Raining funk at the jazz club with peter hunt

In the late 1960s and early 1970s I drove a cab to fund my Uni. fees. When I went to uni. you had to pay fees unless you won a commonwealth scholarship. It took me a year to win a scholarship plus I always had cost of living and text books to fund.

Occasionally a fare* would ask to go to the Jazz Club on the water’s edge at Kangaroo Point. Later on I would be called down there to pick people up after a gig. But i can’t recall ever going inside.

The Jazz Club was a primitive structure of timber on a concrete slab and wooden floors.

It still is. The Jazz Club was flooded back then in 1974 and it was again this year in January. But this not-for-profit club has bounced back.

Last night I went to see Peter Hunt & friends play. What great music! Peter who writes reggae and groove showed us what he could do with original jazz mixed in with some old standards the band finished up with summertime. I like the piano player because she was precise in her improvs and solos without being flashy. Peter (trumpet) and Darcy (Sax) were pretty tight as well. Matt on guitar was very fresh and added much to the numbers when he came on stage.

Stu Barry on bass was simply fantastic all night and Geoff Green on drums knew how to hang back and provide a good platform of rhythm. I know little of jazz or its club in Brisbane but thought they made the right decision asking peter hunt along.

At one point Peter looked through the windows out onto the river and said we should not forget our river and honour it … even though it is murky (laughter) … but we could clean up all that shit ….(laughter) and then went out on the upbeat with Summertime… the river was alive with his sounds last night at the Jazz Club.

Here is a taste of great performance, original and standard tunes.

Ian Curr
20 November 2011
* taxi-driver talk for a person who takes a taxi (someone who pays a ‘fare’ or money for the trip).