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As part of the Modern Masters series, there is an extraordinary double bill featuring vocalist Norma Winstone and the Kurt Rosenwinkel Standards Trio at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Saturday June 11, 2011. 

The trio of Norma Winstone (vocals), Glauco Venier (piano) and Klaus Gesing (saxophone, bass clarinet) are appearing in Australia for the very first time to perform music from their latest release Stories Yet To Tell. 

London-born vocalist Norma Winstone has had a long and illustrious career, from first attracting attention in the late sixties when she shared the bill at Ronnie Scott’s club with Roland Kirk to being awarded an MBE in the Queens birthday honours list of 2007. This trio has been performing together over the last 10 years and their previous release Distances was a Grammy nomination as Jazz Vocal CD of 2008.

A native of Philadelphia, guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel gained a reputation in the New York jazz scene as an innovative bandleader, composer and improvisor.  Since 2003 he has been living in Europe, most recently as a tenured professor and teacher at the Jazz Institute of Berlin.  In this appearance at the 2011 Melbourne International Jazz Festival, he will be joined by Eric Revis (Bass) and Justin Faulkner (drums).  

If you would like to be in the running to win one of five double passes to this wonderful evening, courtesy of Jazztrack with Mal Stanley, just tell us: Why do jazz vocalists improve with age? 

The most expressive answers will win the tickets.

Please note that the prize is tickets to the show only, you must be able to make it to the venue.

This competition closed on Thursday April 21, 2011.

Mal has selected these five entries to win tickets:

Ruth Quinn 
Can't just be experience, it must be the pickling effect of good red wine quaffed in dark smoky rooms full of good music!

Annie Rose
Jazz vocalists improve with age due to several reasons including increased repertoire, improved vocal ability, more experience expressing themselves (e.g. tone, vibrato) and better ability to improvise.

Annieke Griersmith 
Well i would aliken an 'aged' jazz vocalist to a wine that tastes better with age...but that sounds a bit cliche, so instead i'll aliken them to a cheese...that tastes better with age!  However, it is important to note that the reason jazz vocalists improve with age is not because they should be kept in a cellar like wine/cheese until they reach their prime maturity, BUT instead jazz vocalists improve with age, reaching maturity via experience. I.e- being locked away in a cellar is not the best thing for a jazz vocalist- and i would not personally recommend this unless your aim is to drive them insane. Hence, the metaphor of cheese and wine is practically rendered useless now in my argument.
So, let me just conclude that experience over time can result in improvement in vocal ability, ability to express oneself and a better repertoire- therefore overall resulting in a prime, mature jazz vocalist who has 'come of age'.

Bernadette Griersmith 
I-(they can) improvise better
M- musically talented
P- passionate about Jazz and performing
R- respectful of mentors (e.g Ella Fitzgerald) and peers
O- open to new ideas (e.g experimental Jazz)
V- versatile with repertoire and reading music
E- experienced and eager to share their passion

Christine Levy 
Jazz vocalists do improve with age, one of the advantages of advancing years is the courage to do things your way, to depart from the normal standards, and to do it now, I beleive there is a devil may care attitude with mature confident singers, who are so familiar with the music that they feel comfortable with giving voice to the notes in between, with dancing along the stave, and exploring the meanings of songs from the rumbling soul notes in the lower register to the "still got it" triumph of the glorious highs! As singers gain more experience in this lifetime, they can and do breathe their pain and wisdom into their unique renditions, which can, should and do evolve from one sharing performance to the next. I listented to Norma Winstone's discography and could hear that richness developing, I would live a chance to hear her now, in the current trio.

Feature Type: 

• Competition

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• Melbourne International Jazz Festival

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• Norma Winstone
• Kurt Rosenwinkel

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