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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-05-18 Daily Xml
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GENERATIONS IN JAZZ

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:32): On the first weekend in May it was my honour to represent the Premier at the 2011 Generations in Jazz in Mount Gambier. This fantastic annual music festival hosted 90 bands from all over Australia, which meant over 2,000 young musicians had gathered, with their musical directors as well as family and supporters. In his message, the Premier acknowledged the amazing work of the Generations in Jazz board, led by executive officer Karyn Roberts, and the organising committee, as well as the hundreds of volunteers who make the weekend a fabulous experience for everybody.

Sponsors include the City of Mount Gambier, Yamaha, the Evans family, who look after the James Morrison jazz scholarships, Scott Petroleum, The Barn Palais, run by the marvellous Cleves family, the District Council of Grant and OGR, Pat Corrigan's Musicians Scholarship Trust, Hansen Print, Hyland Fox signs, Chapman's Newsagency, Baxter Hire, Genesis Creative, Joannes Express Espresso and Green Triangle Electronics. They all make sure the weekend is absolutely fantastic.

I am indebted to Mr Graham Greenwood for his book on Dale Cleves, telling the story of Dale's life of music and 50 years at The Barn—truly a landmark in the South-East and now internationally known. While I am a relative newcomer to Generations in Jazz, now only in my 12th year of attendance, it is good to finally know the full commitment and driving force Dale continues to be. His love of music and musical expertise have led to an event that grows stronger every year.

The Premier also spoke of this year's internationally regarded guests. James Morrison and his band, Emma Pask, and the amazing Idea of North were joined by the Grammy award winner and internationally acclaimed Mr Gordon Goodwin. Much more youthful than his CV would indicate, his presence added another dimension to the experience. We also heard from the many wonderful instrumental and vocal scholarship contenders and previous winners.

Each evening (Friday and Saturday) and a Sunday matinee, we were all treated to a concert beyond par and the general public are able to share the occasion which they are doing in even greater numbers each year. Judges play a vital role and have a very difficult task each year over four divisions, with division 3 so large it is in two sections now. It is important to acknowledge the role of James Morrison and Gordon Goodwin, who looked after division 1, Graham Lyall, Bill Broughton—a US expat, and his wife Jan, who I am proud to say, are Florey residents—and Mr Ross Irwin, who did a great job as MC this year.

Division 1 winners were South Australia's own Marryatville High School, who deserve our hearty congratulations in a very tough category, which it has previously won, maintaining a very strong rivalry with Victoria's Wesley College, which was last year's winner.

South Australian public schools are well represented in the competition with, among others, Woodville High School, Brighton Secondary School, and my very own Modbury High School, who performed fantastically and came seventh out of 40 in division 3. Private schools included Scotch College and Walford; and Mr Tim Donovan, known to some in this house, and his St Michael's College band, made a very credible first appearance at Generations In Jazz.

A highlight for many of us, particularly those old enough to remember the Daly-Wilson Big Band, was Ed Wilson on stage with his trombone playing his own chart of Hey Jude with James and the band; the standing ovation was well deserved. There were many other great moments over the weekend. The Idea of North continue to amaze us, and the performances of scholarship finalists—both vocal and instrumental—assure a rich future for Australian jazz.

I personally want to thank everyone who is involved with Generations in Jazz: all the schools who travel such long distances; all the musical directors who bring their young charges to competition level and give them an experience that will last them a lifetime; and all the parents who make sure their children nurture and grow a love of music to whatever level they are able to achieve. Our thanks must go to the other Morrison maestro, John, whose contribution is always appreciated greatly. We had great performances from 2010 winners, vocalist Kate Kelsey-Sugg and pianist Harry Sutherland, who I have had the pleasure to hear and see evolve musically over many years.

This year we also welcomed local Adam Page direct from his appearance at WOMADelaide, and Generations in Jazz patron, Daryl Somers, who travelled to be with us in Mount Gambier for the weekend. His support saw Wesley College appear on Hey Hey It's Saturday this year, giving national exposure to them and the Generations in Jazz competition.

In closing, I would like to urge all members to have a think about coming down to Generations in Jazz. While your own local school might not be there, it is an opportunity to see how important music is in kids' lives. It is also an opportunity to mix with the people of the South-East, who did approach me about many topics over the weekend. Overall, the highlight was the music. The fantastic performances of our young jazz musicians were astounding.

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