FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – MEDIA RELEASE
 There is no doubt The Reef Hotel Casino and Vertigo Cocktail Bar and Lounge is a perfect location for an evening of jazz, so it is with this ethos in mind that the entertainment team is launching two months of jazz throughout July and August.
Celebrating the cream of local talent, All That Jazz will see the likes of Tom See Poy, Celine Deeaz, Nigel T Davies, Nikki Doll, Giles Smith and Chris Lloyds fly the North Queensland flag for jazz as they bring their unique stylings to The Reef Hotel Casino.
Keeping the strong theme of jazz going, international and national headliners renowned Jazz artists The Charmaine Ford Quartet (NZ) and Jazz Nouveau featuring Evelyn Duprai direct from Sydney will grace the stage for four stellar nights of funky, contemporary cool Jazz from Wednesday 13th to Saturday 16th July in Vertigo Cocktail Bar & Lounge.
JAZZ NOUVEAU FEATURING EVELYN DUPRAI
Jazz Nouveau returns to Vertigo after their previous appearances, which wowed audiences and packed out the lounge. Sophisticated, sexy and stylish… Jazz Nouveau is jazz with a twist! The cream of the crop of Sydney’s illustrious jazz scene will showcase the immeasurable talent of songstress Evelyn Duprai and acclaimed musician Joseph Calderazzo as Jazz Nouveau… this groovy outfit combine sophisticated jazz and cocktail versions of pop and dance hits, with an incredible and unforgettable style and class!
Songstress Evelyn Duprai is a born talent and her impressive vocal style is perfectly at home in the jazz genre. As one of the most respected singers in the jazz circles in Sydney she has one of those soulful voices that will stick in your memory and captivate your soul. What’s even more amazing is that even the most devoted music-lovers would swear on their songbooks that Evelyn has been doing this for a lifetime, but she only really turned to her jazz genre in recent years. She started her early years securely rooted in the sounds of gospel, singing in church before going onto talent quests and trying out Top 40 R&B styles. When she joined a funky jazz outfit, the genre just seemed to fit naturally and in a relatively short period of time, her popularity has already surpassed that of some of her contemporaries.
 As a household name in the jazz scene in Sydney, Evelyn has performed in some city’s most prestigious venues such as Fox Studios, The Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Town Hall, The Superdome, The Sydney Entertainment Centre as well as performing at the Sydney Opera House with the impressive Eon Beats Project led by renowned fellow Sydney musician Rick Robertson. She’s also been on the line-up at some of the country’s most well-known festivals such as The Darling Harbour Jazz and Blues Festival and The Norfolk Island Jazz Festival. Add to that the fact that she’s sung with the likes of James Morrison and Swing City and appeared on television programs like Kerri-Anne’s Midday show and Andrew Denton’s CNNN.
Jazz Nouveau performs from Wednesday 13th to Saturday 16th July in Vertigo Cocktail Bar & Lounge. This is a FREE show at The Reef Hotel Casino.
CHARMAINE FORD QUARTET (NZ)
Harking from NZ, international headliner Charmaine Ford is a piano virtuoso and composer. While her career is still in its infancy, she’s already scored a string of awards and is considered one of New Zealand’s most distinguished musicians. She has released two self-penned jazzalbums, which showcase her extraordinary talent. Her sophomore release, ‘Busy Silence’, was awarded ‘Best Jazz Album 2007’ at the New Zealand Music Awards. Ford is the first female instrumentalist to receive this accolade. Her debut album ‘Blues for Guppy’ was also a finalist in the same category in 2004.
Charmaine has played piano professionally since her mid-teens and has been composing since the age of six. At age 19, she was awarded a Travel Grant Scholarship from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) to study in London. There, Charmaine spent three months learning from two of England's top jazz educators, Nikki Iles and Pete Churchill, while also taking lessons from one of the world’s leading classical pianists, (the late) Professor Yonty Soloman. Shortly after leaving high school, Charmaine won several national awards including ‘Best Pianist’, and ‘Best Combo’ at the National Tauranga Jazz Festival Competitions. She was also awarded ‘Jazz Musician of the Year’ by the Auckland Jazz Workshop two years running.
 Ford has performed and toured extensively throughout Australasia and has appeared on New Zealand National Television several times including ‘Dancing with the Stars’. She has been invited to play at many of New Zealand's international jazz festivals, as well as performing in concert with ‘The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’. In addition to her staggering list of achievements, Charmaine appears on numerous recordings covering a wide variety of genres. Since moving from New Zealand to Sydney in 2008, Ford has rapidly become in demand as a performer, educator and session musician.
Charmaine Ford Quartet performs from Wednesday 13th to Saturday 16th July in Vertigo Cocktail Bar & Lounge. This is a FREE show at The Reef Hotel Casino.
Wednesdays are dubbed Jazzzoo, presenting great live and local Jazz in Vertigo. Add to that a sensational weekend line-up that features the Alley Catz Big Swing Band, as they roll out sizzling swing and jumpin’ jazz with their big band line up. The hip Catz are cookin’ up their big band sound and serving it out every Saturday night live from 10pm
The Casino has even created its own JAZZ BAR and PIANO LOUNGE in the middle of the main foyer for those lovers of live Jazz and drinks. The bar will be open every Thursday to Sunday from 4pm-8pm.
So If you like your Jazz live and hot and your drinks long and cool, The Reef Hotel Casino presents the All The Jazz and two months of the best free live entertainment and all that jazz… don’t miss out!
LIVE ON STAGE THURSDAY – SUNDAY IN VERTIGO| JAZZ ZOO 8PM
CELINE DEEAZ QUARTET | JULY 6 AUG 3,10
CHARMAINE FORD QUARTET & JAZZ NOUVEAU | JULY 13 -16
TOM SEE POY QUARTET | JULY 20,27
JAZZBIRDZ | AUG 17,24
JAZZ DU SOUL | AUG 31
CHRIS LLOYDS ‘MORNINGS IN THE ARENA’ JULY 29 SWING IT AND AUG 26 JAZZ CLUB FROM 11AM
|
