BRENDA LEE JAZZ QUINTET 

Doors 6pm
Show 7pm

Brenda Lee Jazz returns to The Ellington Jazz Club with a stellar line up featuring Mike Nelson (keys), Lachie Glover (sax), William Chiew (drums) and Tom Berkmann (bass). 

The evening will be an immersive indulgence into the world of smokey, sultry jazz indicative of cool jazz, bossanova, swing and ballads of unforgettable songs from the greats the likes of Chet Baker, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Shirley Horn, Luis Bonfa, Sergio Mendez, Errol Garner, Miles Davis, Johnny Green and many more. 

The mood will be relaxed, deep, contemplative, yet energizing and imaginatively alluring. 

Brenda Lee (Vocals) is Perth’s international lady of jazz.  Of Portuguese, Irish, Chinese and Dutch ancestry, her deep and sultry vocals exude an unquestionable trueness of essence, connecting voice and heart.  An established jazz vocalist, recording artist and songwriter, Brenda is well known for her quiet sophistication and versatility. Trained in jazz vocals at WAAPA and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Brenda has travelled and performed with prominent jazz musicians in Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, New York, Perth, Vancouver and Melbourne.  www.brendaleejazz.com.au  

Reviews: 

“Brenda Lee optimises, to my ears, what I refer to as the proper approach to performing music…understanding of the music’s organic core..that captures the listener’s attention..” Phill Fest, Guitarist, Miami Florida USA 

“..I had the pleasure performing with Brenda Lee in numerous sold out jazz concerts..she is a classy jazz vocalist with strong musicality and sense of rhythm..” Valerio Fiorini, Guitarist, Percussionist, Composer, Rome/Australia 

Mike Nelson (Keys) helped establish Jazz Studies at WAAPA and has a long and credible history of international touring across Great Britain, Europe, India, South-East Asia and Australia. Many of Mike’s jazz compositions and arrangements have been recorded and broadcast by the ABC and his commissions have been performed by WASO and the Australian String Quartet. Mike has worked with many notable international artists including the great Shirley Bassey, James Morrison and Jerry Lewis, just to name a few. 

Tom Berkmann (Bass) is a German musician based in Perth, Australia. He studied double bass at the Jazz Institute Berlin and the Manhattan School of Music in New York as a DAAD scholar.  A semi-finalist in the Jazz Competition of the International Double Bass Convention “Bass2010” in Berlin, he received the German Academy Award for Best Film Score and the German Critic’s Award for Best Soundtrack at the Berlinale in 2013 for composing and performing the soundtrack to the film Oh Boy (international title: A Coffee in Berlin). His debut album Journey was released on Whirlwind Recordings in October 2023. He is also a founding member of the modern jazz group Scopes, with whom he has released two albums: Scopes and Age of Reason.  Tom has performed internationally as a bandleader, composer, and sideman, with appearances across five continents. His performance credits include prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonic, and major festivals like the Umbria Jazz Festival and the Jarasum Jazz Festival.  He has shared the stage with renowned artists including Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ingrid Jensen and Jeremy Pelt. 

William Chiew (Drums) is a drummer from Perth with a love for old fashioned swing, playing regularly with local outfits such as Hix Rhythm Six, the Matt Cahill Combo and the Western Suntones as well as leading his own bands, including recording an EP with his big band Rubaclava in 2021. His approach to playing is informed by the old big band drummers such as Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson and Gene Krupa. 

Lachie Glover (Sax) is a four-time James Morrison Scholarship Finalist at Generations in Jazz and holds the record for youngest-ever finalist. Lachlan completed his studies at the James Morrison Academy, for which he was granted exceptional entry at the age of just 16.  

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