon, Sam Anning

TREAT ME GENTLY

Jonathon Zwartz

The Sea

Tina Harrod

Worksongs

Tom O’Halloran Trio

We Happy Few

Michelle Nicole

Loveliest Night

BEST BLUES & ROOTS ALBUM

C.W. Stoneking

Jungle Blues

2009 November/ December JazzXpress  Trax

SONG                                             ARTIST                                                               CD

Lush Life                                        Freddie King                                              Diggin Deep                 

I Thought About You                    Sandie White                                         Wild October Gladness

Sweet Dreams                             Janette Mason                                          Alien Left Hand          

Only The Righteous                Bill Kings Rhythm Express                            Beat Street        

Night Life                           Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis                    Two Men With The Blues [Live]                 

Liebertango                           Caroline Nin                                                    Scarlet Stories        

Bad Influence                         Joe Coughlin                                              Low Down West Broadway

Fortuna                                    Roni Ben-Hur                                                   Fortuna                 

Night Butterfly                         Olga Osipova                                              Velvet & Lace                 

I Feel the Earth Move              Tony DeSare                                            Last First Kiss

Who's Hurting Now?              Candi Staton                                            Who's Hurting Now?

 No Penny  Tax                David  Heckendorn                                     Wondering Where You' ve Gone

Valio la Pena                        Brenda Earle                                                  Songs For A New Day

Crawfish & Gumbo                 Lynne Arriale                                                  Nuance        

NONCHALANCE                   DANIEL DOMENGE                                       PATCHWORK        

Celebrate the Holidays             Cagle & Nash featuring DANIEL DOMENGE                 

Birthday Suit                              Zac Hurren Trio                                                 Exordium        

Burnin           Jackie Orszaczky With Hamish Stuart & Dave Symes           Ready To Listen        

Move On                                Tina Harrod                           Temporary People        

Congo Square                        Syncopators                           Congo Square

Dreamers                                The Hipstones                           Dreamers        

Nightlight                                Megan Washington And Sean Foran                 Nightlight

Straighten Up And Fly Right                  Vince Jones                                     Virtue The Best Of 

Mood Indigo                                            Daniel Weltlinger Trio                 Sweet Chorus        

If The Stars Were Mine                           Melody Gardot                                 My One And Only Thrill        

Feelin’ Groovy                                Joe Chindamo Trio                        Plays The Paul Simon Songbook        

Cry No More                                          Diana Clark                                          Selections

Singin' A Cappella                          The Idea Of North                                      Here & Now        

In Love In Vain                                   Lauren Lucille & Toby Wren                  Orange Blossoms

Old Country                                                Dan Barnett                                          Little Green Men        

Down. Down. Down.                                  Flap!                                                      Flap!        

The Waters                                          Judy Campbell's Mosaic                     Waters Of Kenya        

Walkin'                                                   AFRO DIZZY ACT                                   Walkin'        

Palmeiros Do Sul                   The View From Madelaine's Couch            Casa Da Boa Vida        

Blackbird                                                    Katie Noonan                   Blackbird: The Music Of Lennon And McCartney        

Key To The Door                                         Fogg                                                 Key 2 The Door        

Rhythm Gitan                                Ewan MacKenzie & Kay Sullivan                Rhythm Gitan        

I Wish I'd Lived When Django Did            Nina Vox                               I Wish I'd Lived When Django Did - Single        

Bushwalk                   Dale Barlow, George Coleman Jr, Mark Fitzgibbon, Sam Anning         TREAT ME GENTLY

Comes Love                                               Tina Harrod                                         WORKSONGS        

Just One Of Those Things                     Ingrid James & John Reeves         Circumflex        

Umlaut                                                      The Toby Wren Trio                           Umlaut        

Just Squeeze Me                              James Sherlock And Kristin Berardi         James Sherlock and Kristin Berardi

Floating Cloud, Flowing Water              Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra        The Mothership Plays The Music Of Mike Nock        

Smoked Oysters                                  The Catholics                           Choice        

So Sue Me                                           Nina Vox                                        The Shape Of You        

No Its Not                                              Tim Stevens Trio                             MICKETS        

2009 November/December  Blues Trax

Song  Artist                                         CD

Port Street Blues (Live)                      Jon Cleary                                   Mo Hippa Live        

Sing It                  Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas & Tracy Nelson                  Sing It!

Aint Nobodys Business But My Own (Live In Chicago)  Taj Mahal   18thBluesfest, Byron Bay, 2007                                            

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For         Marva Wright         I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For...        

Dueling Banjos                                  Steel String Session                                   Ocoe Road                

If He Moves His Lips                       Shemekia Copeland                                     Wicked        

The Bourgeois Blues                          Taj Mahal                                                      Blues                          

Drop a Little Sugar in my Bowl                Pugsley Buzzard                      Chicago Typewriter        

I'm Not Getting Older                                  Candye Kane                           Whole Lotta Love        

Basin Street Blues                       Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis         Two Men With The Blues [Live]

 Big Legged Mamas Are Back In Style Again         Taj Mahal         An Evening Of Acoustic Music

Mary Ann                                           Phantom Blues Band                       Out of the Shadows        

Ocean Of Tears                                     Ruthie Foster                           Stages [Live]        

Make A Better World                     The Blind Boys Of Alabama         Down In New Orleans

Love Maker                            Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas & Tracy Nelson                Sing It!

Everyday I Have the Blues                  Jimmy Rushing                          Everyday I Have the Blues

Green Onions                                 Booker T. & The MG's                      Stax Gold-Memphis Hits        

Free At Last                             The Blind Boys Of Alabama                Down In New Orleans

Love Me Like A Man                           Karrin Allyson                                    In Blue        

Rainy Day Blues                          Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis         Two Men With The Blues [Live]        

My Baby Cooks         Fiona Boyes And The Fortune Tellers                     Live In Atlanta        

Just Say Goodby                       D'Abruzzo                                            Live At The Basement        

Latin Trax

Choro Da Neve                        Hendrik Meurkens                            Sambatropolis           

Samba do Carioca                Silvio Cesar and Meirelles                 Gilles Peterson Back In Brazil           

Donde Estas, Yolanda?            Pink Martini                                       Sympathique

Agua Dulce (Cool-Ade)            Cal Tjader                              Brown Sugar - Welcome To The Basement

E Com Esse Que Eu Vou                Karrin Allyson                             Imagina - Songs Of Brasil

Mar Desconocido                                    Pink Martini                                    Hey Eugene!           

Brazilian Sunset                          Various Artists                                      Hot Brazilan Jazz

Flight                                            ARTURO O'FARRILL                     Wonderful Discovery           

What is this thing called love  Yolanda Duke & The Tito Puente Orch.      Many Moods           

427 Rhythm Street                Bill Kings Rhythm Express                                  Beat Street           

The Festival                                 The Christine Spero Group                      The Spanish Dream

About to Explode                        Omar Alexander                                               Boom Shiva           

Crazy Latin                                     Tijuana Cartel                                                They Come           

Frontera                                                   ZONE                                                         Gimali

You're Fine                                      Alex Wilson                                                Salsa Con Soul           

Breathe In                                      Omar Alexander                                          Boom Shiva

Echale Fuego                           Watussi                                                     Tequila Sangre Fuego

Caridad                                      Gloria Estefan                                                  90 Millas           

Bugz in Attic                                   Sounds Like                                     Gilles Peterson Back In Brazil        

Samba Em Preludio                 Esperanza Spalding                                                    Esperanza        

Cuarto De Colores                    Edmar Castaneda                                                    Cuarto De Colores        

Que Sería La Vida                         Brian Lynch                                                          Simpático

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps         Lila Downs                                                        Border        

2009  FEATURED RELEASES INCLUDE:

McGann                                      Solar                           Rufus

Deserted Downtown              Tatrai-Orzaczky              Darshan

Turning Arrows Into Flowers    Nadene Pita           www.myspace.com/nadenepita

The Prophet                  Jopseph Tawadros    www.josephtawadros.com

The Colours of Kenya    Judy Campbell's Mosaic with Bandika Ngao and 

Waters of Kenya               www.jcmosaic.com.au

Rue de Cotte               Paris Dreaming      www.parisdreaming.com.au and

Out Of Nowwhere      Ewan Mackenzie and Swing Manouche

circumflex                Ingrid James & John Reeves       Newmarket

The Fantastic Terrifc Munkle  Music to Dance To         Jazzgroove

International releases include:

Jazz Around The World           Putumayo Presents 

Just Say So              John Harden Project     www.johnhardenproject.com

Jazz Prologo              Guily Modesti-Alle Montecchi www.allemontecchi.com

LIBRA                                  Tim Garland                       Global Mix

Dreamsville                          Carol Kidd                           LINN

Lyn's Une                              Alyn Cosker                       LINN

Just Like A Woman               Barb Jungr                        LINN

Lost in Dream                       Curtis Stigers                    Concord

Live in Melbourne 2008       Lulo Reinhardt                  Planetmuzic   

The Sicilian jazz project       Michael Occhipinti            TrueNorth

 In a Dream                            Gretchen Parlato             ObliqSound

After The Big Rain                  Avisha Cohen                  ANZIC records

JAZZ BATA                            Chucho Valdez Trio           Malanga

2009 December Releases

 the gathering – is the highly anticipated new release from pianist/composer Stu Hunter.

 A stunning and compelling sensory journey of dynamic themes and sweeping improvisations featuring some of Australia’s most creative musicians. Written and performed as a suite, this is an hour of music to feed the imagination and replenish the soul.

 The debut performance of the gathering at the Sydney Opera House in late 2008 received an instantaneous standing ovation from those who witnessed it.  John Shand - Sydney Morning Herald

 Pianist/composer Stu Hunter is such a dark horse he makes Black Beauty look grey. Following his acclaimed debut CD, The Muse, last year, he unveiled a new suite with saxophonists Matt Keegan and Julien Wilson, trombonist/ trumpeter James Greening, bassist Cameron Undy and Barker. The results across a kaleidoscopic 70 minutes were triumphant, thanks to the improvisation and Hunter's steadfast structural instincts. Highlights included incendiary tenor solos over a loping groove, an eerie soundscape of flitting shadows, and solo piano of rigorous beauty. After a hint of tango and an opulent Undy solo, Greening splattered pocket trumpet across the other horns. Barker's drum solo washed in and out like the ocean, and the drurns converged on a blazing theme to close. This piece could top the bill of any arts festival.

 'B3MADNESS' revisited JXC featuring HONKOLOGY

When I last spoke to Nicole Thorne about her debut release I was thrilled to say the least. Nicole was recovering from breast cancer at the time and shortly after she told me that she was in full recovery. Now with her pending second release Honkology I can only start ringing those bells for this talented and brave musician. What awaits the listener will be pure magic!

Love that Hammond B3

Helen Simons

Helen Simons talks to Nicole Thorne ’B3Madness’ on FM99.3

A rare breed in Australia in the Hammond B3 jazz organ field. Nicole Thorne is one of the very few females in this country to have taken on this giant of instruments made famous by American players such as Jimmy Smith,Joey de Fransceco, Dr Lonnie Smith, Rhoda Scott , Shirley Scott (wife of Stanley Turrentine), Javon Jackson, & Larry Goldings. 

What's special about this new Australian release Hammond B3Madness is the excellent original compositions and standards performed by Nicole who is supported by two outstanding musicians- Nick Pearce on alto sax and Gary Devine on drums.

Nicole brings all her piano influences and extensive use of the organ foot pedal bass to her playing.

This makes for a very exciting contemporary jazz performance whilst acknowledging some of the great organ trio's of the last century.

 Bring it on B3Madness long overdue!

 'Honkology' is being pressed as you are reading. It's finally finished! This album is very different to the first. The music being arranged by Nicole. The album was created as a direct result of Nicole experiencing breast cancer. Each song was written at various stages of Nicole's journey and reflects how she felt at the time.  

There are 11 tracks on the album all bar one are composed by Nicole. Each song is very different in style with a BeBop, Bossa, Funk, Boogaloo,Samba, Ballad, Waltz,  Blues and contempory music. There is a song for everybody on the album and a wonderful story behind it's creation. All tunes were recorded 'live' and have a variety of different instruments on each track. Special guests include Andrew Bradsworth on guitar, Budi Winarto on Tenor, Graeme Steel on Trumpet and Wesley Mowson on Trombone. 

 Anyone who has experienced cancer or knows someone close to them who has had cancer will appreciate the music and on this album. If you are interested in purchasing the album please forward your interest in an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

They will be selling for $25 Australian dollars with $5 from each purchase being donated to the Think Pink Foundation who support women living with breast cancer emotionally, physically and financially.

A date for the CD launch will be announced soon and CD's will be made available to purchase online. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

McGann Solar released on RUFUS Records www.rufusrecords .com.au

2 CD Live Set

Bern McGann alto saxophone; Roger Manins  tenor saxophone; Lloyd Swanton acoustic bass; & John Pochee drums .

This is everything you could want from a live jazz performance, great McGann original tunes , superb  heated saxophone solos from the New Zealand tenor sax player Roger Manins  with McGann  leading the way, along with the superb rhythm team of bassist Lloyd Swanton & John Pochee on drums. Warwick Adler also provides some of the very best trumpet  work on the album with his flying runs, and  high energy repetitions.